Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are primarily characterized by pain as well as issues concerning the proper functioning of individual elements of the stomatognathic system. The aim of the study was to assess the safety and efficacy of physical exercise, with or without radial Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (rESWT), in patients with TMD. Eligible patients were adults (≥18 years) with diagnosed myofascial pain with or without mouth opening limitation (Group Ia, Ib) based on the Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (DC/TMD). Enrolled patients (n = 15) were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive physical exercise combined with rESWT (n = 8) or sham rESWT (n = 7) for four weeks. The primary endpoint was the pain intensity measured by a visual analogue scale (VAS). The secondary endpoints were muscle activity and function assessed through the surface electromyography evaluation of the anterior temporalis and the masseter muscles. The rESWT group (mean age: 28.50 ± 8.85 years) showed a statistically significant pain reduction (VAS Right side: ΔT0-T1 MD = −3.00; p = 0.023, Left side: ΔT0-T1, MD = 3.57, p = 0.021), whereas patients in the sham WBV group (mean age: 30.71 ± 8.98 years), did not reach statistical significance (VAS: Right side: ΔT0-T1 MD = 1.00, p = 0.155; Left side: ΔT0-T1 MD = 1.25 SE = 0.25, p = 0.094). Concurrently, muscle activity and performance significantly improved in the active rESWT group, with an improvement in the percentage of the overlapping coefficient (POC) compared to the control group. No dropouts and no side effects were recorded. Taken together, the findings of this pilot RCT suggested that rESWT combined with physical therapy could be effective in relieving pain and improving function in muscle-related TMD patients.
There is a lack of data on patient and diagnostic factors for prognostication of complete recovery in patients with peripheral facial palsy. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the role of a telerehabilitave enhancement through the description of a case report with the use of short-wave diathermy and neuromuscular electrical stimulation combined to facial proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) rehabilitation in unrecovered facial palsy, in a COVID-19 pandemic scenario describing a paradigmatic telerehabilitation report. A 43-year-old woman underwent a facial rehabilitation plan consisting of a synergistic treatment with facial PNF rehabilitation, short-wave diathermy, and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (12 sessions lasting 45 min, three sessions/week for 4 weeks). Concerning the surface electromyography evaluation of frontal and orbicularis oris muscles, the calculated ratio between amplitude of the palsy side and normal side showed an improvement in terms of movement symmetry. At the end of the outpatient treatment, a daily telerehabilitation protocol with video and teleconsultation was provided, showing a further improvement in the functioning of a woman suffering from unresolved facial paralysis. Therefore, an adequate telerehabilitation follow-up seems to play a fundamental role in the management of patients with facial palsy.
Lettersimilarly to patients with delirium. Therefore, the present results motivate future longitudinal studies following the patients who suffered from delirium overtime, to define the percentage of them showing prodromal DLB symptoms at follow-up.
Lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET) is a common painful musculoskeletal disorder. Several treatments have been proposed to provide pain reduction and functional recovery, including laser therapy, hyaluronic acid peritendinous injection (Hy-A), and therapeutic exercise (TE). Our study aims to assess the effectiveness of a combined approach with high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) and Hy-A injections compared to TE on pain, muscle strength, and disability in patients with painful LET. A retrospective longitudinal study was carried out by consulting the medical records of patients with a diagnosis of painful LET formulated by clinical and instrumental findings that received functional evaluations, including the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) and muscle strength measurement at least four times: T0 (“baseline”), 1-month (T1), 3-month (T2), and 6-month follow-ups (T3). Medical records of 80 patients were analyzed. In the HILT + HyA group, the Peak-strength (p < 0.001) and mean strength (p < 0.001) significantly increased compared to the TE group between study times. For the PRTEE-total-score as for the subscales, the HILT + HyA group reported statistically significant reductions only for the comparisons of baseline versus T1 and baseline versus T2. No serious adverse events occurred. Our findings suggest that Hy-A associated with HILT might be more effective than TE for people with LET in the short–medium term.
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