Use of cupping therapy in musculoskeletal disorders: A cross-sectional study on the profile, training, and practice of Brazilian physical therapists.

INTRODUCTION: Cupping therapy is a widely used technique in Brazilian physical therapy for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. However, there is limited scientific evidence to support its effectiveness. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the profile, training, clinical practice, and scientific updates of Brazilian Physical Therapists who use cupping therapy as a therapeutic resource for musculoskeletal disorders. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online questionnaire, including 646 Physical Therapists who use cupping therapy in their practice. All data were analysed descriptively. RESULTS: Cupping therapy is a technique that has been widely adopted in clinical practice by Physical Therapists, particularly among young, female professionals who have recently graduated from private universities. The primary reason for interest in this technique among these Physical Therapists is the high demand from patients. Additionally, it is often used in conjunction with other manual therapeutic techniques. They identified easy access, low cost, and ease of use as the key factors that make cupping therapy an attractive option. However, a lack of high-quality scientific evidence, as described in the literature, was identified as a major barrier to its use. CONCLUSION: The Physical Therapists included in this study use cupping therapy in their clinical practice, relying heavily on their own experience and the preferences of their patients, rather than utilizing the third pillar of evidence-based practice, which is to rely on the best available evidence. This study suggests that these Physical Therapists are currently implementing a technique without current scientific recommendations for its use in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders.

Unilateral seated shot-put test, muscle strength, and range of motion on recreational athletes with chronic shoulder pain: Cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To correlate the functional performance assessed by means of the Unilateral Seated Shot-Put Test (SSPT) with shoulder muscle strength, range of motion (ROM), and handgrip strength in recreational athletes with chronic shoulder pain. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The sample was composed of recreational athletes with nonspecific pain in the dominant shoulder ≥3 months, both sexes, aged between 18 and 45 years. We diagnosed shoulder pain by reporting pain intensity ≥3 points on the Numerical Rating Pain Scale and used the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, Pain-Related Catastrophizing Thoughts Scale, and Baecke Questionnaire. Moreover, shoulder muscle strength, handgrip strength, ROM, and functional performance using the SSPT were evaluated. We used the Spearman correlation coefficient to investigate the correlation between the variables. RESULTS: Nineteen participants were included. Most of the sample consisted of adult women with adequate body mass and pain predominantly in the right shoulder. We observed higher correlation magnitudes of the SSPT with handgrip strength (rho = 0.818 to 0.833, p < 0.05). Correlations of the SPPT with shoulder musculature strength were of low to moderate magnitude (rho = 0.461 to 0.672, p < 0.05). The only significant correlation (p < 0.05) found was between the SSPT and ROM (horizontal adduction), however, with a weak magnitude (rho <0.50). CONCLUSION: SSPT correlates strongly with handgrip strength and moderately with shoulder muscle strength in recreational athletes with chronic shoulder pain.

Additional effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in a therapeutic exercise program for sedentary with chronic neck pain: A double-blind randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the additional effect of high frequency (HF) or low frequency (LF) transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in a specific therapeutic exercise program for the treatment of patients with chronic neck pain. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial. Sixty participants of both sexes and with chronic neck pain were randomized into three groups: therapeutic exercise group + placebo TENS (n = 20), therapeutic exercise group + HF TENS (n = 20) and therapeutic exercise group + low TENS frequency (n = 20). The following assessment instruments were used: Numerical Pain Rating Scale, Neck Disability Index, Pain-Related Catastrophizing Thoughts Scale and Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia. Participants were evaluated before the interventions, after eight treatment sessions and 1 month after the end of treatment. Primary outcome was disability measured after the eight treatment sessions. Secondary outcomes were pain intensity, catastrophizing, and kinesiophobia after eight treatment sessions and pain intensity 4 weeks after the end of the treatment sessions. RESULTS: The three groups were similar at baseline for personal and clinical characteristics. Regarding the main study analyses, there were no significant (p > 0.05) or clinical (d < 0.80) differences between the groups for the main variable (disability), nor for the secondary variables (pain intensity, catastrophizing and kinesiophobia). CONCLUSION: HF or LF TENS, compared to placebo TENS, does not provide additional clinical benefits to an exercise program for patients with chronic neck pain.

Assessment of the Reliability of the Leg Lateral Reach Test to Measure Thoraco-Lumbo-Pelvic Rotation in Individuals With Chronic Low Back Pain.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the intrarater and interrater reliability of the Leg Lateral Reach Test (LLRT) to measure the mobility of the thoraco-lumbo-pelvic segment in individuals with nonspecific chronic low back and the correlations among pain intensity, kinesiophobia, and LLRT scores. METHODS: Thirty participants with nonspecific chronic low back pain were selected. The main variables were LLRT, pain intensity (measured with the Numeric Pain Rating Scale) and kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia). The reliability of the LLRT was evaluated by means of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), minimum detectable change. RESULTS: Most participants were women (83.3%), young adults (mean = 30.86; standard deviation = 8.56), with overweight and nonspecific chronic low back for more than 59 months of duration. In the intrarater analysis, we observed reliability values ranging from substantial to excellent (ICC ≥ .889; SEM ≤ 7.97%). In the interrater analysis, we observed excellent reliability (ICC ≥ .947; SEM ≤ 5.62%). There was a weak and positive correlation between pain and LLRT, and no correlation between kinesiophobia and LLRT. CONCLUSION: LLRT is a reliable test to measure thoraco-lumbo-pelvic rotation in individuals with nonspecific chronic low back pain.