Objective: This study aimed to emphasize facilitation training and strengthening of abdominal and core muscles in improving the inter-recti distance (IRD) and associated low back pain (LBP) among young postpartum females. Materials and methods: A single-blinded randomized controlled trial, among forty young postpartum females, was conducted at a community health center. The females were divided into two equal groups through the envelope method where Group A received abdominal crunch training protocol whereas group B received double straight leg raise (DSLR) exercise protocol for 6 weeks and pre and post IRD and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores were recorded. Results: Group A showed improvement in IRD with a mean difference of 1.95±0.4 whereas in group B it was found to be 2.85±0.35 when assessed through finger palpation method.  The mean difference of IRD, when measured through digital nylon caliper method in abdominal crunch and DSLR exercise group was 4.06±0.74 and 1.2±0.49 respectively. Moreover, ODI scores of group A were 2.70±1.05 whereas, group B scores were found to be 1.1±0.06 showing that LBP reduced in participants who performed abdominal crunch exercise. Conclusion: This study reveals that 6 weeks of exercise protocol was observed to be effective in the management of DRA. Thus, abdominal crunch exercise seemed to produce promising results in a reduction of IRD and associated LBP.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Low Back Pain (LBP) is considered as the second leading source of musculoskeletal disorders, affecting 85% individuals worldwide at some point in their life time. Numerous studies estimated Occupational Therapists have predominant risk of developing LBP due to nature of their daily activities therefore the aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of lumbar stabilizing exercises among Occupational Therapists with non specific LBP. METHODOLOGY A single blind, RCT was conducted at Dr. Ziauddin Hospital included 30 Occupational Therapists divided in to Group A and B that received lumbar stabilization and general extension exercises respectively. Both the groups received 4 weeks of intervention on 6 days/week. Data was collected Pre and Post the treatment on Numeric Rating Scale and Oswestry LBP Disability Questionnaire. RESULTS Both the groups showed significant results (p<0.05), however Group A showed marked reduction in pain and disability in comparison to Group B that showed moderate decrease in both outcome measures. CONCLUSION Lumbar stabilization exercises are more effective to reduce LBP as compared to general extension exercises. Multi-center trials are recommended in the management of LBP in healthcare professionals to prevent musculoskeletal disorders.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Knee Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disorder and a leading cause of disability associated with pain, restricted ROM and difficulty in performing Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Muscle Energy Technique (MET) and static stretching on gastrocnemius muscles among the patients suffering with knee OA. METHODOLOGY A 2-arm Randomized Control Trial was conducted at Ziauddin Hospital among 120 patients suffering with grade-II OA. Initial screening was conducted on the basis of Knee OOS. Group A received the MET whereas Group B received Static Stretching Technique both group received the treatment for three days/week for 4 weeks. RESULTS In initial evaluation, our results revealed that group A shows the KOOS score 0.43±0.10 that improved significantly after four weeks of treatment to 0.49±0.14. Our results revealed that at 95% CI, the KOOS score of patients significantly improved in both the groups p<0.05

BACKGROUND: The global pandemic of novel coronavirus outbreaks threatens the general public and health care workers' physical, social and mental well being. Therefore, the current study is aimed to highlight the status of mental health of families suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic.METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted on 560 families through Google Form distributed via email, Whatsapp groups, Facebook, and LinkedIn from November 2020 to January 2021 during the pandemic period in Karachi through the snowball sampling technique. The status of COVID-19 patients was assessed through demographics information and contextual factors questions whereas impact on mental health was assessed through Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21).RESULTS: A total number of 536 participated in the study. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was found to be 38.99%, 26.67%, and 15.48% respectively included 31% of males and 69% where the highest number of respondents belonged to district Central (37.8%). Chi square estimation was found to be significant among both the gender and in between all the age group ranges from 20 to 60 years. Moreover, significant association among categorical division of demography and DASS-21 p<0.05 was observed.CONCLUSION: The results of our study indicated high rate of depression and anxiety in majority of families; in particular females. Consistent with these symptoms, significant association was found between gender and age from high to low socioeconomic status.

Down syndrome is one of the most common chromosomal disorders in pediatrics characterized by variable intellectual disability, generalized joint laxity, and hypotonia that compromises their function and causes a delay in developing gross motor skills, poor balance, and coordination. Thus, this study aims to determine the current yet effective treatment approaches to improve balance in the Down syndrome population. The studies were explored across seven electronic databases that include MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Scopus, PEDro, and Web of Science from inception till October 2020 comprised of experimental studies published in English language investigating the effects on balance in children and adults diagnosed with DS considering different interventions. A total of 1,570 records were retrieved from seven electronic databases published between the year's tenure of 2013-2020. 144 full-text papers were extracted to be reviewed, of which only 18 experimental studies were selected on the basis of inclusion criteria that involved 493 Down syndrome patients, investigated the effects of therapeutic exercises, manual therapy techniques, and patient-related instructions on standardized balance scales/tests. It was concluded that all the included trials demonstrated significantly profound effects in improving the static and dynamic balance of Down syndrome patients. Therefore, none of the interventions is declared as superior to another in terms of obtained results. Furthermore, these diverse interventions need to be investigated more for better understating and generalizability of outcomes.