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Hand functioning is often impaired in patients with Systemic sclerosis. Neuromuscular Taping is a novel application of tape able to improve functioning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible role of this application in the hand functionality of patients with Systemic sclerosis. Women with a diagnosis of SSc has been recruited and evaluated using different scales before and immediately after NMT application and after one, three and six months. Fifty-three women has been evaluated and Cochin Hand Functional Disability scale, Hand Mobility in Sclerodermia, Modified Rodnan Skin Score and Dreiser Algo - Functional Index scores showed statistical significant differences during all the period; moreover a reduction of pain and Raynaud Phenomenon's and an improvement of finger flexion has been observed. Application of NMT in patients with Systemic sclerosis have showed beneficial effect and future studies are needed to confirm these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Despite improved research in the treatment, depression remains difficult to treat. Till date, successful treatment of depression using taping therapy has not been known yet. We report cases where patients with severe depressive symptoms were successfully treated by taping therapy, a new approach. Methods: In case 1, a patient was taking several psychiatric medications for 10 years and admitted often to the psychiatric hospital with a leaning head, flexible legs, and nearly closed eyes; in case 2, a patient after a hysterectomy complained with heart palpitations, depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors, insomnia, and gastrointestinal problems; and in case 3, a patient with complaints of adverse effects from antidepressant medications had suicidal thoughts frequently. The medical tapes were placed on acupoints, trigger points, and pain points found by finger pressing examination in the chest, sides, and upper back of the patients. Results: In case 1, the patient started weeping immediately after the first treatment. He discontinued psychiatric drugs and returned to baseline functioning after 2 months. In case 2, the patient felt at ease showing decreased palpitation immediately after the first treatment, and after 1 week, she quit medications. In case 3, the patient experienced a sense of calmness following the first treatment and recovered from her symptoms after 2 weeks. Conclusion: These results suggest the following key points: examination of acupoints and trigger points of chest, sides, and upper back is useful in the assessment of depression; regulating bioelectric currents on these points is helpful in the treatment of depression; and depression can be treated successfully with taping therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose to investigate the effect of Kinesio® Tex Taping on pain and physical tolerance post laporoscopic abdominal surgery. Subjects& Methods: 65 Patients with recent abdominal surgeries were recruited and randomly divided into 2 groups: the study group (n= 32), received kinesiology taping applied immediately postoperatively and changed every 48 hours until the 8th day postoperatively in addition to the standard postoperative care. While the control group (n= 33) received the standard postoperative care only. The measurements of pain numerical rating scale, visual analogue scale, and 2 minutes' walk test were taken after the first, third and eighth days. While, patient's global impression of change was taken only at the eighth day. Results: both study and control groups revealed a highly significant differences of the first 3 parameters between the first& third and third & eight days (P< 0.05). Between groups, the first day showed that there was non-significant difference. The third and eighth days showed highly significant differences (P< 0.05). Patient's global impression of change showed a highly significant difference between the study and control groups on the eight's day (P< 0.005). Conclusion: the data suggest that the kinesio taping is very effective in treating postoperative abdominal pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients suffering from intractable diseases and individuals seeking relief from mild symptoms resort to treatments outside the modern medical paradigm, such as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). In order to improve doctor-patient communication about CAM, it is essential to evaluate CAM usage among social groups likely to choose it in the future. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate how university students - individuals highly subject to future CAM usage - perceive CAM and the factors affecting their choice of CAM use. Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey with 1,096 Japanese university students not studying medical subjects. Results: The term CAM was known to 11% of the subjects. Modalities they most associated with CAM were art therapy (353 subjects), hot spring therapy (349), and aromatherapy (345). They had experience taking vitamins, trace elements, other supplements (498), and nutritional drinks (483). Several subjects wanted to experience shiatsu massage (373) and hot spring therapy (303). Multiple regression analysis of the modalities that the subjects wanted to experience revealed a 42% multiple coefficient of determination for prioritizing modalities that the subject associated with CAM, showing a large contribution of this deciding factor. Conclusions: Although most subjects were not familiar with the term CAM, many of them had decided to ingest substances in the CAM category on the basis of self-judgment and without adequate knowledge. Because such behavior can be detrimental to health, medical professionals should be aware of CAM usage among their patients and seek effective communication with them in order to enable safe CAM practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a common complaint which is characterised by symptoms of pain when squatting, ascending and descending stairs, running and prolonged sitting coupled with crepitus, clicking and possibly a sensation of ‘giving way’. This case study reports on a female patient who presented with an acute onset of PFPS. As there are varying approaches to the treatment of PFPS a literature review was conducted to learn which method of conservative care provides the best evidence for relieving symptoms and restoring function in the shortest time possible. Following a course of home exercises the patient''s pain decreased and a full functional recovery was made. This case adds to the evidence for the use of exercises in the management of PFPS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore client perceptions of the short-term and longer-term effects of shiatsu. Design: The study design was a prospective, 6-month observational, pragmatic study. Setting: There were 85 shiatsu practitioners in three countries involved in the study: Austria, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Subjects: There were 948 clients receiving shiatsu from 1 of these practitioners. Interventions: Shiatsu as delivered by the practitioner in routine practice. Outcome measures: The outcomes measures were symptom severity, changes in health care use (baseline, 3 and 6 months), shiatsu-specific effects, uptake of advice (3 and 6 months), achieved expectations and occurrence of adverse events (4–6 days after first session, 3 and 6 months). Results: Six hundred and thirty-three (633) clients provided full follow-up data (a response rate of 67%). A typical shiatsu user was female, in her 40s, in paid employment, and had used shiatsu before. At “first-ever” use, the most typical reason for trying shiatsu was “out of curiosity.” At “today's” session, the dominant reason was health maintenance. The most mentioned symptom groups were problems with “muscles, joints, or body structure,” “tension/stress,” and “low energy/fatigue.” Symptom scores improved significantly over the 6 months (all symptom groups, Austria and the United Kingdom; two symptom groups, Spain), with moderate effect sizes (0.66–0.77) for “tension or stress” and “body structure problems” (Austria, the United Kingdom), and small effect sizes (0.32–0.47) for the other symptom groups (Spain, 0.28–0.43 for four groups). Previous users reported significant symptom improvement from “first ever” to baseline with moderate effect sizes. Across countries, substantial proportions (≥ 60%) agreed or agreed strongly with shiatsu-specific benefits. At 6 months, 77%–80% indicated that they had made changes to their lifestyle as a result of having shiatsu, and reductions in the use of conventional medicine (16%–22%) and medication (15%–34%). Ten (10) adverse events were reported by 9 clients (1.4%); none of these clients ceased shiatsu. Conclusions: Clients receiving shiatsu reported improvements in symptom severity and changes in their health-related behaviour that they attributed to their treatment, suggestive of a role for shiatsu in maintaining and enhancing health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the influence of prophylactic ankle taping on two balance tests (static and dynamic balance) and one jump test, in the push off and the landing phase. Fifteen active young subjects (age: 21.0 ± 4.4 years) without previous ankle injuries volunteered for the study. Each participant performed three tests in two different situations: with taping and without taping. The tests were a counter movement jump, static balance, and a dynamic posturography test. The tests and conditions were randomly performed. The path of the center of pressures was measured in the balance tests, and the vertical ground reaction forces were recorded during the push-off and landing phases of the counter movement jump. Ankle taping had no influence on balance performance or in the push off phase of the jump. However, the second peak vertical force value during the landing phase of the jump was 12% greater with ankle taping (0.66 BW, 95% CI -0.64 to 1.96). The use of prophylactic ankle taping had no influence on the balance or jump performance of healthy young subjects. In contrast, the taped ankle increased the second peak vertical force value, hich could be related to agreater risk of injury produced by the accumulation of repeated impacts in sports where jumps are frequently performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low-dye (LD) taping is commonly used to reduce rearfoot pronation. No studies have previously investigated the effectiveness of LD taping using both plantar pressure distribution (F-Scan) and 3-D (CODA) analysis of rearfoot motion. Methods: 20 healthy subjects with a navicular drop test exceeding 10 mm participated in the study. T tests were used to determine whether significant (p < 0.05) differences in plantar pressure and rearfoot motion occurred with LD taping. Results: LD taping resulted in statistically significant increases in peak plantar pressure in the lateral midfoot (p = 0.000), along with significant decreases in pressure in the medial forefoot (p = 0.014), and the medial (p = 0.000) and lateral hindfoot (p = 0.007). No significant changes occurred in the medial midfoot (p = 0.794) or lateral forefoot (p = 0.654). When assessed using motion analysis, taping resulted in a statistically significant decrease in rearfoot pronation (p = 0.006), supination (p = 0.025) and total rearfoot range of motion (p = 0.000). The mean rearfoot position during stance was not significantly different however (p = 0.188). Conclusion: LD taping is associated with alterations in peak plantar pressure in the midfoot and forefoot that indicate reduced pronation with LD taping. However, LD taping appears to reduce both pronation and supination in the rearfoot, rather than simply reducing pronation, when assessed using 3D motion analysis. Therefore, it would appear that LD taping does indeed reduce pronation, by restricting rearfoot motion in general, rather than pronation specifically. The degree of change observed with LD taping was however very small, and further research is needed to clarify the clinical significance of these initial findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Acupressure is a massage technique which can induce relaxation. The effectiveness of acupressure to reduce pain in intramuscular injection was studied in this research. Methods: It was a crossover single blind experimental design. The patients who were prescribed penicillin for at least two daily doses were included in the study. Each subject received an injection with acupressure applied to one buttock and an injection without acupressure to the other buttock or vice versa. The two conditions were randomly allocated. The perception of pain was measured on a visual analogue scale. Results: Sixty-four patients were recruited into the study. Thirty-two (50%) were female. The mean age was 28±9.9 years old. Fifty patients were injected with penicillin 6.3.3 (78%) and 14 patients received penicillin G plus procaine (22%). The mean score for perceived pain intensity for the acupressure injection was 3±2 and the mean score for the injection without acupressure was 5±2. The result showed that the perceived pain intensity was at average 2.5 lower in the acupressure group comparing to ordinary injection (P <0.000). Conclusions: According to findings the acupressure can reduce the pain of intramuscular injection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction: There are different ways of functional retraining following Bells Palsy but till date no specific guidelines with appropriate dosage & sequence have been given. Aims & Objectives: To study & compare the efficacy of Functional Dynamic taping protocol/Technique over Conventional treatment technique/ protocol in Bells Palsy. Methodology: 30 Subjects with a diagnosis of Bells Palsy of non-traumatic onset were taken. The baseline evaluation was done for motor, sensory component, & functional activities. They were divided into two groups namely group A & group B. In Group A, Functional Dynamic Taping Protocol & in Group B, Conventional treatment method was used. Re-evaluation was done after 8 weeks. Results: Statistical analysis was done & P value (< .05) was found to be significant for group A. Conclusion: VM Functional Dynamic taping protocol is more effective for functional retraining than conventional treatment in subjects with Bells Palsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thought Field Therapy (TFT) is a novel therapy that employs finger tapping on purported acupressure points. Over the past decade, TFT promoted on the Internet and through testimonials of fast cures, has gained popularity with therapists, including clinical social workers. Although TFT claims to cure a wide variety of psychological and physical problems, there is scant evidence to support such claims. The following is an account of my 7-year experience as a leading practitioner author and teacher of TFT and includes my initial skepticism, what first interested me, my experiences training to the highest level of TFT (the proprietary Voice Technology) and becoming part of the inner circle of TFT, an experiment I did with Voice Technology, and factors that led to my doubts and ultimate disillusionment with TFT The pseudoscientific aspects of TFT and how they can impair critical thinking are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the effectiveness of ankle taping in individuals with ankle instability. Eleven males and 19 females with ankle instability executed a hopping test and a modified star excursion balance test under three circumstances including real tape, placebo tape and control, which means no tape. For the purpose of the study, the subjects were blinded to compare the approach of ankle taping. The result showed that the mechanism underlying the placebo effect of ankle taping with ankle injury remains unclear.

Objective: This study was conducted to discuss the conservative care used to treat a female collegiate volleyball player with acute costochondritis. Clinical Features: A 21-year-old collegiate volleyball player had right anterior chest pain and midthoracic stiffness of 8 months duration. Intervention and Outcome: High-velocity, low-amplitude manipulation was performed to the associated hypokinetic costovertebral, costotransverse, and intervertebral zygapophyseal thoracic joints. Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization was performed by using the Graston technique. Pain levels improved on numeric pain scale, as did functional status identified on Dallas Pain Questionnaire and Functional Rating Index. Conclusion: This athlete seemed to respond positively to manipulation, soft tissue mobilization, and taping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this review is to describe the role of proprioception in the primary prevention of ankle sprains in athletes. MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus and the Cochrane Library were searched for articles and reviews. The search strategy included the keywords "ankle" in combination with "prevention" or "prophylaxis" and in combination with "proprioception" or "braces" or "tape". In addition, references from the bibliographies of the retrieved articles were reviewed. Articles that focussed on the prevention of ankle sprains using external stabilising devices like braces, tape or shoes were excluded from the review. Studies that focussed on rehabilitation or secondary prevention of ankle sprains, as well as the use of patients with unstable ankles were also excluded. Finally, eight studies were included in this review. The results showed that, although a proprioceptive training programme has been favoured for the primary prevention of ankle sprains in healthy subjects, there is no evidence of the benefit of such a training programme in both laboratory-based studies and intervention programmes for the reduction of the incidence of ankle injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To critically review the current literature on the efficacy of ankle bracing and taping in the prevention of secondary ankle sprains. Data sources: A literature search was performed utilising MEDLINE and EMBASE for papers published between 1966 to July 2003. The citations from the retrieved articles were also reviewed and obtained. Keywords used in the search were "ankle", "ankle bracing," "ankle taping," "ankle injury," "ankle instability," and "ankle sprain." The search was further limited by using the terms "prevention" and "control", and "treatment". Study selection: A study was included if (1) it contained a research question on the prevention of secondary ankle sprains; (2) it contained an analysis of ankle range of motion reviewing the effects of bracing or taping; (3) the results of the study contained data regarding the incidence of ankle sprains. Data extraction and synthesis: Two reviewers analysed the retrieved articles for strengths and weaknesses in study design and methodology. Eight articles met the criteria for a detailed results review. Conclusions: Biomechanical evidence strongly supports the mechanical superiority of semi-rigid orthoses for restriction of ankle inversion and eversion after brief and prolonged periods of exercise. The current experimental data demonstrates that any external orthotic support (taping or bracing) is effective in reducing the incidence of secondary ankle sprains. There exists a need for further research into this subject in order to provide a more concrete database from which to derive an evidence-based treatment plan. Future studies must directly compare the different semi-rigid orthoses to cloth braces and taping. The type of tape, method of application, and duration of wear of both tape and braces must be controlled, as length of time may affect the proprioceptive feedback of the subject and alter results. The controversy over which type of external support provides the highest margin of safety requires further investigation before a conclusion can be drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Deutsche Zeitschrift für Akupunktur is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Deutsche Zeitschrift für Akupunktur is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Introduction: Chronic low back pain is a common condition. A new intervention that is popular in sports has been used in patients with low back pain. This technique is based on the use of elastic tapes that are fixed on the skin of patients using different tensions and is named Kinesio Taping Method. Although this intervention has been widely used, to date the evidence of its effectiveness is lacking. Research Question: Is the application of the Kinesio Taping Method according to the treatment manual (with convolutions in neutral position) more efficacious than a simple application without convolutions in patients with chronic low back pain? Design: Two-arm randomised controlled trial with a blinded assessor. Participants and Setting: 148 patients with chronic low back pain from two outpatient physiotherapy clinics in Brazil. Intervention: 8 sessions of Kinesio Taping according to the Kinesio Taping Method treatment manual (ie, 10–15% tension with the treated muscles in stretching position and with convolutions in neutral). Control: 8 sessions of Kinesio Taping having no convolutions in neutral (0% tension) with the treated muscles in resting position. Measurements: Clinical outcomes (pain intensity, disability and global impression of recovery) will be obtained in assessments that will be performed at 4 weeks and 3 months after randomisation. Analysis: The effects of the intervention will be calculated through linear mixed models following intention-to-treat principles. Discussion: This is the largest study aimed to investigate the hypothesised mechanism behind the Kinesio Taping application in patients with chronic low back pain. The results of this study will contribute to a better understanding about the mechanisms of action of this widely applied therapeutic modality. Trial registration: Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials. Registration number: RBR-7ggfkv. Prospective registration: Yes. Funded by: Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Brazil. Approval number: FAPESP number 2011/12926-0; CNPq number 470652/2011-0. Anticipated completion: February 2013. Correspondence: Leonardo Oliveira Pena Costa, Rua Cesário Galeno 448, Tatuapé, São Paulo/SP, Brazil 03071-000 Email: lcos3060@gmail.com Full protocol: Available on the eAddenda at jop.physiotherapy.asn.au [Copyright &y& Elsevier]