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Background This study was done to see the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among information technology (IT) professionals in Saudi Arabia, the risk factors associated with them, their consequences, and to propose some preventive measures. Material and Methods A self-administered online questionnaire that included questions on the demographic data, job nature, medical history, work-related pain after joining information technology profession and distribution and severity of pain was sent to 250 information technology professionals working in Saudi Arabia. Results Out of 250, 202 (81%) IT professionals participated in the study. At least 62 (32%) reported that they have developed some type of musculoskeletal pain after joining their profession and 38 (61%) respondents further reported that it was so severe that they had to seek some sort of treatment for their pain. On the Visual Analog Scale ranging 0–10, 14 (23%) respondents reported that their worst ever pain was >7. Despite lower representation 67% of the females reported to develop work-related pain. Conclusions Development of work-related musculoskeletal pain among information technology professionals has been shown to affect their activities of daily living. It may even force them to change their work setting or reduce working hours. Information technology sector has rapidly grown in Saudi Arabia in the recent times and there is no data on the incidence or prevalence of such disorders among them. Role of ergonomics and counseling should be emphasized during their training that help them work effectively and efficiently. A similar large-scale study should be conducted to see the effect of lifestyle related to COVID-19 on the lives of working population especially IT professionals. Med Pr. 2022;73(5):397–406

Abstract Background In comparison with the people with normal sight, the mean center of gravity (COG) velocity is significantly higher among blind people. A strong relationship has been shown between jaw and neck sensorimotor and postural control. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of different static and dynamic jaw positions on postural stability among subjects with blindness. Methods Postural stability was measured as COG velocity in 39 blind subjects under the following five conditions: resting jaw (natural jaw position with no instructions, control), open jaw (teeth of both jaws slightly apart), clenched jaw (teeth tightly closed across each other), chewing (a standard bolus of gum at the natural palace), and tongue position (positioned behind the upper incisors) while standing on firm and foam surfaces. Results The mean COG velocity while standing on the firm surface during resting, open jaw position, clenched jaw position, chewing, and tongue positions were 0.54, 0.50, 0.44, 0.59, and 0.46 deg/s, respectively. The mean COG velocity while standing on the foam surface during resting, open jaw position, clenched jaw position, chewing, and tongue positions were 1.42, 1.23, 1.10, 1.14, and 1.06 deg/s, respectively. Compared to the firm surface, the COG velocity was significantly higher on the foam surface in all five conditions (p .05). Conclusion People with blindness behave in the same way as sighted subjects on firm and foam surfaces. However, changes in static and dynamic jaw positions do not affect postural stability among them.

The feasibility of prediction of same-limb kinematics using a single inertial measurement unit attached to the same limb has been demonstrated using machine learning. This study was performed to see if a single inertial measurement unit attached to the tibia can predict the opposite leg’s kinematics (cross-leg prediction). It also investigated if there is a minimal or smaller data set in a convolutional neural network model to predict lower extremity running kinematics under other running conditions and with what accuracy for the intra- and inter-participant situations. Ten recreational runners completed running exercises under five conditions, including treadmill running at speeds of 2, 2.5, 3, and 3.5 m/s and level-ground running at their preferred speed. A one-predict-all scheme was adopted to determine which running condition could be used to best predict a participant’s overall running kinematics. Running kinematic predictions were performed for intra- and inter-participant scenarios. Among the tested running conditions, treadmill running at 3 m/s was found to be the optimal condition for accurately predicting running kinematics under other conditions, with R2 values ranging from 0.880 to 0.958 and 0.784 to 0.936 for intra- and inter-participant scenarios, respectively. The feasibility of cross-leg prediction was demonstrated but with significantly lower accuracy than the same leg. The treadmill running condition at 3 m/s showed the highest intra-participant cross-leg prediction accuracy. This study proposes a novel, deep-learning method for predicting running kinematics under different conditions on a small training data set.

Abstract Background Patient satisfaction (PS) is a key measure of the quality and outcome of healthcare systems which reflects patients’ experiences. The purpose of this study was to assess overall PS with outpatient physical therapy (PT) care in Saudi Arabia and identify associated characteristics and components. Methods Four hundred patients who received PT treatment during 2017 were invited to participate in this study. The MedRisk Instrument for Measuring Patient Satisfaction with Physical Therapy Care (MRPS) was used to assess PS. Results The average age of 358 (90%) respondents was 38.1 (SD 12.7) years, and a majority (77%) of them were female. At least 76% respondents reported feeling better after PT treatment, while the mean global satisfaction score of all respondents as per the MRPS was 3.56, indicating high satisfaction. Conclusion PT is still at an early stage of development in Saudi Arabia and is an integral part of the healthcare sector. PS is the key to identify areas for improvement and provide high quality healthcare to the public.

Abstract Background Jaw sensory‐motor system has been shown to affect static balance of the body. It would be interesting to know whether it can influence dynamic balance as well. The objective of this study is to examine the influence of different jaw positions on dynamic balance using the Y‐balance test. Methods Eighty healthy male participants aged 20–35 years were invited to participate in this study. Dynamic balance was measured by the Y‐balance test in three directions (anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral) for each leg separately in three jaw positions: resting jaw (control), open‐jaw, and clenched jaw. Results There were no significant differences in reach distances between the different jaw positions except in the posterolateral direction. In comparison with resting jaw position, reach distance was significantly higher in open‐jaw position for the right leg and in clenched and open‐jaw positions for the left leg in the posterolateral direction. Conclusions Although various studies have shown direct or indirect influence of jaw sensory‐motor system on static postural control, results of this study point to limited relation with dynamic postural control among healthy subjects. However, it supports the potential of the jaw sensory‐motor system to affect motor control during functional tasks in patients with postural instability or similar disorders.