Effects of an exercise program plus manual therapy in a patient with failed neck surgery syndrome: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Patients who have undergone cervical surgery may present pain and dysfunction in the upper limb, which is often referred to as failed neck surgery syndrome. Little is known about the effects of an exercise program plus manual therapy in the treatment of prolonged neuropathic pain of the upper quadrant in a patient with failed neck surgery. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 66-year-old woman consulted for neuropathic pain and dysfunction during grasping activities, as a result of failed neck surgery after 12 months. Clinical, functional, and electromyographic measurements were recorded at baseline and after treatment. The patient underwent a treatment for six weeks based on manual therapy for the upper limb and cervical spine and an exercise program for the scapular muscles, rotator cuff and wrist extensor muscles. OUTCOMES: Positive clinically significant changes were observed in the Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire (DN4) (baseline = 7 points; post-treatment = 4 points), Neck Disability Index (NDI) (baseline = 36; post-treatment = 18 points), QuickDASH (baseline = 78; post- treatment = 32 points), Upper Limb Neurodynamic Test 1 (ULNT-1) (baseline = 75°; post- treatment = 42°) and grip strength (GS) (baseline = 23 kgf; post-treatment = to 32 kgf). Improvements in the surface electromyographic (sEMG) activity of the upper trapezius (UT), infraspinatus (IS) and radial wrist extensors (RWE) muscles also seemed to occur after treatment. CONCLUSION: Treatment helped relieve neuropathic pain, decrease neck disability, and improve general upper limb function.

Effect of pain neuroscience education and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on trigeminal postherpetic neuralgia. A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a complex neuropathic painful condition in which pain is a direct consequence of the response to peripheral nerve damage experienced during herpes zoster attack. PHN is the most common chronic complication of herpes zoster and it causes considerable suffering, affecting the physical functioning and psychological well-being of patients. OBJECTIVE: To describe the effect of a conservative treatment using pain neuroscience education (PNE) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in a patient with trigeminal PHN. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 67-year-old woman sought care for pain, dysfunction, and sensory loss in the left jaw. The assessment included: 1) pain, using the numerical pain rating scale (NPRS), pressure pain threshold (PPT), Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4), McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), Graded Chronic Pain Scale (GCPS), and classic body charts of the cranial region; 2) somatosensory function, by means of mechanical detection threshold (MDT) and pressure pain threshold (PPT); 3) jaw function, using the Jaw Functional Limitation Scale-20 (JFLS-20); and 4) psychosocial features, by means of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorders Questionnaire-7 (GAD-7). Treatment consisted of 12 sessions of PNE and TENS. OUTCOMES: After treatment, a clinically significant improvement in NPRS, DN4, MDT, GCPS, and PHQ-9 was observed. CONCLUSION: In this case report, a treatment based on the combination of PNE and TENS seemed to have contributed to improving pain, sensory abnormalities, and jaw function. Psychosocial factors also showed a trend to improve after the treatment.

Effect of different postures of the scapular girdle and arm on the pressure pain threshold in the infraspinatus muscle.

BACKGROUND: Mechanosensitivity changes and trigger points in the infraspinatus muscle are associated with several painful conditions of the upper limb. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of different postures of the upper quadrant on the pressure pain threshold (PPT) of the infraspinatus muscle. METHODS: This was an observational, cross-sectional study. Fifty-four subjects with and without shoulder pain (Asymptomatic subjects = 27, mean age 26.9 ± 4.92 years, BMI 23.73 ± 3.87), (symptomatic subjects = 27, mean age 27.6 ± 3.68 years, BMI 24.35 ± 3.86) were evaluated with a pressure algometer on the infraspinatus muscle belly, in four different positions of the upper quadrant: rest position (P1), passive scapular retraction position (P2), cervical contralateral inclination position (P3), and suprascapular nerve provocation position (P4). The assessed side was randomly chosen and all measurements were taken in sitting position. RESULTS: No differences were observed between groups. The within-group analysis showed differences for both factors: "Positions" (F = 69.91; p = 0.001) and the interaction "Positions^Group" (F = 3.36; p = 0.02). The pairwise post-hoc analysis showed differences for the retracted position (P2) compared to others P1 (p = 0.001), P3 (p = 0.001), and P4 (p = 0.001), with higher PPT results achieved on the retracted position. Differences between P4 vs. P1 (p = 0.03) were also observed, with higher values for P4. CONCLUSION: Placing the scapular girdle in a passive scapular retraction position significantly reduces the pressure sensitivity at the infraspinatus muscle. Physiotherapists can take into account these results when assessing and treating patients with upper quadrant pain syndromes.

Pilates experience vs. muscle activation during abdominal drawing-in maneuver.

The purpose of this study was to compare the activation of deep abdominal and spine stabilizer muscles of subjects with and without Pilates experience. Twenty-three subjects were divided into a no-experience group (n = 13) and an experienced group (n = 10). The subjects performed three 12-s drawing-in maneuver trials at 50% TrA/IO maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). The experienced group presented greater activation of both muscles than the no-experience group (62% vs. 32% MVC for the TrA/IO, and 52% vs. 12% MVC for the LD, p < 0.001). The no-experience group had higher variability among trials and did not reach 50% MVC for the TrA/IO, while the experienced group was able to reach and keep the TrA/IO activation at or above 50% MVC. Pilates experience and muscle activation were strongly associated. Pilates trained subjects were able to sustain concomitant abdominal and low back muscle contraction during the drawing-in maneuver, while subjects with no Pilates experience were not able to reach the same levels of abdominal activation and did not present significant low back muscle co-activation.

Effects of scapular taping in young adults with shoulder pain and scapular dyskinesis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the immediate effects of scapular taping on pain, isometric force, and the level of activation of several scapular girdle muscles in individuals with shoulder pain and scapular dyskinesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten individuals with shoulder pain during arm elevation and scapular dyskinesis were included and evaluated by using a visual analogue scale (VAS), pressure algometry, dynamometry, and surface electromyography. All assessments were performed before and immediately after the application of scapular taping. RESULTS: Scapular taping did not change the electromyographic activity of the upper trapezius muscle (p = 0.041, IC95%: -0.8256 to 10.8752). The positive effects of taping application were related to pain reduction (p = 0.025) and improvement in pressure algometry in the middle deltoid muscle (p = 0.020, IC95%:-1.8910 to -0.0490). Maximal isometric force did not change after the application of taping (flexo-abduction p = 0.4136, external rotation p = 0.4261). Significant correlations were noted between the VAS and pressure pain threshold (PPT) for the upper trapezius muscle (r = -0.6643, p = 0.0361) as well as for the PPT measures of the middle deltoid and infraspinatus muscles before (r = 0.9491, p = 0.0001) and after (r = 0.9006, p = 0.0004) the application of taping. CONCLUSION: Scapular taping was not effective for inducing changes in the electromyographic activity of the upper trapezius, lower trapezius, and serratus anterior muscles, nor in altering the isometric force of shoulder flexo-abduction and external rotation. However, taping was effective at improving the pressure algometry values of the middle deltoid. Significant correlations between the pressure algometry of the middle deltoid and infraspinatus muscles, both before and after the application of scapular taping, were noted.