An Innovative EEG-Based Pain Identification and Quantification: A Pilot Study.

Objective: The present pilot study aimed to propose an innovative scale-independent measure based on electroencephalographic (EEG) signals for the identification and quantification of the magnitude of chronic pain.

Methods: EEG data were collected from three groups of participants at rest: seven healthy participants with pain, 15 healthy participants submitted to thermal pain, and 66 participants living with chronic pain. Every 30 s, the pain intensity score felt by the participant was also recorded.

Impact of frailty and sex-related differences on postural control and gait in older adults with Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Parkinson's Disease (PD), a neurodegenerative condition, affects normal aging and leads to reduced motor abilities. In addition, frailty syndrome can increase vulnerability and risks of undesirable effects such as disease progression, falls, disability, and premature death among individuals with PD.

Aims: To assess the impact of frailty on balance and gait parameters in older with PD and to determine if sex mediates these measures.

Bilateral Idiopathic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Clinical-Functional Characterization and Efficacy of Two Combined Postoperative Physiotherapeutic Treatments.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of combined association instrument myofascial mobilization (IASTM) and stretching in patients with idiopathic bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) operated on one hand and to analyze the response of the operated (OH) and non-operated (NH) hand according to the sequence of therapies. Research on these parameters has not yet been found in the literature.

Methods: Randomized controlled crossover study with 43 participants using the objective and subjective outcome variables.

Impact of plantar fasciitis on postural control and walking in young middle-aged adults.

Purpose: To assess if plantar fasciitis has an impact on postural control and walking pattern from gait analysis across different experimental conditions.

Methods: Thirty participants (n = 15 with plantar fasciitis) performed 5 different balance tasks on a force platform, and the center of pressure (COP) was computed for postural control analysis. Participants were also asked to walk at 3 different speeds on a gait analysis system to compute the spatial-temporal parameters.

Immediate Effect of Lumbosacral Orthosis and Abdominal Drawing-In Maneuver on Postural Control in Adults With Nonspecific Chronic Low Back Pain.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the immediate effects of lumbosacral orthosis and the abdominal drawing-in maneuver on the trunk postural control of adults with chronic low back pain compared with asymptomatic controls during 1-legged and semi-tandem stances.

Methods: An experimental and comparative study (cross-sectional design) was conducted in a laboratory setting. Twenty adults with chronic low back pain and 20 asymptomatic controls randomly performed 2 postural balance tasks over a force platform, considering 3 experimental conditions: (1) natural posture (baseline-control), (2) lumbosacral orthosis, and (3) abdominal drawing-in maneuver.

Effectiveness of muscle energy technique in patients with nonspecific low back pain: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Introduction: Low back pain (LBP) is a major cause of physical disability in the world. The origin of this condition can be due to differents causes, with a specific cause or of unknown mechanical origin,being characterized as unspecific. In this case a physical therapy treatment approach with manual therapy is relevant, which includes the muscle energy technique (MET) classified as a common conservative treatment for pathologies of the spine, mainly in LBP and disability.

Towards the Objective Identification of the Presence of Pain Based on Electroencephalography Signals' Analysis: A Proof-of-Concept.

This proof-of-concept study explores the potential of developing objective pain identification based on the analysis of electroencephalography (EEG) signals. Data were collected from participants living with chronic fibromyalgia pain ( = 4) and from healthy volunteers ( = 7) submitted to experimental pain by the application of capsaicin cream (1%) on the right upper trapezius. This data collection was conducted in two parts: (1) baseline measures including pain intensity and EEG signals, with the participant at rest; (2) active measures collected under the execution of a visuo-motor task, including EEG signals and the task performance index.

tDCS Task-Oriented Approach Improves Function in Individuals With Fibromyalgia Pain. A Pilot Study.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex pain syndrome accompanied by physical disability and loss of daily life activities. Evidences suggest that modulation of the primary motor cortex (M1) by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) improves functional physical capacity in chronic pain conditions. However, the gain on physical function in people living with FM receiving tDCS is still unclear.

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.

The Impact of Parkinson's Disease on Postural Control in Older People and How Sex can Mediate These Results: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Parkinson's disease is most prevalent among elderly people, 65 years and over, and leads to an alteration in motor control associated with postural instability. Current evidence shows that postural control decreases with the aging process. In addition, postural control is more altered in healthy aged men than in women.

A Neurophysiological Pattern as a Precursor of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Using EEG Combined with EMG.

We aimed to determine the neurophysiological pattern that is associated with the development of musculoskeletal pain that is induced by biomechanical constraints. Twelve (12) young healthy volunteers (two females) performed two experimental realistic manual tasks for 30 min each: (1) with the high risk of musculoskeletal pain development and (2) with low risk for pain development. During the tasks, synchronized electroencephalographic (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) signals data were collected, as well as pain scores.

The immediate effect of two lumbar stabilization methods on postural control parameters and their reliability during two balance tasks.

: Lumbosacral orthosis (LSO) and/or the isolated contraction of the transversus abdominis muscle by the abdominal drawing-in maneuver (ADIM) can increase lumbar stiffness, consequently influencing postural control. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of LSO and ADIM on postural control during two balance tasks and determine their reliability.: Twenty participants (50% men) randomly performed three experimental conditions: 1) without lumbar stabilization, 2) with LSO), and 3) with ADIM.

Effects of lumbar stabilization and muscular stretching on pain, disabilities, postural control and muscle activation in pregnant woman with low back pain.

Background: Low back pain is common during pregnancy. Lumbar stabilization and stretching exercises are recommended to treat low back pain in the general population. However, few studies have applied the effects of these two interventions in pregnant women with low back pain.

Time course and variability of tendinous vibration-induced postural reactions in forward and backward directions.

Mechanical vibration of tendons induces large postural reactions (PR-VIB) but little is known about how these reactions vary within and between subjects. We investigated the intra- and inter-individual variability of PR-VIB and determined the reliability of center of pressure (COP) measures. Bipodal postural control (eyes closed) of 30 healthy adults were evaluated using a force platform under 02 conditions: bilateral VIB of the tibialis anterior (TA) and Achilles tendons (ACH-T) at 80 Hz.

Impact of Lifting of Two Types of Barrels on Postural Control, Trunk Muscle Recruitment, and Kinematic Measures in Manual Workers.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of 2 types of beer barrels on postural control, trunk activation, and kinematic measures in adult workers. Twelve (12) males randomly performed 4 tasks on a force platform for 20 s: (1) hold an empty recyclable barrel, (2) hold a full recyclable barrel (30 L), (3) hold an empty steel barrel, and (4) hold a full steel barrel (30 L). Trunk muscular activation, force platform and kinematic measures at the trunk, hip, and knee joints were computed.

Age- and low back pain-related differences in trunk muscle activation during one-legged stance balance task.

Background: Postural control declines with age and can be affected by low back pain. Poor balance has been reported in people with chronic low back pain (CLBP), which in turn could be explained by the changes in trunk muscle activation.

Research Question: Are there differences between younger and older adults with and without chronic low back pain (CLBP) on trunk muscle activity during one-legged stance task?

Methods: Twenty (20) with, and 20 subjects without nonspecific CLBP participated in the study.

Wearable Devices for Classification of Inadequate Posture at Work Using Neural Networks.

Inadequate postures adopted by an operator at work are among the most important risk factors in Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs). Although several studies have focused on inadequate posture, there is limited information on its identification in a work context. The aim of this study is to automatically differentiate between adequate and inadequate postures using two wearable devices (helmet and instrumented insole) with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and force sensors.

Alterations in central motor representation increase over time in individuals with rotator cuff tendinopathy.

Objective: To investigate whether rotator cuff tendinopathy leads to changes in central motor representation of a rotator cuff muscle, and to assess whether such changes are related to pain intensity, pain duration, and physical disability.

Methods: Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, motor representation of infraspinatus muscle was assessed bilaterally in patients with unilateral rotator cuff tendinopathy.

Results: Active motor threshold is significantly larger for the affected shoulder comparatively to the unaffected shoulder (n=39, p=0.

Cortical mapping of the infraspinatus muscle in healthy individuals.

Background: While cortical representations of intrinsic hand muscles have been extensively studied in healthy individuals, little is known about the representation of proximal upper limb muscles. Improving our understanding of normal shoulder function is important, given that shoulder musculoskeletal disorders affect approximately 20% of the population and are suspected to involve changes in central motor representations. The purpose of the study is to describe the motor representation (motor evoked potentials (MEP) amplitude at the hotspot, map area, normalized map volume and center of gravity) of the infraspinatus muscle in healthy individuals, and to explore the potential influence of hand dominance on this representation (i.

Comparison of transcranial magnetic stimulation measures obtained at rest and under active conditions and their reliability.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies investigating motor cortex reorganization in clinical populations use a variety of measurements, with some performed at rest and others with the muscle slightly contracted. Surprisingly there are still a limited number of studies focusing on relationship between TMS-measures obtained at rest and during active muscle contraction in healthy individuals. The purpose of this study was to: (1) compare resting and active TMS-measures and assess their association; (2) determine their respective short- and long-term reliability.

Relationship between the margin of manoeuvre and the return to work after a long-term absence due to a musculoskeletal disorder: an exploratory study.

Purpose: The application of the margin of manoeuvre (MM) concept in work rehabilitation is new. It allows for variations in both health status and work demands, and the interaction between the two, to be taken into account. The objective of this exploratory study was to document the relationship between the presence of an MM in the workplace and the return to work (RTW), after a long-term absence.

A review of assessment tools of illness representations: are these adapted for a work disability prevention context?

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders are among the main causes of short- and long-term disability.

Aim: Identify the methods for assessing multidimensional components of illness representations.

Methods: An electronic literature search (French, English) from 1980 to the present was conducted in medical, paramedical and social science databases using predetermined key words.

Orthostatic symptoms, blood pressure and working postures of factory and service workers over an observed workday.

North American workers usually stand while working, and prolonged standing is associated with discomfort and cardiovascular problems. Moving may alleviate the problems, but optimum mobility is unknown. The effects of variations in mobility were explored among (1) 34 health care workers whose symptoms of orthostatic intolerance (OI) were recorded after work; (2) 45 factory and laundry workers.