Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Treatment of Tendon and Ligament Injuries-clinical Evidence.

Introduction: Sport injuries, most of the time affect muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage and bones and range from very mild to severe, prompting different therapeutic approaches. Overuse is the most common cause of sports injuries and half of those injuries affect tendon, tendon sheet and tendon insertion to the bone. The number of ligament injuries, particularly anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) increasing.

The use of cellular matrix in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative "wear and tear" disorder affecting mainly population over 50 years old. It can also present in younger people, especially after an injury or as a part of other diseases. While many therapeutic options exist for knee osteoarthritis, none of them has the potential to cure this condition.

The effectiveness of prolotherapy in treating knee osteoarthritis in adults: a systematic review.

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) often leads to symptoms such as pain, stiffness and decreased function. OA is treated with a wide range of modalities, both conservatively and surgically. Prolotherapy has been used to treat various musculoskeletal problems and has shown some promise.

Acute ischemic stroke: relationship of brain lesion location & functional outcome.

Purpose: To establish, using brain spiral computerised tomography (SCT) and modified Barthel index (MBI), whether the location of cerebral infarction could be correlated with functional outcome in acute ischemic stroke patients who undergo early intensive rehabilitation.

Methods: Observational cohort, assessor blinded and correlational prospective 12-weeks study that included 111 acute ischemic stroke patients, admitted consecutively to an early intensive inpatient rehabilitation programme (5 days a week, 3-5 h a day) during 2003. Confirmation of diagnosis and stratification was done by brain SCT.

Measuring outcomes in acute neurorehabilitation in General Hospital setting - our experience.

In General Hospital setting, where varieties of patients are included in neurorehabilitation process, set of multidisciplinary functional tests were established, as a routine in daily work. Tests were done by physiotherapists and occupational therapists who were members of rehabilitation team. Our aim was to select the tests which can be used as a routine and are applicable for different neurological impairments in daily work.

Effect of risk factors on functional outcome after stroke rehabilitation.

Objective: The incidence of stroke and the demand for rehabilitation services continues to increase. Risk factors may act as stroke outcome predictors and hence determine the type and intensity of rehabilitation. Our aim is to investigate stroke outcome predictors that will define groups with maximal or minimal benefit from rehabilitation after stroke.

The effects of McKenzie exercises for patients with low back pain, our experience.

Objective: To investigate influence of McKenzie exercises on decreasing the pain in patients with low back pain, to show occurrence of Centralization sign, as a predictor of good treatment outcomes and to evaluate use of McKenzie exercises, as a routine method for lower back pain in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Centres.

Design: Clinical, prospective, manipulative study.

Setting: Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Clinic in Community Based Rehabilitation Centers and Institute for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation affiliated with a Medical College Sarajevo.

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy in orthopaedic diseases.

The application of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) as a treatment for different orthopaedic conditions has experienced a rapid increase over the last several years. However the mechanism of action and the therapeutic effect is not clear. The aim of this study was to review the literature about the efficacy of ESWT in the treatment of plantar fasciitis, lateral epicondylitis, shoulder painful disorders and non-union fractures.

Brunkow exercises and low back pain.

Brunkow exercises starting with dynamic contraction of hands and feet with fixed point on the wrist or/and heal. Dynamic contraction from the beginning, transferring through kinetic chain, leads to isometric contraction of the group of muscles, which has to be included in the exercise. Starting positions determine the group of muscles to be trained.

The effects of McKenzie and Brunkow exercise program on spinal mobility comparative study.

This study encompassed 64 participants with symptoms of low back pain, 33 in McKenzie group and 31 in Brunkow group. Patients attended exercise program daily and they were asked to do the same exercise at home--five times a day in series of 5 to 10 repetition each time, depending of stage of disease and pain intensity. All patients were assessed for the spinal motion, before and after the treatment.