Manual Therapy for Inversion Ankle Sprains

Ankle sprains are very common in the practice of sports physiotherapy. However, unfortunately many patients go on to have long term problems. This has lead to the development of many proposed treatments and rehabilitation programs. This article will discuss new research into the use of manual therapy techniques combined with exercises for the rehabilitation of inversion ankle sprains.


For detailed research, visit-
 http://www.thesportsphysiotherapist.com/manual-therapy-for-inversion-ankle-sprains/

Risk factors for groin/hip injuries in field-based sports

Groin/hip injuries occur frequently in the athletic population, particularly in sports requiring kicking, twisting, turning and rapid acceleration and deceleration. Chronic hip, buttock and groin pain make up 10% of all attendances to sports medicine centres. Understanding risk factors for field-based sports (FBS) players is important in developing preventive measures for injury. The objective of this systematic review was to identify and examine the evidence for groin/hip injury risk factors in FBS. 14 electronic databases were searched using keywords. Studies were included if they met the inclusion criteria and investigated one or more risk factors with relation to the incidence of groin/hip injuries in FBS. Studies were accumulated and independently analysed by two reviewers under a 12-point quality assessment scale (modified CASP (for cohort study design) assessment scale). Because of the heterogeneity of studies and measures used, a meta-analysis could not be conducted. As a result risk factors were pooled for analysis and discussion. Of the 5842 potentially relevant studies, 7 high-quality studies were included in this review. Results demonstrated that previous groin/hip injury was the most prominent risk factor, identified across four studies (OR range from 2.6 (95% CI 1.1 to 6.11) to 7.3, (p=0.001)), followed by older age (OR 0.9, p=0.05) and weak adductor muscles (OR 4.28, 95% CI 1.31 to 14.0, p=0.02) each identified in two studies. Eight other significant risk factors were identified once across the included studies.

This study identified 11 significant risk factors for groin/hip injury for FBS players. The most prominent risk factor observed was previous groin/hip injury. Future research should include a prospective study of a group of FBS players to confirm a connection between the risk factors identified and development of groin/hip injuries.


For detailed study, kindly visit-
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24795341

Attentional focus of feedback for improving performance of reach-to-grasp after stroke: a randomised crossover study

Objective

To investigate whether feedback inducing an external focus (EF) of attention (about movement effects) was more effective for retraining reach-to-grasp after stroke compared with feedback inducing an internal focus (IF) of attention (about body movement). It was predicted that inducing an EF of attention would be more beneficial to motor performance.

Design

Crossover trial where participants were assigned at random to two feedback order groups: IF followed by EF or EF followed by IF.

Setting

Research laboratory.

Participants

Forty-two people with upper limb impairment after stroke.

Intervention

Participants performed three reaching tasks: (A) reaching to grasp a jar; (B) placing a jar forwards on to a table; and (C) placing a jar on to a shelf. Ninety-six reaches were performed in total over one training session.

Main outcome measures

Kinematic measures were collected using motion analysis. Primary outcome measures were movement duration, peak velocity of the wrist, size of peak aperture and peak elbow extension.

Results

Feedback inducing an EF of attention produced shorter movement durations {first feedback order group: IF mean 2.53 seconds [standard deviation (SD) 1.85]; EF mean 2.12 seconds (SD 1.63), mean difference 0.41 seconds; 95% confidence interval -0.68 to 1.5; P = 0.008}, an increased percentage time to peak deceleration (P = 0.01) when performing Task B, and an increased percentage time to peak velocity (P  = 0.039) when performing Task A compared with feedback inducing an IF of attention. However, an order effect was present whereby performance was improved if an EF of attention was preceded by an IF of attention.

Conclusions

Feedback inducing an EF of attention may be of some benefit for improving motor performance of reaching in people with stroke in the short term; however, these results should be interpreted with caution. Further research using a randomised design is recommended to enable effects on motor learning to be assessed.


For more detailed study, kindly visit-
http://www.physiotherapyjournal.com/article/S0031-9406(13)00050-3/pdf 

Rehab for age-related loss of vision cuts depression risk in half

There is an associated risk of depression in people who experience loss of vision due to conditions such as age-related macular degeneration. New research suggests that a particular type of rehabilitation therapy called behavior activation could now reduce this risk by 50% .

A previous study published in JAMA Opthalmol. has reported that there is a significant association between vision loss and depression, but now new research has found that a form of rehabilitation therapy can reduce this risk in people with AMD by half.

The new study tested an approach called "behavior activation." According to study co-author Robin Casten, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, behavior activation is a method that involves helping people to recognize that the loss of enjoyed activities could lead to depression, and then helping them re-engage with those activities.


For more info, kindly visit : http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/279366.php

Ultrasonography in myofascial neck pain: randomized clinical trial for diagnosis and follow-up

Chronic neck pain (CNP) is a very prevalent condition affecting 10–24 % of the population. There is great interest regarding the role of musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSU) in the diagnosis of myofascial pain. MSU isa readily available, portable, and inexpensive imaging modality, suitable for use in a physiotherapists office to complement physical examination and to evaluate treatment outcomes.

The aim of this study was to quantify the thickness of the deep fasciae of the neck and their sub-layers, by means of ultrasound imaging with and without CNP. This will help to document MSU as a suitable instrument for diagnosing myofascial neck pain.

Full the full access to the study, kindly visit-

http://anatomy-physiotherapy.com/component/content/article/36-articles/systems/musculoskeletal/spine/cervical/643-ultrasonography-in-myofascial-neck-pain-randomized-clinical-trial-for-diagnosis-and-follow-up

Athletic performance improved even after deception revealed

Indiana University researchers say a little deception caused cyclists in their 4-kilometer time trial to up their performance even after they realized they had been tricked.

The findings support the idea that the brain plays a powerful role in how hard athletes push their bodies.

"The idea is that there's some sort of governor in your brain that regulates exercise intensity so you don't overheat, or run out of gas, so to speak," said Ren-Jay Shei, a doctoral student in the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington. "In this case, the governor was reset to a higher upper limit, allowing for improved performance."

For the study, 14 trained, competitive male cyclists participated in four time trials. For each session, they rode cycle ergometers, which are stationary bikes that measure such variables as speed and power output and display the readings on computer monitors on the handlebars.

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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/277537.php

Predictors of Clinical Outcome After Acute Achilles Tendon Ruptures

Abstract

Background: In patients with an acute Achilles tendon rupture, it has not been possible to determine the superiority of a single specific treatment modality over other treatments with respect to symptoms and function. When several pertinent treatment protocols are available for an injury, it is of interest to understand how other variables, such as age, sex, or physical activity level, affect outcome to better individualize the treatment.

Purpose: To investigate predictors of both symptomatic and functional outcomes after an acute Achilles tendon rupture.

Study Design: Cohort study (Prognosis); Level of evidence, 2.

Methods: Ninety-three patients (79 men and 14 women; mean age, 40 years) were evaluated prospectively at 3, 6, and 12 months. The main outcome measures in this study were the Achilles tendon Total Rupture Score (ATRS) for symptoms and maximum heel-rise height for function. The independent variables evaluated as possible predictors of outcome included treatment, sex, age, body mass index (BMI), physical activity level, symptoms, and quality of life.

Results: Treatment, age, BMI, physical activity level, heel-rise height at 6 months, and the ATRS at 3 months were eligible for further analysis. Only male sex was included for the prediction models. The 4 different multiple linear regression models (predicting the ATRS at 6 and 12 months and heel-rise height at 6 and 12 months) were significant (P < .001-.002), and the R 2 values for the models were 0.222 to 0.409. Surgical or nonsurgical treatment is a moderate predictor of symptoms and a weak predictor of heel-rise height after an acute Achilles tendon rupture. At the 6-month follow-up, surgical treatment was associated with a larger heel-rise height, but the opposite was seen at 12 months. Surgical treatment resulted in a lower degree of symptoms. Increasing age was a strong predictor of reduced heel-rise height, and an increase in age of 10 years reduced the expected heel-rise height by approximately 8%. A higher BMI was also a strong predictor of a greater degree of symptoms, and a 5-unit higher BMI predicted a reduction of approximately 10 points in the ATRS.

Conclusion: The present study identified important possible predictors of outcome. Despite having a wide range of clinically relevant variables, the models had a limited ability to predict the final individual outcome. In general, the models appear to be better at predicting function than symptoms.

For the full text, kindly visit-

http://m.ajs.sagepub.com/content/42/6/1448?etoc