The effectiveness of low laser therapy in subacromial impingement syndrome: a randomized placebo controlled double‐blind prospective study

OBJECTIVES: Conflicting results were reported about the effectiveness of Low level laser therapy on musculoskeletal disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of 850-nm gallium arsenide aluminum (Ga-As-Al) laser therapy on pain, range of motion and disability in subacromial impingement syndrome. METHODS: A total of 52 patients (33 females and 19 males with a mean age of 53.59±11.34 years) with subacromial impingement syndrome were included. The patients were randomly assigned into two groups. Group I (n = 30, laser group) received laser therapy (5 joule/cm² at each point over maximum 5-6 painful points for 1 minute). Group II (n = 22, placebo laser group) received placebo laser therapy. Initially cold pack (10 minutes) was applied to all of the patients. Also patients were given an exercise program including range of motion, stretching and progressive resistive exercises. The therapy program was applied 5 times a week for 14 sessions. Pain severity was assessed by using visual analogue scale. Range of motion was measured by goniometer. Disability was evaluated by using Shoulder Pain and Disability Index. RESULTS: In group I, statistically significant improvements in pain severity, range of motion except internal and external rotation and SPADI scores were observed compared to baseline scores after the therapy (p<0.05). In Group II, all parameters except range of motion of external rotation were improved (p<0.05). However, no significant differences were recorded between the groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The Low level laser therapy seems to have no superiority over placebo laser therapy in reducing pain severity, range of motion and functional disability

The evaluation of the effect of vitamin D replacement on the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome in patients with low vitamin D levels

Aim: To evaluate the effect of vitamin D replacement on carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) symptoms and signs in CTS patients with low vitamin D levels. Methods: This study was designed prospective observably. The patient population was admitted to the EMG (electromyography) laboratory in a tertiary hospital’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department between 1 January and 31 July 2018.&nbsp; Initially, 55 patients were included in the study. The patients were categorized into two groups as group 1 (&lt;10 ng / ml) and group 2 (10-20 ng / ml) according to the vitamin D levels. A total of 39 patients and 63 wrists, 17 patients in group 1 (28 wrists) and 22 patients in group 2 (35 wrists), were included in the analysis. Results: There was a statistically significant decrease in visual analogue scale and quick arm-shoulder-hand disability score in two groups when compared before treatment. In two groups, there was a significant improvement in grip and pinch strength after treatment. &nbsp;At the same time, after treatment we showed that there was a statistically significant increase in median nerve sensory amplitude in two groups. The increase in median nerve sensory velocity was significant in group 2 whereas it was not statistically significant between group 1 vs group 2. Conclusions: Vitamin D replacement can improve symptoms, functional status and electrophysiological findings in CTS patients with low vitamin D levels

Neurovisceral phenotypes in the expression of psychiatric symptoms

This review explores the proposal that vulnerability to psychological symptoms, particularly anxiety, originates in constitutional differences in the control of bodily state, exemplified by a set of conditions that include Joint Hypermobility, Postural Tachycardia Syndrome and Vasovagal Syncope. Research is revealing how brainbody mechanisms underlie individual differences in psychophysiological reactivity that can be important for predicting, stratifying and treating individuals with anxiety disorders and related conditions. One common constitutional difference is Joint Hypermobility, in which there is an increased range of joint movement as a result of a variant of collagen. Joint hypermobility is over-represented in people with anxiety, mood and neurodevelopmental disorders. It is also linked to stress-sensitive medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Structural differences in 'emotional' brain regions are reported in hypermobile individuals, and many people with joint hypermobility manifest autonomic abnormalities, typically Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. Enhanced heart rate reactivity during postural change and as recently recognised factors causing vasodilatation (as noted post prandially, post exertion and with heat) is characteristic of Postural Tachycardia Syndrome, and there is a phenomenological overlap with anxiety disorders, which may be partially accounted for by exaggerated neural reactivity within ventromedial prefrontal cortex. People who experience Vasovagal Syncope, a heritable tendency to fainting induced by emotional challenges (and needle/blood phobia), are also more vulnerable to anxiety disorders. Neuroimaging implicates brainstem differences in vulnerability to faints, yet the structural integrity of the caudate nucleus appears important for the control of fainting frequency in relation to parasympathetic tone and anxiety. Together there is clinical and neuroanatomical evidence to show that common constitutional differences affecting autonomic responsivity are linked to psychiatric symptoms, notably anxiety

Italian validation of the functional difficulties questionnaire (FDQ-9) and its correlation with major determinants of quality of life in adults with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome/hypermobility spectrum disorder.

The 2017 nosology defines the new criteria for hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), which is now considered one end of a continuous spectrum encompassing isolated, nonsyndromic joint hypermobility (JH) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSDs). Preliminary data indicate a link between JH and neurodevelopmental disorders and, in particular, developmental coordination disorder (DCD) in children. Assessing DCD in adults is difficult and the recently described functional difficulties questionnaire 9 (FDQ-9) is one of the few available tools. The aims of this study are to (a) validate FDQ-9 written in Italian and present normal values in 230 Italian controls; (b) explore the relationship of FDQ-9 with the brief pain inventory, composite autonomic symptom score 31, multidimensional fatigue inventory, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder self-report version 1.1, and the SF-36 for quality of life in 105 Italian adults with hEDS/HSD. Validation of the FDQ-9 in Italian was carried out by translation, cross-cultural adaptation and test/retest reliability analysis. A case-control study was performed comparing the FDQ-9 outcome between 105 patients and 105 sex- and age-matched controls. Fifty-nine percent of the patients resulted positive compared to the 3.8% of controls (p value < .00001). In patients, FDQ-9 positive result associated with positive attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder self-report version 1.1 (OR = 4.04). Multivariate regression analysis comparing FDQ-9 with the other questionnaires demonstrated a strong association between positive FDQ-9 and the number of painful joints. Our preliminary data open wider management and therapeutic perspectives for coordination difficulties in hypermobile individuals

A systematic review on the effectiveness of physical and rehabilitation interventions for chronic non-specific low back pain

Low back pain (LBP) is a common and disabling disorder in western society. The management of LBP comprises a range of different intervention strategies including surgery, drug therapy, and non-medical interventions. The objective of the present study is to determine the effectiveness of physical and rehabilitation interventions (i.e. exercise therapy, back school, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), low level laser therapy, education, massage, behavioural treatment, traction, multidisciplinary treatment, lumbar supports, and heat/cold therapy) for chronic LBP. The primary search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and PEDro up to 22 December 2008. Existing Cochrane reviews for the individual interventions were screened for studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria. The search strategy outlined by the Cochrane Back Review Groups (CBRG) was followed. The following were included for selection criteria: (1) randomized controlled trials, (2) adult (≥18 years) population with chronic (≥12 weeks) non-specific LBP, and (3) evaluation of at least one of the main clinically relevant outcome measures (pain, functional status, perceived recovery, or return to work). Two reviewers independently selected studies and extracted data on study characteristics, risk of bias, and outcomes at short, intermediate, and long-term follow-up. The GRADE approach was used to determine the quality of evidence. In total 83 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria: exercise therapy (n = 37), back school (n = 5), TENS (n = 6), low level laser therapy (n = 3), behavioural treatment (n = 21), patient education (n = 1), traction (n = 1), and multidisciplinary treatment (n = 6). Compared to usual care, exercise therapy improved post-treatment pain intensity and disability, and long-term function. Behavioural treatment was found to be effective in reducing pain intensity at short-term follow-up compared to no treatment/waiting list controls. Finally, multidisciplinary treatment was found to reduce pain intensity and disability at short-term follow-up compared to no treatment/waiting list controls. Overall, the level of evidence was low. Evidence from randomized controlled trials demonstrates that there is low quality evidence for the effectiveness of exercise therapy compared to usual care, there is low evidence for the effectiveness of behavioural therapy compared to no treatment and there is moderate evidence for the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary treatment compared to no treatment and other active treatments at reducing pain at short-term in the treatment of chronic low back pain. Based on the heterogeneity of the populations, interventions, and comparison groups, we conclude that there are insufficient data to draw firm conclusion on the clinical effect of back schools, low-level laser therapy, patient education, massage, traction, superficial heat/cold, and lumbar supports for chronic LBP

The Diagnostic Value of Irisin in Pediatric Patients with Acute Abdominal Pain

Objectives. Diagnosis of pediatric patients presenting to the Emergency Department with acute abdominal pain is not always easy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of irisin, a peptide hormone with reactivity shown in the appendix and neutrophils, in the differential diagnosis of pediatric patients with acute abdominal pain. Methods. 162 subjects consenting to participate, including 112 patients presenting to the Pediatric Emergency and Pediatric Surgery clinics with acute abdominal pain and 50 controls, were enrolled in the study. Blood was collected from all patients following initial examination for irisin, WBC, and CRP investigation. Results. Mean irisin levels in cases of acute appendicitis (AA) and perforated appendicitis (PA) were statistically significantly higher compared to nonspecific abdominal pains and the control group. No statistically significant difference was observed in irisin levels between AA and PA cases. WBC and CRP levels were also significantly higher in cases of AA and PA compared to nonspecific abdominal pains. Conclusions. Differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pains in children and deciding on surgery are a difficult and complex process. Our study shows that irisin can be a useful biomarker in differentiating AA and PA from other acute abdominal pains in children