Diastasis of Rectus Abdominis (DRA) muscle is a concerning health issue that commonly affects female within pregnancy and postpartum time, persistent lower back pain and pelvic instability are common consequences to DRA. Thus, this study was conducted to examine the effect of progressive prone plank exercises on narrowing the inter-Rectus distance (IRD) in postpartum women diagnosed with (DRA). A prospective, randomized, single-blind, controlled trial was conducted at the Faculty of Physical Therapy Clinic of Beni-Suef University. Fifty postpartum women presented with (DRA) of at least 2 finger widths assigned into 2 equal groups (A&B). A Toshiba Xario100, 8-12 MHz ultrasonography was used to accurately measure IRD before and after 8 weeks of the exercise program. Group (A), received progressive prone plank exercise program and advice relevant to DRA as well as wore abdominal binder, while group (B) continued their ordinary lifestyle after receiving advice and wearing abdominal binder as group (A).The study results revealed a statistical significant decrease within each group and between groups in IRD (p < .05) above and below the umbilicus both at rest and during Rectus Abdominis (RA) contraction, with a significantly narrower IRD in favoured of participants of group (A) (p < .05). To sum it up, progressive prone plank exercise program is very effective in decreasing IRD in postpartum women presented with DRA.

[Purpose] This study compared the effects of a short-term conservative physiotherapy program versus those of occlusive splinting on pain and range of motion in cases of Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction. [Participants and Methods] This study included 112 male and female participants with ages ranging from 15–27 years. Outcome measures were pain assessed by the visual analogue scale and Temporomandibular Joint Range of Motion measured with the Temporomandibular joint opening index. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Conservative physiotherapy was provided to one group 3 days weekly while the other group received standard occlusive splinting. Splinting was used daily for the total period of treatment. Any adjustments for splints were done by the treating dentist. Both groups were treated for a total period of 6 weeks. [Results] Between group statistical analysis revealed a significant reduction in pain intensity and Temporomandibular joint opening index in favor of the conservative physiotherapy group. [Conclusion] Over a treatment period of 6 consecutive weeks, conservative physiotherapy could be a better initial treatment than occlusive splint in relieving pain and improving range of motion in cases of myogenic temporomandibular dysfunction.

Background To investigate the feasibility and effect of a multimodal program for improving chronic cervicogenic headache (CGH) via the addition of sagittal cervical spine alignment correction. Design Pilot, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial. Participants 60 patients with CGH, straightening of the cervical lordosis, and forward head posture (FHP) were randomly assigned using permuted-block randomization either to a control (n = 30) or an experimental group (n = 30). Interventions Subjects in both groups received a multimodal program where the denneroll cervical spine extension traction orthotic was added to the experimental group only. Feasibility was assessed through recruitment rate, compliance rate, adherence rate, safety, and global satisfaction in addition to clinical outcome measures: FHP distance, cervical lordosis, headache frequency, headache disability inventory (HDI), headache impact test-6 (HIT-6), and daily defined dose (DDD). Evaluations were performed at: baseline, 10 weeks, 1 year follow up, and 2-year follow up. The assessor was blind to group allocation for all measured outcomes. Results The recruitment rate was 60%, 78 % out of them completed the entire study. The recruited participants complied with 98% of the required visits. No adverse events were recorded and greater overall satisfaction with the interventions was reported. Greater improvements were found for the experimental group's cervical lordosis (f = 259.9, P < < .001) and FHP (f = 142.5, P < < .001). At 10 weeks, both groups showed equal improvements in CGH outcomes: headache frequency ( P = 0.07), HDI ( P = 0.07), HIT-6 (P = .2), and DDD (P = .3). In contrast, at the 1-year and 2-year follow up, between group differences were found for all CGH outcomes, P < .00, indicating greater improvement in the experimental group. Conclusion The results indicated feasibility for recruitment rate, compliance rate, exercise session adherence, safety, and global satisfaction. At 1-year and 2-year follow-up, the addition of the denneroll orthotic device revealed positive influence on CGH management outcomes. Trial registration The trial was retrospectively registered with the Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR201605001650300).