The Comparison of Genetic Factors Influences on Physical Activity and Health between Classical Medicine and Iranian Traditional Medicine.

BACKGROUND: Different factors, especially genetic, effect individual attitude to regular physical activity in Iranian traditional medicine. It was believed that individual physical activity attitude is affected by Mizaj too. Our aim was to conduct a comparative revision and evaluation of the effect of genetic factors on physical activity in classic medicine and Iranian traditional medicine. METHODS: In this study, we reviewed Persian resources in the research center of traditional medicine at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. We also evaluated the texts on physical activity and genetics in PubMed and Google Scholar. RESULTS: The results of classical medicine revision showed the effect of especial genes on obesity and sedentary behavior. It is also derived from Iranian traditional medicine resources that physical activity and sedentary behavior is affected by individual Mizaj. CONCLUSION: The results showed that those with hot and cold Mizaj have different genetic potentials in sedentary behavior and physical activity. Such categorization would be helpful in identifying illnesses due to sedentary life in special groups of people. It would also allow designing dedicated treatment for each person.

Comparison of the prevalence of myofascial trigger points of muscles acting on knee between patients with moderate degree of knee osteoarthritis and healthy matched people.

INTRODUCTION: Trigger points have been implicated in the development of several musculoskeletal disorders. Trigger points harbored in lower limb muscles might represent a ubiquitous source of pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). This study was carried out to evaluate the prevalence of Myofascial Trigger Points (MTrPs) in muscles acting on the knee in patients with OA. METHODS: Thirty-seven patients aged at least 55 years old with a moderate degree of OA (grade III of Kellgren and Lawrence scale) were recruited. Thirty asymptomatic people, matched on age and body mass index, were considered as the control group. Ten muscles acting on the knee joint were selected. Taut bands were also identified using a skin rolling method. A pressure of 3 kg/cm2 was used to identify myofascial trigger points in all muscles except the popliteus (8 kg/cm2). RESULTS: Chi-square was performed to compare the prevalence of trigger points between the groups. The McNemar test was administered to compare the prevalence of trigger points in the right and left sides of participants. Prevalence of the trigger points was significantly higher in patients with knee OA compared with asymptomatic people in all muscles except for right (p = 0.17) and left (p = 0.41) rectus femoris, right (p = 0.61) and left (p = 0.22) sartorius and left biceps femoris (p = 0.08). Comparison of the prevalence of MTrPs bilaterally revealed that only the right and left sartorius differed significantly (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of MTrPs in the muscles acting on the knee joint is higher in patients with a moderate degree of knee OA compared with asymptomatic subjects.