Background: Bell's palsy is one of the most common problems that affect motor neurons of facial muscles either unilateral or bilateral. It affects the function and quality of life frequently. Therefore, physiotherapists focus on restoring the facial function with different modalities. Electrical stimulation is one of these modalities included in the physiotherapy program to enhance recovery of Bell's palsy. Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and faradic current stimulation on the recovery of Bell's palsy. Methods: One hundred and ninety-six patients from both genders with unilateral Bell's palsy; their ages ranged from 15 to 60 years. They were divided randomly into four groups with forty-nine patients in each group. Group A received conventional therapy, group B received transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), group C received faradic current stimulation, and group D received TENS + faradic current. All patients were assessed at the initial treatment (after 2 weeks of onset), after one month, and at the end of the study by using the House Brackmann Scale (HBS) for the severity of symptoms and facial symmetry which consist of six grades from normal to total paralysis. Results: In group B, there was a statistically significant improvement in grade IV, V, and VI compared to groups A, C, and D while there was no statistically significant difference among the four groups on grade II and III. Conclusion: TENS is more effective in treating moderately severe dysfunctions as well as total paralysis than convention therapy, faradic current and TENS plus faradic current in patients with acute Bell's palsy.

Study aim: To compare the effect of premodulated interferential current (PREMOD IFC) and diadynamic current (DD) with exercise training on the management of lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET). Material and methods: One hundred and four patients with unilateral LET from both genders (55 females and 49 males) were randomly allocated into two groups. Group A received PREMOD IFC in addition to the exercises, and group B received DD with the same exercises. The outcomes were maximum grip strength assessed by the hand dynamometer, the pinch strength assessed by the pinch gauge dynamometer, and pain and functional disability of the forearm assessed by a patient-rated tennis elbow evaluation (PRTEE) questionnaire. All participants received electrical stimulation, consisting of three sessions per week for six weeks. Results: The mean PRTEE score, and grip strength were significantly improved after six weeks in favour of group A, while there was no significant difference between the two groups in pinch strength. (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results revealed that the combination of PREMOD IFC with exercises could improve pain, functional disability, and grip strength compared to DD with exercises in LET patients without a significant difference between the two groups in pinch strength.

No abstract

Background/aims Osteoporosis is a systemic disorder characterised by a decrease in bone quality and density. This causes the bones to become weak and unable to withstand mild stresses, and the associated pain is made worse with activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of class IV laser therapy and Pilates exercises on bone mineral density and pain in patients with primary osteoporosis. Methods A total of 60 patients with osteoporosis (40 women and 20 men) participated in this study. Their age ranged between 40 and 60 years. They were allocated randomly to three groups: Group A (n=20) received multiwave locked system laser therapy, group B (n=20) patients received Pilates exercises and group C (n=20) received multiwave locked system laser therapy and Pilates exercises. The treatment programme took place three times a week for 8 weeks. Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine (L1–L4) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and pain intensity during activities was measured by using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale. Evaluation of lumbar bone mineral density and pain intensity were performed before and after 8 weeks. Results The statistical analysis of this study revealed there was a significant increase of T-scores post-treatment compared to pre-treatment within group A (P=0.0001; P<0.05), group B (P=0.0001; P<0.05), and group C (P=0.0001), with improvement percentages of 19.59, 34.69 and 50.66% respectively. There was a decrease of pain intensity during activities post-treatment compared to pre-treatment within group A (P=0.0001; P<0.05), group B (P=0.0001; P<0.05) and group C (P=0.0001), with improvement percentages of 41.28, 54.39 and 70.09% respectively. Conclusions Class IV laser therapy and Pilates exercises are useful therapeutic modalities to increase bone mineral density and decrease pain in patients with osteoporosis, but combining them is more effective than using them separately.

Background: Tennis elbow (TE) is a common disorder of the upper extremities that occurs due to powerful grip and repetitive motions in the wrist joint during various activities. Although several management strategies have discussed some of the methods used to reduce pain and improve elbow and wrist movements, the use of new approaches remains a vigorous option to reach the maximum degree of improvement and complete recovery. Aim: The current study aimed to investigate the effect of Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and cupping therapy in treating TE. Methods: One hundred and twenty patients between the ages of 20 and 50 years of both sexes complained of tennis elbow. They were divided randomly into four groups. Group A (n=30) received conventional treatment, group B (n=30) received TENS in addition to conventional treatment, group C (n=30) received cupping therapy with conventional treatment, and group D (n=30) received TENS and cupping therapy plus conventional treatment. Visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess pain intensity, a hand dynamometer was used to measure pain-free grip strength (PFGS), and a patient-rated tennis elbow evaluation (PRTEE) questionnaire was used to measure pain and disability of the forearm before and after four weeks. Results: There was a significant decrease in VAS, PRTEE score, and an increase in PFGS favoring group D compared to the other groups post-treatment (p < 0.001). Conclusion:The combination of TENS and cupping therapy results in better improvement in TE treatment than conventional therapy, TENS, and cupping therapy alone.