The addition of body weight supported treadmill training to manual therapy and exercise in the management of Hip osteoarthritis: A case series.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patients with mild-to-moderate hip OA can present with pain, a decline in function, altered gait mechanics, and pain with ambulation. Body weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) has been utilized for patients with total hip arthroplasty, hip fracture, and lumbar spinal stenosis. The purpose of this case series was to report the outcomes of patients with hip OA that received guideline adherent physical therapy care with the addition of BWSTT. Our aim was to assess changes in pain, disability, and physical performance. CASE DESCRIPTIONS: Seven patients participated in eight 1-h treatment sessions consisting of: manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and BWSTT. Pre- and post-treatment outcome measures included: average pain rating via the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), Western Ontario and McMasters Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and the Global Rate of Change (GROC). Physical performance measures included: 6-minute walk test (6MWT), stair climbing test, and 5 time sit-stand. OUTCOMES: The mean improvement in NPRS score for all subjects was 2.9 points. Mean improvement on the WOMAC was 18.5 + 24.8 pts, and the mean GROC score was +5.0 indicating a rating of "quite a bit better." The mean increase in 6MWT distance was 60.5 + 80.1 meters (median 39 m, range -3 to 230). CONCLUSIONS: Though patients participating in a multimodal rehabilitation approach including manual therapy, exercise, and BWSTT demonstrated clinically important improvements in pain and function, these changes may not correspond with gait endurance improvements in the short term.

Chondroblastoma of the Distal Femur in an Adolescent.

An 11-year-old female was referred to physical therapy due to a 3-month history of right medial knee pain. The patient's medical diagnosis was Osgood-Schlatter disease, based on radiographs obtained at the initial pediatrician consultation. An MRI scan was obtained 2 weeks after starting physical therapy and revealed a bony lesion near the medial condyle of the right femur and damage to medial joint structures. Pathology after open biopsy and curettage of the lesion revealed a chondroblastoma. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2020;50(5):275. doi:10.2519/jospt.2020.9021.

An orthopedic manual physical therapy fellowship training's impact on professional development, involvement, personal lives, and income - A survey study.

Introduction: Little research exists investigating the personal and professional outcomes of postprofessional physical therapy (PT) training. Therefore, the purpose of the current descriptive, web-based survey study was to determine self-reported outcomes from a postprofessional PT fellowship program, including graduate professional, educational, and research involvement; perceptions of the impact of training on clinical and professional attributes; changes in employment and income; and barriers to training. Methods: Graduates of a part-time, hybrid-model, multisite orthopedic manual PT fellowship program were invited to complete the web-based survey. Descriptive data analyses were performed for all quantitative data, and responses to questions were analyzed and categorized into themes. Results: Of the 77 fellowship graduates, 75 (97%) completed the survey. Graduates were involved in teaching; 43% (32/75) filled lead instructor roles in PT education programs. Further, 75% (57/75) were involved in research. The mean (SD) and median (range) increase in annual gross income was $9560 ($17,545) and $2,500 ($0-$125,000), respectively. Perceived areas with the largest impact of training included clinical reasoning, patient-centered and evidence-based practice, and professionalism. Life balance and family commitments were frequent barriers during training. Discussion: Graduates noted substantial perceived professional, clinical, and financial benefits to fellowship training. Limitations included lack of a control group and surveying participants from a single program. Future research should determine the influence that program and participant-related factors have on personal and professional lives of graduates and on clinical outcomes. Level of Evidence: Descriptive survey, level 3.

Mutation Screening in the miR-183/96/182 Cluster in Patients With Inherited Retinal Dystrophy.

Inherited retinal dystrophy (IRD) is a heterogenous blinding eye disease and affects more than 200,000 Americans and millions worldwide. By far, 270 protein-coding genes have been identified to cause IRD when defective. However, only one microRNA (miRNA), miR-204, has been reported to be responsible for IRD when a point-mutation occurs in its seed sequence. Previously, we identified that a conserved, polycistronic, paralogous miRNA cluster, the miR-183/96/182 cluster, is highly specifically expressed in all photoreceptors and other sensory organs; inactivation of this cluster in mice resulted in syndromic IRD with multi-sensory defects. We hypothesized that mutations in the miR-183/96/182 cluster in human cause IRD. To test this hypothesis, we perform mutation screening in the pre-miR-183, -96, -182 in >1000 peripheral blood DNA samples of patients with various forms of IRD. We identified six sequence variants, three in pre-miR-182 and three in pre-miR-96. These variants are in the pre-miRNA-182 or -96, but not in the mature miRNAs, and are unlikely to be the cause of the IRD in these patients. In spite of this, the nature and location of these sequence variants in the pre-miRNAs suggest that some may have impact on the biogenesis and maturation of miR-182 or miR-96 and potential roles in the susceptibility to diseases. Although reporting on negative results so far, our study established a system for mutation screening in the miR-183/96/182 cluster in human for a continued effort to unravel and provides deeper insight into the potential roles of miR-183/96/182 cluster in human diseases.

Exercise and Low Back Pain in the Older Adult: Current Recommendations.

Low back pain (LBP) is a condition that is commonly experienced in people regardless of age and is prevalent in the older adult (individuals >65 yrs). Unfortunately, LBP research frequently excludes the older adult population due to age related co-morbidities. Clinical decision-making for this patient population is thus affected. As such, exercise prescription must be extrapolated from the available literature focused on chronic LBP, older adults without LBP, and younger adults with LBP. The aim of this paper is to review common exercise paradigms including strength, aerobic, and motor control training for treating LBP while discussing potential considerations in exercise prescription for the older adult population. Aside from previous episodes of LBP, predictive factors for development of LBP include poor back muscle endurance, perceived disability, depression/anxiety, fear avoidance, catastrophizing, and illness perception. Exercise is often considered unsafe in the older adult; however, there have been no reported serious cardiovascular incidents with exercise in the older adult from ages 80-100. While there is no clear superior exercise paradigm for the older adult with LBP, there is evidence that the older adult benefits from exercise in general. In addition, these benefits do not decrease with age.