Effect of adding telerehabilitation home program to pharmaceutical treatment on the symptoms and the quality of life in children with functional constipation: a randomized controlled trial.

Painful defecation, the passage of hard stools, unpleasant or irregular bowel deviation/movements from regular rate, and/or the feeling of not enough elimination of stool are common symptoms of functional constipation. The goals in treating constipation are to produce soft, painless stools and to prevent the re-accumulation of feces. This study looked at how the telerehabilitation home program (TRP) affected the symptoms of FC and the children who were constipated in terms of their quality of life. A randomized controlled trial included 400 children aging 4-18 years with functional constipation distributed in two groups: control group consisted of 200 children receiving pharmaceutical treatment and the intervention group consisted of 200 children receiving the telerehabilitation home program in addition to pharmaceutical treatment. Both groups received the interventions for 6 months. The outcomes in terms of functional constipation symptoms and quality of life are measured and compared pre- and post-interventions. Adding the telerehabilitation home program to pharmaceutical treatment of functional constipation in children results in prominent improvement in the condition; there is a significant difference between the intervention and control group in all Rome criteria which assess symptoms of functional constipation except rush to the bath-room to poop which showed non-significant difference; there is also a significant difference between the intervention and control group in all domains of the SF-36 questionnaire which assess quality of life except the mental health domain which showed non-significant difference. CONCLUSION: Adding the telerehabilitation home program to pharmaceutical treatment of functional constipation in children results in prominent improvement in symptoms of functional constipation and quality of life. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Our study was registered retrospectively with Clinicaltrials.gov under the identifier NCT06207721 on 5 January 2024. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Painful defecation, passage of hard stools, unpleasant or irregular bowel movements, feeling of incomplete stool elimination are common symptoms of functional constipation. • Goals in treating constipation include producing soft, painless stools and preventing re-accumulation of feces. WHAT IS NEW: • Adding telerehabilitation home program to pharmaceutical treatment resulted in significant improvement in functional constipation symptoms and quality of life. • Significant differences between intervention group (200 children receiving telerehabilitation home program in addition to pharmaceutical treatment) and control group (200 children receiving pharmaceutical treatment) were observed in all Rome criteria except for rush to the bathroom to poop, and in all domains of SF36 questionnaire except for the mental health domain.

Correlation between Selective Motor Control of the Lower Extremities and Balance in Spastic Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have motor deficits caused by spasticity, weakness, contractures, diminished selective motor control (SMC), and poor balance. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the influence of mirror feedback on lower extremity selective motor control and balance in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Understanding the relationship between SMC and balance will help children with hemiplegic CP receive more appropriate therapies. METHODS: Forty-seven children of both sexes diagnosed with hemiplegic CP participated in the study. Group1 (Gr1 - control group) received conventional physical therapy training while group 2 (Gr2 - intervention group) received conventional physical therapy training in addition to bilateral lower extremity mirror therapy (MT). The primary outcome measure used was Selective Control Assessment of Lower Extremity scale (SCALE), while the secondary outcome measure was the Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS). RESULTS: There were significant differences in Selective Control Assessment of Lower Extremity Scale (SCALE) and Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) between both groups in favor of Gr2. After treatment, both groups improved significantly, yet Gr2 outperformed Gr1 by a large margin. CONCLUSION: Mirror therapy may be a useful addition to home-based motor interventions for children with hemiplegic CP due to its relative simplicity, low cost, and high patient adherence. Additionally, it may help children improve their selective motor skills and balance. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials using African Clinical Trials Registry website with ID number PACTR202105604636415 retrospectively registered on 21/01/202.

Effect of electromagnetic therapy versus low-level laser therapy on diabetic patients with trigeminal neuralgia: a randomized control trial.

BACKGROUND: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is defined as intense, abrupt, often unilateral, stabbing, short, repeated episodes of pain in one or more distributional branches of the trigeminal nerve. AIM: To see how electromagnetic therapy (EMT) compared to low-level laser therapy (LLLT) affect TN in diabetes patients. DESIGN: This is a randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Physical therapy and Neurology Outpatients Clinics at Faculty of Physical Therapy. POPULATION: One hundred and forty diabetic patients with TN were evaluated for eligibility. As a result, 126 diabetic patients with TN were included in this trial. They were randomly divided into three equal-sized groups using random allocation software. Due to travel to another country, two patients did not complete the treatment protocol, and four opted out of the post-therapy evaluation. So, 120 volunteer diabetic patients with TN of both sexes were diagnosed for the participation in this study by a neurologist (N.=40 in each group). METHODS: For two months, participants in the control group A received the medication only (oral hypoglycemic drugs, Analgesics, vitamin B12), participants in the study group B received the medications as in group A in addition to LLLT, and participants in the study group C received medication as in group A in addition to electromagnetic therapy (EMT). The primary outcome was the amplitude of compound muscle action potentials of temporalis and masseter muscles by using NEXUS 10 (Mind media). The secondary outcome was pain intensity by using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). RESULTS: According to the results of this study, there is a statistically significant difference in visual analog scale scores and the amplitude of compound muscle action potentials of the temporalis and masseter muscles among groups in favor of group B. CONCLUSIONS: After treatment, all groups improved significantly, with the laser group outperforming the electromagnetic group by a large margin. For irradiation, LLLT was more effective than EMT in reducing diabetic patients' trigeminal pain, and increasing masseter and temporalis muscles compound action potential amplitude in diabetic patients with TN. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: LLLT was more effective than EMT at reducing diabetic patient's trigeminal pain, and increasing masseter and temporalis muscles compound action potential amplitude in diabetic patients with TN patients after two months of interventions.