[Purpose] To compare muscle activities and pain levels of females with chronic neck pain
receiving different exercise programs. [Subjects and Methods] One hundred females with
chronic neck pain participated in this study. They were randomly allocated into 4 groups
(n = 25) on the basis of the exercises performed as follows: strength-endurance exercise,
craniocervical flexion exercise, combination of strength-endurance and craniocervical
flexion exercise and control groups. Pain, disability levels and changes in the muscle
activities of the cervical erector spinae (CE), sternocleidomastoid (SCM), anterior
scalenes (AS) and upper trapezius (UT) muscles were evaluated before and after the
interventions. [Results] After 12 weeks of exercise intervention, all three exercise
groups showed improvements in pain and disability. The muscle activities during the typing
task were significantly different from the control group in all three exercise groups for
all muscles except those of the extensor muscles in the craniocervical flexion exercise
group. [Conclusion] The results of this study indicate that exercises for the cervical
muscles improve pain and disability. The exercise programs reduced the activities of
almost all cervical muscles.
The clinical recommendation regarding the selection of the central PA mobilization technique for treating patients with central or bilateral mechanical neck pain is therefore arguably.
[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to assess the sagittal angles and moments of
lower extremity joints during single-leg jump landing in various directions. [Subjects]
Eighteen male athletes participated in the study. [Methods] Participants were asked to
perform single-leg jump-landing tests in four directions. Angles and net joint moments of
lower extremity joints in the sagittal plane were investigated during jump-landing tests
from a 30-cm-high platform with a Vicon™ motion system. The data were analyzed with
one-way repeated measures ANOVA. [Results] The results showed that knee joint flexion
increased and hip joint flexion decreased at foot contact. In peak angle during landing,
increasing ankle dorsiflexion and decreasing hip flexion were noted. In addition, an
increase in ankle plantarflexor moment occurred. [Conclusion] Adjusting the dorsiflexion
angle and plantarflexor moment during landing might be the dominant strategy of athletes
responding to different directions of jump landing. Decreasing hip flexion during landing
is associated with a stiff landing. Sport clinicians and athletes should focus on
increasing knee and hip flexion angles, a soft landing technique, in diagonal and lateral
directions to reduce risk of injury.
Assessment of impairment and function is essential in order to monitor joint status and evaluate therapeutic interventions in patients with haemophilia. The improvements in the treatment of haemophilia have required the development of more sensitive tools to detect the more minor dysfunctions that may now be apparent. This paper outlines some of the recent developments in this field. The Haemophilia Joint Health Score (HJHS) provides a systematic and robust measure of joint impairment. The MRI Scoring System has been designed to provide a comprehensive scoring system combining both progressive and additive scales. The Functional Independence Score for Haemophilia (FISH) has been developed to assess performance of functional activities and can be used in conjunction with the Haemophilia Activities List (HAL) which provides a self report measure of function. It is recommended that both measures are evaluated as these tools measure different constructs. Further refinement and testing of the psychometric properties of all of these tools is in progress. More widespread use of these tools will enable the sharing of data across the world so promoting best practice and ultimately enhancing patient care.
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