Are adjunct treatments effective in improving pain and function when added to exercise therapy in people with patellofemoral pain? A systematic review with meta-analysis and appraisal of the quality of interventions.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of adjunct treatments combined with exercise to exercise alone in people with patellofemoral pain (PFP) and explore the quality of intervention descriptions in randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Design: Systematic review.

Data Sources: Seven databases were searched in November 2023.

Effectiveness of early rehabilitation on range of motion, muscle strength and arm function after breast cancer surgery: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of early rehabilitation on arm range of motion (ROM), strength and function after breast cancer surgery (BCS). Data sources: PubMed, MEDLINE, Bireme, Embase, LILACS and CINAHL databases were searched.

Methods: Two independent reviewers selected randomized controlled trials evaluating women who underwent early rehabilitation to restore arm ROM, strength or function after BCS.

Are there sex differences in muscle coordination of the upper girdle during a sustained motor task?

Purpose: The higher prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among women compared with men could be explained by sex-gender differences related to biological and physiological processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate sex differences in motor coordination during a sustained and repetitive motor task.

Methods: Seventeen healthy females and 21 healthy males participated.

Need for recovery assessment among nursing professionals and call center operators.

The present study descriptively compares the need for recovery (NFR) among 128 nursing professionals (nurses) and 223 call center operators according cutoff points in the literature (45 and 50) and by means of statistical tests, and verifies the association between NFR scores and the presence of musculoskeletal symptoms. NFR was evaluated with the Need for Recovery Scale and musculoskeletal symptoms were evaluated with the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. At a 45 point cutoff, 22% of the call-center workers and 33% of the nurses were classified as fatigued; at a 50 point cutoff, 13% of the call center operators and 27% of the nurses were classified as fatigued.

Short bouts of stretching increase myo-D, myostatin and atrogin-1 in rat soleus muscle.

Stretching is widely used in rehabilitation and sports activities to improve joint range-of-motion and flexibility in humans, but the effect of stretching on the gene expression of skeletal muscle is poorly understood. We evaluated the effect of short bouts of passive stretching of rat soleus muscle on myo-D, myostatin, and atrogin-1 gene expressions. Six groups of animals were submitted to a single session of stretching (10 stretches of 1 minute with 30 seconds of rest between them, performed manually) and were evaluated immediately (I), and 8, 24, 48, 72, and 168 hours after the session.