Effect of rowing on mobility, functionality, and quality of life in women with and without breast cancer: a 4-month intervention.

PURPOSE: Of the different modalities of rowing, dragon boat training is the most analyzed in breast cancer (BC). However, other types of boats, such as the felucca, use different biomechanical techniques, which have not been studied in the scientific literature. Consequently, in this study, we sought to determine the benefits of felucca rowing on the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of patients with BC and healthy persons. METHODS: A pre- and post-intervention, single-arm study without a control group with a 4-month intervention was carried out in Spain in 2019. The study sample included six women with BC and 15 healthy women. The following questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention: Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH), Constant-Murley score (CMS), and the European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D, rate your health today). Differences were determined before and after the intervention using the paired t test. RESULTS: Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in the results of all the questionnaires for the women with BC and for the healthy women: DASH (- 13.8 BC and - 6.7 healthy), CMS (+ 12.0 BC and 9.2 healthy), and EQ-5D (+ 8.5 BC and 10.5 healthy). CONCLUSION: Felucca rowing showed benefits in health and quality of life in both women with BC and healthy women. In future studies with controlled design, values regarding clinical relevance, such as effect sizes/confidence intervals, are needed to corroborate our results.

Effectiveness of a Group Physiotherapy Intervention in Nontraumatic, Inoperable Painful Shoulder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a group intervention in painful shoulder. DESIGN: This was a two-arm controlled clinical trial with a 5-wk follow-up and 1:1 allocation ratio with pretreatment and posttreatment assessments in a Spanish hospital in 2015-2016. This study comprised 74 patients with nontraumatic, inoperable painful shoulder. Patients were randomized into two groups: (1) in intervention, patients underwent group rehabilitation exercises supervised by a physical therapist and (2) in control, patients performed the same exercises as the intervention group but in their own home. The main variables were the differences preintervention and postintervention between scores on the visual analog scale, Constant-Murley scale, and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand scale. The mean differences in the main variables were compared between the two interventions (t test). Registration code is NCT02541279 (clinicaltrials.gov). RESULTS: Differences were found in favor of the intervention group: (1) visual analog scale = -0.1 (P = 0.723), (2) Constant-Murley = 4.1 (P = 0.085), and (3) Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand = 14.7 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Relevant improvements were obtained with our intervention in the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand scale.

Effectiveness of medical taping concept in primary dysmenorrhoea: a two-armed randomized trial.

In 2014, we assessed the effectiveness of Medical Taping Concept (MTC) in Primary Dysmenorrhoea (PD) with a single-blind, two-armed clinical trial (NCT02114723, ClinicalTrials.gov) with a follow-up of 4 menstrual cycles (pre-intervention: 2 months; post-intervention: 2 months) in a sample formed by 129 Spanish women aged 18-30 years with PD. We had two groups: intervention group (75), MTC covering T-11 and T-12 dermatomes; control group (54), another taping in both greater trochanter areas. Our main outcome measures were: pre-intervention and post-intervention increase in pain difference measured 2 hours after commencement (2-h pain - 0-h pain); difference between the number of tablets ingested post-intervention and pre-intervention; and associated symptoms in post-intervention (fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea, nausea and others). Pain was assessed in: abdomen, legs, head and lower back. We found significant differences (p < 0.05) for number of tablets, abdominal and leg pain. In conclusion, the intervention group had less abdominal and leg pain when pharmacological therapy was not started. Furthermore, the intervention resulted in a lower intake of tablets. Nevertheless, more studies are needed to corroborate our results and to analyze the MTC effectiveness if women do not take any tablets during the entire menstrual period.