Physical therapy
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on pain, function, and quality of life in fibromyalgia: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.
Fibromyalgia is a common chronic pain condition that has a significant impact on quality of life and often leads to disability. To date, there have been few well-controlled trials assessing the utility of nonpharmacological treatment modalities such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in the management of pain and improvement in function in individuals with fibromyalgia. ⋯ The results of this study will provide some of the first evidence from a large-scale, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on the effectiveness of TENS on pain control and quality-of-life changes in patients with fibromyalgia.
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Falls are a common and disabling feature of Parkinson disease (PD). Early identification of patients at greatest risk of falling is a key goal of physical therapy assessment. The Timed "Up & Go" Test (TUG), a frequently used mobility assessment tool, has moderate sensitivity and specificity for identifying fall risk. ⋯ The addition of a cognitive task to the TUG enhanced the identification of fall risk in people with PD. The TUG-cognitive should be considered a component of a multifaceted fall risk assessment in people with PD.
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There remains a need for a quickly administered, stroke-specific, bedside measure of active wrist and finger movement for the expanding stroke population. The wrist stability and hand mobility scales of the upper extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment (w/h UE FM) constitute a valid, reliable measure of paretic UE impairment in patients with active wrist and finger movement. ⋯ It appears that the w/h UE FM is a promising tool to measure distal upper extremity movement in patients with little active paretic wrist and finger movement. This finding widens the segment of patients on whom the w/h UE FM can be effectively used and addresses a gap, as commonly used measures necessitate active distal upper extremity movement.
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Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is often used for management of chronic pain. ⋯ The results revealed that TENS attenuates prolonged postoperative allodynia following SMIR surgery. Increased levels of spinal substance P and proinflammatory cytokines, activated after SMIR surgery, are important in the processing of persistent postsurgical allodynia. The protective effect of TENS may be related to the suppression of spinal substance P and proinflammatory cytokines in SMIR-operated rats.