Constraint Induced Movement Therapy Increases Functionality and Quality of Life after Stroke.

This blind randomized clinical trial evaluated the effect of CIMT on the functionality and quality of life (QOL) of chronic hemiparetics. Thirty volunteers were divided into two groups: Control (CG) and CIMT (CIMTG); evaluated before and after 12 and 24 intervention sessions. The scales used were: adapted Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment (FMA), Modified Ashworth, Stroke Specific Quality Of Life (SS-QOL) and the Functional Reach Test (FRT).

Impact of physical activity levels on musculoskeletal symptoms and absenteeism of workers of a metallurgical company.

Introduction: Physical inactivity is the fourth biggest risk factor for global mortality. In Brazilian metallurgical industries, workers present a high incidence of musculoskeletal symptoms as one of the main causes of absenteeism.

Objectives: To investigate the impact of physical activity levels and leisure-time physical exercise on musculoskeletal symptoms and absenteeism among administrative and production workers of a metallurgical industry.

Achilles Tendon Vascularization of Proximal, Medial, and Distal Portion Before and After Partial Lesion in Rats Treated with Phototherapy.

Background: The Achilles tendon is one of the tendons most commonly injured by microtraumas and overuse during sports practice. This tendon is especially fragile because of the low blood supply in its central part. Nevertheless, the literature does not offer enough scientific support to explain the composition and vascular dynamic of animal tendons, despite the relevance of being able to observe if the animal tendon undergoes the same processes of vascularization in different regions, as occurs in humans.

Autonomic modulation of heart rate in paraplegic wheelchair basketball players: Linear and nonlinear analysis.

This study aimed to evaluate the autonomic modulation of heart rate in sedentary paraplegics and paraplegic wheelchair basketball players with thoracic spinal cord injury below T6. Seven paraplegic wheelchair basketball players (active paraplegic group), five paraplegics who were not involved in regular exercise (sedentary paraplegic group) and 10 able-bodied participants (control group) took part in the study. The heart rate variability was evaluated by linear (low frequency and high frequency band in normalised units and low frequency/high frequency ratio) and nonlinear methods (Shannon entropy, corrected conditional entropy, and symbolic analysis).

Immediate effects of bilateral grade III mobilization of the talocrural joint on the balance of elderly women.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immediate effects of a single treatment session of bilateral grade III mobilization of the talocrural joint on the balance of elderly women.

Methods: Thirty-two elderly women (age, 65-80 years) with low physical activity levels completed balance evaluation using baropodometry, the Functional Reach Test and the Timed Up and Go Test, and plantar flexion and dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM), before and immediately after the mobilization (n = 16) or sham (n = 16). Each subject was submitted to a total of twelve 30-second grade III mobilizations, 6 for each ankle, in a single treatment session.

Effects of wheelchair sports on respiratory muscle strength and thoracic mobility of individuals with spinal cord injury.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of wheelchair sports on respiratory muscle strength and the thoracic mobility of individuals with spinal cord injury.

Design: Thirty male subjects with chronic spinal cord injury (American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale grade A) took part in the study and were divided into four groups: sedentary subjects with quadriplegia (S-QUAD, n = 7), wheelchair rugby athletes with quadriplegia (A-QUAD, n = 8), sedentary subjects with paraplegia (S-PARA, n = 6), and wheelchair basketball athletes with paraplegia (A-PARA, n = 9). The main outcome measures were maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure and the respiratory coefficients at the axillary and xiphoid levels.

High-voltage electrical stimulation improves nerve regeneration after sciatic crush injury.

Background: Peripheral nerve injury causes prolonged functional limitation being a clinical challenge to identify resources that accelerates its recovery.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of high-voltage electrical stimulation (HVES) on the morphometric and functional characteristics of the regenerated nerve after crush injury in rats.

Methods: Twenty Wistar rats were randomly allocated into 4 groups: Control (CON) - without injury and without HVES; Denervated (D) - sciatic nerve crush only; Denervated + HVES - sciatic nerve crush and HVES; SHAM - without injury but HVES.

Swimming exercise in the acute or late phase after sciatic nerve crush accelerates nerve regeneration.

There is no consensus about the best time to start exercise after peripheral nerve injury. We evaluated the morphological and functional characteristics of the sciatic nerves of rats that began to swim immediately after crush nerve injury (CS1), those that began to swim 14 days after injury (CS14), injured rats not submitted to swimming (C), and uninjured rats submitted to swimming (S). After 30 days the number of axons in CS1 and CS14 was lower than in C (P < 0.

Global Postural Re-education: a literature review.

Background: The Global Postural Re-education (GPR) method has been widely used in clinical practice, with reported benefits for prevention and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal dysfunctions. In parallel with almost two decades of clinical implementation, research studies have tested and verified the effectiveness of GPR in treating different clinical conditions and have also compared this method with other physical therapy resources. However, few studies focused on the verification of the principles of mechanisms of action defended by the author of the method making the arguments in favor of the method weak.

Muscle and nerve responses after different intervals of electrical stimulation sessions on denervated rat muscle.

Objective: Electrical stimulation is a procedure used to treat denervated muscles. The number of electrical stimulation sessions varies across muscle rehabilitation protocols, from daily to certain days throughout the week. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how muscle and nerve respond to different intervals of electrical stimulation applied to denervated muscle.

[Effect of a muscle stretching program using the Global Postural Reeducation method on respiratory muscle strength and thoracoabdominal mobility of sedentary young males].

Objective: To evaluate the effect that respiratory muscle stretching using the global postural reeducation (GPR) method has on respiratory muscle strength, thoracic expansion and abdominal mobility in sedentary young males.

Methods: This was a randomized study involving 20 sedentary volunteers, aged 22.7 +/- 2.

Primary nerve repair by muscle autografts prepared with local anesthetic.

We evaluated the usefulness of muscle autografts obtained immediately after graft preparation with lidocaine injections for primary nerve repair. The right sciatic nerve of adult Wistar rats was sectioned, and muscle grafts obtained 15 min or 24 h after lidocaine injection were used to repair a gap 1.5 cm long.