Rehabilitation

Spinal injury is among the most severe and feared injuries an athlete may face. We present an up-to-date review of the recent literature, stratifying recommendations based on injury location (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine) and type, as well as, the level of competitive play (high school, collegiate, professional). A literature search was completed to identify all publications reporting return to play guidelines for athletic injuries or injury-related surgery irrespective of the study design. Publication dates were not restricted by year...

PURPOSE: Vitamins and trace elements are essential nutrients for growth and intestinal adaptation in children with short bowel syndrome (SBS). This study aimed to assess micronutrients' status during and after weaning off PN in pediatric SBS. METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated the follow-up of 31 children with SBS between Jan 2010 and Sep 2019. Clinical data were reviewed from the patients' electric medical record. Serum electrolytes, trace elements, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and folate concentrations were collected before and after enteral autonomy...

The Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) can be found along the Brazilian northern and northeastern coasts. Previous studies on the clinical biochemistry of these animals were conducted in North America and the Caribbean, whereas little is known regarding these parameters in South American manatee populations. Accordingly, the objective of the present study was to examine the hematology and clinical biochemistry of T. manatus manatus of different sexes and environments in Northeast Brazil. Whole blood and serum samples were obtained from healthy individuals from different environments...

OBJECTIVES: Based on the recent advancements in cell therapy techniques, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of transurethral injection of autologous adipose-derived stem cells, muscle-derived stem cells, and co-cultured cells for the rehabilitation of stress urinary incontinence rat models. We hypothesized that the utilization of co-cultured stem cells could result in enhanced therapeutic outcomes attributed to their more comprehensive environment of paracrine factors and cytokines. METHODS: We performed bilateral pudendal nerve transection surgeries to simulate urinary incontinence in 25 female Wistar rats and employed urodynamic evaluations to confirm the injury...

BACKGROUND: Whether a patient's outcomes are better when receiving nutritional counselling during cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has been scarcely described. We compared changes in weight, waist circumference (WC) and blood pressure (BP) in patients attending CR with and without nutritional counselling. METHODS: A retrospective analytical study was conducted in which two groups of patients who completed a phase II CR (36 sessions) were compared: CONTROL [n = 144, mean (SD) age = 59 (12) years, 17% females], comprising patients without nutritional counselling (attended between 2003 and 2009), and NUT [n = 128, mean (SD) age = 60 (13) years, 27% females], comprising patients with dietitian-delivered nutritional counselling (attended between 2010 and 2019)...

Athletic groin pain (AGP) is a chronic, painful condition which is prevalent in players of field sports that require rapid changes of direction. Following successful rehabilitation, systematic changes have been observed in the kinetics and kinematics of pre-planned change of direction manoeuvres, providing insight into potential foci for rehabilitation monitoring and for the assessment of interventions. However, changing direction in field sports is often reactive rather than pre-planned, and it is not known whether such post-rehabilitation changes are seen in reactive manoeuvres...

Northern Italy was dramatically affected by COVID-19 during early 2020. Suspending educational and rehabilitation services during the lockdown that followed increased the burden on the parents of children with special healthcare needs, including those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, psychomotor delays and other neurodevelopmental disabilities. In this context, the parents had to provide round-the-clock care, without direct access to local services and healthcare specialists. Assuring continuity of family-centred care was a key priority during lockdown...

Football is a global game which is constantly evolving, showing substantial increases in physical and technical demands. Nutrition plays a valuable integrated role in optimising performance of elite players during training and match-play, and maintaining their overall health throughout the season. An evidence-based approach to nutrition emphasising, a 'food first' philosophy (ie, food over supplements), is fundamental to ensure effective player support. This requires relevant scientific evidence to be applied according to the constraints of what is practical and feasible in the football setting...

PURPOSE: The present study was designed to assess the efficacy of a six-session physiologic voice therapy program with the semioccluded ventilation mask (SOVM) in a group of subjects with voice complaints (vocal effort and fatigue). METHODS: Thirty-four participants with functional dysphonia were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: (1) voice treatment with physiologic voice therapy plus vocal hygiene program (n = 17), and (2) vocal hygiene program only (n = 17)...

OBJECTIVES: To translate, cross-culturally adapt and validate a comprehensive evidence- and theoretically-based CR education intervention in Latin America. METHODS: First, best practices in translation and cross-cultural adaptation were applied through 6 steps. Then, the Spanish version was delivered to CR participants from programs in Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru for validation, such that the evaluation was pre-post, uncontrolled, pragmatic, observational, and prospective in design...

BACKGROUND: While there is a growing body of literature supporting clinical decision-making for rehabilitation professionals, suboptimal use of evidence-based practices in that field persists. A strategic initiative that ensures the relevance of the research and its implementation in the context of rehabilitation could 1) help improve the coordination of knowledge translation (KT) research and 2) enhance the delivery of evidence-based rehabilitation services offered to patients with physical disabilities...

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a known risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage kidney disease (ESKD). The progression from AKI to CKD, despite being well recognised, is not completely understood, although sustained inflammation and fibrosis are implicated. A therapeutic intervention targeting the post AKI stage could reduce the progression to CKD, which has high levels of associated morbidity and mortality. Exercise has known anti-inflammatory effects with animal AKI models demonstrating its use as a therapeutic agent in abrogating renal injury...

BACKGROUND: Among the paraspinal muscles, the structure and function of the lumbar multifidus (LM) has become of great interest to researchers and clinicians involved in lower back pain and muscle rehabilitation. Ultrasound (US) imaging of the LM muscle is a useful clinical tool which can be used in the assessment of muscle morphology and function. US is widely used due to its portability, cost-effectiveness, and ease-of-use. In order to assess muscle function, quantitative information of the LM must be extracted from the US image by means of manual segmentation...

BACKGROUND: Globally, there is a growing use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), including mobile phones, tablets and computers, which are being integrated into people's daily activities. An ICT-based intervention called F@ce was developed in order to provide a structure for the process in stroke rehabilitation and facilitate change by integrating a global problem-solving strategy using SMS alerts. The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of i) F@ce within in-patient and primary care rehabilitation after stroke, ii) the study design and outcome measures used, and iii) the fidelity, adherence and acceptability of the intervention...

Partial ruptures in the Achilles tendon are rather uncommon and are often misinterpreted as aggravated Achilles tendinopathy, and not always considered as a differential diagnosis. The aim of this literature review was to characterize typical symptoms, to provide an overview of available diagnosis and treatment options, and to give reference points for future research. There were few studies and sparse knowledge of scientific value, making it difficult to give evidence-based recommendations. Based on the few studies and the authors' clinical experience, a diagnosis should be based on a patient's history with a typical sharp onset of pain and inability to fully load the tendon...

The aim of this study was to compare the muscle activity between the sling shot assisted (SS) and control (CONT) flat barbell bench press for selected external loads of 70%, 85%, 100% one-repetition maximum (1RM). Ten resistance-trained men participated in the study (age = 22.2 ± 1.9 years, body mass = 88.7 ± 11.2 kg, body height = 179.5 ± 4.1, 1RM in the bench press = 127.25 ± 25.86 kg, and strength training experience = 6 ± 2.5 years). Evaluation of peak muscle activity of the dominant body side was carried out using surface electromyography (sEMG) recorded for the triceps brachii, pectoralis major, and anterior deltoid during each attempt...

Emerging autologous cellular therapies that utilize platelet-rich plasma (PRP) applications have the potential to play adjunctive roles in a variety of regenerative medicine treatment plans. There is a global unmet need for tissue repair strategies to treat musculoskeletal (MSK) and spinal disorders, osteoarthritis (OA), and patients with chronic complex and recalcitrant wounds. PRP therapy is based on the fact that platelet growth factors (PGFs) support the three phases of wound healing and repair cascade (inflammation, proliferation, remodeling)...

Despite promising advances in the medical management of spinal cord injury (SCI), there is still no available effective therapy to repair the neurological damage in patients who experience this life-transforming condition. Recently, we performed a phase II/III placebo-controlled randomized trial of safety and efficacy of growth hormone (GH) treatment in incomplete chronic traumatic spinal cord injury. The main findings were that the combined treatment of GH plus rehabilitation treatment is feasible and safe, and that GH but not placebo slightly improves the SCI individual motor score...

Neurorehabilitation for stroke is important for upper limb motor recovery. Conventional rehabilitation such as occupational therapy has been used, but novel technologies are expected to open new opportunities for better recovery. Virtual reality (VR) is a technology with a set of informatics that provides interactive environments to patients. VR can enhance neuroplasticity and recovery after a stroke by providing more intensive, repetitive, and engaging training due to several advantages, including: (1) tasks with various difficulty levels for rehabilitation, (2) augmented real-time feedback, (3) more immersive and engaging experiences, (4) more standardized rehabilitation, and (5) safe simulation of real-world activities of daily living...

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease and a multidisciplinary approach to rehabilitation has been suggested as the best clinical practice. However, very few studies have investigated the long-term effects of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation approach, particularly regarding whether this can slow the progression of PD. The purpose was to investigate the short- and long-term effect of a 2-week multidisciplinary rehabilitation regimen on the PD-related decline in health-related quality of life (HRQOL), mobility, and muscle function...