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A central PA mobilization significantly reduced pain intensity and surface EMG activity of erector spinae musculature as well as improvement in functional ability in mechanical low back pain in postnatal females.

Background: Forward head posture (FHP) is a common type of postural distortion seen clinically, whereby an anterior shift of the head position occurs. Ideal posture is considered to be present when the external auditory meatus is aligned with the vertical line. There were different assessment methods of FHP and the measurement of craniovertebral (CV) angle considered as the most common assessment methods of FHP, The smaller the angle, the greater the FHP. Muscle strain considered as one of the complications of FHP, repetitive strain of the muscle lead to a change in the way of the brain processes the incoming sensory information and subsequent motor output to muscles, a process known as sensorimotor integration(SMI). This study was conducted to measure the neurophysiological effect of FHP on SMI.Methods: Sixty volunteers participated in the study,30 normal subjects with CV angle≥49 are in group A (Normal), 30 forward head subjects with CV angle ≤49 are in group B (forward head). The amplitude of Cortical Somatosensory evoked potential (SSEPs) of N30-P22, N20-P25 and N24-P22 N30 complex (N30-P22), N20 complex (N20-P25) and N24 complex(N24-P22) of SEPS were recorded for both groups after stimulation of the right median nerve.Results: There was a significant increase in the cortical amplitude of N30-P22, N20-P25 and N24-P22 of SEPS in the group (A) compared with a group (B) as p-value was ≤ 0.05. Conclusion:forward head posture affects SMI through changing the response of CNS to afferent input, as demonstrated by attenuation of cortical STEPS in the group (B) compared with a group (A).

Objective To investigate the immediate and post-treatment effect of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) iontophoresis on myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) in the upper fibres of the trapezius muscle. Method Sixty participants (41 women and 19 men, aged 19–24 years) with active MTrPs on the dominant upper fibres of trapezius were enrolled in this study. They were randomly divided into 2 equivalent groups: the intervention and the control group. The intervention group (iontophoresis group; n = 30) was treated with MgSO4 iontophoresis on the upper fibres of the trapezius twice a week for four weeks, and the control group (direct current group; n = 30) received direct current (without medication) in the upper fibres of the trapezius twice a week for four weeks. The outcome measures were: pain intensity, pain threshold, neck range of motion, and neck function The participants were assessed before treatment, immediately after the first session, and finally after treatment. Results The differences within and between groups were measured using a mixed design, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The within- and between-group analysis of all outcome measures in both groups revealed significant differences in favour of the intervention group ( p < 0.05). Conclusion MgSO4 iontophoresis is effective in improving pain level, neck ROM, and neck function immediately after the first session and causes more significant improvement after treatment in subjects with active MTrPs on the dominant upper fiber of trapezius.