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Introduction To investigate the test–retest and inter-rater reliability of a new protocol using the back range of motion instrument (BROM II) to measure the lumbar range of motion (LROM). Methods Five raters and twenty healthy subjects participated in this study. Before the measurement, all raters and all subjects were asked to watch a 4-minute video clip demonstrating the rating method. The raters and the subjects were then asked to practice the testing protocol until they thoroughly understood it. The subjects were asked to move the lumbar spine in six directions, with consistent verbal instruction. The raters measured the subjects’ LROM twice and were blinded to the data. The intraclass correlation coefficients were used to estimate the test–retest and inter-rater reliability of the LROM. Results The results showed that the intra-rater reliability [ICC(3,1)] was good-to-excellent, ranging from 0.82 to 0.98, except for the LROM in the right rotation, which was moderate-to-good, ranging from 0.74 to 0.97. The inter-rater reliability [ICC(2,1)] was good-to-excellent, ranging from 0.78 to 0.87. Conclusions The intra- and inter-rater reliability of this protocol in measuring LROM obtained by the BROM II were reliable and suitable for both teaching and research.

Objective The aims of this study were to assess the psychological, functional, and physical differences between patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome and individuals who were asymptomatic (controls) to analyze clinical differences among 4 subtypes of FAI (cam type, cam type with labral tear, pincer type, and pincer type with labral tear), to calculate the correlations among the variables described, and to identify risk factors contributing to the hip function variance. Methods A case–control study was conducted at a hospital rehabilitation unit with a cohort of individuals who were asymptomatic (controls) and a cohort of patients with FAI. Sociodemographic characteristics, pain intensity, psychological health status, hip range of motion (RoM), hip isometric strength, and hip function were assessed. Results A total of 69 controls and 69 patients with FAI were analyzed. Although sociodemographic characteristics were comparable between samples, poorer hip RoM, strength, and psychological health were found for the cases. FAI subtypes showed no significant pain intensity, psychological health, or RoM differences (except for hip adduction), but hip strength differed among FAI subtypes. Multiple significant correlations between psychological health, pain intensity, RoM, strength, and hip function were found. The variance values of the International Hip Outcome Tool, Hip Outcome Score (HOS) for daily living activities, and HOS for sports activities were partially explained (47.6%, 36.0%, and 21.6%, respectively) on the basis of kinesiophobia, hip strength, self-efficacy, and anxiety. Conclusion Patients with FAI showed poorer psychological health, hip RoM, and strength than individuals who were asymptomatic and had similar sociodemographic characteristics. FAI subtype influenced the patients' clinical presentations. Hip strength, kinesiophobia, anxiety, and self-efficacy should be targeted for improving hip function, as they have been demonstrated to be important contributors to hip disability. Impact This study demonstrated that pain catastrophizing, hip strength, and hip adduction differed among FAI subtypes. However, hip function and pain intensity were comparable between FAI subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low back pain (LBP) is a highly common musculoskeletal condition and the leading cause of work absenteeism. This project aims to develop a medical test to help healthcare professionals decide on and assign physical treatment for patients with nonspecific LBP. The design uses machine learning (ML) models based on the classification of motion capture (MoCap) data obtained from the range of motion (ROM) exercises among healthy and clinically diagnosed patients with LBP from Imbabura–Ecuador. The following seven ML algorithms were tested for evaluation and comparison: logistic regression, decision tree, random forest, support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and gradient boosting algorithms. All ML techniques obtained an accuracy above 80%, and three models (SVM, random forest, and MLP) obtained an accuracy of >90%. SVM was found to be the best-performing algorithm. This article aims to improve the applicability of inertial MoCap in healthcare by making use of precise spatiotemporal measurements with a data-driven treatment approach to improve the quality of life of people with chronic LBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: "Periarthritis" and "adhesive capsulitis" have been used synonymously with frozen shoulder. The condition known as "frozen shoulder," which has an unknown cause, is characterized by a delayed, spontaneous restoration of all shoulder joint movements to some extent or entirely over several months to a year. Various treatment methods have been employed to manage periarthritis shoulder, with varying outcomes. The Aim: To evaluate the functional outcomes and pain relief of periarthritis shoulder treated with intra-articular steroid injection and manipulation under anesthesia. Material and Methods: A prospective study was conducted on adults with periarthritis shoulder admitted, evaluated, and followed up on 30 periarthritis shoulder cases using intra-articular steroid injection and manipulation over three months. Results: In our study, most of the patients were females and elderly, with diabetics being more prone to periarthritis of the shoulder. The range of movements improved, and pain was relieved in all 30 patients. Excellent results were found in 26 cases (86.6%) by DASH Score criteria. Conclusion: Intra-articular steroid injection and manipulation of the shoulder in periarthritis shoulder with follow-up for 12 weeks resulted in the study finding a significant improvement in the range of shoulder movement, pain, and function in patients with shoulder periarthritis. Keywords: Periarthritis shoulder; intra-articular steroid injection; Range of movement.

Purpose: At our centre, we developed and implemented a video-based post-operative physiotherapy program for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Our aims were to analyse and compare the outcomes of this program to in-person physiotherapy. Methods: We reviewed the outcomes of 112 patients and captured range-of-motion (ROM) measurements and pain scores (P4 questionnaire). We compared the outcomes to a cohort of 175 patients undergoing in-person therapy. Comparative analysis was performed using a two-tailed Student's t-test. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in age, sex, or initial post-operative knee ROM. On discharge from virtual physiotherapy, mean flexion was 122.6° (SD 7.6). There was no significant difference in improvement in knee flexion between the virtual and in-person groups (mean 30.6° vs 34.0°, p = 0.07). There was no significant difference in the proportion of patients achieving ≥ 120° of flexion (85.0% virtual vs 91.3% in-person, p = 0.11) or those achieving an extension deficit of ≤ 5° (96.0% vs 98.3%, p = 0.25). There was no difference in the number of PT visits to discharge (10.5 vs 11.1, p = 0.14) or final pain scores (12.4 vs 11.9, p = 0.61). Conclusion: Improvements in knee ROM measures are comparable between virtual and in-person physiotherapy with both groups achieving a good functional range. These findings have implications for the virtual delivery of healthcare, especially among remote populations and patients with mobility limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Paralympic Committee has been promoting the development of evidence‐based classification to reduce the subjectivity in current decision‐making systems. The current study aimed to evaluate the validity of the impairment and performance tests for para‐alpine sit skiing classification, and whether cluster analysis of the measures would produce a valid classification structure. Thirty‐eight para‐alpine sit skiers with different disabilities completed seven tests. During these tests, isometric trunk strength, trunk muscle excitation, trunk range of movement (ROM), and simulated skiing performance (board tilt angle) were assessed. Correlations between the measures and the board tilt angle were calculated. To group athletes, K‐means cluster analysis was performed according to how much the impairment measures affected the board tilting. There were significant correlations between all measures and the maximal board tilt angle (r = 0.35–0.81, p < 0.05). The cluster analysis revealed that the introduction of ROM and muscle excitation was an effective supplement to strength measures in improving the classification accuracy (53%–79%). It produced four clusters with strong structures (mean silhouette coefficient = 0.81) and large and significant inter‐cluster differences in most measures and performance between clusters (p < 0.05). The cluster analysis produced classes comprising athletes with similar degrees of activity limitation. All tests reported can help establish a more transparent classification system for para‐alpine sit skiers. This study also provides a reference for evidence‐based classification systems in other Para sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. To investigate the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of a new protocol using the back range of motion instrument (BROM II) to measure the lumbar range of motion (LROM). Methods. Five raters and twenty healthy subjects participated in this study. Before the measurement, all raters and all subjects were asked to watch a 4-minute video clip demonstrating the rating method. The raters and the subjects were then asked to practice the testing protocol until they thoroughly understood it. The subjects were asked to move the lumbar spine in six directions, with consistent verbal instruction. The raters measured the subjects' LROM twice and were blinded to the data. The intraclass correlation coefficients were used to estimate the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of the LROM. Results. The results showed that the intra-rater reliability [ICC(3,1)] was good-to-excellent, ranging from 0.82 to 0.98, except for the LROM in the right rotation, which was moderate-to-good, ranging from 0.74 to 0.97. The inter-rater reliability [ICC(2,1)] was good-to-excellent, ranging from 0.78 to 0.87. Conclusion. The intra- and inter-rater reliability of this protocol in measuring LROM obtained by the BROM II were reliable and suitable for both teaching and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low back pain (LBP) is a highly common musculoskeletal condition and the leading cause of work absenteeism. This project aims to develop a medical test to help healthcare professionals decide on and assign physical treatment for patients with nonspecific LBP. The design uses machine learning (ML) models based on the classification of motion capture (MoCap) data obtained from the range of motion (ROM) exercises among healthy and clinically diagnosed patients with LBP from Imbabura–Ecuador. The following seven ML algorithms were tested for evaluation and comparison: logistic regression, decision tree, random forest, support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and gradient boosting algorithms. All ML techniques obtained an accuracy above 80%, and three models (SVM, random forest, and MLP) obtained an accuracy of >90%. SVM was found to be the best-performing algorithm. This article aims to improve the applicability of inertial MoCap in healthcare by making use of precise spatiotemporal measurements with a data-driven treatment approach to improve the quality of life of people with chronic LBP.