Plantar Flexor Weakness and Pain Sensitivity Cannot Be Assumed in Midportion Achilles Tendinopathy.

Introduction/purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the following in persons with midportion Achilles tendinopathy (AT): 1) maximal strength and power; 2) neural drive during maximal contractions and contractile function during electrically evoked resting contractions; and 3) whether pain, neural drive, and contractile mechanisms contribute to differences in maximal strength.

Methods: Twenty-eight volunteers (14 AT, 14 controls) completed isometric, concentric, and eccentric maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) of the plantar flexors in a Biodex dynamometer. Supramaximal electrical stimulation of the tibial nerve was performed to quantify neural drive and contractile properties of the plantar flexors.

Localized Pain and Fatigue During Recovery From Submaximal Resistance Exercise in People With Fibromyalgia.

Objective: Exercise is recommended as a main treatment in fibromyalgia. However, many people have limited exercise tolerance and report exacerbated pain and fatigue during and following a bout of exercise. This study examined the local and systemic changes in perceived pain and fatigue during exercise and through the 3-day recovery following isometric and concentric exercises in people with and without fibromyalgia.

Development of a national pain management competency profile to guide entry-level physiotherapy education in Canada.

Background: National strategies from North America call for substantive improvements in entry-level pain management education to help reduce the burden of chronic pain. Past work has generated a valuable set of interprofessional pain management competencies to guide the education of future health professionals. However, there has been very limited work that has explored the development of such competencies for individual professions in different regions.