The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the effects of high intensity laser therapy (HILT) and low level laser therapy (LLLT) on the treatment of patients with Bell's palsy. Forty-eight patients participated in and completed this study. The mean age was 43 ± 9.8 years. They were randomly assigned into three groups: HILT group, LLLT group, and exercise group. All patients were treated with facial massage and exercises, but the HILT and LLLT groups received the respective laser therapy. The grade of facial recovery was assessed by the facial disability scale (FDI) and the House-Brackmann scale (HBS). Evaluation was carried out 3 and 6 weeks after treatment for all patients. Laser treatments included eight points on the affected side of the face three times a week for 6 successive weeks. FDI and HBS were used to assess the grade of recovery. The scores of both FDI and HBS were taken before as well as 3 and 6 weeks after treatment. The Friedman test and Wilcoxon signed ranks test were used to compare the FDI and HBS scores within each group. The result showed that both HILT and LLLT significantly improved the recovery of patients with Bell's palsy. Moreover, HILT was the most effective treatment modality compared to LLLT and massage with exercises. Thus, both HILT and LLLT are effective physical therapy modalities for the recovery of patients with Bell's palsy, with HILT showing a slightly greater improvement than LLLT.
Background: Mechanical neck pain (MNP) is a common neck disorders affecting middle-aged population.Magnetotherapy is considered as a safe and non-invasive physical therapy modality used in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain. , 4.483(1.228) months respectively. They were randomly assigned in to two groups. Group I (30 Patients) was treated with PEMF plus exercises (PEMF+EX) group and group II (30 Patients) treated with placebo magnetic plus exercises (PL+EX) group. Exercise program included active range of motion, muscle stretching and strengthening exercises applied two sessions/week for 6 weeks. PEMF was applied with 20 Hz, 0.8 mT for 20 minutes two sessions/week for 6 weeks. Pain level was measured by visual analog scale (VAS) and neck functions were measured by neck disability index (NDI). The level of significance was set at p< 0.05.Results: Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test revealed significant differences in VAS and NDI in PEMF+EX and PL+EX groups (p <0.0001). Mann-Whitney (MW) Test showed significant decreased in VAS and NDI scores both treatment (p <0.0001) with more significant decrease in PEMF group than PL+EX group.Conclusion: PEMF combined with exercise was effective more than exercises alone in decreasing the scores of VAS and NDI in Chronic MNP.
[Purpose] This study aimed to determine the awareness amongst healthcare staff of
post-stroke cognitive impairment in a university teaching hospital and supporting stroke
rehabilitation unit. [Subjects and Methods] A cross sectional study was employed to
collect data from 20 healthcare staff about post-stroke cognitive impairment. This study
was conducted in Ireland at two sites, the Acute Stroke unit in Cork University Hospital,
and the Stroke Rehabilitation unit and Assessment and Treatment Centre in St. Finbarr’s
Hospital. [Results] Approximately 75% of participants felt that they had knowledge about
post-stroke cognitive deficits, with around 50% of them having patients with persistent
cognitive decline between 40% and 60%. Most participants (70%) agreed that cognitive
function should be routinely assessed and the majority (85%) discussed the potential
impact of post-stroke cognitive deficits with patients and their families. However, some
participants need to be aware of post-stroke cognitive deterioration. [Conclusion]
Although there was evidence of good practice, a small number of healthcare staff felt that
they did not have sufficient knowledge about post-stroke cognitive deficits. Thus, further
professional education should be provided to improve the knowledge of healthcare staff
about potential cognitive impairments after stroke.
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