Our Experience with posturography in hemiparetic patients after stroke in Kuwait

To study the Berg Balance Scale [BBS] as balance functional impairment of hemiparetic stroke patients after onset of stroke; to quantitatively assess control of balance by computerized dynamic posturography [CDP]; to correlate composite equilibrium score [ES] with sex, side of lesion and stroke type; and to correlate ES with static and dynamic posturography in hemiparetic stroke patients. A retrospective case control study. Outpatient clinic in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital, Kuwait. A total of 21 hemiplegic ambulatory stroke patients and 19 age-matched healthy individuals as control group. BBS and CDP. ES and sensory organization test [SOT] 1-6. BBS scores of stroke patients were below the lower limit of the normal control group [p < 0.001]. Significant reduction was observed for composite ES of stroke patients compared to control group. Although no significant difference of static balance function was observed between patients and controls, significant reduction of dynamic balance function [SOT 4, SOT 5, SOT 6] was observed in stroke patients, compared to control group [p < 0.05]. In linear regression correlation [r-] of stroke patients, no significant correlation was observed of ES with static balance function [SOT 1, SOT 2, SOT 3] in hemiparetic stroke patients [p > 0.05]. However, there was a direct significant correlation of ES with dynamic balance function including SOT 4, SOT 5 and SOT 6 [r = -0.71; p < 01], [r = 0.761, p < 0.01] and [r = -0.761, p < 0.05] respectively in hemiparetic stroke patients. Impaired dynamic equilibrium in stroke patients is likely to reflect reduction of muscle strength of the paretic side along with the possible impairment of sensory organization

Serum levels of insulin lile growth factor-1 in patients with osteeoarthritis of the knee

Insulin related growth factor-1/IGF-1/ is an important growth promoting peptide which has anabolic effects on cartilage metabolism. The fact that serum levels tend to decrease in elderly subjects while osteoarthritis [OA] increase in prevalence suggests that suboptimal levels of IGF-1 may play part in the development of OA. This study therefore considers the hypothesis that IGF-1 levels are low in subjects with OA of the knee. Serum levels of 48 patients with symptomatic knee OA and radiographic changes of different grade were compared with normal controls. No significant difference was found in serum levels radiographic score. The study provides no evidence that serum levels of IGF-1 are low in OA

Phonophoresis with voltaren emuldel in the complex treatment of patients with rotator cuff tendinitis

The potential benefit of phonophoresis with Voltaren emulgel was investigated in 72 consecutive patients with rotator cuff tendinitis, using a controlled study design. The patients received complex physical treatment, including hot pack applications, exercises plus phonophoresis with Voltaren gel in one group and plain ultrasound therapy in an other group. The treatment modalities used for phonophoresis are based on previous reports of the transmission characteristics of topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory products. After 12 sessions of physical therapy, significant improvement was found in pain reduction and range of shoulder movements, suggesting better therapeutic results from phonophoresis with voltaren emulgel compared to ultrasound therapy