Omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of spinal cord injury: untapped potential for therapeutic intervention?

Omega-3 fatty acids constitute a group of fatty acids with anti-inflammatory and preventive effects against various diseases. Studies in animal models have demonstrated the preventive and therapeutic effects of omega-3 fatty acids after spinal cord injury (SCI) in reducing inflammatory reactions and promoting neuroregeneration. However, studies on the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids in treatment and prevention after SCI seem to be questionable. This study evaluates potential reasons for omega-3 fatty acid therapy oversight in populations after SCI. Therefore, some of the reasons could cover heterogeneous patient groups in size, level of injury, quality of life assessment, time since injury, no single standardised dose, various follow-up durations and metabolic changes, often insufficient to record. Due to the difficulty of collecting cases for the study, especially in the acute phase after SCI, multicenter, coordinated studies are needed to establish the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on treatment, recovery, and disease prevention in patients after SCI. Although the present results of such studies are still inconclusive, the failure to exploit the potential properties of omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of patients with SCI solely due to methodological difficulties should be considered a potential waste.

Posture correctness of young female soccer players.

The objectives of the study were to evaluate the correctness of the body posture of female soccer players in the frontal plane from the back based on selected body points in two static positions (habitual and actively corrected) using a non-contact optical measurement method. Forty-two young women (aged 16-20) playing soccer in a sports club in Poland were examined and compared with controls. The spatial coordinates (x, y, z) of the selected body points were determined. Four points (OcL, OcR, PvL and PvR) were extracted and used to calculate vectors [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for analysis. The results show that median of the pelvic line angle was positive (PvR was lower than PvL) in both groups. For the habitual posture, the absolute value of the difference between the 25th and 75th percentiles in the pelvic line was almost three times greater among the soccer players than the controls (ratio between soccer players and controls: 2.93). Static postural imbalances in female soccer players require diagnosis of the sacroiliac joints with analysis of lumbar-pelvic system support and inhibition in the context of myofascial connection integration. Exercises can be implemented to stabilize the lumbar-pelvis complex as prophylaxis for spinal overload during the training cycle.

The importance of physiotherapy in the sexuality of patients with rheumatic diseases.

The sexuality of patients with rheumatic diseases is a significant interdisciplinary problem, requiring intensified action not only of rheumatologists, sexologists, and psychologists but also physiotherapists. The sexuality problems and motor disability in chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis, as well as other rheumatic diseases, are generally still taboo subjects, rarely discussed by physicians and physiotherapists. Lack of mobility, hormonal imbalance, fatigue, and accompanying decreased quality of life have an impact on sexual dysfunction. Meanwhile sex, as an integral part of human personality, is an essential element of human life.

Patterns of compensation of functional deficits of the knee joint in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a group of pathological syndromes of unknown aetiology, observed at the developmental age. Their common feature is sustained chronic arthritis with flares and remissions. Clinical signs and symptoms include joint pain, periarticular tissue oedema or articular exudate, frequently associated with hypertrophy of the synovial membrane. The intra- and extra-articular structural damage impairs the motion range and smoothness. The disease process may involve any joint. The knee joint is the most frequently affected in oligo- and polyarthritis. The aim of the study was to determine a direct correlation between disorders of knee joint function and the change in the range of motion of the ankle and hip joints of both lower extremities, and the so-called indirect impact of these changes on patients' posture. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 36 JIA patients and 56 healthy controls aged 8-16 years. The evaluation was based on physical examination. RESULTS: The results showed differences in the values of quality and range of motion between patients and controls. In the patient group pes planovalgus was more frequently associated with knee joint dysfunction along with the inherent restriction of dorsal flexion of the foot. Shortening of the iliotibial band, increased outward rotation of the right lower extremity with enlarged joint contour and augmented inward rotation of the contralateral healthy extremity all proved significant. Changes in motion range in the joints below and over the knee were associated with alterations of antero-posterior spine curvatures and vertebral rotation along the long spinal axis. Based on the results, the mechanism of the compensation is outlined. CONCLUSIONS: The observed differences in the range and quality of motion in the ankle, hip and spinal joints between patients and healthy children provide evidence that dysfunction of the knee joint affects the function of the other above-mentioned levels of the motor system.

Physiotherapy in pauciarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Case study.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common arthropathy of childhood and adolescence. This term encompasses a group of chronic systemic inflammatory diseases of the connective tissue which cause arthritis in patients under 16 years of age lasting at least 6 weeks. The authors presented the characteristic features of physiotherapy based on functional examination results on the basis of two cases of girls with pauciarticular JIA treated according to an established pharmacological regimen. Physiotherapy should be introduced at an early stage of the disease. Kinesiotherapy preceded by history-taking and a functional examination of the patient, has to focus on both primary and secondary joint lesions.