The prevalence, characteristics, and associated factors of pain in individuals with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: The coexistence of pain and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is acknowledged, yet the pain prevalence and associated factors of the common pain area in the COPD population are unknown.

Objective: This study aims to examine the prevalence of pain in individuals with and without COPD and to explore the connections between common pain areas and related factors.

Methods: Data was gathered through spirometry tests and surveys, including demographics, pain characteristics, Shoulder Pain and DisabilityIndex (SPADI), Neck Disability Index (NDI), COPD assessment test, and dyspnea score.

Soft Tissue Glenohumeral Internal Rotation Deficit Revealed Detailed Musculoskeletal Factors of Baseball Players.

Weng, Y-H, Huang, T-S, Chang, C-Y, Yang, J-L, Chen, W-S, and Lin, J-J. Soft tissue glenohumeral internal rotation deficit revealed detailed musculoskeletal factors of baseball players. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-Glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD) remains contentious regarding its role in shoulder injuries.

Scapula-Focused Exercises With or Without Biofeedback and Corticospinal Excitability in Recreational Overhead Athletes With Shoulder Impingement.

Context: Individuals with shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) exhibit changes in corticospinal excitability, scapular kinematics, and scapular muscle-activation patterns. To restore the scapular kinematics and muscle-activation patterns in individuals with SIS, treatment protocols usually include scapula-focused exercises, such as scapular-orientation and strength training.

Objective: To investigate whether scapular-orientation and strength training can reverse the altered corticospinal excitability of recreational overhead athletes with SIS.

A novel balance training approach: Biomechanical study of virtual reality-based skateboarding.

The use of virtual reality (VR) technology in training and rehabilitation gained increasing attention in recent years due to its potential to provide immersive and interactive experiences. We developed a novel VR-based balance training, VR-skateboarding, for improving balance. It is important to investigate the biomechanical aspects of this training, as it would have benefited both health professionals and software engineers.

Pitching Biomechanics and Shoulder Function in Baseball Pitchers with Scapular Dyskinesis.

The primary purpose was to investigate the influence of scapular dyskinesis (SD) on pitching biomechanics and shoulder function in high school baseball pitchers. The secondary purpose was to identify possible factors associated with shoulder function in pitchers with SD. Thirty-eight pitchers were classified into the SD group (n=26) or the non-SD group (n=12).

The Effects of Interactive Virtual Reality in Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Interactive virtual reality (iVR) has been widely used for treatment purposes in patients with chronic musculoskeletal disorders. However, no consensus has been reached on the effects of iVR on pain, psychological distress, and functional disability. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of iVR on pain, psychological distress, and functional disability in patients with chronic musculoskeletal disorders compared with no rehabilitation and conventional rehabilitation.

Alteration in coracohumeral ligament and distance in people with symptoms of subcoracoid impingement.

Background: Differentiation between subacromial impingement versus subcoracoid impingement are important for the treatment target. We evaluated the correlations between coracohumeral ligament (CHL) thickness and distance (CHD) and characterized the CHL and subscapularis (SSC) in subcoracoid impingement subjects.

Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study was carried out.

Effects of Upper Trapezius Myofascial Trigger Points on Scapular Kinematics and Muscle Activation in Overhead Athletes.

Prolonged overactivity of the upper trapezius muscle with myofascial trigger points might cause muscle fatigue and subsequently change scapular kinematics and associated muscular activities. Scapular kinematics and associated muscular activities were investigated in 17 overhead athletes with upper trapezius myofascial trigger points and 17 controls before and after a fatigue task. Participants performed a fatigue task requiring sustained isometric scapular elevation.

Return to work in head and neck cancer survivors: its relationship with functional, psychological, and disease-treatment factors.

Purpose: Return to work (RTW) is important for survivors of head and neck cancer (HNC). The purposes of the study were to investigate the RTW ratio among HNC survivors and identify factors significantly affecting RTW in this population.

Methods: A cross-sectional study with consecutive sampling was conducted in a medical center in Taiwan, with 111 patients with HNC who had completed major treatments within 5 years and were employed before their cancer diagnosis enrolled as participants.

A Comparison of Plyometric and Jump Rope Training Programs for Improving Punching Performance in Junior Amateur Boxers.

Improving lower extremity sports performance may contribute to punching performance in boxers. We compared the effects of two typical boxing routines for developing lower extremity sports performance and subsequent punching performance. Twenty-four high school amateur boxers between the ages of 12 and 18 performed training at least 3 days per week.

Impairment of scapular control in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Upper quadrant geometrical changes in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) appear to have negative influences on geometrical arrangements of the thorax and scapula.

Objective: The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the impairment of scapular control in individuals with COPD as compared with healthy controls.

Methods: We systematically searched seven electronic databases from inception to June 2021 and updated the searches again in December 2021.

Glenohumeral Internal Rotation Deficit on Pitching Biomechanics and Muscle Activity.

To characterize the scapular pitching biomechanics in symptomatic GIRD pitchers (SG) compared to asymptomatic GIRD (ASG) and healthy pitchers. The scapular kinematics and associated muscle activities during pitching were recorded in 33 high school pitchers. Compared to healthy, GIRD pitchers had less scapular posterior tilt in each pitching event (average difference, AD=14.

Physical activity and fitness in survivors of head and neck cancer.

Purpose: The purposes of the study were (1) to assess the physical activity (PA) status, muscle strength (MS), and flexibility of survivors of head and neck cancer (HNC) and compare these findings with normative data from national labor fitness measures; (2) to examine the differences among PA subgroups, as categorized using Godin's scores; and (3) to examine the association between stretching exercises and cervical range of motion (CROM).

Methods: A cross-sectional study with consecutive sampling was used to recruit HNC survivors from a medical center in Northern Taiwan who had completed either radiation therapy (RT) or multimodality treatments including RT within the current 5 years. The level of PA, daily function, fatigue, quality of life (QOL), MS (handgrip and hip flexor), BMI, and flexibility (CROM and fingertip-to-floor tests) of the participants were assessed.

Effectiveness of low level laser therapy versus cryotherapy in cancer patients with oral mucositis: Systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Objective: The purpose of this network meta-analysis was to analyze the relative effects of low level laser therapy (LLLT) and/or cryotherapy in cancer patients with oral mucositis (OM).

Methods: This literature search followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines using MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) up to 2020. Only randomized control trials which involved comparisons of groups receiving the interventions of combined cryotherapy and LLLT, LLLT, cryotherapy and usual care (the control group) in patients with cancer were eligible for inclusion.

Clinical Factors Related to Improved Scapular Control After a Scapular Conscious Control Program in Symptomatic Overhead Athletes: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Predictive variables associated with the effects of a scapular conscious control program should be identified and used to guide rehabilitation programs.

Purpose: To determine whether potential factors are associated with the success of scapular muscle balance with an early control program in patients with subacromial pain and scapular dyskinesis.

Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

The immediate effects of a shoulder brace on muscle activity and scapular kinematics in subjects with shoulder impingement syndrome and rounded shoulder posture: A randomized crossover design.

Background: Round shoulder posture (RSP) is one of the potential risks for shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) due to alignment deviation of the scapula. Evidence on how the characteristics of a shoulder brace affecting the degree of RSP, shoulder kinematics, and associated muscle activity during movements is limited.

Research Question: The purposes of this study were (1) to compare the effects of a shoulder brace on clinical RSP measurements, muscle activities and scapular kinematics during arm movements in subjects with shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) and RSP; and (2) to compare the effects of two configurations (parallel and diagonal) and two tensions (comfortable and forced tension) of the brace straps on muscle activities and scapular kinematics during arm movements in subjects with SIS and RSP.

Measurement of scapular prominence in symptomatic dyskinesis using a novel scapulometer: reliability and the relationship to shoulder dysfunction.

Background: No previous studies have investigated whether the extent of scapular dyskinesis is associated with shoulder dysfunction. This study aimed (1) to establish the reliability of a scapulometer in patients with shoulder pain and (2) to investigate the related factors associated with shoulder dysfunction.

Methods: One hundred participants with symptomatic scapular dyskinesis were recruited.

Single-Session Video and Electromyography Feedback in Overhead Athletes With Scapular Dyskinesis and Impingement Syndrome.

Context: Subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) is associated with scapular dyskinesis, or imbalanced scapular muscle activity. Evidence has shown that feedback can improve scapular control in patients with SIS. However, it is unknown whether real-time video feedback or electromyography (EMG) biofeedback is optimal for improving scapular kinematics and muscle activity during a functional task.

Serratus Anterior and Upper Trapezius Electromyographic Analysis of the Push-Up Plus Exercise: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Context: Whereas the serratus anterior (SA) and the upper trapezius (UT) work as a force couple for scapular motion, weakness of the SA and overactivation of the UT are often present in overhead athletes with shoulder dysfunction. Therefore, researchers addressing an intramuscular imbalance between the SA and UT have focused on finding exercises that target the weak SA and minimally activate the UT.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of push-up plus (PUP) exercise variants based on the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the SA and UT.

Kinesiology taping with exercise does not provide additional improvement in round shoulder subjects with impingement syndrome: A single-blinded randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Round shoulder posture (RSP) may exaggerate symptoms of subacromial impingement. The effects of kinesiology taping with exercise on posture, pain, and functional performance were investigated in subjects with impingement and RSP.

Design: This study was a single-blinded randomized controlled trial.

Effectiveness of stretching exercise versus kinesiotaping in improving length of the pectoralis minor: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Objective: Shortness of the pectoralis minor (PM) is a potential mechanism underlying shoulder impingement syndrome. Few studies have examined the effects of kinesiotaping and stretching exercise on PM length or index. This systematic review and network meta-analysis investigated the effects of stretching exercise and kinesiotaping on PM length and index in adults.

Practice Variability Combined with Task-Oriented Electromyographic Biofeedback Enhances Strength and Balance in People with Chronic Stroke.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of practice variability combined with task-oriented electromyographic biofeedback (EMGBFB) on strength and balance in people with chronic stroke.

Methods: Thirty-three participants were randomly assigned into the constant force EMGBFB tibialis anterior (TA) exercise (constant) group, the variable force EMGBFB tibialis anterior exercise (variable) group, or the upper extremity exercise without EMGBFB (control) group. Subjects in each group received 6 weekly sessions of exercise training (18 sessions, 40 minutes each).

Pain quality descriptors and sex-related differences in patients with shoulder pain.

Background: Pain quality assessment is applicable to pain evaluation and treatment. However, shoulder pain quality descriptors mostly remain unknown. Furthermore, sex-related differences considerably affect clinical pain experience.

Progressive conscious control of scapular orientation with video feedback has improvement in muscle balance ratio in patients with scapular dyskinesis: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Video feedback (VF) can guide patients to consciously control scapular orientation without inappropriate substitution. This study investigated whether progressive conscious control with VF improves scapular muscle activation and movements during arm elevation in patients with subacromial impingement and scapular dyskinesis.

Methods: The study recruited 38 amateur overhead athletes with subacromial impingement and scapular medial border prominence who were randomly assigned to the VF or control group.