Evaluating Kyphosis and Lordosis in Students by Using a Flexible Ruler and Their Relationship with Severity and Frequency of Thoracic and Lumbar Pain

Study DesignA cross-sectional, descriptive study.PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the relationship between kyphosis and lordosis measured by using a flexible ruler and musculoskeletal pain in students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences.Overview of LiteratureThe spine supports the body during different activities by maintaining appropriate body alignment and posture. Normal alignment of the spine depends on its structural, muscular, bony, and articular performance.MethodsTwo hundred forty-one students participated in this study. A single examiner evaluated the angles of lumbar lordosis and thoracic kyphosis by using a flexible ruler. To determine the severity and frequency of pain in low-back and inter-scapular regions, a tailor-made questionnaire with visual analog scale was used. Finally, using the Kendall correlation coefficient, the data were statistically analyzed.ResultsThe mean value of lumbar lordosis was 34.46°±12.61° in female students and 22.46°±9.9° in male students. The mean value of lumbar lordosis significantly differed between female and male students (p<0.001). However, there was no difference in the level of the thoracic curve (p=0.288). Relationship between kyphosis measured by using a flexible ruler and inter-scapular pain in male and female students was not significant (p=0.946). However, the relationship between lumbar lordosis and low back pain was statistically significant (p=0.006). Also, no significant relationship was observed between abnormal kyphosis and frequency of inter-scapular pain, and between lumbar lordosis and low back pain.ConclusionsLumbar lordosis contributes to low back pain. The causes of musculoskeletal pain could be muscle imbalance and muscle and ligament strain

Investigating the Motor Development in Infants of Hamadan Based on Peabody Developmental Motor Scales

Objective: Movement is a continuous aspect of life and an important factor to achieve the goals and meet the needs. Precise assessment of gross and fine motor skills, simplifies the diagnosis and treatment of motor disorders. Hence this study was implemented in order to investigate the motor development in Infants of Hamadan. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted through descriptive-analytic procedures, 124 infants were selected using randomized cluster sampling in health care centers of Hamadan. Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS) was the means of gathering the data. The analysis was implemented through SPSS-16. Results: The results showed that there was no significant difference between the fine and gross motor on gender, type of childbirth, childbirth order, history of father / mother’s smoking Moreover there is positive relationship between age and gross/fine motor development (quotient) (P<0.001). Conclusion: The mean motor age and motor development quotient were of normal range. Hence, motor training programs are recommended in order to facilitate the motor development of the above – mentioned infants

The Effect of Simultaneous Superficial and Proprioceptive Stimulations on Dexterity of Educable 6-7 Years Old Children with Down Syndrome

Objectives: Down syndrome is the most common chrosomal disorder in which the fine and gross motor skills due to lack of proper sensory experience are disturbed. The role of dexterity in activity of daily living, interaction with environment and independency is quiet crucial in Down syndrome. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of simultaneous application of superficial and proprioceptive stimuli on the dexterity of 6-7 year-old educable children with Down syndrome. Methods: Thirty&ndash;three educable children with Down syndrome were assigned in three groups (i.e. superficial, proprioceptive and simultaneous application respectively) and voluntarily participated in the study. In the first group, children received only exteroceptive stimulation for 30 minutes, three times a week. Children in the second group received only proprioceptive stimulation in the same way. In the third group, children received both stimulations simultaneously. Dexterity was evaluated through Purdue Pegbourd Test after 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, and 30th sessions. Results: Dexterity changes were significantly differed in all three groups (P0.05). Discussion: The findings of current study suggest that simultaneous application of superficial and proprioceptive senses could be used for improvement the dexterity in children with Down syndrome

Validity and Reliability of Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS) in Infants of Tehran

Objectives: Movement is a continuous aspect of life and an important factor to achieve the goals and meet the needs. Regarding the importance of infantś motor assessment and the large number of children with motor disorders, a valid and reliable test is required to help evaluation of motor development and provide appropriate interventions by therapists and educators. This study was implemented in order to investigate the validity and reliability of PDMS in 0&ndash;24 months infants in Tehran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted through descriptive-analytic procedures, 110 infants were selected using randomized cluster sampling regarding the inclusion criteria. Results: There was no significant difference between the male and female on mean motor age and motor development quotient (P>0.05). However, significant correlation between total mean motor age and motor developmental quotient was observed (P<0.05). Discussion: Results of the study indicated that PDMS is a valid and reliable tool to enhance quality of assessment, diagnose and proper intervention for movement disorders in early childhood

Review Paper: Aspects related to Resilience in People with Spinal Cord Injury

Objective Rehabilitation of the spinal cord injury is a continuous process needing adaptation in all aspects of life. Successful adaptation to challenging situations is called &quot;resilience&quot;. Occupational therapists can help the person reconstruct his/ her identity and adapt by improving their resilience. It is also extensive and diverse in concept and definition. It is extremely influenced by the culture and environment. This study aims to narratively review the evidences published on the aspects related to the resilience of people with spinal cord injury. Materials & Methods Comprehensive electronic search of keywords including &ldquo;spinal cord injury&rdquo;, &ldquo;resilience&rdquo; and &ldquo;adaptation&rdquo; was done via Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect and Pro Quest and IranMedex to find related articles published within 2000-2015 according to inclusion criteria. From the initially obtained 1823 articles, 1756 articles were omitted due to failure to satisfy the inclusion criteria or being repetitions. After actors underlying resilience and 4 and 5 articles focused on social participation and psychosocial adaptation after spinal cord injury in respect. Results As seen from the included documents, there are various definitions of resilience. Resilience was defined as coping with the conditions after spinal cord injury such that the person takes in his/ her activities of daily living with improved mental health and appropriate community mobility. It is also defined as the process that involves a complex interaction of the person with his/ her environment. There are four trajectories in terms with resilience. Fifty percent of people involved are resilient, 25 percent of them showed recovery, 12.8 percent showed delayed distress, and 12.5 percent have chronic dysfunction. This adaptation is definitely influenced by the surrounding social context since any environmental complication can lead to a decline in resilience. The more the environmental relations are, the simpler adaptation occurs. So, it is necessary to notice the communicative and environmental simplifiers in the rehabilitation program. Family and economic status have a significant role in the resilience of people with spinal cord injury. Resilient people with spinal cord injury have better adaptation and lower levels of depression while entering rehabilitation as well as show more acceptance of the disability during discharge and more satisfaction of their lives. The resilience is extensively impacted by the individual characteristics and social circumstances. The resilience is a multidimensional concept that includes contextual factors, social participation, and mental adaptation. Being a male, having a mild-to-moderate physical job, having a high academic level before the injury, and obtaining appropriate education after injury can lead to resilience and paid employment later. In contrast, misunderstanding of physical complications, passive personality, pessimism, and lack of psychosocial support from the family are barriers for being employed after injury. The less the family and environmental barriers are, the better mental health and adaptation is anticipated. Factors such as job and suitable education before the injury as well as optimism and positive attitude provide effective resilience later. Spirituality and self-control have a good prognosis for resilience. The supportive role of the environment, particularly of that of family members, is also important. Conclusion Resilience in spinal cord injury needs psychologically more attempt than the physical aspects, because it needs more time to adapt after a sudden accident. Spirituality, stress management strategies, optimism, and social support from family members and friends facilitate resilience. As resilience is impacted by the culture and environment, more studies on the explanation of the aspects related to the resilience of Iranian population is recommended

Central auditory processing and word discrimination in patients with multiple sclerosis

Many multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with normal pure tone threshold suffer from difficulties in their hearing especially speech perception in background noise, which is possibly because of incompetence of central auditory processing in this group. Three audiologic tests including gap in noise test (GIN), duration pattern sequence test (DPST) and word discrimination score (WDS) were used for comparing a number of aspects of central auditory processing between patients with MS and normal subjects. Approximate threshold and percent of correct answers in GIN test, percent of correct answers in DPST test and monosyllabic discrimination in WDS test were obtained through cross-sectional non-invasive study conducted on 26 subjects with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis who had mean age of 28.9 (SD 4.1) years, and 26 18–40-year-old ones with normal hearing and mean age of 27.7 (SD 5.2). Results of this study demonstrate increased approximate threshold and reduction of percent of correct answers obtained from GIN test in patients with multiple sclerosis (Pv = 0.0001). Furthermore in patients with MS, the average of correct answers in DPST was lower than normal subjects and finally performance of MS subjects in WDS test in quiet environment was correlated with GIN threshold (r = −/624, Pr = /003). Results of the present study showed that patients with MS had defect in aspects of central auditory processing consisting of temporal resolution, auditory pattern and the memory for auditory task and difficulty in discrimination of speech in noisy environment that are related to the involvement of central nervous system