صدیقه سادات نعیمی

Osteoporosis is a widespread skeletal condition due to decreased muscle strength and bone density. The most common complications are fractures followed by pain and reduced quality of life (QoL). Therefore, this research aimed to examine the effect of exercise therapy on muscle strength, QoL, and bone mass in osteoporotic women.

Available literature was reviewed using ScienceDirect, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane. Studies were considered eligible if they were randomized controlled trials (RCT) conducted on postmenopausal osteoporotic women, used exercise therapy as an intervention, and investigated muscle strength, QoL, and bone mass as outcomes. Two authors independently assessed the quality of the articles using the physiotherapy evidence database (PEDro) scale. The Cohen’s d effect size was computed by dividing the mean standardized difference by the standard deviation to measure the treatment effect, which includes exercise therapy.

Seven papers were chosen to be included in this research. Their PEDro scores varied between 6 and 9 out of a possible 10. The effect size mean differences, resulting from exercise therapy, ranged from 0.32 to 0.63, indicating “small” to “moderate” effects in enhancing the condition of osteoporotic postmenopausal women. It was reported that there was a small effect size in 5 studies and a medium effect size in 2 studies. The research findings suggested the effect of balance, strengthening, stretching, stability, and motor control exercises on bone mass and muscle strength in osteoporotic postmenopausal women.

Findings indicate that exercise therapy interventions positively affect muscular strength, QoL, and bone mass in osteoporotic postmenopausal women. Additional well-conducted research is required to support this assumption further.

Background and Aims Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the world; which can cause disability. One of the main goals of rehabilitation in these patients is to improve their upper limb function. Dual-task training (DTT) is one of the rehabilitation methods in stroke patients, which include performing motor tasks along with mental exercises. This study aims to investigate the effect of DTT on upper limb function, elbow flexor muscle tone, wrist extension range of motion (ROM), and the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) in women with chronic stroke.Methods In this pilot study, 16 female patients suffering from chronic stroke for more than 6 months were selected and divided into two groups of 8 including training and control. In both groups, the routine treatment included electrical stimulation of quadriceps and dorsiflexors of the affected hand, 10 minutes of bicycling, and performing three movement tasks for the upper limb (sorting colored blocks, opening and closing the bottle cap with the affected hand, and moving the beans with a spoon towards a determined point). In the training group, DTT included performing these three movement tasks simultaneously with performing mental task (counting down from 100). The training was performed for 4 weeks at 12 sessions, three sessions per week. The upper limb function was measured by the box & block test; elbow flexor muscle tone by the modified Ashworth scale; active ROM of wrist extension by a goniometer; and ADL by the Barthel index before and after the treatments. Results No significant difference was found in any variables between the two groups (P>0.05). In both in groups, there was a significant improvement in the three variables of elbow flexor muscle tone, upper limb function, and the ability to perform ADL after interventions compared to baseline (P<0.05). However, no significant difference was found in the active ROM of wrist extension in any groups (P>0.05).Conclusion Training with and without DTT can lead to significant improvement in elbow flexor muscle tone, upper limb function, and the ability to perform ADL in women with chronic stroke. The DTT has no superior effect on these variables.

Several studies have investigated gait biomechanics in people with functional ankle instability (FAI). However, the potential role of information processing (attention) in the gait control of these patients is still unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of cognitive load on the range of motion (ROM) of lower limb joints during walking in men with and without FAI.

The study was a non-randomized controlled clinical trial. Eighteen male subjects with FAI and 19 healthy subjects participated in this study and completed three randomized conditions (three trials per condition): normal walking on a treadmill (single task), normal walking while performing a cognitive task (dual task), and (3) performing cognitive task while sitting. Three-dimensional information of hip, knee, and ankle joint ROM in the sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes were measured as gait kinematic components, and the error ratio and average reaction time were measured as cognitive task indicators. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to determine the intrasession reliability of kinematic and cognitive measures.

The ICC of kinematic variables, including the hip, knee, and ankle joint ROM, with and without applying cognitive tasks in three planes was more than 0.70. During the single task, the group with FAI showed a significantly decreased knee ROM in the transverse plane and a decreased hip ROM in the sagittal plane compared to the healthy group. During the dual task, the group with FAI showed a significantly increased hip ROM in the sagittal plane compared to the healthy group. The results of the cognitive task showed that the group with FAI had a longer reaction time in the auditory Stroop test during dual-task walking than in the sitting position.

FAI can be an important factor in motor-cognitive interactions. Using a cognitive task may be an effective strategy in the rehabilitation program of men with FAI.

 Because of the significant prevalence of diabetes, disability of patients due to the complication of Diabeti Neuropathy (DN) has been increased. Physiotherapy is one of the methods for DN which can help control the symptoms through modalities such as infrared radiation, electrical stimulation and electromagnetic fields. Tecar therapy is a form of electromagnetic fields.This study investigated the effect of Capacitive Tecar therapy on pain and tactile sensation of the feet in type 2 diabetics with symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. 

This clinical trial was performed as pre-test and post-test with a control group. The samples consisted of 24 diabetics aged 17-78 years with symtoms of peripheral neuropathy allocated in the control and experimental group randomly. The patients of experimental groups participated in 10 sessions and received the Capasitive tecar therapy with 10%-30% intensity in addition to infrared radiatin; the controls received the same protocol with zero intensity of tecar. Pain and tactile sensation of the soles were evaluated before and after sessions. The collected data were analyzed by the Reapeted measure Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA). All statistical analyses were performed in SPSS V. 18. The significance level was set at P<0.05.

 The results of Rearetd Measure ANOVA showed that there was a significant difference in the mean scores of pain and tactile sensation of soles in the post-test compared to the pre-test of two groups.(P<0.001).There was also a significant difference in the means of post-test scores of variable pain (P=0.002) and tactile sensation (P<0.001) between the two groups. The improvement of variables in experimental group was more than control group.

 The results of this study revealed that Tecar Therapy with infrared radiation can be an appropriate therapeutic program for improving pain and tactile sensation of soles in diabetic patients with symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.

The myofascial trigger points are very sensitive points in tight bundles of the skeletal muscle and contribute to pain and motor limitation and ultimately cause functional impairment. The myofascial trigger points are divided into two active and latent groups clinically. Latent trigger points are more common compared with active trigger points. Among the muscles of the body, the upper trapezius muscle, has the lowest pressure pain threshold against the allgometer, is the most common site of the trigger points in which the trigger points develop, and can cause the myofascial pain syndrome in the neck and shoulders. Methods and Materials: The current study was performed on 10 women with an upper trapezius latent trigger points. Upper trapezius muscle thickness and pennation angle at rest and then thickness and angle pennation of muscle in contraction were measured using a Honda ultrasound machine (2100) Japan – 7.5 MHz linear transducer) in a sitting position on an armchair. Measurements were repeated twice on the same day for half an hour. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), Standard Error of Measurement (SEM), and Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) tests were used to measure the intrarater reliability and to estimate measurement errors.

The results for ICC, SEM, and MDC were used to examine the interrater reliability measuring the thickness of the upper trapezius muscle at rest (ICC = 0.962, SEM = 1.43, MDC = 3.97) and the  pennation angle of the upper trapezius at rest (ICC = 0.913 , SEM = 1.46, MDC = 4.06), the thickness of the upper trapezius muscle in contraction (ICC = 0.979, SEM = 1.95 MDC = 5.43), and pennation angle of the upper trapezius in contraction (ICC = 0.870, SEM = 1.46, MDC = 4.06).

It can be cloncluded that ultrasound, according to the method used in the present study, is a reliable method with small SEM and MDC values in the thickness and pennation angle measurements of upper trapezius muscle at rest and the thickness and pennation angle of the upper trapezius muscle in the contraction.

Diabetic neuropathy leads to a reduction in the balance due to peripheral nerves involvement. On the other hand, quantitative studies have shown changes in balance indicators after using the body's entire body vibration. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the changes of equilibrium indices immediately after using the apparatus for whole body vibration in patients with type II diabetic neuropathy.

In the current single-session, single-blind clinical trial study, 32 patients with diabetic neuropathy were divided into two experimental and control groups. Patients in the intervention group, stood on the laser screen of the body's total vibration, with a frequency of 30HZ and an amplitude of 2 mm, knees bent to 30 degrees for six times with a one-minute rest. In the control group, there were patients with the same conditions, but they stood still on the device screen. Patients in both groups were evaluated before and after intervention using Biodex device. Regarding the normal distribution of data, Shapiro-Wilk test was used. Also, t-paired test and covariance analysis were run for further comparisons.

Based on t-paired sample test, general balance (p = 0.000), balance in the anterior-posterior direction (p = 0.000), and balance in side direction (p = 0.033), before and after intervention, revealed significant changes (P = 0.06); however, in the control group, general balance (p = 0.06), balance in the anterior-posterior direction (p = 0.33), and balance in side direction (p = 0.79) were not significantly different compared between pretest and posttest. Comparing the results of the two groups, using independent t-test, general equilibrium (p = 0.000), balance in the anterior-posterior direction (p = 0.000), and bilateral balance (p = 0.027) showed statistically significant differences.

According to the results, the whole body vibration can be effective in improving the balance in the short time.

Diabetes is one of the chronic diseases that can endanger peoplechr('39')s health. Lack of quality of life can be observed if diabetes is not controlled and the complications of the disease occur. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to improve the quality of life of patients with type 2 diabetes by combined exercise.

In this clinical trial study, after examining 692 volunteer patients suffering from type 2 diabetes, 30 patients were randomly divided into two different groups of combined exercise and control. In the combined exercise group, participants walked on a treadmill 3 times a week for eight weeks treatment duration. The intensity of walking were considered 50-70% of maximum heart beat rate for 30 minutes, and participants were forced to wear a vest containing weights. The control group did not receive any intervention and ended their 8-week lifestyle.

Individuals in the two groups had not any significant differences in age, height, weight, body mass index, and medical history. The quality of life, the disease control, and exercise behavior variables in the combined exercise group increased significantly (P<0.05) but no significant change in the control group was reported (P>0.05). There was a significant difference in the above variables between the combined exercise and control groupd (P<0.05).

Eight weeks of aerobic exercise with external load improves the quality of life for people with type 2 diabetes.

One of the treatment methods for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome is kinesio tape. Since there have not been any systematic review on this issue, the present systematic review was conducted to investigate the effects of kinesio tape in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Using several keywords, including Carpal tunnel syndrome, Median nerve, Kinesio tape, and Physiotherapy, a literature search was performed for the period between 2000-2018, in Google scholar, Pubmed, PEDro, Science Direct, Springer, Ovid, ProQuest, Cochrane library, and Scopus databases.

Among the articles found, only those using kinesio tape for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome were included in the study. Out of 50 articles, only 11 were included in the study and other studies were excluded.

All the papers studied showed pain relief, increased grip and pinch strength, decreased median nerve cross sectional area, reduced distal latency, increased median nerve speed, and improvement in the questionnaires. Studies that used kinesio tape along with other physiotherapy treatments indicated an increased effect on the recovery of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, especially in the long term.

Diabetes type 2 has been estimated as the seventh leading cause of death worldwide. Diabetic patients are 2-3 times more likely to be at the risk of atherosclerosis, compared to normal people. It has been reported that exercise prevents atherosclerosis in diabetic patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exercise on vascular variables of patients with type 2 diabetes. 

This clinical trial was conducted on 40 patients out of 702 volunteers with diabetes who were randomly assigned into two groups of combined (aerobic and resistance) and control. The intervention protocol included 24 30-min sessions of aerobic exercise on the treadmill without any slope during 8 weeks (three sessions per week). The protocol intensity was set at 50-70% maximum heart rate and volunteers wore a weighted vest during exercise. On the other hand, the control group had no exercise for two months. All variables were measured before the intervention and after 24 sessions of the intervention protocol.

According to the results, there were no differences between the groups regarding demographic characteristics and a history of type 2 diabetes before the intervention. After 24 sessions, there was a significant decrease in the intima-media thickness. Moreover, the ratio of the intima-media thickness to the lumen in three sections of Carotid Bulb, Internal Carotid, and Common Carotid was significantly reduced in the combined exercise group, compared to the control group (P<0.05); however, no significant difference was observed in the lumen diameter (P>0.05). All vascular parameters remained unchanged in the control group (P>0.05).

In total, 24 sessions of aerobic and resistance exercise had a positive effect on vascular parameters. According to the simulation of a backpack by a weighted vest, the method used in this study was considered as a cheap and useful technique for patients with type 2 diabetes.

Tempromandibular joint is considered as one of the most important joints in our body. Since orders and disorders in this very important region of our body are significantly measured in any case, operations in order to solve. These problems are quite common.Movement restrictions, pain and swelling are considered as negative consequences of this category of surgery.Although the prevalence of the consequences and probability of benefits of low level LASER therapy as a useful treatment in order to lessen or remove them, there has been not enough researchs in this regard yet and this is why we are going to deal with it in this article. In the current type of survey was experimental and far sighted. We had control group and the patients were selected by chance. Samples were among the patients who were suffering from prognatism and were operated almost two weeks before getting samples.   36 patients [in two groups each with equal humbers of control and treat] who were suffering from prognatism and were operated to be reconstructed were treated with LLLT for 10 sessions. ontrolled variables were Intensity of pain, restrictions of movements and swelling. Shapirovilk and also coupled T and individual T were used to evaluate the results. Significative differences were observed between two groups of patients considering pain intensity,swelling and movement restrictions in beneath jaw. According to the results applying of LLLT may lead us to lessen the negative consefuences of jaw operated patients consisting: Pain, swelling and movement restrictions.

Diabetes mellitus is a common health problem worldwide, especially in Asia. Exercise training plays an important role in controlling diabetes variables. The aim of this research was to consider the effectiveness of exercise on biochemical parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This randomized controlled clinical trial study was carried out with 40 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus selected out of 702 volunteers. These individuals were randomly divided to two groups, combined (aerobic and resistance) exercise and control. Intervention protocol included 24 sessions (8 weeks) of aerobic exercise on the treadmill with zero slope, three days per week for 30 minutes per session. Intensity of training protocol was 50-70 percent of maximum heart rate, and that subjects wear a weighted vest. Measurements of parameters were done before and after 24 sessions. Basically, there were no significant differences in variable values. After eight weeks, fasting blood sugar (FBS) (P = 0.059), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (P = 0.333) were significantly reduced in the combined group; but not low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density of lipoprotein (VLDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), total cholesterol, triglyceride, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HS-CRP) (P > 0.050 for all). Alternatively, the value remained unchanged in the combined group while it was increased in the control group (P = 0.001). 24 sessions of aerobic exercise improved FBS and HbA1c in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, longer training duration is deemed to need to modify other variables.

Todevelop a Persian version of the diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (DC/TMD) Axis I and to assess its content validity The present study is a cross-sectional survey. To cross-culturally adapt the instrument, the DC/TMD Axis I was translated using a forward-backward method. Translation quality and cultural adaptation were assessed by a panel of five experts on a scale of 0 to 100. Then, the content validity of the Persian version was quantitatively evaluated by a panel of 10 experts calculating content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR). Average values of translation quality were less than 90% in 7 items, which were rephrased. Average values of cultural adaptation of 2 items were less than 90% and they were omitted according to the experts' opinion. CVR values in all items of the questionnaire were between 0.8 - 1 and for the total instrument, the CVR values was obtained to be 0.94. All of the items of the questionnaire in terms of relevancy earned values higher than 0.75. CVI values in terms of clarity for 13 items and in terms of simplicity for 10 items were less than 0.75, which were candidates for revision in the second round. All these items received values higher than 0.75 in the second round. Evaluating contentvalidity of the Persian version of DC/TMD Axis I can be an introduction for assessing other psychometric properties of the questionnaire and will pave the way for including Iran in international studies on TMD.

Bearing in the mind the importance of proprioception in preventing joints injury and the role of improving proprioception after joints injuries, the aim of the present study was to review the effects of different exercise methods on decreasing proprioception indexes error.
A literature search for the period between 1990-2015 was performed in the databases of GoogleScholar, ScienceDirect, Pedro, PubMed, Cochrane, and SID. Postural control, tilt board, BAPS board, stability, instability, postural sway, single leg stance, and lower limb were used as keywords in combination with proprioception, sense of position, sense of force, and kinesthesia. Irrelevant studies and studies which evaluated other indexes, instead of proprioception, were ignored.
Nine articles were selected according to the inclusion criteria. The present review showed that balance training in some cases may have positive effects on proprioception accuracy, at least on non-athletic people. But the number of studies was not sufficient and also it is necessary to evaluate the effect of training in different individual categories, such as healthy, athletes, and those with joint injury.

Warm up is used for reducing risk of injury and increasing performance prior to practice. Whole body vibration is one of the new methods of warm up that has increasingly been taken into consideration. Despite increased application of this method, its effect on proprioception is not well-known. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of whole body vibration on the accuracy of force reproduction as a key indicator of proprioception.
In the current randomized control trial, 44 participants (25 males and 19 females, with 22.02±2.75 years of age and BMI: 21.92 ± 2.33 kg/m2) selected from healthy students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, were randomly assigned into two groups: whole body vibration (frequency of 30 Hz and amplitude of 4 mm) and control group (vibration plate inactivated). Participants performed dynamic squats in five minutes with one minute rest interval between each performance on the machine and accuracy of force reproduction of knee extensor muscle was evaluated before and after the intervention. The absolute error, constant error, and variable error were measured to evaluate the participants’ errors in their realization of force sense.
Absolute error and variable error of force in both groups showed significant increase after intervention (P0/05).
According to the results, it seems that immediate effect of this method of warm up reduces accuracy of force production which can be due to fatigue caused by dynamic squat performed five times at one-minute which consequently led to incorrect matching between peripheral and central mechanisms of realization of the force sense. This point should be considered when prescribing the appropriate protocol of warm up.

The prevalence of heart failure is increasing. The effects of the second and third phases of cardiac rehabilitation in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life for ambulatory (discharged) heart patients has repeatedly been investigated. However, due to the threats to the survival of heart patients at hospitalization (and the possibility of a sharp decline in functional capacity of patients at this stage), the first phase of cardiac rehabilitation, especially for patients with heart failure, has rarely been studied. Meanwhile, the quality of life is becoming increasingly important in the health care system so that it is belived that the most important goal in interventions is to improve the quality of life, especially in chronic diseases. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the first phase of cardiac rehabilitation on the quality of life and functional capacity of patients with heart failure.
Methods and Materials: In the present one way blind clinical trial, 34 patients with moderate and severe heart failure (New York Heart Association functional classification basis) with left ventricular ejection fraction lower than 40 percent were included. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. Both groups received routine medical care during hospitalization and respiratory physiotherapy. In addition, patients in the intervention group care had aerobic exercise program using a stationary bicycle. In both groups, in addition to the usual parameters (such as heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate), the first and fifth day of hospitalization, quality of life (using the Persian version of the Seattle Angina Questionnaire) and functional capacity (6-minute walk test) were measured. Normality Shapiro-Wilk test was also performed. Then, dependent parameters in the two groups were tracked running multi-factor repeated measures analysis of variance.
In the beginning of the study, the two groups were not significantly different in terms of the variables related to disease severity and demographics. Then, functional capacity was increased in both groups from the first day to the fifth day, yet this improvement was not found to be significant. Also, the quality of life improved 53.84 percent in the intervention group and 29.62 percent in the control group, which is statistically significant (p Cardiac rehabilitation during the first five days of hospitalization can improve the quality of life (which is considered as a predictor of outcome in heart failure) as well as functional capacity in heart failure patients.

NeuroMobilization is one of the recent nonsurgical treatments for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome with a lot of discrepancies regarding its efficacy. The aim of the present study was a systematic review of the previous studies about effectiveness of neural gliding techniques for carpal tunnel syndrome patients.
Using the keywords Carpal tunnel syndrome, Median nerve, NeuroMobilization, and physiotherapy, a literature search was performed for the period 1998-2015, in Google Scholar, PEDRO, PubMed, and Science Direct databases.
Among the articles found, only the ones that had control groups and used neural gliding techniques were chosen. Therefore, out of 20 articles, nine were selected according to the inclusion criteria.
Although pain reduction, function and sensing improvement, and ability enhancement were noticed in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, after applying neural gliding techniques in some studies, the efficacy was not clear and definite due to weak results in some other studies. Also, more comprehensive researches are needed with more study cases and longer follow-up time to resolve these discrepancies.

Long-term effects of continuous aerobic exercise on body systems are frequently reported, but few studies have compared the effects of continuous andinterval aerobic exercises on blood pressure. Considering a majority of individual's tendency to do short-term and discontinuous exercises and, on the other hand, the prevalence of hypertension in the community as one of the most important health problems, the present study was conducted to compare the effect of interval continuous aerobic exercise on blood pressure.
The study followed a quasi-experimental design. A total of 20 healthy, sedentary participants (mean age: 3.5 ± 26 years and Body Mass Index: 2.8 ± 24.4 Kg/m2) participated in two sessions of physical activity, including walking and running on a treadmill. To check the heart health and to calculate the maximum target heart rate, the stress test was carried out under the supervision of cardiologist a week prior to the intervention. Then, in two concequtive sessions, continuous submaximal aerobic (with an intensity equivalent to 60 percent of maximum heart rate target) and interval aerobic interventions (with an intensity equivalent to 50 and 80% of maximum heart rate) were randomly assigned to the two groups. Heart rate and blood pressure were measured before, after, and up to 15 minutes after completion of the intervention. Data was analyzed running student's t-test (to compare the two types of interventions) and paired t-test (to compare the means before and after the intervention).
After a continuous aerobic (P= 0.02) and interval exercise (P = 0.04), a significant decrease was observed in the diastolic blood pressure. Also, the blood pressure changes were not found to be significantly different in the two types of intervention.
Our findings indicated that a continuous and interval aerobic exercise can influence diastolic blood pressure.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the common peroneal nerve stimulation on the immediate activation of the maximum capacity of the quadriceps muscle in individuals with knee osteoarthritis.
A total of 15 patients with knee osteoarthritis (9 men and 6 women, with the mean age of 53.50) participated in the current research. Chharsrany muscle extension peak torque was assessed using a recently-designed device to measure muscle force on a single day in two stages (duing electrical stimulation of Chharsrany muscle and the common peroneal nerve).The reliability of the device (correlation coefficient traces ≥ 90/0, the standard deviation of ≤ 1/9 participants) was previously evaluated by Soltany and colleagues in the Biomechanics Laboratory, at the School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran.
A significant difference was found between peak torque of quadriceps muscle extension, with the stimulation of Chharsrany muscle compared with that of the same musches extension stimulated with the common peroneal nerve.
Electrical stimulation of the common peroneal nerve with the voluntary maximum attempt of the individual to activate the quadriceps muscle, as used in the current study, is a useful way to strengthen this groups of muscles. This method may also be appropriate for the evaluation of physiotherapy or rehabilitation programs

The present study was conducted to compare bilateral abdominal muscles onset times with that of dominant upper limb deltoid muscle associated with anticipatory postural responses in healthy participants.
In the current observational study, 20 healthy female individuals (mean age 25.3 yrs and BMI =22.36kg/m2) were studied. While they were performing rapid arm flexion in standing position with their dominant limb, electromygraphic data of Transverse Abdominus (TrA) and External Oblique (EO) in both sides and the deltoid muscle of dominant limb were recorded. The onset times of these muscles were the main measured parameter during anticipatory postural response. Wilcoxon signed-ranked test was used to compare bilateral abdominal muscles onset times.
Contra lateral TrA and EO were recruited prior to deltoid muscle, but in Ipsilateral side these muscles were activated primarily after deltoid. There were significant differences between abdominal muscles onset time in comparison between the two sides of the trunk (TrA: p=0.001, EO: p=0.005).
Feed-forward activation of the abdominal muscles, prior to perturbation due to rapid arm movements, was observed for one body side in healthy subjects but these muscles in Ipsilateral side were activated in feedback manner. The results of the present study show that abdominal muscles are a part of diagonal synergies related to transferring movement and torque efficiently produced by the moving limb. It seems that reciprocal pattern of TrA muscle activation is a more efficient pattern in comparison with co-contraction pattern previosely introduced.

Weakness and atrophy of neck muscles and poor posture are major factors in the incidence of neck pain in office workers. Among different layers of paraspinal muscles, the deeper ones are more involved in segmental spinal stability. In patients with neck pain, the thickness and strength of suboccipital muscles may change as a result of the pain and discomfort. The purpose of the present study was to compare the thickness and strength of upper dorsal neck muscles in male participants with chronic non-specific neck pain and healthy male participants.
The current observational-case control study was performed on 15 male participants with chronic non-specific neck pain and 15 healthy male participantss. The thickness and the strength of the Suboccipital neck extensor muscles including Rectus Capitis posterior (RC) and Obliqus Capitis Superior (OCS) were measured while participants were at rest and during isometric maximum voluntary contraction using ultrasonography and dynamometer.
The thicknesses of RC and OCS muscles at rest and maximum voluntary contraction were significantly smaller in patients compared with those in healthy participants (p The present study showed that the RC and OCS muscles in patients with chronic non-specific neck pain were thinner compared with those in healthy participants.The results indicated higher muscle strength in healthy participants compared to that in patient particiapnts. Suboccipital neck extensor muscles were also significantly weaker in male particiapnts with neck pain. The low thickness and strength of muscles may be the results of pain and inhibitory reflexes in patients with neck pain.

The main cause of Myofascial pain syndrome is trigger point. The purpose of this study was to compare muscle energy technique (MET) with dry needling (DN) on latent trigger point of upper trapezius.
Fourty females, with diagnosis of latent trigger point of upper trapezius after adopting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were equally and randomly allocated into either the muscle energy technique or dry needling groups. Each patient received one treatment to the upper trapezius muscle. Outcome measures (visual analogue scale (VAS), pressure pain threshold (PPT), and range of active contra lateral flexion (CLF) measured before and 48 hours after treatment.
Two techniques which used in this study were effective for treating latent trigger point of upper trapezius (P0/05).
This study demonstrated that muscle energy technique was as effective as dry needling in improvement of VAS, PPT and ROM in subjects with latent trigger point of upper trapezius muscle. But since muscle energy technique is safe and non-invasive method, therefore, if you want to select one of these two techniques, muscle energy technique is recommended.

Whole Body Vibration (WBV) is more attended as a new exercise modality helping improvement in neuro-muscular performance, but so far, its immediate effect indirectly concurrent with different external load (EL) on maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and upper limb electromyography (EMG) in not known. The purpose of the spresent study was to investigate the immediate effect of WBV on maximumisometric contraction and upper limb EMG indifferent contraction forces. In 15 young healthy men, dominant biceps randomly underwent isometric contaction with supination of forearm and 90 degrees of elbow flexion while receiving no WBV or WBV with a frequency of 50 Hz and low amplitude (4 mm) for 60 seconds (i.e. two thirty-second phase with an interval of 20-second-rest) in three different modes: without EL, with an EL of 10% of primary MVC, and finally with an EL of 20% of primary MVC. In the meantime, EMG activity of the muscle was recorded and once the whole exercise protocol was terminated, MVC was measured and its EMG activity was recorded simultaneously with MVC. WBV without EL showed a significant increase in biceps MVC compared with no WBV and no EL(P=0.006), wheras in WBV the comparison of an EL of 10% of primary MVC and that of 20%, despite rendering higher rate of MVC, is not statistically significant. On the other hand, WBV without EL revealed a significant improvement in biceps RMS (P=0.001). The same was true in WBV with an EL of 20% of MVC (P=0.032). The rate of ∆FMED with WBV or without WBV, and with an EL of 20%, was statistically more significant than without WBV, with an external load of 10%, and this significancy with vibration was P=0.011 and without vibration was P=0.016. Meanwhile, ∆FMED was significant with WBV and with an external load of 20% of MVC compared with WBV and 10% of MVC (P=0.023). It seems that a single session of WBV reults in an immediate increase of MVC and EMG of biceps bracheiand applying ELs of 10% and 20% of MVC with WBV did not significantly increase in the present study, but it leadsto more increase of MVC and EMG. Also, the effect of an EL of 20% of MVC in this increase is more tangible than 10% of MVC.

An important part of examination in patients with cervical disorders is measuring active range of motion of the cervical, particularly in evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions. Goniometer is a common instrument in measuring range of motion. Easy working, easy carrying, and custom benefits make this instrument popular and common. This study was set out to determine the intra-examiner reliability of goniometer for all active movements of cervical. A total of 15 asymptomatic young women, aged 18-30 years old, volunteered for the present study. Voluntaries evaluated for all active cervical movements in three trials and 5 minutes rest time between the trials. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Standard Error of Measurements (SEM) were used to quantify intra-examiner reliability. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for intra-examiner reliability of the gonameter were estimated to be 0.93 for flexion, 0.94 for extension, 0.92 for left lateral flexion, 0.90 for right lateral flexion, 0.88 for right rotation, and 0.89 for left rotation, respectively. Goniometer has accurate intra-examiner reliability for measurement of cervical range of motion of flexion, extension, right, and left lateral flexion, and right and left rotation movements.

Oscillatory devises like Bodyblade and Flexi-bar have been popular in USA and Europe as a kind of exercise therapy. Many controversial researches have been done to find out the activation pattern differences of some muscles during oscillation with these devices. In this study we compare erector spine muscle EMG activity in lumbar, thoracic and cervical region during Flexi-bar unilateral oscillation at 3 different weight bearing positions. Surface EMG signal were bilaterally collected from erector spine muscles from 12 healthy volunteers during double stance and single stance on the right and left leg. We compared regular EMG activity of muscles which was normalized by maximal voluntary contraction during Flexi-bar oscillation. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant deference between muscular activity of left and right side in cervical reign (P = 0.012), in thoracic (P = 0.008) and in lumbar reign (P < 0.001). The comparison across different standing positions were not statistically significant. Flexi bar oscillation in position of this study resulted different level of activity in Erector spine muscles. Studies on another postures and muscles can help us to choose the most appropriate position of exercise for our patients.

Anterior cruciate ligament injury is a common knee problem that could affect balance. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the additional sensory information could improve dynamic balance in individuals with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in comparison with healthy adults. 15 young patients with unilateral anterior cruciate ligament injury (mean age 28.9±4.7, male) and 15 healthy volunteers (mean age 26.1±3.8, male) participated in this study. Participants were completed the star excursion balance test under two sensory conditions: with and without using light touch. The force sensor that was placed on the light touch device transferred the sensory informations from index finger to the microprocessor and proper feedback was produced. The results showed significant differences after using light touch in anterior cruciate ligament deficiency patients in compared with control group in these directions: medial, posterior, lateral, anterolateral, Posterolateral and posteromedial (P=0.001).There was also significant differences between the patients and healthy controls in posterior (P=0.005),lateral(P=0.004) and medial(P=0.003) directions. Based on these results, we suggest that the reduction in dynamic test in patients with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency would be due to the reduction of sensory information provided by this ligament, but when sensory information is enhanced, dynamic performance improves. The results have implications for a new method to improve stability in these patients.