Test-retest reliability and responsiveness of isokinetic dynamometry to assess wrist flexor muscle spasticity in subacute post-stroke hemiparesis.

INTRODUCTION: To overcome the limitations of clinical scales, objective measurement methods are becoming prominent in spasticity assessment. The aim of this study was to assess the test-retest reliability and responsiveness of isokinetic dynamometry to evaluate wrist flexor spasticity in patients with subacute stroke. METHODS: Twenty six patients with hemiparetic stroke (13 men, 13 women, mean age 51.38 ± 12.64 years) volunteered to take part in this study. Resistive torque in the wrist flexor muscles was measured twice, 1 day apart, with an isokinetic dynamometer. Wrist extension was tested at four speeds (5, 60, 120 and 180°/s). Torque response at the lowest speed (5°/s) was attributed to the non-neural component of the wrist flexor muscles, and was subtracted from the torque response at the higher speeds to calculate reflex torque (spasticity). The reliability of reflex torque measurements at 60, 120 and 180°/s was evaluated with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1) and standard error of measurement (SEM and SEM%), which reflect reproducibility and measurement error, respectively. Responsiveness was calculated as the smallest real difference (SRD and SRD%). RESULTS: Reproducibility was excellent at different movement speeds (ICC2, 1 0.76-0.85). SEM% ranged from 11% to 21%, and SRD% ranged from 30% to 58%. ICC values increased, and SEM% and SRD% decreased, as test speed increased. CONCLUSION: Our results support the reliability and responsiveness of isokinetic dynamometry to quantify spasticity in wrist flexor muscles in patients with subacute stroke. Reliability and responsiveness increased as the speed of wrist movement increased.

The Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Pain and Forward Head Posture among Heroin Users during their Withdrawal with Methadone.

BACKGROUND: Heroin is an extremely addictive narcotic drug derived from morphine. Its continued use requires increased amounts of the drug to achieve the same effect, resulting in tolerance and addiction. This study was done in order to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and forward head posture among heroin users during their withdrawal. METHODS: This research was a cross-sectional study that was done on 90 heroin users (83 males, 7 females) aged between 20 to 40 years (32.5 ± 3.81) during their withdrawal in Shiraz, Iran. They were selected by simple randomized sampling. Data were collected by a form regarding age, sex, the duration of heroin use, and musculoskeletal pain. Pain was measured by VAS (visual analog scale) and forward head posture was evaluated by plumb line. Pearson correlation technique and chi-square were used for analyzing the data. FINDINGS: The results revealed that the majority of heroin users suffered from musculoskeletal pain during their withdrawal. At the end of withdrawal 53.4% had severe pain, 38.8% had moderate pain, and 7.8% of them had mild pain. Pain in the lower extremities and low back was more common than the upper extremities. The intensity of pain before withdrawal was mild, during withdrawal was moderate, and at the end was sever, but there was no significant correlation between them. The results also showed 43.3% of subjects had normal posture and 56.7% had forward posture. CONCLUSION: According to the results, the intensity of pain increased during the withdrawal period; therefore, more attention must be paid to this complication in heroin users for better evaluation and a successful withdrawal.