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Objective: This study aimed to assess if external focus instructions result in greater improvements in motor skill and automaticity compared to internal focus instructions in stroke patients. Design: Double-blind randomized controlled trial. Setting: Inpatient stroke rehabilitation unit. Subjects: A total of 63 stroke patients (Meanage = 59.6 ± 10.7 years; Meandays since stroke = 28.5 ± 16.6; MedianFunctional Ambulation Categories = 4). Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to an internal (N = 31) or external (N = 32) focus instruction group. Both groups practiced a balance board stabilization task, three times per week, for three weeks. Balance performance was assessed at baseline, and after one and three weeks of practice. Main measures: Primary outcome was the threshold stiffness (Nm/rad) at which patients could stay balanced. Secondary outcomes were patients' sway (root-mean-square error in degrees) at the baseline threshold stiffness under single- and dual-task conditions, and their performance on the Timed Up and Go Test and Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation. Results: Both groups achieved similar improvements in threshold stiffness (∆= 27.1 ± 21.1 Nm/rad), and single- (∆= 1.8 ± 2.3° root-mean-square error) and dual-task sway (∆= 1.7 ± 2.1° root-mean-square error) after three weeks of practice. No differences were found in improvements in clinical tests of balance and mobility. Patients with comparatively good balance and sensory function, and low attention capacity showed greatest improvements with external focus instructions. Conclusion: External focus instructions did not result in greater improvement in balance skill in stroke patients compared to internal focus instructions. Results suggest that tailoring instructions to the individual stroke patient may result in optimal improvements in motor skill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a randomized, single-blind study which investigates the effectiveness of Wii Sports Resort™ training and if they possess benefits. Topics include consideration of hemiplegic children with cerebral palsy for study, health benefits of regular participation in physical activity, people with cerebral palsy and virtual reality as a training tool that encourages ability to prescribe the dose of exercise.

The article focuses on the study which aims to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency between the robot-assisted arm group therapy (RAGT) and individual arm therapy (IAT) to restore motor function in severely affected patients after stroke. It states that patients improved their upper limb motor function over time. It mentions that the RAGT in combination with IAT was effective in restoring upper limb motor functions.

The article presents the study which examined the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a treatment for patellar tendinopathy. Among the measures used in the study are the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment (VISA) score for patellar tendinopathy, the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, and the Tegner activity scale. Based on the results, the apparent benefits of PRP as treatment dissipate over time.

The article reports a study to evaluate whether a single injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is more effective than placebo (saline) or glucocorticoid in reducing pain in adults with lateral epicondylitis (LE) after 3 months. The results proved that neither PRP nor glucocorticoid was superior to saline in pain reduction in LE at the primary end point at 3 months. However, injection of glucocorticoid had a short-term pain reducing effect at 1 month in contrast to the other therapies.

Background: The authors developed a novel technique to improve tendon-bone healing by hybridizing calcium phosphate (CaP) with a tendon graft using an alternating soaking process. Hypothesis: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using the CaP-hybridized tendon graft would have a better clinical outcome and reduce the percentage of bone tunnel enlargement compared with a conventional method because of the enhanced anchoring between the tendon graft and the bone. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods: Patients (N = 64) with unilateral ACL rupture underwent arthroscopically assisted single-bundle ACL reconstruction using a 4-strand semitendinosus tendon or 4-strand semitendinosus and gracilis tendons with EndoButton femoral fixation and screw washer tibial fixation. These patients were equally randomized to undergo the CaP (n = 32) or conventional (n = 32) method using a transtibial tunnel approach according to the closed envelope method. In the CaP group, the tendon graft was hybridized with the CaP at both ends of the graft. One surgeon performed all reconstructions without knowing which graft was prepared. Patients’ backgrounds regarding age at surgery, gender, period before surgery, and associated meniscal injuries were similar in the 2 groups. All patients followed the same postoperative protocol. At 1 and 2 years after surgery, they were evaluated with the manual knee laxity test, KT-1000 arthrometry, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) examination form, Tegner scale, and Lysholm scale. Also, 1 year postoperatively, bone tunnel enlargement was analyzed using computed tomography, intensity of the tendon graft by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and tendon graft appearance by arthroscopic examination. All the examinations were performed blindly. Results: All patients underwent a minimum 2-year follow-up. KT-1000 arthrometry data indicated statistically significant decreased average anterior tibial translation in the CaP group compared with the conventional method group: 1.0 6 2.0 mm versus 1.9 6 1.6 mm (P\.05), respectively, at 1 year; 1.6 6 2.1 mm versus 2.6 6 2.4 mm (P\.05), respectively, at 2 years. The Lysholm score was higher in the CaP group than in the conventional method group at 2 years (96.9 6 4.3 vs 91.7 6 13.3, P\.05). The CaP-hybridized tendon graft reduced the percentage of bone tunnel enlargement of the anteroposterior diameter at the main joint aperture site 1 year postoperatively (femoral side: 15.5% 6 13.4% vs 22.1% 6 16.4%, P\.05; tibial side: 19.3% 6 17.1% vs 26.1% 6 13.7%, P\.05). The results of the pivot-shift test, IKDC grade, and Tegner score; the intensity of the tendon graft (MRI); and arthroscopic appearance were not significantly different at both follow-up periods in the 2 groups. Conclusion: The CaP-hybridized tendon graft improved anterior knee stability and Lysholm scores at the 2-year follow-up and improved anterior knee stability and reduced the percentage of bone tunnel enlargement in both tunnels at the 1-year follow-up compared with the conventional method for single-bundle ACL reconstruction. However, longer follow-up is needed to investigate the appearance of any increased instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]