The effect of exercise and education combination via telerehabilitation in patients with chronic neck pain: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: A limited number of studies have investigated the effect of telerehabilitation in individuals with chronic neck pain (CNP). OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of holistic exercise and education combination via telerehabilitation on pain, disability, kinesiophobia, exercise adherence, quality of life and patient satisfaction in individuals with CNP. METHODS: A two-armed, randomized controlled study was conducted with 40 participants with CNP. Patients were randomized into two groups: Telerehabilitation (TR) (n = 20) and Standard Rehabilitation (SR) (n = 20). The TR group was provided with exercise and education videos online. The same protocol was given to the SR group in the clinical setting. Patients were evaluated at baseline and after eight weeks of intervention. Satisfaction and usability levels of the TR group were assessed at week 8. RESULTS: TR group demonstrated better improvement in function, quality of life (including bodily pain, general health, social function), kinesiophobia and exercise adherence. The TR group was not superior to the SR group in pain and other quality-of-life subscores. A vast majority of the TR group had high satisfaction and usability. CONCLUSION: Comprehensive rehabilitation via TR increases satisfaction and participation in patients with CNP. Besides, TR provides more positive effects on function and kinesiophobia. Further studies should focus on the impact of telerehabilitation on pain and quality of life in CNP with a long-term follow-up.

The relationship of radiographic findings with pain, function, and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between pain, function and quality of life with radiographic findings in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: A total of 86 patients diagnosed with knee OA were included in the study. Demographic, physical, and pathological information was collected. Visual analog scale (VAS) was used to determine pain levels. The evaluation of radiographic findings was conducted by Kellgren-Lawrence (K&L) rating scale. The Turkish version of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) questionnaire was used to evaluate the patient's disability and functional status. The objective functional status was assessed using the commonly used physical performance test, the Timed up and Go Test (TUG). The Turkish version of the Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire was used for quality of life assessment. The "Spearman rank correlation coefficient" was used to investigate the relationship between pain, function and quality of life with radiographic findings. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 61.08 ± 9.27 years. There was a strong correlation between VAS at activity and K&L (p < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between Physical Function (PF) (p < 0.05) and General Health (GH) (p < 0.05) subscore of the SF-36 with K&L. In addition, K&L and TUG were positively correlated (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Radiographic findings were associated with pain in activity and functional status based on physical performance, but not with clinical results based on Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). As the patient's radiographic findings worsened, the level of pain increased and functionality decreased.

The Effect of Kinesio Taping Versus Splint Techniques on Pain and Functional Scores in Children with Hand PIP Joint Sprain.

Introduction: Due to the continual increase in the number of children engaging in sports today, physicians encounter finger injuries at an increasing frequency. This study sought to investigate the effectiveness of the method of Kinesio taping versus classic finger splint technique on pediatric patients with PIP (proximal interphalangeal) joint sprains of the fingers. Method: This is a retrospective cohort study. Forty-nine pediatric patients with PIP joint sprains were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups, Group 1 being those treated with Kinesio taping and Group 2, those treated with splints. The area around the PIP joint was measured before and after treatment. Visual analog scale (VAS) evaluation: nighttime pain, numbness, pain at rest, and pain during activity were each separately evaluated before and after treatment. Also, flexion was measured at rest and in active motion before and after treatment. Results: The patients' periarticular measurements of the affected joint were statistically significant in both groups after treatment (p < 0.001). In the comparison between the groups, it was found that the group treated with Kinesio taping displayed a better outcome (p < 0.021). According to the VAS for PIP joint pain, it was observed that in both groups, pain at rest, pain during activity, nighttime pain, and numbness were statistically significant after treatment (p < 0.001). In the comparison of the groups, it was seen that the difference was statistically significant only in terms of nighttime pain (p < 0.013). Conclusions: The study conducted supported the literature that Kinesio taping method does not restrict the function of the extremity to which it is applied and also does not produce the complications reported in other treatment techniques. Kinesio taping was found to have a higher patient compliance and the outcomes were better in terms of edema and joint range of motion as well as night time pain when compared to the group treated with splint.

Psychometrical properties of the Turkish translation of the New Knee Society Scoring System.

OBJECTIVE: To translate the New Knee Society Scoring System (KSS) into Turkish and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the translated questionnaire. METHODS: This study was conducted on 66 knees of 43 pre-op patients who were scheduled for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and 50 knees of 26 knee arthroplasty patients at least 6 months postoperatively. KSS was translated and culturally adapted according to the guidelines of Guillemin and Beaton. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were recorded. Patients completed WOMAC, KOOS and SF-36 surveys along with the Turkish version of the new KSS. After the initial evaluation, patients were asked to refill the new KSS 1 week later. Internal consistency and reliability were tested using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Validity was assessed by calculating the Spearman's correlation coefficient between the new KSS and WOMAC, KOOS and SF-36 scores. RESULTS: The mean ages of the pre and post-operative groups were 67.16 ± 7.85 years and 71.65 ± 6.95 years respectively. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the new KSS calculated for symptoms (0.814), patient satisfaction (0.947), patient expectations (pre-op = 1.000, post-op = 0.997) and functional activities (0.864) were high. The ICC scores ranged between 0.790 and 0.951. The pain subscore of the new KSS and the pain subscores of the WOMAC (r = -0.720; p < 0.01), KOOS (r = 0.550; p < 0.01) and SF-36 (r = -0.434; p < 0.01) were highly correlated. Emotional role functioning (RH), mental health (MH) and social role functioning (SF) subscores of SF-36 showed no correlation with the all subscores of the new KSS (p > 0.05). No floor or ceiling effects in the new KSS scores were detected. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the new KSS is a valid and reliable questionnaire which can be used in evaluating the pre and post-operative Turkish speaking TKA patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III Diagnostic Study.

Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX®) Results Calculated With and Without Bone Mineral Density Values for the Evaluation of Fracture Risk in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the agreement between fracture risk predictions based on calculations made with and without bone mineral density (BMD) values using the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX®) in Turkish postmenopausal women with osteopenia and to compare the treatment recommendations. This descriptive, cross-sectional study included postmenopausal women aged 50-79 yr with a diagnosis of osteoporosis who were not receiving any treatment. A questionnaire was administered to the participants face-to-face to obtain sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, and fracture history. Fracture risk was calculated with FRAX® separately with and without BMD. The study included 230 postmenopausal patients with osteopenia. The mean age of the patients was determined as 63.16 ± 7.59 yr, and the mean body mass index was 30.61 ± 5.02. The intraclass correlation coefficient values of the 10-yr major osteoporotic (MO) fracture and hip fracture score agreement with FRAX® with and without BMD were mean 0.486 and 0.462, respectively. The risk of MO fracture with an intervention threshold of ≥20 was determined in 227/230 patients (98.7%), and the risk of hip fracture with treatment recommendations of ≥3 was determined in 204/230 patients (88.7%). Treatment recommendations in patients with no fracture history and secondary osteoporosis were 100% for MO fracture and 94.7% (123/130) for hip fracture risk. The treatment recommendation rates of FRAX® with and without BMD were similar for the majority of postmenopausal women with osteopenia. The agreement between the values was of a moderate level. When patients with a fracture history and secondary osteoporosis were excluded, the agreement increased. Even though values with BMD are of basic importance for medical treatment in postmenopausal women, the use of measurements evaluating fracture risk, such as FRAX® without BMD, could be useful in postmenopausal women with osteopenia.