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Objectives: Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) are potential contributors to shoulder pain and can lead to local ischemia and hypoxia, thus causing pain. Color Doppler ultrasound (US) has been used to examine the vascular environment around MTrPs, but has not been used to examine blood flow impairments in patients with shoulder pain and MTrPs. The reliability of color Doppler US for measuring infraspinatus muscle blood flow also has not been established. This study aimed to investigate differences in blood flow between individuals with and without shoulder pain and the reliability of Doppler US for measuring infraspinatus muscle blood flow. Methods: Forty participants were enrolled, 20 with shoulder pain and MTrPs and 20 without. Color Doppler US examination was performed twice on each participant to measure peak systolic velocity (PSV), end‐diastolic velocity (EDV), resistive index (RI), and pulsatile index (PI) of the infraspinatus muscle. Results: The symptomatic participants had significantly higher PSV (ie, impaired blood flow) than the asymptomatic participants. There were no significant between‐group differences in EDV, RI, and PI. The results also demonstrated good‐to‐excellent intra‐rater reliability for color Doppler US measurements of PSV, EDV, RI, and PI for both groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrated differences in blood flow near MTrPs in the infraspinatus muscle between individuals with and without shoulder pain. It also established good‐to‐excellent reliability of color Doppler US in measuring infraspinatus muscle blood flow. These findings suggest color Doppler US is a useful tool to identify vascular impairments for shoulder pain associated with MTrPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars globally have noted children's invisibility in public discourse about the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting social constructions of childhood as a segregated and private world. Though children represent a significant proportion of the "public" in "public health", children's roles are rarely considered in the institutions or political approaches that drive public health policy. Yet social theory suggests children's representation in public discourse not only reflects but constitutes their roles in society. How, then, have children been represented in COVID-19 discourse, and what can these representations tell us about how children's roles in public health are conceptualised and enacted? Focusing on New Zealand, we assess children's representation through a critical discourse analysis of public health communications, policy updates, and media coverage using a critical childhood studies approach. We identified that 1) children's perspectives and concerns were rarely represented 2) children rarely represented themselves 3) children were most often represented as passive sufferers and recipients of adult care and protection. We argue that children's underrepresentation reinforces a systematic age-based exclusion rooted in Western political constructions of children as public-in-waiting, the private responsibilities of parents. We suggest this exclusion may be limiting public health approaches – and the health of the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]