Cerebral infarct due to meningovascular neurobrucellosis: a case report

Brucellosis is a common and multisystemic zoonotic infectious disease. Central nervous system involvement is rarely seen in brucellosis, with an incidence of 0.5–25%. The aim of this report is to underline the importance of brucellosis, which is an endemic infection in our country, during the diagnostic evaluation of strok

Comparison of injection methods in myofascial pain syndrome: A randomized controlled trial

In this study; we aimed to compare the efficacy of local anesthetic injection and dry needling methods on pain, cervical range of motion (ROM), and depression in myofascial pain syndrome patients (MPS). This study was designed as a prospective randomized controlled study. Eighty patients (female 52/male 28) admitted to a physical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinic diagnosed as MPS were included in the study. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups. Group 1 (n=40) received local anesthetic injection (2 ml lidocaine of 1%) and group 2 (n=40) received dry injecting on trigger points. Both patient groups were given stretching exercises aimed at the trapezius muscle to be applied at home. Patients were evaluated according to pain, cervical ROM, and depression. Pain was assessed using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and active cervical ROM was measured using goniometry. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess the level of depression. There were no statistically significant differences in the pre-treatment evaluation parameters of the patients. There were statistically significant improvements in VAS, cervical ROM, and BDI scores after 4 and 12 weeks in both groups compared to pre-treatment results (p<0.05). No significant differences were observed between the groups (p>0.05). Our study indicated that exercise associated with local anesthetic and dry needling injections were effective in decrease of pain level in MPS as well as increase of cervical ROM and decrease of depressive mood levels of individuals

Reliability and validity of psychological general well-being index in Turkish population

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI) in healthy and patient population. Materials and Methods: Fifty healthy individuals (Group 1) and 194 patients (Group 2) were included in the study. Group 2 comprised patients with low back pain and neck pain (n=50, Group 2a), osteoarthritis (n=50, Group 2b), fibromyalgia syndrome (n=50, Group 2c) and stroke (n=44, group 2d). The PGWBI was translated into Turkish according to standard adaptation procedure. This index consisted of 6 subscales (anxiety, depressed mood, positive well-being, self-control, general health and vitality) and 22 items. The PGWBI was administered to subjects twice a week for testing reliability. Validity was based on correlating the PGWBI scores with that of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). Results: The internal consistency and test-retest reliability were found to be good in healthy individuals and patient groups separately (Cronbach's alpha range: 0.93-0.92; intraclass correlation coefficient range: 0.88-0.99). The total scores of the PGWBI in healthy individuals showed significant correlations with all subareas of the NHP (r range:-0.38-0.70, p0.05). The total PGWBI scores had significant correlations with all subscores of the NHP in patient groups (range from r:-0.29-0.64, p<0.05). Conclusion: The Turkish version of the PGWBI is a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating quality of life in healthy and patient population. Turk J Phys Med Rehab 2010;56:161-

Comparison of kinesio taping, trigger point injection, and neural therapy in the treatment of acute myofascial pain syndrome: A randomized controlled study

Objectives: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a regional painful soft-tissue disorder, characterized by trigger points (TrPs) and taut bands in the muscles. In this study, we aimed to compare the effectiveness of kinesio taping (KT), TrPs injection, and neural therapy (NT) on pain and disability in acute MPS.Methods: 104 patients with MPS in the cervical region were allocated into three groups. Group 1 (n=35) were treated with KT, Group 2 (n=35) received local anesthetic (LA) (lidocaine of 0.5%) TrPs injection, and Group 3 (n=34) received NT with the same LA solution. Patients were assessed by means of pain, pressure pain threshold (PPT), and disability. Pain severity was measured by Visual Analog Scale. The neck pain disability scale was used for assessing disability. PPT was measured by using an algometer. Measurements were taken before and after treatment of 3(rd) and 7(th) days.Results: There were improvements on pain and disability in all groups at the end of treatments at 3(rd) day and during follow-up period (p<0.001) and no differences were found between the groups. There was significant difference in PPT values in TrPs injection and NT groups in comparisons between all time periods, however, the change, depending on time in the KT group, was not statistically significant.Conclusion: The results of this study show that all these three treatment methods found to be effective on pain relief and disability in acute MPS. In terms of PPT, injection treatments seem to be superior than KT