Introduction. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most commonly encountered nerve entrapment disorder; it causes pain, numbness, tingling sensation in the hands and leads to work disability. The purpose of this study was to analyse the impact of shock wave and iontophoresis in patients with CTS. Methods. This study was conducted in 30 patients with CTS of both sexes, aged 30-50 years. The patients were randomly allocated into 2 groups. Study group A received shock wave therapy and study group B received iontophoresis therapy. Results. The results revealed a higher improvement in group A than in group B. in group A, there were a significant increase of sensory nerve conduction velocity of median nerve and a significant decrease of pain after treatment, while in group B, there were a less significant increase of sensory nerve conduction and less significant reduction of pain after treatment. The inter-group comparisons showed statistically significant differences in favour of group A. Conclusions. Shock wave is more effective than iontophoresis in the treatment of patients with CTS.

Purpose. The aim of the study was to detect the immediate and late effects of using a smartphone for 30 consecutive minutes on dynamic balance in healthy adolescents. Methods. Overall, 96 healthy adolescents of both genders, aged 15-18 years, were randomly assigned to the study and the control group. The subjects in the study group used a smartphone for 30 consecutive minutes; smartphones were not allowed in the control group. A Biodex system was used to assess the dynamic balance initially, as well as immediately after and 1 hour after the intervention. Results. MANOVA test revealed that there were statistically significant differences in the overall stability index and anteroposterior stability index (p = 0.002 and 0.04, respectively), with a statistically insignificant difference in the mediolateral stability index (p = 0.46) within the study group. Significant differences were observed in the immediate measurements of both overall stability index and anteroposterior stability index (p = 0.0001 and 0.03, respectively), while statistically insignificant differences were noted in the measurements of mediolateral stability index between the groups. Conclusions. The dynamic balance decreased after 30 consecutive minutes of smartphone use, so care should be taken to avoid accidents while walking or performing other daily activities. This effect, however, disappeared 1 hour later.

Objective. To determine the influence of adding maze control training to the selected conventional physical therapy on kinesthetic awareness in patients with chronic stroke. Methods. Thirty adult patients of both genders with chronic cerebral stroke were assigned to control and experimental groups randomly: the control group (A) received the selected conventional physical therapy rehabilitation program, while the experimental group (B) received the same program as group A in addition to the maze control training. Measurements for sway index, risk of fall, and knee proprioception before and after 8 weeks of treatment (24 sessions; three times per week). Results. There were significant decreases of both sway index and risk of fall in both groups ( p ≤ 0.001 in all measures), significant improvements of the knee proprioception in 30° and 75° in the experimental group ( p value = 0.016 and ≤0.001, respectively). The in-between groups’ comparison showed significant differences corresponding to both the sway index and risk of fall ( p ≤ 0.001 ), and a significant difference in 75° ( p ≤ 0.001 ). Conclusion. Adding maze control training to the selected conventional physical therapy improved the kinesthetic awareness in patients with chronic stroke.

Background/aims Chronic spinal disc disease leads to disorders in postural movement coordination. An incorrect asymmetrical movement pattern for lower limb loading impairs proprioception and deteriorates postural stability. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of trunk control training on the redistribution of plantar pressure to reduce the risk of posture sway while standing in patients with sciatica resulting from a herniated lumbar disc. Methods This study included 30 male and female patients with sciatica resulting from lumbar disc herniation, their ages ranged from 45–60 years. The patients were randomly assigned to two equal groups. The study group received posture stability training by using the Biodex Balance System in addition to a selected physical therapy programme. The control group received the selected physical therapy programme only. Results: The results revealed that in the study group, there was a significant increase of plantar pressure at the right and the left centre of heel, while there was a significant decrease of plantar pressure at the right and the left forefoot post treatment. In the control group, there was no significant difference in plantar pressure at the right and the left centre of the heel and forefoot post treatment. Conclusions: Trunk control training, in addition to the selected physical therapy programme, was more effective than only using the selected physical therapy programme to redistribute foot plantar pressure, which can reduce posture sway for patients with sciatica resulting from a herniated lumbar disc.

Background Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is one of the most frequent side effects of antineoplastic agents, with a prevalence of 19 to 85%. In terms of clinical manifestations, CIPN is primarily a sensory neuropathy with motor and autonomic alterations of varying intensity and duration. CIPN consider as major problem for both cancer patients and survivors, as well as for their healthcare providers, possibly increasing the risk of falling. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of game-like interactive exercise versus visual feedback training on the risk of falling and sensory integration in patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy after mastectomy. Methods: In this randomized comparative study, 30 female patients diagnosed with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy after mastectomy were randomly allocated into two equal groups; group (A) underwent game-like interactive exercise using the Biodex Balance System (BBS), while group (B) underwent a visual feedback training program using BBS. The treatment was applied for three sessions per week for four consecutive weeks. All subjects in both groups were assessed using the fall risk index and sensory integration test (sway index) in four sensory conditions at baseline and at the end of the study for both groups.