BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Neck pain is a painful acute or chronic syndrome that affects the region of the cervical spine. Electrostimulation is one type of treatment, which provides local analgesia bringing more comfort and functionality to the patient. However, there are still there are other current forms not fully explored. Therefore, the objective of the study was to evaluate the analgesic and functional effects of the Aussie current on students with chronic neck pain. METHODS: Twenty-four individuals were separated in a control group (n=11) and an electrostimulation group (n=13) with current intensity at the sensory level. There were 3 interventions per week for 4 weeks, totaling 12 interventions per individual. The assessment was performed applying the Neck Disability Index, the visual analog scale of pain, the handgrip dynamometer, and the cervical spine goniometry before the intervention, shortly after the treatment period, and after a month of follow-up. RESULTS: In relation to all the assessed items, there was no significant difference between the three evaluations in the control group and in the treated group. CONCLUSION: The Aussie current at the sensory level did not provide significant analgesic and functional effects in students with chronic neck pain.

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Introduction and Objective. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory and systemic autoimmune disease that affects peripheral joints leading to joint degradation, pain, deformities, decreased activities of daily living, and sedentary lifestyle, resulting in secondary sarcopenia. Osteoarthritis (OA), in turn, is a multifactorial disease associated with joint degeneration and impairment of the musculoskeletal system as a whole, affecting joint movement and stability. In both pathologies, there is loss of muscle mass and functional impairment, and physical exercise is a therapeutic alternative to minimize these consequences. The aim of the review is to demonstrate the effects of different physical exercise modalities on muscle mass loss in murine models of OA and RA. Materials and method. The databases used were PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane Database, LILACS, and Google Scholar. The review included studies which induced experimental models of OA or RA in rats or mice; used any exercise modality as an intervention; and analyzed some quantitative muscle histomorphometric measurs. The search strategy included all keywords on the topic identified in previous research and adapted for each database. Studies published in any language and in any year were included. An analysis of the studies was performed by two independent reviewers and data were extracted from the articles using tools developed by the reviewers. Results. After completing the definitive search in the databases, 193 studies were found, of which only 2 were included in this review, one addressing the effects of resistance exercise in rats with RA, and another using aerobic exercise to treat rats with OA. Conclusion.Treatment with different forms of physical exercise contributed to attenuation of muscle mass loss in animal models of OA and RA.

Introduction and objectives. Since the paravertebral muscles promote dynamic stability to protect the spine, the aim of this study was to verify the association between the acute effect of the stretching support time for the multifidus muscle, and changes in the static and dynamic stability of the lumbopelvic region. Materials and method. A total of 46 volunteers were cross-submitted to three different stretching interventions for the multifidus muscle, being the manutention of stretching time the variation between interventions: 10, 30 and 60 seconds. Each volunteer was submitted to the three interventions with a minimum interval of 7 days and a maximum of 10 days. The order of the interventions was determined by lot. First, pre-intervention values for static and dynamic stability were collected using a biofeedback pressure unit. Subsequently, the sample was forwarded for intervention according to its group; after the completion of the same, data were collected on post-intervention stability. The data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software and Chi-square test, with a significance level of 5% (α = 0.05).Results. There was no significant association between the manutention of stretching time and static stability, being χ2(4)=0.812; p=0.949. Similarly, there was no significant association between the stretching support time and dynamic stability, and χ2(4)=1.517; p=0.827. Conclusion. In conclusion, there was no significant association between stretching time of the paravertebral muscles and static and dynamic stability.