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Background. Dry needling (DN) is a technique employed to mitigate spasticity and enhance functionality in stroke patients. We report the impact of DN on both corticospinal tract (CST) consistency and wrist flexors spasticity of an individual affected by stroke. Case. The participant was a 57‐year‐old male who had experienced an ischemic stroke 9 months prior. The primary outcome measures included fractional anisotropy (FA), asymmetry FA (aFA), ratio FA (rFA), and Modified Modified Ashworth Scale (MMAS). Additionally, secondary outcomes encompassed wrist extension range of motion (ROM) and performance in the box and block test (BBT). These measurements were taken both before and after the administration of DN treatment. Results. After the application of DN, the mean FA of the ipsilesional CST increased from 0.35 to 0.39, concomitantly with a decline in aFA from 0.18 to 0.13. Notably, the rFA exhibited a pre‐DN value of 0.69, which subsequently rose to 0.76 post‐DN. Moreover, a significant reduction in MMAS scores was detected, from a score of "3" prior to DN application to a post‐DN score of "1". In terms of wrist mobility, both active and passive extension ROM exhibited favorable improvements, with an increase of 12° for active extension and 16° for passive extension. Furthermore, there was a substantial improvement in the BBT score, an indicator of manual dexterity, ascending from 12 to 24. Conclusion. Enhancements in CST consistency suggest it as a potential mechanism contributing to the observed improvements following DN in this stroke case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives It seems that psycho-physical factors of stroke patients undergoing Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) treatment can affect implicit motor learning process in patient with stroke. The aim of this study was to determine the effects and adverse effects of tDCS on motor learning process in chronic unilateral stroke patients. Methods & Materials This crossover, sham-controlled, randomized, blinded study was conducted in 2020 on 12 patients with chronic unilateral stroke (Mean±SD age, 60.33±1.87 years), (The Mean±SD time elapsed since the onset of the disease, 1.96±1.36 years) referred to Mobasher Kashani clinic in Hamadan, Iran who were selected using a convenience sampling technique. Patients were randomly divided in to 2 groups: experimental (dual tDCS+SRTT) (n=6) and sham (sham tDCS+SRTT) (n=6) groups. After 3 weeks of washing out period, patients in each group were treated in other brain stimulation group again. Data were collected using the record of reaction time and error of sequenced blocks by related software. Also, adverse effects of tDCS, pain or discomfort, attention and fatigue of patients were assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) questionnaire. The data were analyzed using linear mixed effects. Results Data analysis showed a considerable improvement in implicit motor learning in both brain stimulation groups. The most reported sensations were itching and tingling, which continued during all stimulation sessions. The pain or discomfort of the patients was negligible during the intervention sessions. Moreover, the type of brain stimulation, the time and their interaction had no significant effect on the fatigue, attention and pain of the patients (P>0.05). Conclusion Dual-tDCS technique does not cause serious adverse effects in patients with stroke. It can be used as an effective and useful therapeutic strategy for increase in implicit motor learning in chronic stroke patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Proprioception is the conscious perception of limb position, motion, balance, and pressure. It has a vital role in movement control, especially motor planning and neuromuscular feedback mechanism. To investigate the proprioceptive function, it is essential to use the best measurement method. Different techniques and approaches have been introduced, which are usually expensive and not applicable for clinical use. One of these methods is the image capture technique which is easy and practical. Stillman introduced this technique to measure the joint position sense of the knee considering all variables affecting it and reported its good reliability. Many studies have used this technique for knee and lower limb joints and reported its good reliability, while few studies have used this technique for the upper limb joints. Therefore, this study investigates the reliability of the image capture technique for measuring the Active Joint Position Sense (AJPS) of the left shoulder and elbow in healthy adults. If it yields a good result, it can be used as an available and cost-effective method by clinicians. Materials & Methods In this methodological study, the participants were 10 healthy adults (5 men, 5 women) aged 18-40 years. To assess the AJPS, we used image capture technology which is one of the most reliable methods for the lower limb joint position sense measurement. Markers were attached on elbow and shoulder landmarks, and photos were taken during the reproduction of angles by participants. Then, the photos were entered into AutoCAD software, and the angles were calculated by drawing line segments from landmarks and connecting them. The absolute error and relative error (the difference between the initial and reproduced angles) were used to measure accuracy. The AJPS was assessed for internal and external rotation of the shoulder and elbow flexion. The measurements were repeated two hours later to assess intra-day reliability and two days later to assess inter-day reliability. Interclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) were used for statistical analysis. Results The ICC of inter-day reliability of the test for all shoulder and elbow movements in relative and absolute errors was reported as excellent (≥0.92). Intra-day reliability was reported excellent (≥0.90) for elbow flexion, and internal rotation of the shoulder in both relative and absolute errors were excellent (0.94). For external rotation of the shoulder, it was excellent in relative error (0.94) and good in absolute error (0.80). All measurements had absolute reliability based on the SEM results. Conclusion The image capture technique is a simple, cost-effective, and available method tool for measuring AJPS and proprioception in upper limbs by clinicians and researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Based on the literature, unihemispheric concurrent dual-site anodal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (a-tDCSUHCDS) of primary Motor cortex (M1) and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) would be more efficient than conventional a-tDCS of M1 to induce larger and longer-lasting M1 corticospinal excitability. The main objective of the present study was to compare the effects of a-tDCSUHCDS and conventional M1 a-tDCS on the extent and durability of the motor sequence acquisition in healthy individuals. Methods: In this randomized sham-controlled study, healthy volunteers were randomly divided into three groups: experimental (a-tDCSUHCDS), control (M1 a-tDCS), and sham stimulation groups. The participants practiced serial response time task over three consecutive days when they simultaneously received a-tDCS. Using the skill measure, we assessed motor learning up to 4 weeks after the completion of experimental conditions. Results: Data analysis revealed that all groups exhibited the improved trend over the training course (P<0.001). There were no significant differences in skill acquisition among groups at post-intervention (P>0.05), while a significant improvement was observed between experimental and sham group at the retention time (P<0.05). Moreover, there were no significant differences between the control and two other groups with regard to the retention time (P>0.05). Conclusion: These results revealed a significant increase in the skill acquisition by a-tDCSUHCDS technique with regard to retention issue, which could be a valuable finding in neuro-rehabilitation field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rehabilitative ultrasound (US) imaging is one of the popular methods for investigating muscle morphologic characteristics and dimensions in recent years. The reliability of this method has been investigated in different studies. As studies have been performed with different designs and quality, reported values of rehabilitative US have a wide range. The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature conducted on the reliability of rehabilitative US imaging for the assessment of deep abdominal and lumbar trunk muscle dimensions. The PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Embase, Physiotherapy Evidence, Ovid, and CINAHL databases were searched to identify original research articles conducted on the reliability of rehabilitative US imaging published from June 2007 to August 2017. The articles were qualitatively assessed; reliability data were extracted; and the methodological quality was evaluated by 2 independent reviewers. Of the 26 included studies, 16 were considered of high methodological quality. Except for 2 studies, all high‐quality studies reported intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for intra‐rater reliability of 0.70 or greater. Also, ICCs reported for inter‐rater reliability in high‐quality studies were generally greater than 0.70. Among low‐quality studies, reported ICCs ranged from 0.26 to 0.99 and 0.68 to 0.97 for intra‐ and inter‐rater reliability, respectively. Also, the reported standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change for rehabilitative US were generally in an acceptable range. Generally, the results of the reviewed studies indicate that rehabilitative US imaging has good levels of both inter‐ and intra‐rater reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Low back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal disorder among different age groups, including adolescents. The purpose of this study was to compare the abdominal muscle thickness between healthy adolescents and those with LBP. Methods: One hundred sixty healthy high school adolescents and 80 high school adolescents with LBP participated in the study. All participants were asked to complete a demographic questionnaire and also a visual analog scale and the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire to evaluate the pain intensity and functional disability. Then abdominal muscle thickness was examined with ultrasonography. Results: The healthy high adolescents included 80 boys and 80 girls, and the adolescents with LBP included 40 boys and 40 girls. The results showed a significant difference between healthy adolescents and those with LBP in terms of abdominal muscle thickness (P < .05). Patients with LBP had smaller abdominal muscles compared with healthy adolescents. No significant difference was found between the groups in terms of the subcutaneous fat dimension (P > .05). Conclusions: The thickness of abdominal muscles was lower in adolescents with LBP. Future studies with a larger sample and a wider age range are recommended to support the results of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Motor skills play an important role during life span, and older adults need to learn or relearn these skills. The purpose of this study was to investigate how aging affects induction of improved movement performance by motor training. Methods: Serial Reaction Time Test (SRTT) was used to assess movement performance during 8 blocks of motor training. Participants were tested in two separate dates, 48 hours apart. First session included 8 blocks of training (blocks 1-8) and second session comprised 2 blocks (blocks 9, 10). Results: Analyses of data showed that reaction times in both online and offline learning were significantly shorter in older adults compared to younger adults (P<0.001). Young adults demonstrated both online and offline learning (P<0.001), but older adults only showed online learning (P<0.001) without offline learning (P=0.24). Discussion: The result of the current study provides evidence that the healthy older adults are able to improve their performance with practice and learn motor skill successfully in the form of online learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Effect of Slow Stroke Back Massage (SSBM) on Shoulder Pain and Hand Function in Patients with Stroke," by Vajihe Atashi and colleagues is presented.

Aims The primary aim of this study is to assess the reliability of rehabilitative sonography as a non-invasive imaging technique for measuring the visible cross-sectional area (CSA) of the deep suboccipital muscles. Objectives Objectives involve determining both the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of sonographic measurements to ensure consistent and reproducible results across different sessions and examiners. The ultimate goal is to validate rehabilitative sonography as a reliable tool for clinical and research applications in the assessment and management of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions involving the deep suboccipital muscles. Design and setting Seventeen participants, including nine women and eight men without neck or vertebral pain, were evaluated using MSK sonography. The visible CSA of suboccipital muscles was assessed using real-time B-mode sonography in a sitting position with a linear probe (5 cm, 7.5 MHz) aligned perpendicularly to the muscle fibers of the rectus capitis posterior minor (RCPM) in one sonogram and the obliquus capitis inferior (OCI) and rectus capitis posterior major (RCPMJ) in another. Two experienced examiners performed sonography measurements, and the procedure was repeated one hour and again one day later. Results Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) values for Examiner 1 were 0.84 and 0.79 for RCPM, 0.84 and 0.71 for RCPMJ, and 0.86 and 0.77 for OCI at the one-hour and one-day repetitions, respectively. ICC values for Examiner 2 were 0.86 and 0.77 for RCPM, 0.77 and 0.86 for RCPMJ, and 0.61 and 0.64 for OCI at the one-hour and one-day repetitions, respectively. Inter-rater ICC values were 0.77 for RCPM, 0.82 for RCPMJ, and 0.68 for OCI. Standard error of measurement (SEM) values for Examiner 1 were 11.63 and 13.92 mm² for RCPM, 10.30 and 7.91 mm² for RCPMJ, and 22.84 and 34.61 mm² for OCI. SEM values for Examiner 2 were 11.82 and 13.40 mm² for RCPM, 11.91 and 7.04 mm² for RCPMJ, and 39.20 and 37.73 mm² for OCI. SEM values between examiners were 13.74 mm² for RCPM, 10.36 mm² for RCPMJ, and 36.03 mm² for OCI. Conclusions These findings suggest that sonography is a reliable method for measuring the CSA of the RCPM, RCPMJ, and OCI muscles, provided that the examiners are well-trained and consistent in their techniques and that the average of three measurements is used., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Ethics Committee of University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences issued approval IR.USWR.REC.1401.237. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Masoudi et al.)