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Introduction: Low back pain is highly prevalent worldwide and in Brazil. Postural control is a functional limitation in patients with low back pain. Postural control can be investigated through the centre of pressure (CoP) displacement, using a baropodometry. However, there is a lack of validation data about posturography variables obtained from the baropodometer. This study aimed to investigate the concurrent validity of the displacement of CoP measured through baropodometer T-Plate® in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain during three tasks., Method: A validation study was conducted in 37 participants with chronic non-specific low back pain during three different tasks, including bipedal support, bipedal support holding bags, and bipedal squatting holding bags. The tasks were performed on a baropodometer (index method) placed on a force plate (criterion measure). Measurements included velocity, amplitude of displacement, and sway area., Results: Weak to strong correlations were found in the three tasks between the baropodometer and the force plate for most variables. The Bland-Altman analyses revealed no substantive differences between the two methods for the standard deviation of amplitude mediolateral and sway area for the three tasks. There was a systematic bias for the mean velocity and the standard deviation of amplitude anteroposterior displacement in the three tasks., Conclusion: The baropodometer could be used to measure the displacement of the CoP in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain. Sway area showed an appropriate validity to measure postural stability of the participants using the baropodometer., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None of the authors have any financial or other interests relating to the manuscript to be submitted for publication in the Journal of Bodywork Movement and Therapies., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Anterior knee pain is a common complaint and can cause difficulty with its inability to bear weight. The aim of the study was to analyse the effect of adding myofascial techniques to an exercise programme for patients with anterior knee pain. A clinical trial with 18 patients with a clinical diagnosis of anterior knee pain was conducted. One group (E) with nine individuals was treated with hip muscle strengthening exercises; another group (EM), with nine individuals, had myofascial techniques added. To quantify the results, the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) were used. The E group showed an improvement in pain (p = 0.02), but not in the mean degree of disability. The EM group showed an improvement in pain (p = 0.01), as well as the degree of disability (p = 0.008). The effect size analysis showed that participants of the EM group had a greater impact on clinical pain and disability (Cohen's d = .35 and .30, respectively). The addition of myofascial techniques should be considered to improve the functionality of the lower limbs and reduce pain in patients with anterior knee pain., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the Low Back Clinical Postural Grouping (LBCPG)., Methods: Fifty-eight school adolescents were evaluated by lateral photography. The examiners classified the posture of the participants as: hyperlordotic, sway back, flat back or neutral. The intra- and inter-rater reliability were quantified by the percentage agreement between clinicians and the kappa coefficient with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI)., Results: The intra-rater percentage agreement was 91.4%, k = 0.87 (95% IC 0.77-0.98, p < 0.001) for the more experienced rater, and 86.2% k = 0.79 (IC 95% 0.62-0.96, p < 0.001) for the less experienced rater. The percentage agreement between clinicians was 55.17% k = 0.39 (95% CI: 0.23-0.55, p < 0.001). The agreement rose to 70.69%, k = 0.58 (95% CI 0.41-0.74, p < 0.001) when an optional second opinion of the raters was also considered., Conclusion: The LBCPG was reliable when used by the same clinician. The strategy of a second opinion could be used to improve the inter-rater reliability in epidemiological studies with large samples., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) is a common condition and can cause social isolation and decreased quality of life. The literature demonstrates that perineal exercises are effective in promoting urinary continence and lumbar stability. This uncontrolled (group) pilot study, using a pre-test-post-test design, investigated whether a weekly session of Holistic Gymnastics(®) conducted during a one-year period, could change outcomes in a group of twenty women diagnosed with SUI. In the first and last evaluation, the subjects underwent a clinical examination and were asked to complete two questionnaires, one regarding quality of life and the other about lumbar disability. Improvement in the quality of life was observed in nine out of ten domains. There was also an improvement in lumbar disability. These results suggest that a program with therapeutic exercises can be effective in controlling urinary incontinence and improve the quality of life and lumbar disability in woman with SUI., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The priority of Pilates is to obtain physical and mental health, including flexibility, in a secure and balanced way., Aim: To verify the change in the quality of life of practitioners of the Pilates method., Methodology: Descriptive observational study of 74 Pilates practitioners divided into 3 groups: practitioner for up to three months; practitioner for more than 1 year; and ex-practitioners. The quality of life analysis was performed using the self-administered questionnaire, SF-36. The comparison between groups was made by ANOVA one-way, then an analysis by post-hoc Scheffé, with a significance level of p < 0.05., Result: The group of experienced practitioners showed better results in the dimensions of physical function (mean 86.37 points; p < 0.01), general health (mean 29.48 points; p < 0.001) and mental health (mean 43.59 points; p < 0.02) of quality of life., Conclusion: Pilates was associated with the improvement of quality of life., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)