Physical therapy
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effectiveness of trigger point dry needling for plantar heel pain: a randomized controlled trial.
Plantar heel pain can be managed with dry needling of myofascial trigger points; however, there is only poor-quality evidence supporting its use. ⋯ Dry needling provided statistically significant reductions in plantar heel pain, but the magnitude of this effect should be considered against the frequency of minor transitory adverse events.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Pain sensitivity subgroups in individuals with spine pain: potential relevance to short-term clinical outcome.
Cluster analysis can be used to identify individuals similar in profile based on response to multiple pain sensitivity measures. There are limited investigations into how empirically derived pain sensitivity subgroups influence clinical outcomes for individuals with spine pain. ⋯ Distinct pain sensitivity cluster groups for individuals with spine pain were identified, with the high pressure and thermal dynamic sensitivity group showing worse clinical outcome for pain intensity. Future studies should aim to confirm these findings.
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Adjustment to civilian life in Canadian veterans after release from military service has not been well studied. ⋯ Postmilitary adjustment to civilian life appears to be multidimensional, suggesting the need for multidisciplinary collaboration between physical therapists and other service providers to mitigate difficult transition. Potential risk and protective factors were identified that can inform interventions, outreach strategies, and screening activities, as well as further research.
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Early, accurate prediction of discharge destination from the acute hospital assists individual patients and the wider hospital system. The Trauma Rehabilitation and Prediction Tool (TRaPT), developed using registry data, determines probability of inpatient rehabilitation discharge for patients with isolated lower limb fractures. ⋯ The TRaPT accurately predicted discharge destination for 80% of patients and may form a useful aid for discharge decision making, with the simplified version facilitating its use as a bedside tool.
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Observational Study
Clinical pressure pain threshold testing in neck pain: comparing protocols, responsiveness, and association with psychological variables.
Quantitative sensory testing, including pressure pain threshold (PPT), is seeing increased use in clinical practice. In order to facilitate clinical utility, knowledge of the properties of the tool and interpretation of results are required. ⋯ The results suggest that PPT is adequately reliable and that 3 measurements should be taken to maximize measurement properties. The variance explained by the psychological variables was small but significant for 3 constructs related to catastrophizing, depression, and fear of movement. Clinical implications for application and interpretation of PPT are discussed.