Journal of Clinical Physiotherapy Research

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes and frequency of weight-‎training Injuries. Methods: To conduct this research, background research was performed using search engines from 1980 to 2018. In the next step, after excluding unrelated articles, articles containing information on weight-training injury and prevention of sports injuries were selected. Results: The results revealed that men are more injured than women. The major location of injuries in weight training was the upper part of trunk (25.1%), the lower part of trunk (21%), hands (17.9%), legs (12.7%), and head (11.9%). Furthermore, the major types of injury were sprain and strain (47.2%). In addition, most injuries from weight training occurred in ages 14-18 and 23-30 in hands and upper body respectively. Strain and sprain were the most common injuries for 13-34. The injury was different in women; most injuries in women occurred from the ankle down and trunk. Movements causing injuries included deadlift, squat, chest press, and overhead press. Conclusions: Injury occurred less in women compared with men in strength training. Lower body was injured more than the upper body in women. Injury in those with 14-18 years old results from lack of knowledge about the use of machines and fall of weights on limbs. On the other hand, those with 23-30 years of age tend to use heavier weights which can lead to ligaments injuries. It is recommended that sports coaches teach correct and risky exercises to athletes for injury prevention.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was evaluating the effect of core stabilization trainings with Thera-band on energy expenditure, static balance, pain, and functional disability in patients with mechanical low back pain (MLBP). Material and Methods: A total of 30 women with MLBP (height 163.9±4.73, weight 60.4±2.17, age 27±2.6) participated in this research. Pain severity, functional disability, static balance, and energy expenditure were measured using VAS, Oswestry, Force plate, and Polar activity watch, respectively. To analyze data ANCOVA was used (P<0.05). Results: Data analysis with ANCOVA revealed a significant difference in the training group for VAS and Oswestry measures, but no significant difference was observed in static balance and the consumed energy (P<0.05). Conclusion: According to the research findings, it can be concluded that core Stabilization training with Thera-band can be used to improve the pain and functional disability of patients with MLBP.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of the duration of smartphone usage on repositioning error in the cervical spine in forward head posture and normal posture. Materials and Methods: Thirty subjects (normal group: mean age 22.2±.90 years, mean height 161.00±.87 cm, mean weight 56.46±1.40 kg; and FHP group: mean age 24.26±.98 years, mean height 165.80±1.69 cm, mean weight 61.66±1.52 kg) were classified into two groups (15 forward head posture and 15 normal subjects) whose used their own smartphone for 20 minutes. Cervical repositioning error (for flexion, extension, right and left rotation) was calculated for all subjects before and after use of smartphone. All statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 24. Results: Position sense error for flexion in normal group had a significant difference before and after using the smartphone. However, there was no significant difference in FHP groups and between the two groups. There was no significant difference either in extension and left rotation before and after use of smartphone and between two groups. Position sense error for the right rotation before and after using the smartphone in two groups had no significant difference, but after using the smartphone there was significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: There were no significant differences in cervical repositioning error before and after use of smartphone in the normal group and FHP group as well as between the two groups.

Introduction: Violinists spend considerable amount of time on daily exercises. Consistency of playing the instrument at a stationary position during daily exercises leads to skeletal disorders. This phenomenon is characterized by episodic pain and mal-alignment. Shoulder and neck pains have been seen as a common symptom among violinists. Materials and Methods: The methodology of the current research is based on pre-test and post-test methods. Statistical population of this research has been chosen randomly from female violinists in Guilan Province, Iran. Thirteen female violinists participated in this study (age: 24.76±4.79, weight: 63.38±16.47, height: 168.53±6.27, BMI: 23.61±3.1). Standardized Nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) to determine pain’s severity were utilized respectively. To testify data normalization, Shapiro-wilk method was adopted. For evaluating the training effectiveness on shoulders and neck pain, T-test for normal data and Wilcoxon for abnormal data were employed respectively. Results: The result of the study showed a significant reduction of pain after 8 weeks of training (P= 0.001). Conclusion: In conclusion, performing the training program can lead to shoulder and neck pain reduction in violinists. Given the limitation of the current study, further study will be required to achieve more comprehensive final results.

Introduction: One of the most common poor postures in the head and neck region is the forward head posture (FHP). It seems that improper posture for a long period of time causes abnormal physiological load on the neck. Thus, the result can be neck pain (NP). The aim of this study was to compare the relationship between intensity of FHP and a history as well as intensity of NP plus disability in the cervical region. Material and Methods: A total of 32 female students with FHP and history of mild NP participated in this study. The craniovertebral angle (CVA) was measured by taking photos via a digital camera in standing and sitting positions. Intensity of pain was investigated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the severity of disability was tested with Neck Disability Index (NDI). Results: The Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to investigate the association between the CVA, VAS, NDI, and duration of neck pain. There was a significant positive relationship between the CVA in standing and sitting positions along with a negative correlation between CVA in both standing and sitting positions and the intensity as well as history of NP and severity of disability. Conclusion: Proper postural habits can contribute to prevention of NP. Also, postural correction training in subjects with FHP and NP, in addition to pain decrement methods, can help to reduce pain and disability in these subjects.

Dimethylsulfoxide is a potent solvent which is used to increase the transdermal transport of medicines. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of phonophoresis with hydrocortisone alone and in combination with dimethylsulfoxide on the upper trapezius trigger points. Sixty patients were divided into three groups and received ten treatment sessions with different protocols using ultrasound: 1% hydrocortisone gel, a solution of 10% dimethylsulfoxide and 1% hydrocortisone gel, and a neutral ultrasound gel. The pain, pressure pain threshold, and the range of motion of the neck were assessed at four intervals in all three groups. The results revealed that phonophoresis with the two treatment gels and ultrasound with neutral gel significantly reduced the pain and the pressure pain threshold (P=0.01). The range of ipsilateral lateral flexion and contralateral lateral flexion of the neck was significantly improved following phonophoresis with 10% DMSO and 1% hydrocortisone gel (P=0.01 and P=0.02, respectively). Thus, it was concluded that the addition of 10% DMSO to 1% hydrocortisone gel enhanced the persistence of the beneficial effects of hydrocortisone on the pain, pressure pain threshold, and the range of motion of the neck.

Coughing is the body’s defense mechanism to clear the airways from the foreign bodies and secretions. In patients with neuromuscular disorders or other diseases affecting the airways such as cystic fibrosis (CF), the effectiveness of this defense mechanism is often reduced due to respiratory exhaustion. Some COPD patients have also difficulty in airway clearance.  The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cough assist device in COPD patients. In this study, we randomized 20 COPD patients admitted to the pulmonary ward of Masih Daneshvari hospital (Tehran, Iran) into two groups of routine physiotherapy (including active cycle of breathing technique, pursed-lips breathing, diaphragmatic/abdominal breathing, huffing, and coughing) and routine physiotherapy plus 10 sessions of cough assist, each for 20 minutes. Cough assist pressure was set +5 to +30 cmH2O for inspiration and -8 to -33 for expiration, for 1-3 and 3-5 seconds, respectively. The two groups were then compared regarding the results of 6-minute walk test (distance) and spirometry parameters. The mean age of the patients was 61 ± 4 years. The results of the analysis demonstrated that there was a significant difference between the two groups.