Physiotherapists' adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines in fibromyalgia: a cross-sectional online survey.

To evaluate the level of knowledge and adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines on fibromyalgia of physiotherapists in Spain. A cross-sectional study using an ad-hoc online survey was implemented to assess aspects on the assessment, treatment, and decision of the length of the therapeutic approach on fibromyalgia. Based on the results, professionals were classified as adherent, partially adherent, or non-adherent. The level of agreement with several statements on the condition was also evaluated across the professionals surveyed to evaluate the potential consensus. A total of 240 physiotherapists met inclusion criteria, amongst which 68 (28.33%) were adherent. The academic level of studies (Chi-square = 48.601, p-value = 0.001) and having had previous training in fibromyalgia (Chi-square = 151.011, p-value = 0.001) displayed statistically significant differences across adherence-based groups. Consensus was reached for 15 out of 24 statements. Our findings highlight the presence of an acceptable level of knowledge and adherence to clinical practice guidelines in the field of fibromyalgia among physiotherapists in Spain.Practice implicationsOur results also reveal the existence of an evidence-to-practice gap in the field, with potential room for improvement: further efforts on promoting and reinforcing the importance of evidence-based therapies are needed, from university teaching plans to clinical updates for daily practice.

Enhancing Evidence-Based Practice Competence and Professional Skills Using Infographics as a Pedagogical Strategy in Health Science Students: Insights from the InfoHealth Project.

Infographics have been recognised as effective visual tools for concise and accessible communication of data and information in various higher education disciplines, particularly in medical education. However, there is a lack of research on their impact on professional skills, difficulty levels, motivation, and overall satisfaction in health science students. Thus, the present study aimed to analyse the knowledge and usage of graphical resources among health science students and evaluate their competencies, the level of challenge they encountered, and their motivation and satisfaction after completing an infographic creation activity. The InfoHealth educational innovation project, conducted by five teachers from the Faculty of Medicine, served as the context for this study, with 143 students voluntarily participating. The intervention involved students working in groups of 2-3 and selecting their own topics for the infographics while receiving instruction, online guidance, and feedback from teachers. A questionnaire was administered to assess students' perception of skill development and satisfaction with the activity. The findings revealed that schemes were the most recognized and used graphical summaries, compared to synoptic tables and Venn diagrams. The activity led to an increase in professional skills acquisition, motivation, and satisfaction, positively impacting students' interest in evidence-based practice and reinforcing their knowledge. This study highlights the potential of infographics as a pedagogical tool for competency development and student engagement in health science education, suggesting the need for further research comparing infographics with traditional study methods and involving multidisciplinary teams to promote essential skills for future clinical practice.

Dealing with Chronic Pain: Tips to Teach Undergraduate Health Sciences Students.

Chronic pain is a significant and costly problem all over the world that negatively impacts the quality of life of sufferers. There are clear discrepancies between the prevalence of chronic pain in society and the low priority assigned to educating future physicians about the complexities of pain. This condition also occurs in other undergraduate health science students, although research in this area has not been studied as much as in medical schools. Based on the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) Pain Curriculum Outline, a systematic search of the available literature, and the authors' own experiences, we highlight some relevant tips to educate health science trainees in the management of patients with chronic pain. These tips highlight current international recommendations for a comprehensive approach to this prevalent problem in society, which should be learnt during the university training of health professionals.

Relationship between Respiratory Muscle Function and Postural Stability in Male Soccer Players: A Case-Control Study.

The important role of postural stability in exercise performance has been determined by several authors. Despite this, few studies have analyzed the relationship between respiratory muscles' strength and postural stability in athletes. For this reason, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between postural stability and respiratory muscles' function in male soccer players. A case-control study was conducted over twenty-eight healthy men (18 soccer players; 10 non-athletes). Inspiratory muscle strength (MIP) and respiratory resistance (MVV) were obtained through a digital spirometer. Stability variables were obtained in standing position on a stabilometric platform and in open and closed eyes conditions. The area and length of the center of pressures and displacements in the X and Y range were analyzed. Pearson's coefficient was used to measure the linear correlation between MIP, MVV and stabilometric variables. In the soccer players' group, MIP and MIP % predictive were inversely correlated with length (r = -0.535 and r = -0.585; p < 0.05) and X range (r = -0.527 and r = -0.560; p < 0.05), whereas MVV was directly correlated with length (r = 0.606; p < 0.01) and Y range (r = 0.558; p < 0.05). Our results show that the greater the inspiratory muscle strength, the less displacement of the pressure center, while at higher respiratory rates there is greater displacement.

Twelve tips to make successful medical infographics.

In the health sciences, professionals must keep up to date to conduct their evidence-based practise. Hence, there is a growing need to share medical knowledge efficiently among healthcare professionals, patients, and undergraduate health science students. Infographics (text and image) are a hybrid element that serves to represent information in an attractive and meaningful visual format. Actually, with the use of the Internet and social networks, infographics have become a popular format for sharing medical information around the world.On the basis of a published literature review, we provide 12 tips in this article to make a successfully health-related infographic with the aim of assisting clinicians, educators, and researchers in their task of communicating and transforming complex information into a visual, attractive, didactic and shareable format.By following these basic recommendations, it is possible to improve the dissemination of scientific and health-related knowledge to different audiences who can benefit from infographics.

Scanning electron microscopy examination of needle tips after different procedures of deep dry needling in humans.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the tips and the surface conditions of two types of needles with different quality and their possible alterations after performing different needling on human beings. A total of 160 needles from AguPunt brand were examined. Surface conditions (lumps and scratches) and tip of the needles after needling procedures in humans were tested using a JEOL JSM-6360LV microscopy device. Additionally, a group of physiotherapists assessed the use of both types of needles in clinical practice using a self-reported questionnaire. Both types of needles, after performing different needling on human beings, kept the needle tips well preserved although the dry needle (Type B) suffered very little deformation even touching the bone of the scapula 10 times versus acupuncture needle (Type A), which were deformed slightly. The surface conditions revealed irregularities and scratches in both types of needles but the tips of Type A suffered more damage after different procedures (Odds ratio = 0.04,95% CI:0.01-0.13, p < 0.001). The cellular tissue adhered to the surface was similar in both types of needles and the questionnaire about clinical practice of both types of needles showed that Type B seemed easier than Type A when the physical therapist penetrated the skin and when the needle went out the skin.

Changes in Postural Sway After a Single Global Postural Reeducation Session in University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a single session of global postural reeducation (GPR) in postural sway in young adult university students who use data visualization screens. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial with 2 parallel groups was performed. Sixty-four subjects were randomized in the experimental group (12 men and 20 women) who underwent the GPR session, and a control group (13 men and 19 women) that did not receive any intervention was included. Center of pressure (COP) was assessed using a stabilometric platform, with eyes open and eyes closed before, immediately after, 48 hours after, and 7 days after intervention in both groups. RESULTS: In the interaction of time and gender, statistically significant differences were found for the area covered by COP (P = .020) and for the standard deviation (SD) in the mediolateral axis (P = .035). Considering the complete interaction time, gender, and group, statistically significant differences were found (P = .015) for the anteroposterior rate covered by COP and the SD in the anteroposterior axis (P = .033). In eyes closed condition, the intersubject analysis showed statistically significant differences for the interaction between group and gender for the variable mediolateral SD (P = .043). Considering the interaction of time with group, statistically significant differences were found for full length covered by COP (P = .017). CONCLUSIONS: Changes in postural sway were observed after a single GPR session, mainly at 48 hours, with different behaviors between men and women.

Referred Pain Patterns of the Infraspinatus Muscle Elicited by Deep Dry Needling and Manual Palpation.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the most common referred pain (ReP) pattern of the infraspinatus myofascial trigger point (MTrP) and compare its coincidence with the original ReP pattern, to verify whether there are any significant differences by sex and types of technique and to determine the observed signs and symptoms evoked by deep dry needling (DDN) and manual palpation (MPal). DESIGN: A cohort study of patients randomized to two different examination methods (July and August 2016). SETTINGS: Students and staff recruited from Miguel Hernandez University (Southeast Spain). PATIENTS: One hundred thirty-three participants (70.7% women) with shoulder complaints were randomly assigned to either an MPal (n = 67) or DDN group (n = 66). INTERVENTIONS: The same physiotherapist carried out the techniques on all participants, and the same protocol was followed for both the DDN and MPal groups. The physiotherapist did not ask participants about their pain features or other relevant issues. OUTCOME MEASURES: Local twitch response (LTR) and ReP assessed through a visual analogue scale and features of ReP of the infraspinatus muscle. RESULTS: The areas with the highest percentage of ReP were the front (area 3; 27.1%) and back (area 11; 21.1%) of the arm, anterior (area 4; 36.1%) and posterior (area 12; 42.1%) shoulder, and infraspinatus muscle area. DDN proved to be significantly easier than MPal in evoking an LTR (p ≤ 0.001). There were significant differences between sexes in zone 2 (p = 0.041) and no statistically significant differences were found by technique. CONCLUSIONS: The ReP pattern of the infraspinatus muscle coincides with the original pattern described by Travell and Simons, although the neck area should be questioned. The study found no significant differences in the ReP pattern by sex and when comparing MPal with DDN of MTrP of the infraspinatus muscle. DDN proved to be significantly easier than MPal in evoking an LTR.