Enhancing Functional Ability in Chronic Nonspecific Lower Back Pain: The Impact of EMG-Guided Trunk Stabilization Exercises.

BACKGROUND: Nonspecific lower back pain (NSLBP) is described as pain that is not caused by an identifiable, well-known disease, such as infection, tumor, osteoporosis, fracture, structural deformity, inflammatory condition, radicular syndrome, or cauda equina syndrome. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of EMG-guided trunk stabilization exercises on functional disability associated with LBP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single-blinded pre- and post-test experimental comparative design was used for this study. Fifty individuals with chronic NSLBP were screened for inclusion criteria. Of these, forty were randomly grouped into the EMG group receiving trunk-stability exercises with electromyography biofeedback and non-EMG group receiving trunk-stabilization exercises without EMG biofeedback. Participants performed five trunk-stability exercises 3 days a week for 4 weeks. The intensity of pain, range of motion, functional disability, and balance were measured at baseline and after 4 weeks. RESULTS: Both techniques indicated a significant effect on chronic NSLBP; however, trunk-stability exercises combined with EMG biofeedback produced better results in alleviating the intensity of pain, increasing the range of motion, and improving functional disabilities and static balance. CONCLUSION: The present study confirms that trunk-stability exercises with EMG biofeedback can be practiced safely, contributes to a greater boost in neuromuscular efficiency in the lumbar flexors and extensors, and is effective in modifying functional disability for patients with NSLBP.

Impacts of Adiposity on the Attentional Cost of Sensory-Motor Performance Associated with Mobility in a Dual-Task Paradigm.

(1) Background: Obesity is one of the most prevalent health problems worldwide. Studies have evidenced that the increase in body weight affects the normal neuromusculoskeletal function, which leads to abnormal gait patterns and impaired balance. (2) Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the influence of dual-task activity (cognitive-motor task) on gait parameters and balance among obese students. (3) Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students (18-28 years old), including 120 obese and 120 age-matched normal-weight control subjects, selected at random using simple random sampling, from the Majmaah, Riyadh, Dammam, and Jizan regions of Saudi Arabia. The gait speed was measured in seconds while the controls and the obese subjects performed a dual-task activity of walking down a level, well-lit, narrow lane at their own speed, counting backwards from 100 by 4 s. (4) Results: The results of our study suggest a significant difference in the effect of the dual-task paradigm on the gait speed (t = 21.05, p = 000) of obese participants when compared to their age-matched counterparts. A significant correlation was found between BMI and gait speed and balance, irrespective of the gender of the obese student. A high degree of positive correlation (r = 0.705, p < 0.001) was found between BMI and gait speed, and a high degree of inverse correlation (r = -0.648, p < 0.001) was found between BMI and balance among obese students A multiple regression model explained 60% of the variance in gait speed and was statistically significant (R2 = 0.60, F (4, 235) = 90.65, p = 0.000) with BMI (ß = 0.018, p = 0.000) and balance (ß = 0.015, p = 0.000) significantly predicting gait speed. (5) Conclusion: The results of the current study provide evidence that obesity significantly influences gait speed and balance due to the inclusion of a contemporaneous cognitive task. The results also suggest that the dual-task paradigm affects both genders equally.

Efficacy of the structured balance awareness program on perceived balance confidence and fear-related maladaptive behaviour in post-stroke survivors.

BACKGROUND: The risk of falling for individuals with stroke is about twice that of healthy older adults. Lack of appropriate initiative to address the fear-related maladaptive behaviour can manifest itself in the form of loss of physical functions resulting in disability and handicap. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of the structured balance awareness program (SBAP) in improving the perceived balance confidence, and thereby modifying the fear-related maladaptive behaviour in post-stroke survivors. METHODS: A randomized experimental control design was used on a sample of 97 post-stroke survivors aged between 55 to 75 years. The patients received either the SBAP or health awareness program (HAP) for eight weeks and were compared on Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale, Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Falls Efficacy Scale International (FESI). RESULTS: A paired t-test demonstrated statistically significant improvement among all the variables in the SBAP group. An independent t-test exhibited a statistically significant improvement on ABC (t = 2.57, p = 0.012*), BBS (t = 3.32, p = 0.001*) and FESI (t = 3.38, p = 0.001*) in the SBAP group. CONCLUSION: The study showed that the SBAP was effective in minimizing the fear-related maladaptive behaviour in post-stroke survivors.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dental surgeons: A pilot study.

AIM: To describe the work-related musculoskeletal disorders among on-job dental surgeons. OBJECTIVES: To identify the musculoskeletal disorders in terms of perception of pain and stiffness experienced by the dental surgeons due to the rigors of dental work, to determine the prevailing working environment with particular reference to dental work station in relation to musculoskeletal disorders, and to find the association between pain and stiffness experienced by the dental surgeons and the selected socio-demographic variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 30 graduated dental surgeons having a work experience of 1 year or more, post graduates and faculty members of various specialties at Yenepoya Dental College Hospital, Mangalore. The subjects were selected randomly from the hospital and they were given closed-ended questionnaire to find out perception of pain and stiffness experienced in the past 6 months. The observation of the working environment was done by walk-through observational survey. RESULTS: The study showed that 6.6% dental surgeons always experienced shoulder pain, while 83.3% dental surgeons sometimes experienced back pain and 70% sometimes experienced neck pain. Majority of the dental surgeons (73.3%) experienced stiffness in the back and 23.3% experienced severe pain in their neck. It was observed that the number of patients attended per day by the dental surgeons had a significant association (P = 0.024) with the pain they experienced in their hip/thigh region. The frequency of pain experienced by the dental surgeons in the hip/thigh and knee joints also showed a significant association (P = 0.037) with the height of the dental surgeons. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that various socio-demographic variables contributed to the musculoskeletal disorders experienced by the dental surgeons. However, the number of patients attended per day by the dental surgeons vis-à-vis pain experienced in the back, wrist, and hip/thigh was significant.