ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors predicting the presence and number of latent trigger points (LTrPs) in healthy individuals. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Local faculty of health sciences. PARTICIPANTS: Healthy individuals (N=242) were divided into 2 groups: group 1, those without LTrPs (n=68); and group 2, those with LTrPs (n=174). INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Disability was assessed using the Quick-Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire and the Neck Pain and Disability Scale. Psychological factors were evaluated using the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Quality of life was evaluated using the Short-Form-12; smoking habits were determined with questions about current smoking status; and pain level was assessed using the visual analog scale. The LTrP assessment was made with a pinching movement or flat palpation bilaterally. RESULTS: By using a hierarchical regression model, we entered age, depression, and pain level into the first block, which explained a significant amount of variance in the presence and number of LTrPs (R(2)=.041; P=.033 and R(2)=.197; P<.001, respectively). Pain level contributed independently the presence of LTrPs, whereas age and pain level predicted the number of LTrPs (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study found that pain and age were significant predictors of the number of LTrPs, but only pain predicted the presence of LTrPs in healthy individuals.
Subject(s)
Physical Therapy Modalities/standards , Trigger Points/physiopathology , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Body Mass Index , Cross-Sectional Studies , Depression/epidemiology , Disability Evaluation , Female , Humans , Male , Pain Measurement , Psychometrics , Quality of Life , Reproducibility of Results , Severity of Illness Index , Smoking/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hand dexterity is important for daily living activities and can be related to cognitive functions in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive dysfunction and hand dexterity in patients with COPD. METHODS: 35 COPD patients and 36 healthy individuals were assessed. The Minnesota Hand Dexterity Test and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) were used for assessment of cognitive function and hand dexterity. RESULTS: Hand dexterity test scores and cognitive function of COPD patients' were significantly lower than the healthy group (p < 0.01). The MMSE scores were negatively correlated with hand dexterity scores in the COPD group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There was a relationship between cognitive function and hand dexterity in the patients with COPD; however, hand dexterity did not alter according to hypoxemia severity. Hand dexterity which is important in daily living activities should be evaluated in greater detail with further studies in COPD patients.
