Single-textured insole for the less affected leg in freezing of gait: A hypothesis.

Freezing of gait (FoG) is one of the most widely distributed and disabling gait phenomena in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). The current therapeutic interventions show suboptimal efficacy in FoG. Lower extremity proprioception impairments, especially in the most affected leg, gait initiation hesitation, and gait asymmetry are FoG factors, and there is a need to accurately consider them in terms of therapeutic approaches. Accordingly, we hypothesize that using a single-textured insole for the less affected leg may improve FoG by providing proprioceptive stimulation that enhances sensory processing and reduces gait hesitation and asymmetry. Proprioceptive sensory stimulation for the less affected limb could be more effective than for the double legs that are currently used in rehabilitation settings due to the sensory processing in the less affected basal ganglia being better.

Effect of Community Education Program on Stroke Symptoms and Treatment on School and College Students from South India: A Longitudinal Observational Study.

Community awareness regarding stroke signs, risk factors, and actions that help reduce the risk and complications of stroke is poorly addressed, as it is thought to be the best approach to control and prevent stroke. Aim: To establish the awareness of stroke and its management among high school and college students using an educational intervention. A questionnaire was administered to students from five high schools and four colleges with different areas of focus, (arts, science and commerce), types (public, semi-public and private), and economic locations before and after an educational lecture on stroke. The lecture covered the following elements: stroke definition, signs, risk factors, actions, time window for thrombolytic therapy, and types of rehabilitation interventions. This study included 1036 participants, of whom 36.3% were male and 56.4% were high school students, and the mean age was 17.15 ± 1.29 (15-22) years. Before the lecture, 147 participants were unaware of a single sign of stroke, and 124 did not know the risk factors. After the intervention, 439 participants knew four signs of stroke, and 196 knew 12 risk factors. Female students had better knowledge about stroke signs (odds ratio (OR), 3.08; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 2.15-4.43). Hypertension (52.7%) and weakness (59.85%) were the most known signs and risk factors. The proportion of students who selected traditional medicine as the mode of treatment decreased from 34.75% to 8.59% after the lecture. Other rehabilitation methods (e.g., physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and counseling) were chosen by more than 80% of the students. The results of the current study showed that the awareness on stroke risk factors and management among the school and college students can be significantly improved with regular educational interventions, and therefore stroke can be prevented to some extent.

Effect of spinal decompression therapy and core stabilization exercises in management of lumbar disc prolapse: A single blind randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Spinal decompression therapy (SDT) has recently been used as a conservative treatment for lumbar disc prolapse (LDP). The effectiveness of SDT when compared with other conservative techniques with a well-designed randomized controlled trials is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To find the efficacy of SDT and core stabilization exercises (CSE) on pain and functional disability in individuals with chronic LDP, and to compare with CSE alone. METHODS: This single blind randomized controlled trial included thirty-one participants with a mean age of 38.68 ± 8.79 having chronic LDP with or without radiating symptoms were included in the study. The study group received SDT with CSE and control group received CSE alone along with interferential therapy for both groups. Pain and disability were estimated by Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and Modified Oswestry Questionnaire (mOQ). RESULTS: The results demonstrated significant within-group improvements in all outcomes in both groups, the mean differences between pre to post intervention in SDT with CSE group were (NRS: 4.75, t= 12.81, p⩽ 0.001) and (mOQ: 45.13, t= 29.34, p⩽ 0.001), while in CSE group (NRS: 2.60, t= 13.67, p⩽ 0.001) and (mOQ: 27.67, t= 24.52, p⩽ 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A combination of SDT with CSE has proven to be more significant when compared with CSE alone to reduce pain and disability in subjects with chronic LDP.

Low back pain among nursing professionals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Prevalence and risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Lower back pain (LBP) is often work-related and is commonly observed among nurses. LBP occurs below the 12th rib and above the gluteal fold. In nurses, back disorders are mainly associated with heavy physical activity, such as lifting and moving patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the presented work is to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors, and associations of personal characteristics, general health status, and physical load with complaints of LBP. METHODS: In this study, sixty nurses were randomly chosen to answer self-administered questionnaires. The results were analyzed using the SPSS system. RESULTS: An incidence rate of 61.7% for LBP among nurses was noticed. Among the sites of injury, LBP predominated with a rate of 51.2%. Severity of injury mostly ranged between mild to moderate levels of severity, and 20% of the nurses with LBP were working in obstetrics and gynecology units. Our study also showed that 66.7% of the participating nurses had experienced LBP only after taking on nursing jobs. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated that nurses working in Jeddah exhibit a high prevalence of lower back pain. In order to reduce the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among nurses, the physical therapist's role is vital and nurses' practice of relaxation and stretching exercises in between work schedules is mandatory.