Dropped Head Syndrome Treated with Physical Therapy Based on the Concept of Athletic Rehabilitation.

Patients with dropped head syndrome (DHS) show severe cervical kyphosis, i.e., chin-on-chest deformity, and their activities of daily living are impaired considerably. However, the therapeutics for DHS, especially conservative treatment, have not been fully established. A 75-year-old woman suffered from DHS, which she developed from neck pain due to cervical spondylosis. Examinations showed atrophy and dysfunction of her cervical extensor muscles. For this patient, we created a special program of physical therapy based on the concept of athletic rehabilitation and provided her the athletic rehabilitation-based physical therapy (AR-PT). After starting AR-PT, the patient's neck pain was relieved. She recovered from DHS, and the atrophy of her cervical extensor muscles improved. This study suggests that our program of AR-PT improves cervical extensor muscle insufficiency in patients with DHS and corrects their cervical kyphosis.

Assessment of Salivary Nitric Oxide Levels in Elite University Athletes in Japan: Findings From a Cross Sectional Study Design.

BACKGROUND: High-intensity exercise affects the level of salivary nitric oxide (NO) with an impact on oxidative stress such as a reactive nitrogen-oxide species. However, in athletes with high-intensity training, the relationship between salivary NO levels and oxidative stress is yet to be clear. Additionally, the association of salivary NO levels and the common health disorders of athletes is unknown. Thus, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to clarify the relationship between salivary NO levels and oxidative stress, and the health/medical disorders existing in elite class university athletes. METHODS: In 250 athletes (males, 151 and females, 99) from undergraduate levels of Japanese University, we investigated the relationship between levels of salivary NO and oxidative stress markers: derived reactive oxygen species (d-ROMs) and biological antioxidant potential (BAP), and also examined that whether salivary NO levels are associated with diseases. RESULTS: There were no significant association between the levels of salivary NO and oxidative stress markers (such as d-ROM and BAP). From the questionnaire, asthma was the most prevalent as evident from medical history of the athletes. Additionally, the salivary NO levels were higher (520 ± 43 µmol/L vs. 375 ± 13 µmol/L, P < 0.05) in the asthma group (n = 9) than in the non-asthma group (n = 241). We determined the optimal cut-off value (P = 0.019) of the salivary NO levels for asthma was 425 µmol/L, with a sensitivity of 88.9% and specificity of 61.8% (area under the curve (AUC), 0.73). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the high levels of salivary NO in trained university athletes in Japan may potentially predict asthma. And this salivary NO level is not associated with markers of oxidative stress and existing diseases in athletes studied here.