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Background: Smartphone applications are used as one of the learning tools in the student's learning process. Learning Neurodevelopmental Treatment approaches is necessary for occupational and physical therapist and students. The aim of the study was to design, develop and evaluate a smartphone educational NDT application of children with cerebral palsy. Methods: After assessing the requirements and holding a panel of experts, the content of the App was determined. Thirty occupational therapy students (control= 15 and intervention= 15) were included in the study. The intervention group, in addition to attending the traditional education, used the NDT App for two weeks. QUIS questionnaire was used to measure the usability of the software. Knowledge questionnaire was taken from students before and after intervention in both control and intervention groups. Results: The average QUIS score, indicated a high level of usability for the target group. The results showed that, the scores of knowledge in the intervention group in all areas of the app except sleep and mobility were significantly higher than the control group. Conclusion: This study indicates that the developed App is usable for occupational therapy students and also improves students' knowledge about NDT approach of children with CP.

Introduction The issue of the health status of mothers of children with disability is one that is beginning to be addressed more fully. This study aimed to explore the process of health in mothers during caregiving of children with cerebral palsy (CP). Method A qualitative research method with a grounded theory approach was used, including purposive and theoretical sampling. A constant comparative analysis method was adopted, and data were gathered from 15 mothers with CP children through interviews. Results The results were grouped into six main categories: Self-neglecting of their health, facing challenges in caring their children, physical and psychosocial damages, perceiving threat of health problems from concern to action, trying to regain their health, and caring in a complex context. “Facing challenges in caring” was extracted as a core concept. Conclusion Results showed an urgent need to establish family-centered services in clinical settings and change the “way of thinking” of the health provider system.

Objectives Ultrasound (US) imaging has been suggested to evaluate the morphology and function of trunk muscles; however, little is known about the reliability of the US measures in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). This study aimed to evaluate intrarater reliability of US imaging of the lateral abdominal and lumbar multifidus muscles in individuals with nonspecific CLBP. Methods In this cross-sectional study, intrarater within-day and between-day reliability of US measurements of the transversus abdominis, internal oblique, external oblique and lumbar multifidus (at the L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1 levels) muscles were obtained on both sides. The resting and contracted thickness and contraction ratio of each muscle were measured in 21 individuals with nonspecific CLBP. Results All US measurements of the lateral abdominal and lumbar multifidus muscles demonstrated good to excellent within-day (Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs: 0.80–0.98) and between-day (ICCs: 0.80–0.97) reliability. The standard error of the measurement (SEMs) and minimal detectable change (MDCs) of the lateral abdominal muscles on both sides ranged 0.5–1.6 mm and 0.4–4.4 mm, respectively. The SEMs and MDCs of the LM muscles on both sides ranged 1.1–2.7 mm and 2.86–7.49 mm, respectively. Conclusion The findings indicate that US imaging has good to high intrarater within- and between-day reliability for assessing absolute thickness and contraction ratio of the trunk muscles on both right and left sides in patients with nonspecific CLBP. The vertical alignment of the US transducer is a reliable method for assessing the lateral abdominal muscles.

Introduction: The most critical clinical presentation in myofascial pain syndrome is trigger points. Trigger points are the main problem in 30% of the patients presenting to general internal medicine practice. One of the treatments used for trigger points is ultrasound therapy. The high- power pain threshold ultrasound (HPPTUS) technique is one of the therapeutic ultrasound modifications used to treat trigger points. The present randomized clinical trial aimed to investigate the immediate effect of high-power pain threshold ultrasound on treating active trigger points of the upper trapezius muscle in men with mechanical neck pain. Materials and Methods: Fourteen men with mechanical neck pain (Mean±SD age: 34.50±5.24 years) who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria participated in this study. The visual analog scale (VAS), pressure pain threshold (PPT), and range of motion of cervical lateral flexion (CLF) were assessed before and after the treatment. The ultrasound probe was placed on the trigger point. The frequency was set to 1 MHz, and the intensity increased from 0.5 to 2 until the patient reported an unpleasant sensation. The probe was held there for 4 seconds. Then, the intensity was reduced by 50%, and the probe was moved over and around the trigger point. This process was done several times for three minutes. Results: Analysis of pre-treatment and post-treatment findings showed that the VAS (P

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the reliability and agreement of the Beta-band Intermuscular Coherence (Bb-IMC) as a clinical assessment tool for Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain (NS-CLBP) patients and healthy subjects by studying four phases of the Flexion-Extension Task (F-ET): standing, flexion, relaxation, and extension phases. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four men with NS-CLBP and 20 healthy subjects voluntarily participated in this study. All subjects performed three trials of F-ET while the surface electromyography was recorded from the lumbar erector spinal, gluteus maximus, and hamstring muscles of both sides. Beta-band intermuscular coherence analysis was used to calculate the pool coherence and the pairwise coherence for all mentioned muscles. Afterward, the Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC), Standard Error of Measurement (SEM), and Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) for four phases of F-ET were used to analyze the intra- rater reliability and agreement of the measurements. Results: The investigation of ICC, SEM, and MDC showed that the reliability was moderate to a high level for pool and pairwise coherence of Bb-IMC in all mentioned muscles for four phases of the flexion-extension task in NS-CLBP patients and healthy subjects. Yet, the agreement was low because the measurement error was relatively large. Conclusion: So far, no studies have used the Bb-IMC method to study low back pain, which is carried out in our research to check the reliability of this new method. Our findings revealed that pool and pairwise coherence obtained during F-ET have moderate to a high level of reliability for using Bb-IMC and could be considered a tool for the NS-CLBP patients’ assessment. Despite the small sample size investigated, in clinical practice the using Bb-IMC measure can help to study the interaction of corticospinal in NS-CLBP and also in healthy subjects. This measure requires larger sample sizes in addition to studying other circumstances and functional movements such as lifting weight. Further, more research appears to be warranted by the observed effectiveness of a particular intervention in modulation mechanisms of corticospinal tract function by Bb-IMC in NS-CLBP.

Objectives: The current study aimed to compare between the chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) and healthy subjects during four phases of the trunk flexion-extension task (standing, flexion, relaxation, and extension phases) by using pool coherence as well as pairwise coherence of Beta band Intermuscular coherence (Bb-IMC) and flexion relaxation phenomena. Methods: Twenty-four men with CNSLBP and 20 healthy men voluntarily participated in this study. All subjects performed three tests of Flexion-extension task (F-ET) while the surface electromyography (sEMGs) were recorded from the right erector spinal muscle of the lumbar region “1”, left erector spinal muscle of the lumbar region “2”, right gluteus maximus muscle”3”, left gluteus maximus muscle”4”, right hamstring muscle”5” and left hamstring muscle”6”. Accordingly, group A contains muscles 1, 4, and 6 and group B consists of muscles 2, 3, and 5. The pool coherence (PC) and the pairwise coherence (PWC) for all the above-mentioned muscles were calculated using Beta-band intermuscular coherence analysis. Thereafter, the mean pool coherence (mPC) was considered for group A and group B for four phases of F-ET in three groups as following: CNSLBP patients group, healthy subjects group and the third group included all subjects that participated in this study, whether patients or healthy and it was called the general group. Moreover, the mean pairwise coherence (mPWC) among each pair of group A and B muscles was calculated for four phases of F-ET using Bb-IMC in CNSLBP patients and healthy subjects. Results: These results indicated a high value of A mPC in the general group and healthy subjects in the flexion phase, whereas the same A mPC in CNSLBP patients was high in all phases of F-ET. On the other hand, while B mPC was high in the general group and healthy subjects in the extension phase; it was high in all phases of F-ET in CNSLBP patients; B mPC in CNSLBP patients was high in extension, standing, and flexion phases. A mPWC and B mPWC were not significantly different between CNSLBP patients and healthy subjects in all phases of F-ET. However, only A mPWC “1 - 4” and the A mPWC “4 - 6” were significantly smaller in CNSLBP patients compared to the healthy subjects in the relaxation and flexion phases, respectively. Hence, we suggest pool coherence of Bb-IMC, not pairwise coherence of Bb-IMC, to compare CNSLBP patients and healthy subjects. Conclusions: According to the present findings, we suggest using the pool coherence of Bb-IMC in the clinical examination for CNSLBP patients and studying the probable cortical effects and the effectiveness of various treatments on corticospinal tract function in CNSLBP.

The aim of the study was to determine the feasibility of the Persian version of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) to assess self-reported occupational performance in a group of children with cancer at least one-year post-cancer diagnosis and intervention and to describe the self-reported occupational performance problems of children with cancer. Forty-three children with cancer (mean age 11.59 years; SD 4.94) participated in a cross-sectional study, using a convenience sampling approach. Performance and satisfaction were assessed through a validated Persian version of the COPM and feasibility and ease of administration were also considered. This study showed that feasibility was found to be adequate and this measurement was perceived as easy to understand; completion took from 20 to 51 minutes. Children with cancer prioritized 115 occupations within six of the nine COPM subcategories. Among the prioritized occupations, the highest number was found in self-care 61.7%, followed by productivity (26%), and leisure (12.1%). The mean ratings of performance varied from 3.7 to 8.4. The lowest mean rating was in the subgroup play/school (3.7). For satisfaction, the mean ratings were from 2.6 to 5.2, with functional mobility as the highest and play/school the lowest. The results support the use of the COPM in clinical practice for children with cancer. Based on these findings, children with cancer perceive problems with occupations related to all aspects of daily life. This underlines the need to provide rehabilitation services, especially occupational therapy services for these children.

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Kinesio Taping (KT) on low back/pelvis pain, disability, and trunk Range of Motion (ROM) in individuals with nonspecific chronic low back pain (CLBP) after 72 h. Materials and Methods: Eighteen patients with nonspecific CLBP participated in this study. Pain intensity, Oswestry low back pain disability questionnaire, and lumbar ROM were evaluated once before the intervention (KT with 50% tension) and then 72 h after. For statistical analysis, we used the paired sample t-test. Results: Pain intensity was significantly reduced (P0.05). Conclusion: Based on the results, 72 h KT over the lumbopelvic area did not improve disability and lumbar ROM in people with nonspecific CLBP while there was a significant reduction in pain intensity. The proposed mechanism of the KT effects is inconsistent with these results. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Background This study aimed to evaluate the effect of kinesiology taping (KT) on lumbar proprioception, pain, and functional disability in individuals with nonspecific chronic low back pain (CLBP). Methods Thirty individuals with nonspecific CLBP participated in this double-blinded, randomized clinical trial from July 2017 to September 2018. The participants were randomized into two groups: KT (n = 15) and placebo group (n = 15). KT was applied with 15–25% tension for 72 h, and placebo taping was used without tension. Lumbar repositioning error was measured by a bubble inclinometer at three different angles (45° and 60° flexion, and 15° extension) in upright standing. Pain and disability were assessed by the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire and Oswestry Disability Index, respectively. All measurements were recorded at baseline and 3 days after taping. Results Pain and disability scores reduced 3 days after taping in the KT group with large effect sizes (p p p > 0.05). Also, only constant error of 15° extension showed a moderate correlation with disability (r = 0.39, p = 0.02). Conclusion KT can decrease pain and disability scores after 3 days of application. Although placebo taping can reduce pain, the effect of KT is higher than placebo taping. The findings do not support the therapeutic effect of KT and placebo taping as a tool to enhance lumbar proprioception in patients with nonspecific CLBP. Trial registration The study prospectively registered on 21.05.2018 at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials: IRCT20090301001722N20.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common disease across the world as well as in Iran. Individuals with MS usually experience occupational performance problems that result in limitations in their daily life. This study aimed to determine the occupational performance of individuals with MS based on the disability level in Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 50 individuals with MS (20 to 50 years old) were recruited through a convenience sampling strategy from different clinics in Arak City, Iran, during 2016-2017. The Persian versions of Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) were used to assess the status of occupational performance and level of disability. The data were analyzed using chi-square, Spearman's rank correlation, and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: The total number of 248 occupations were identified as difficult to perform in the following areas: 125 (50.40%) in self-care, 58 (23.38%) in productivity, and 65 (26.20%) in leisure. In addition, the prioritized occupations (n = 149, median: 3, range: 1-4) had significant difference in the distribution of occupations compared with the non-prioritized occupations (P < 0.0001) and the ratings for performances and satisfactions were generally low. There were significant differences between the occupational performance and level of EDSS. Conclusion: The findings of current study suggest that individuals with MS suffer from widespread problems in the areas of occupational performance, particularly in self-care. The findings emphasize the need for identifying the problems of daily occupations in individuals with MS.