فصلنامه علوم پیراپزشکی و توانبخشی
سال یازدهم شماره 1 (بهار 1401)

Lower limb injuries are more common in sports with plyometric movements that cause more neuromuscular fatigue. Among the treatments, cold therapy has many applications as an immediate treatment after injury during sport events. Because cooling the joint in a fatigue state may increase the risk of re-injury when returning to competition. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate an acute effect of neuromuscular fatigue following local joint cooling on postural control and knee kinematics during drop-landing movement.

The present study was done using semi-experimental design. The study population of the present study were 40 female students of physical education field.  All had at least two years of their education and had been active in volleyball and basketball and had at least 3 sessions per week of sport activities and they had no injury in the lower extremities in the past six months. They were randomly divided into three experimental groups and one control group (10 people in each group). Measurements were performed at three times (pre-test, post-test 1 and post-test 2). The force plate (Bertec 40*60 USA) was used to measure center of pressure and the electrogoniameter (biometrics) to measure the range of knee motion during the drop landing, simultaneously. Cooling was performed for 20 minutes (for cooling and cooling after fatigue group) and fatigue protocol (fatigue and cooling after fatigue group) included repeated jumping in various directions from 20 cm platform. In the cooling after fatigue, the subjects first performed the fatigue protocol, then the knee joint cooling was applied immediately. All variables were measured before the interventions, immediately after them (first post-test) and 20 minutes after them (second post-test) in all groups. Analysis of variance with repeated measures and SPSS software in significant level α=0.05 was used for data analysis.

It has been shown that the mean of COPx changes increased during eccentric phase in all groups following 2nd post-test compared to 1st post-test(P=0/01). However, there was no significant difference between groups in the mean of COPx and COPy changes (p>0.05). Also, landing knee angle decreased in all groups in 1st post-test compared to pretest (p=0.04). There was no significant difference between groups in landing, takeoff and maximum knee angle (P>0.05).

Based on the results of the study, it seems that superficial cooling (using an ice pack) after neuromuscular fatigue similar to the conditions in sport events and competitions, has no significant effect on the biomechanical function of the lower extremities and balance of athletes. Therefore, local cooling of joint, as an immediate treatment method that has many benefits and positive physiological effects, to reduce the acute complications of injury, even despite the reduction of local joint temperature and in conditions where the athlete is tired, does not cause a serious risk for athletes during return to activity and there is no possibility of re-injury in them after cooling in a tired condition.

Goldman tonometry is one of the preoperative techniques for cataract surgery that measures intraocular pressure by direct contact with the cornea. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Goldman tonometer on the anterior chamber depth (ACD) and keratometric values using Pentacam HR.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 15 cataract patients with age range of 43 to 78 years in Al-Zahra Ophthalmology Hospital in Zahedan, Iran. Initially, ACD, asphericity, anterior and posterior flat keratometry, anterior and posterior steep keratometry, peripheral keratometry, and anterior and posterior astigmatism were measured using Pentacam HR. Then tonometry was performed using Goldman applanation tonometer. Pentacam measurements were also recorded one minute and ten minutes after tonometry. Data were analyzed using repeated measures of ANOVA and P value less than 0.05 was considered as a significant level of the test.

Results showed no significant difference in all measurement parameters with Pentacam before, one minute and ten minutes after Goldman tonometer (p>0.05).

The findings of this study showed that Goldman tonometry has no significant effect on anterior chamber depth and corneal curvature in cataract patients. Therefore, Goldman tonometry can be performed in cataract patients in the same session of corneal parameter evaluation.

One of the main problems of patients with multiple sclerosis is decreased ability to walk, coordination and also muscle weakness caused by neuromuscular disorders which leads to limitations in upper and lower functions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of suspended swing exercises on gait and upper performance in patients with multiple sclerosis. Therefore, the present study will examine the effects of 8 weeks antigravity swing exercises on multiple sclerosis female patients in patient with moderate disability.

18 patients with multiple sclerosis with mean age of 36.55±3.74 years, mean height of 164.66± 4.01 cm and weight of 66.48 ±6.32 kg and 13 patients with mean age of 34.37±82.4 years, height 166.76±91.4 cm and weight 66.66±6.32 kg were included. Both groups had a disability index of 4.5 ≤EDSS≤6.5. They were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group performed suspended swing exercises in the club for eight weeks and the control group performed their normal daily activities without any restrictions and in accordance with the physiotherapy interventions of the relevant physician.

According to the results, the functional ability of the upper limb is related to the study of patient's performance in four testing times (p=0.001). Also, a significant difference was observed in walking performance between the four test times (p=0.001). There was a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in both upper and lower limb function (p=0.001).

Considering the effectiveness of antigravity, swing exercises can be used as a clinical intervention to rehabilitate and improve neuromuscular factors in multiple sclerosis patients with moderate disability. According to the measurement of patient's progress at 4th week until 8th week in this study, the onset of effectiveness of the training protocol can be determined to a large extend by considering the patient's disability.

Physical health is of special importance in human life and positive and negative changes can affect other aspects of human life. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of posture and physical abnormalities and its relationship with family history in 8-10 years of age girls in Tabas city.

The statistical population included 410 female students (8-10) years of primary school girls in Tabas city. New York test, grid chart and flexible ruler were used to check for postural abnormalities. After screening, a questionnaire was prepared for parents to evaluate history of abnormalities in family and communication was established with them. To examine the relationship between abnormalities and students' history in family, the Phi correlation coefficient was used and for analysing  the data SPSS software version 21 was used.

Of the 410 female students aged 8-10 years in Tabas, 342 (83.41%) had faulty posture and abnormalities and only 68 (16.58%) students did not have abnormalities. The halgus valgus (59.02%), flat foot (32.20%), unequal shoulder (28.29%) and bow leg (25.37%) had highest rates of abnormalities. There was a relationship between abnormality and history of the abnormality of the subjects.

In this study, some of the students 'postural abnormalities were significantly related to the history of same abnormalities in students' families. Therefore, it is suggested that more research should be done to determine the genetic nature of these abnormalities. According to the findings of the present study, serious attention is needed to make opportunity for physical activity, especially for female students, as well as screening programs of all students. The students with abnormalities should be identified as soon as possible and referred to correctional exercise centers and specialists. A significant relationship in this study does not mean a causality, and to investigate causality more research is needed.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of core stability training on a stable and unstable surfaces on the endurance of the core region and the mechanics of landing female athletes with truncated defects using a landfall error score system‌‌‌‌.

Thirty female athletes with defective trunk participated in this study and divided into two experimental groups (core stability at stable and unstable level) from Rasht, Gilan, Province. ‌‌‌‌‌ Core zone endurance tests and landfall error score system were used to assess the jump-land biomechanics in pre-test and post-test‌‌‌‌. ‌‌‌‌‌ Experimental groups performed 6 weeks of training‌‌‌‌. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc test at a level of 5% error using SPSS software version 22.

Results‌‌‌‌ ‌‌:
The results showed a significant change in the scores of tests related to trunk endurance and landing mechanics after six weeks of training in both stable and unstable level training groups (p<0.05). After exercises, the differences between groups were statistically significant (p<0.05) in other tests except for the Planck test (p<0.05) and in the athletes of the training group, unstable level of better performance was observed.

Core stability exercises at a stable and unstable level in athletes with trunk defects can improve endurance and landing mechanics and, can be eliminated by moderating the risk factors of anterior cruciate ligament injury, this effect is achieved by performing unstable levels of training More‌‌‌‌. ‌‌‌‌‌

Astigmatism is a common refractive error and is common in patients requiring cataract surgery. Cataract surgery is usually accompanied by an intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. However, global sanctions in Iran and the high cost of toric IOLs sometimes lead to the application of spherical IOLs and hence residual astigmatism. Given the average age of the middle-aged Iranian population, the need to address the issue of astigmatism and cataracts is clear. To evaluate the visual acuity and refractive errors in cataract patients with regular astigmatism after spherical IOL placement and to evaluate the results of the calculation formulas for determining IOL power.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 100 eyes of 72 patients aged 50 to 75 years with regular astigmatism who underwent phacoemulsification surgery and simultaneous spherical IOL implantation at Farabi Eye Hospital in Tehran. Patients' visual acuity was performed by LogMAR chart and refractive examination using Topcon autokeratorefractor preoperatively and one month after surgery. The results of preoperative and postoperative examinations, according to the formula used and target refraction, were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance, paired t-test, and Pearson correlation in SPSS software.

The selection of “Plano” target refraction, improved patients' vision and refraction. The mean of Uncorrected Distance Visual Acuity before and after surgery showed a significant difference (p<0.001). The mean of Corrected Distance Visual Acuity and spherical refractive error before and after surgery did not show a statistically significant difference (p>0.05). The mean of refractive and corneal astigmatism, before and after surgery showed a significant difference (p<0.001).

The age of cataract patients with astigmatism can be an indicator for choosing the appropriate IOL formula. Cataracts cause astigmatism by altering the Crystalline lens, which can be reduced with surgery. With accurate refraction, the quality of patients' vision can be increased with spectacles before cataract surgery. The SRK / T formula, which has the highest frequency among the three formulas, has better visual and refraction results.

ACL injury is one of the most common non-contact injuries among women athletes. ACL injury prevention is especially important with the purpose of decreasing risk factors. The results indicate that during landing, there is a lot of pressure on lower limb joints. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the Effect of 8 weeks of theraband training on ACL injury Risk Factors in Single-Leg Drop and double leg landing.

In this study, 26 female amateur athletes with a mean age (25.3±3.6) years, height (162.2±3.8) cm, weight (59.9± 5.9) kg were purposefully and accessibly selected and randomly divided into two experimental group (n=13) and control (n=13). The experimental group performed their exercises for 8 weeks, three sessions per week and 60 minutes per session, and the subjects in the control group continued did not exercise. Single-Leg Drop and double leg landing tests were taken from the two groups of subjects before and after 8 weeks of training. In order to measure the risk factors of ACl injury (knee valgus, range of knee flexion and hip) in Single-Leg Drop and double leg landing, analytical software kinovea (8.27) was used. In order to analyze the data, Mixed Repeated Measures ANOVA was used at a significance level of p≤0.05 using SPSS software, version 24.

The results of study showed that after eight weeks, a significant improvement in decreasing the amount of knee valgus and increasing the range of motion of the hip flexion Single-Leg Drop and double leg landing (p≤0.05) was observed in the experimental group. Also, in the experimental group, a significant improvement was observed in increasing the range of motion of hip flexion in double leg Drobe landing task (p≤0.05), but no significant difference was observed in the range of motion of hip flexion in single leg Drob landing task (P>0.05).

The results of this study showed that Theraband exercise program during landing movements can improve some kinematic variables of the hip and knee joint and reduce the risk factors of ACL injury in women.

Patellofemoral pain occurs in the anterior part of the knee (around and behind the patella) and in activities such as sitting and long walks, going up and down stairs, and squatting. Exercise therapy is one of the basic strategies in the treatment of this syndrome, and Pilates is one of the training methods in which the central muscles of the trunk are called in all its movements and then the target muscles are challenged. Functional movement Screen (FMS) is a tool to identify the quality of movement patterns and this test can be effective in predicting and recognizing the defects of basic patterns. Additionally, improving this index can indicate the effectiveness of an exercise program. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 8 weeks of Pilates training on the overall and individual scores of the FMS index in girls with Patellofemoral pain syndrome.

In the present quasi-experimental study, 30 female students with Patellofemoral pain syndrome (mean age of 25.4 ± 4.9 years, height 161.8 ± 4.9 cm, weight 61.3 ± 5.2 kg) were randomly divided into two groups of control and pilates training. Subjects with a history of 6 months of pain in the anterior part of the knee and diagnosis and approval of a physician were included in the present study. All subjects were evaluated in the pre-test and post-test using FMS tools. The exercise program consisted of 8 weeks, three sessions per week, and each session lasted 45-60 minutes of selected pilates exercises. Data were analysed by SPSS software using Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon statistical methods and interpreted at a significance level of 0.05.

The results of the present study showed that pilates training caused better performance with a significant difference in the overall FMS index (p=0.001) than the control group. Examination of the results of individual FMS tests showed that Pilates training compared to the control group improved the indicators of the pattern of Hurdle step (p=0.002), Straight-leg raise (p=0.015), Trunk stability push up (p=0.001) and Rotational stability (p=0.001). However, no significant differences were observed in Deep squat (p=0.249), In-line lunge (p=0.555) and Shoulder mobility (p=0.751) tests between the two groups.

Based on the results, pilates training has significantly improved the functional movement Screen (FMS) index and some of its subtests in girls with Patellofemoral pain syndrome. Therefore, it is recommended that trainers and people with this syndrome use pilates exercises to improve their motor function.

Covid-19 has a variety of persistent symptoms and complications, including various physical, cognitive and functional disorders. Rehabilitation of these conditions after the acute phase through physical activity and exercise has been suggested in various studies. The aim of this study was to review the post-acute exercise therapy methods for patients recovered from Covid-19.

In this review study, related articles from databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, DOAJ, Scopus, Springer, SID, Inlm was reviewed from 2019 to September 2021. Also in the article search process, keywords: Covid-19 (and similar), post-acute, improved, discharge, rehabilitation and exercises were used.

After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 19 articles were obtained that examined the effect of rehabilitation exercises on different variables of Covid-19 patients after recovery from the acute phase or discharge from the hospital. Breathing exercises, aerobic exercises, resistance exercises, balance exercises, hydrotherapy were the most important methods of exercise therapy for Covid-19 survivors. The results of review showed that exercise therapy has an effect on functional capacity, in particular, walking (14 studies), pulmonary function (6 studies), physical function such as hand strength (6 studies), psychological disorders (6 studies) and quality of life (4 studies).

Exercise therapy programs for Covid-19 survivors can include breathing, aerobics, endurance, balance, resistance training, and hydrotherapy. Exercise therapy programs for Covid-19 survivors can be suggested in the form of pulmonary and motor rehabilitation exercises. Recovered people can also do rehabilitation exercises through home-based and tele-exercises methods. In general, Post-Acute exercise rehabilitation is recommended in Covid-19 patients with the aim of improving pulmonary function, restoring functional capacity, as well as improving psychological status and quality of life.

The range of motion and alignment of the cervical spine in healthy people is influenced by various factors such as genetics and age. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of age on the alignment and range of motion of the cervical spine.

In this study, a comprehensive study on the effect of age on the alignment and range of motion of the cervical spine by searching in Google Scholar, PubMed and Sciencedirect databases with the keywords “Cervical Spine”, “Neck, Range of Motion”, “Cervical Alignment” , “Cervical Angle” and “Age-Related Change” and also in Persian databases of Google Scholar, Megapiper, Irandac, Mgiran, SID, MedLib, Iran Medax and Iran Science and Technology Research Institute with keywords “Neck,” “Cervical Spine”, “Range of Motion”, “Neck Alignment”, “Neck Angle” and “Age-Related Changes” were performed from 2000 to January 2021. After collecting the search results, first the title and then the abstract of the articles were studied. If the articles complied with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, their results were used in the review study, otherwise discarded.

In the search of texts, after deleting similar cases, 37 articles, with similar subject to our study, were selected. These studies mainly investigated the effect of age on range of motion and Cervical Alignment in healthy individuals.

According to the results of studies, the range of motion in the cervical spine decreased with age, which of course does not follow a regular pattern because in some ages it increases and in some ages it decreases. Also, age has influence not only on the range of motion but also on the alignment of the cervical spine. Therefore, due to individual differences and people's lifestyles and occupations, it is very difficult to understand whether we always see an increase in cervical lordosis and a decrease in range of motion with age. Therefore, we should be cautious and should not draw a general rule for all people, so there is a need for more research in this area in the future.