Promoting longus colli muscle activation: Force direction in sitting matters.

Background: There is limited evidence to inform exercise prescription for deep neck flexor activation out of supine.

Objective: To compare activation of longus colli (LC) and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) from supine to sitting, and to compare the effect of craniocervical flexion (CCF) exercises in sitting on activation.

Methods: Twenty-four individuals without neck pain (mean age 28.

Psychometric Properties of a Digital Goniometer in Upper and Lower Cervical Range of Motion Measurement.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the intrarater reliability and criterion validity of a digital goniometer for measuring cervical range of motion including an active sitting version of the cervical flexion rotation test, an important clinical measure for capturing upper cervical dysfunction.

Methods: A cross-sectional study (n = 18; 78% women) examined total cervical and upper cervical active ranges of motion (flexion, extension, side bending, rotation) measured concurrently using 3 measurement methods (a digital goniometer, the cervical range-of-motion instrument, and 3-dimensional motion analysis). Intraclass correlation coefficient (2,1), Pearson correlation coefficients (digital goniometer versus 3-dimensional motion analysis), and minimum detectable change were calculated.

Real time ultrasound imaging shows changes in deep neck flexor activation during exercise in individuals with mechanical neck pain.

Background: Deep neck flexor muscle atrophy and increased superficial neck muscle activation are associated with disability and pain intensity in individuals with neck pain. There is a lack of evidence to support direct assessment of deep neck flexor muscles in a non-invasive way during exercise performance to help determine the effectiveness of different neck strengthening exercises.

Objective: Compare longus colli (LC) and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) activation between individuals with and without neck pain using real time ultrasound (RTUS) during a series of craniocervical exercises.

Effect of Starting Posture on Three-Dimensional Jaw and Head Movement.

Objectives: The effect of body posture on movement of the jaw and head has not yet been clearly established. The relationship between jaw and head movement has implications for conditions such as temporomandibular joint disorders which can be associated with neck pain. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the effect of starting posture on three-dimensional movement of the jaw and head, and to examine the relationship between head and jaw movement during mouth opening.

Predicting the number of physical therapy visits and patient satisfaction in individuals with temporomandibular disorder: A cohort study.

Background: Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) can be challenging to manage for clinicians and patients alike. It is unclear which factors are associated with prolonging conservative care and patient dissatisfaction with treatment outcomes.

Objectives: To examine factors collected during a physical therapy (PT) evaluation in a cohort of individuals with TMD to determine factors associated with an increased number of PT visits and reduced patient satisfaction.

Effect of Injury Prevention Programs on Lower Extremity Performance in Youth Athletes: A Systematic Review.

Background: Understanding how existing youth injury prevention programs affect specific modifiable injury risk factors will inform future program development for youth athletes.

Objective: To comprehensively evaluate the effects of injury prevention programs on the modifiable intrinsic risk factors associated with lower extremity performance in youth athletes.

Data Sources: This systematic review followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines.

Temporomandibular disorder content in the curricula of physical therapist professional programs in the United States.

: To describe the status of entry-level physical therapist (PT) education related to the diagnosis and management of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in accredited, entry-level United States PT programs. : An electronic survey explored specific TMD diagnostic and management curricular content, including the use of evidence-based diagnostic criteria, opportunities for students to interact with individuals with TMD, and faculty qualifications. : Eighty-four programs completed the survey.

Outcomes and patient satisfaction following individualized physical therapy treatment for patients diagnosed with temporomandibular disc displacement without reduction with limited opening: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: To investigate physical therapy treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction in patients with a diagnosis of disc displacement without reduction with limited opening (DDWoR wLO).

Methods: Records of 97 patients with DDWoR wLO who received physical therapy in one outpatient clinic were used in this cross-sectional study. Outcomes included number of visits, maximum active interincisal opening, self-reported pain, and patient satisfaction.

Effects of 2 Years of Exercise on Gait Impairment in People With Parkinson Disease: The PRET-PD Randomized Trial.

Background And Purpose: This study presents a secondary analysis from the Progressive Resistance Exercise Training in Parkinson Disease (PRET-PD) trial investigating the effects of progressive resistance exercise (PRE) and a Parkinson disease (PD)-specific multimodal exercise program, modified Fitness Counts (mFC), on spatial, temporal, and stability-related gait impairments in people with PD.

Methods: Forty-eight people with PD were randomized to participate in PRE or mFC 2 times a week for 24 months; 38 completed the study. Gait velocity, stride length, cadence, and double-support time were measured under 4 walking conditions (off-/on-medication, comfortable/fast speed).

Effects of endurance exercise training on the motor and non-motor features of Parkinson's disease: a review.

Background: Despite the benefits of medications and surgical interventions for Parkinson's disease (PD), these treatments are not without complications and neuroprotective strategies are still lacking. Therefore, there is a need for effective alternative approaches to treat motor and non-motor symptoms in PD. During the last decade, several studies have investigated endurance exercise training as a potential treatment for individuals with PD.

Force control deficits in individuals with Parkinson's disease, multiple systems atrophy, and progressive supranuclear palsy.

Objective: This study examined grip force and cognition in Parkinson's disease (PD), Parkinsonian variant of multiple system atrophy (MSAp), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and healthy controls. PD is characterized by a slower rate of force increase and decrease and the production of abnormally large grip forces. Early-stage PD has difficulty with the rapid contraction and relaxation of hand muscles required for precision gripping.

Differences in brain activation between tremor- and nontremor-dominant Parkinson disease.

OBJECTIVE To compare differences in functional brain activity between tremor- and nontremor-dominant subtypes of Parkinson disease (PD) using functional magnetic resonance imaging. DESIGN In our study, patients with tremor-dominant PD and those with nontremor-dominant PD performed a grip task, and the results obtained were compared using voxelwise analysis. Areas of the brain that were significantly different were then examined using a region-of-interest analysis to compare these patients with healthy controls.

Progressive resistance exercise and Parkinson's disease: a review of potential mechanisms.

This paper reviews the therapeutically beneficial effects of progressive resistance exercise (PRE) on Parkinson's disease (PD). First, this paper discusses the rationale for PRE in PD. Within the first section, the review discusses the central mechanisms that underlie bradykinesia and muscle weakness, highlights findings related to the central changes that accompany PRE in healthy individuals, and extends these findings to individuals with PD.

Specific cerebellar regions are related to force amplitude and rate of force development.

The human cerebellum has been implicated in the control of a wide variety of motor control parameters, such as force amplitude, movement extent, and movement velocity. These parameters often covary in both movement and isometric force production tasks, so it is difficult to resolve whether specific regions of the cerebellum relate to specific parameters. In order to address this issue, the current study used two experiments and SUIT normalization to determine whether BOLD activation in the cerebellum scales with the amplitude or rate of change of isometric force production or both.

Effects of aging on the ventral and dorsal substantia nigra using diffusion tensor imaging.

Dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra produce dopamine for the nigrostriatal pathway that facilitates motor function. Postmortem examinations demonstrate an age-related loss of cells in the substantia nigra, with most of the cell loss focused on the dorsal substantia nigra compared with the ventral substantia nigra. The current study used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to provide the first in vivo assessment of age-related degeneration in specific segments of the substantia nigra of humans.

Effects of visual gain on force control at the elbow and ankle.

Visual feedback is essential when minimizing force fluctuations. Varying degrees of somatotopic organization have been shown in different regions of the brain for the upper and lower extremities, and visual feedback may be processed differently based on the body effector where feedback-based corrections are used. This study compared the effect of changes in visual gain on the control of steady-state force at the elbow and ankle.

High-resolution diffusion tensor imaging in the substantia nigra of de novo Parkinson disease.

Background: In the midbrain of patients with Parkinson disease (PD), there is a selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the ventrolateral and caudal substantia nigra (SN). In a mouse model of PD, investigators have administered 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and found that measures derived using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were correlated with the number of dopamine neurons lost following intoxication.

Methods: Twenty-eight subjects (14 with early stage, untreated PD and 14 age- and gender-matched controls) were studied with a high-resolution DTI protocol at 3 Tesla using an eight-channel phase array coil and parallel imaging to study specific segments of degeneration in the SN.

Strength deficits in primary focal hand dystonia.

Cortical activation is reduced when patients with focal dystonia perform movements that do not induce dystonic posturing. This finding suggests that the cortical drive to muscles may in some circumstances actually be reduced not increased, as suggested by basal ganglia models of dystonia as a hyperkinetic disorder. The purpose of this study was to examine flexor and extensor strength at the wrist (a clinically affected joint) and elbow (a nonclinically affected joint) in 18 patients with primary focal hand dystonia compared to matched control subjects.

The effects of lasers and electrosurgical devices on human meniscal tissue.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of various laser wavelengths on human meniscal tissue in vitro and to compare them with the effects of electrosurgical devices. The carbon dioxide (CO2) laser produced the best cutting and ablating effects among the infrared lasers, although the contact neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) and holmium:YAG (Ho:YAG)lasers were nearly as satisfactory, offering the additional advantage of fiberoptic capability and the ability to be used in saline. The free-beam Nd:YAG laser and coagulation mode electrosurgical device produced unacceptably severe thermal changes.

308 nm excimer laser ablation of cartilage.

This article reports the investigation of the XeCl excimer laser as a cutting-ablating tool for human fibrocartilage and hyaline cartilage. Quantitative measurements were made of tissue ablation rates as a function of fluence in meniscal fibrocartilage and articular hyaline cartilage. A force of 1.