Upper cervical spine mobilization demonstrated more clinical benefits than massage therapy with regard to headache pain parameters and neck mobility for CGH subjects.

Plyometrics were more effective than resistive exercises in improving functional performance of athletes after lateral ankle sprain.

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative joint disease particularly in older subjects. It is usually associated with pain, restricted range of motion, muscle weakness, difficulties in daily living activities and impaired quality of life. To determine the effects of adding two different intensities of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) to exercise training program on pain severity, joint stiffness, physical function, isometric muscle strength, range of motion of the knee, and quality of life in older subjects with knee OA. Methods: Patients were randomly assigned into three groups. They received 16 sessions, 2 sessions/week for 8 weeks. Group-I: 18 patients were treated with a laser dose of 6 J/cm 2 with a total dose of 48 J. Group-II: 18 patients were treated with a laser dose of 3 J/cm 2 with a total dose of 27 J. Group-III: 15 patients were treated with laser without emission as a placebo. All patients received same exercise training program including stretching and strengthening exercises. Patients were evaluated before and after intervention by visual analogue scale (VAS), the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) index for quality of life, handheld dynamometer and universal goniometer. Results: T test revealed that there was a significant reduction in VAS and pain intensity, an increase in isometric muscle strength and range of motion of the knee as well as increase in physical functional ability in three treatment groups. Also analysis of variance (ANOVA) proved significant differences among them and the post hoc tests (LSD) test showed the best improvements for patients of the first group. Conclusion: It can be concluded that addition of LLLT to exercise training program is more effective than exercise training alone in the treatment of older patients with chronic knee OA and the rate of improvement may be dose dependent, as with 6 J/cm 2 or 3 J/cm 2 .

Background:Osteoporosis is a major public health problem affecting the elderly population, particularly women. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of adding weight-bearing exercise as opposed to nonweight-bearing programs to the medical treatment of bone mineral density (BMD) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of elderly patients with osteoporosis.Materials and Methods:Participating in the study were 40 elderly osteoporotic patients (27 females and 13 males), with ages ranging from 60 to 67 years, who were receiving medical treatment for osteoporosis. They were assigned randomly into two groups: Group-I: Twenty patients practiced weight-bearing exercises. Group-II: Twenty patients did nonweight-bearing exercises. All patients trained for 45-60 min/session, two sessions/week for 6 months. BMD of the lumbar spine, right neck of femur, and right distal radial head of all patients were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry before and after both treatment programs. In addition, the QoL was measured by means of the HRQoL “ECOS-16” questionnaire.Results:T-tests proved that mean values of BMD of the lumbar spine, right neck of femur and right distal radial head were significantly increased in both groups with greater improvement in the weight-bearing group. The QoL was significantly improved in both groups, but the difference between them was not significant.Conclusion:Addition of weight-bearing exercise program to medical treatment increases BMD more than nonweight-bearing exercise in elderly subjects with osteoporosis. Furthermore, both weight-bearing and nonweight-bearing exercise programs significantly improved the QoL of patients with osteoporosis.

Background: Low-back pain is a major health and economical problem that affects populations around the world. Chronic low-back pain, in particular, is a major cause of medical expenses, work absenteeism, and disability. Objective: To explore the effect of adding cognitive-behavioral therapy to physical therapy interventions in patients with chronic non-specific back pain. Patients and methods: 20 male and female patients between 25 and 40 years old diagnosed as chronic non-specific back pain with central sensitization and fear avoidance behaviors symptoms participated in this study. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups. The first group was treated by cognitive behavioral therapy (graded exposure and graded activity) in addition to physiotherapy the second group was treated by physical therapy interventions which was given only 3 times/week for 4 consecutive weeks. Results: Descriptive statistics was used to identify each variable's mean and standard deviation. A paired t-test was used to compare characteristics of patients between both groups. Pre-treatment results showed no significant difference in both measured variables of Oswestry, and pain in both groups (P > 0.05). On the other hand, post-treatment results showed a significant decrease in the Oswestry, and pain only in group A (the study group). Conclusion:Adding graded exposure and graded activity as an operant cognitive behavioural therapy approach to physical therapy program is more beneficial than physical therapy program alone. More data and follow up needed for this study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of adding biofeedback training to active exercise training on quadriceps torque, voluntary activation and functional activity after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). A total of 45 patients with unilateral TKA participated in this study; their ages ranged from 58 to 67 years. They were assigned randomly to two groups. Group I comprised 21 patients who practiced an active exercise training program for 30 to 45 min/session, two sessions/week, for 4 months. Group II contained 24 patients who practiced biofeedback training in addition to the active exercise training program for 30 to 45 min/session, two sessions/week, for 4 months. Isometric peak torque of the quadriceps, voluntary activation and knee functional activity were measured. The results revealed significant improvements in quadriceps torque, voluntary activation and knee functional activity for both groups, with more improvement in knee functional activities in group II. There were nonsignificant differences between the two groups in both quadriceps peak torque and voluntary activation after training (p > 0.05). Conclusion: An active exercise program can enhance quadriceps peak torque, voluntary activation and knee functional activity after unilateral TKA. The addition of biofeedback training increases the benefits for the knee functional activity of a patient.

Background: Aging is associated with a progressive decline in physical capabilities and a disturbance of both postural control and daily living activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of supervised versus home exercise programs on muscle strength, balance and functional activities in older participants. Methods: Forty older participants were equally assigned to a supervised exercise program (group-I) or a home exercise program (group-II). Each participant performed the exercise program for 35-45 minutes, two times per week for four months. Balance indices and isometric muscle strength were measured with the Biodex Balance System and Hand-Held Dynamometer. Functional activities were evaluated by the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the timed get-up-and-go test (TUG).Results: The mean values of the Biodex balance indices and the BBS improved significantly after both the supervised and home exercise programs (P < 0.05). However, the mean values of the TUG and muscle strength at the ankle, knee and hip improved significantly only after the supervised program. A comparison between the supervised and home exercise programs revealed there were only significant differences in the BBS, TUG and muscle strength.Conclusions: Both the supervised and home exercise training programs significantly increased balance performance. The supervised program was superior to the home program in restoring functional activities and isometric muscle strength in older participants.

Addition of either WBV or magnetic therapy to standard pharmacological treatment for osteoporosis significantly increased BMD in elderly subjects. No significant difference in effectiveness was detected between these two alternative therapy modalities. Consequently, either WBV or magnetic therapy could be effectively applied in conjunction with pharmacological treatment to increase BMD in elderly osteoporotic patients.