Postoperative rehabilitation versus early mobilization following scoliosis surgery: A single-blind randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: To compare the effect of five days of intensive postoperative rehabilitation and early mobilization following scoliosis surgery. METHODS: Forty adolescent patients who had undergone scoliosis surgery were randomly allocated into a rehabilitation group (RG, n = 20) and a mobilization group (MG, n = 20). The RG received five days of intensive exercise program and early ambulation, the MG received five days of a standard gait training and early ambulation. The patients were evaluated for severity of pain using a visual analog scale, thorax mobility with the thoracic mobility index, balance with the functional reach test, walking distance with the 2-min walk test, and quality of life with the Scoliosis Research Society-22 questionnaire. The length of hospital stay was recorded. RESULTS: The RG was favored over the MG for improvements from 0 to 1 week for pain. Improvements from 0 to 1 week were significantly better in the RG than the MG group for thorax mobility, balance, and walking distance. Quality of life scores improvements from 0 to 1 week were significantly better in the RG group than in the MG group. The length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the RG group. CONCLUSION: Five days of intensive postoperative rehabilitation were superior to early mobilization in reducing the length of hospital stay, and in improving physical and functional outcomes following scoliosis surgery.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Turkish Yellow Flag Questionnaire in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

BACKGROUND: Yellow flags are psychosocial factors shown to be indicative of longterm chronicity and disability. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Turkish Yellow Flag Questionnaire (YFQ) in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP). METHODS: The cross-cultural adaptation was conducted with translation and backtranslation of the original version. Reliability (internal consistency and test-retest) was examined for 231 patients with CMP. Construct validity was assessed by correlating the YFQ with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire (OMPQ), and Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale (TKS). Factorial validity was examined with both exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis. RESULTS: The YFQ showed excellent test/retest reliability with an Intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.82. The internal consistency was moderate (Cronbach's alpha of 0.797). As a result of the exploratory factor analysis, there were 7 domains compatible with the original version. As a result of confirmatory factor analysis, the seven-factor structure of YFQ was confirmed. There was a statistically significant correlation between YFQ-total score and OMPQ (r = 0.57, P < 0.001), HADS-anxiety (r = 0.32, P < 0.001), HADS-depression (r = 0.44, P < 0.001), and TKS (r = 0.37, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study's results provide considerable evidence that the Turkish version of the YFQ has appropriate psychometric properties, including test-retest reliability, internal consistency, construct validity and factorial validity. It can be used for evaluating psychosocial impact in patients with CMP.

Reliability and validity of Turkish version of the Scoliosis Japanese Questionnaire- 27 in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of an adapted Turkish version of the Scoliosis Japanese Questionnaire- 27 (SJ- 27). METHODS: Translation and retranslation of the English version of the SJ- 27 was conducted, and all steps of the cross-cultural adaptation process were performed. The Turkish version of the SJ- 27, the Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS- 22) questionnaire and the Short Form-36 (SF- 36) were performed to 139 patients with AIS. Reliability was assessed using the test-retest method (Pearson's correlation coefficient); internal consistency was analyzed using Cronbach's alpha. Validity was assessed by correlating the SJ- 27 with the SRS- 22 questionnaire and SF- 36. RESULTS: The mean Cobb angles were 23.2 ± 8.3° and 19 ± 5.9° for thoracic and lumbar regions, respectively. The SJ- 27 showed excellent test/retest reliability with an Intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.99. Internal consistency of the SJ- 27 was found to be very good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.991). The SJ- 27 demonstrated very good construct validity with the SRS- 22 total score (r = 0.61). The similar domains of the SJ- 27 and SF- 36 questionnaire was correlated also in the study. CONCLUSIONS: The Turkish version of the SJ- 27 to measure health related quality of life in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis was found to have very good validity, excellent reliability, and high internal consistency.

Injection Therapy in Patients with Lateral Epicondylalgia: Hyaluronic Acid or Dextrose Prolotherapy? A Single-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective: To compare the effects of hyaluronic acid (HA) and dextrose prolotherapy (DPT) injections in patients with chronic lateral epicondylalgia (LE). Materials and Methods: Thirty-two patients with at least 6 months of signs and symptoms of LE were randomly allocated into two groups: an HA group (n = 16) and a DPT group (n = 16). HA injection was performed as a single dose of 30 mg/2 mL 1500 kDa high-molecular-weight preparation (baseline). DPT injection was administered with 15% dextrose solution in three doses (baseline, third week, and sixth week). Severity of pain using the visual analog scale score, grip strength with a hand dynamometer, and physical function as determined by the Quick-Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (Q-DASH) score were determined. Results: DPT was favored over HA for improvements from 0 to 12 weeks for pain with activity (4.81 ± 1.2 vs. 3.18 ± 2.3; p = 0.04), pain at night (5.1 ± 1.9 vs. 4.1 ± 2.2; p = 0.03), and pain at rest (3.8 ± 2.09 vs. 2.7 ± 1.7; p = 0.04). Q-DASH scores improved significantly more from 0 to 12 weeks in the DPT group (43.5 ± 17.6 vs. 28.4 ± 13.4; p = 0.04). No between-group improvement was observed for grip pain (7.3 ± 6.4 vs. 4.8 ± 3.2; p = 0.38). Conclusions: HA and DPT injections were both effective in reducing pain and increasing grip strength and function in patients with chronic LE. DPT injection was more effective in the short term than HA injection, in terms of pain relief and functional outcome. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under the identifier number NCT04395417.

A potential factor in the pathophysiology of lateral epicondylitis: The long sarcomere length of the extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle and implications for physiotherapy.

Lateral epicondylitis is a chronic angiofibroblastic degeneration of the origins of the wrist extensor muscles and is characterized by diffuse elbow pain. Although it is the most common syndrome of the elbow joint, the most affected structure is the tendon of the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) muscle. Several theories have been proposed to explain the pathophysiology of lateral epicondylitis, however, there is no evidence to show that the sarcomere length and microanatomical features of the ECRB muscle can be affected by the elongated position of the muscle. We hypothesized that the tensile response may be the responsible mechanism in the pathophysiology of lateral epicondylitis due to the microanatomy of the ECRB muscle and its functioning in the elongated position. Elongated position leads to elongation of the sarcomere length by forming a functional traction angle in the ECRB muscle. The elongated sarcomere length negatively affects muscular microcirculation. Poor microcirculation triggers ischemia in the muscle and tendon and leads to an increase in immature Type III collagen synthesis. Disruption of the collagen continuity and the loss of load-bearing capacity initiate the neovascularization process. This situation accelerates the degeneration process in the tendon and prevents healing. Furthermore, based on our hypothesis, we recommend new physiotherapy approaches that may contribute to reducing the increased incidence of tendinopathy and to the healing process.

The effect of different ankle and knee supports on balance in early ambulation of post-stroke hemiplegic patients.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of different ankle and knee supports on balance in early ambulation of post-stroke hemiplegic patients. This is a randomized experimental study. The study sample included 20 hemiplegic patients who were able to stand with support and who had been diagnosed with a cerebrovascular accident within the last month. A knee immobilization brace (KIB) was first placed on each individual (first application), followed by placement of knee immobilizer brace and Foot Lifter Orthosis ® (FLO) (second application), and lastly, placement of KIB and rigid taping (RT) (third application). The balance parameters of the patients were evaluated using the Korebalance system. The mean age of the patients was 65.1 ± 4.7 years, and the mean number of days that had passed since stroke occurred was 14.6 ± 4.97. In calculating the front/left balance scores of the applications, statistically significant differences were observed in the comparisons of all three supports and first-second applications performed (p = 0.041 and p = 0.021, respectively). Regarding the total scores between the applications, statistically significant differences were determined in balance in the comparisons on all three supports, in comparisons between the first and second applications, and in the comparisons between the second and third applications (p = 0.004, p = 0.007, and p = 0.001, respectively). Based on the findings from this study, it is recommended that the use of a knee immobilizer brace in combination with a foot lifter orthosis for post-stroke hemiplegic patients in early ambulation can lead to considerably improved standing balance.