Long-term effects of mTBIs includes a higher dependency on visual inputs to control vertical posture.

This study investigated the hypothesis that individuals living with long-term effects of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) develop an increased dependency on visual inputs to control upright posture. To test this hypothesis, we quantified visuo-postural dependency indices (VPDIs) calculated for multiple postural behavioral markers extracted from the body's center of pressure coordinates signals. These signals were recorded during the execution of a quiet bipedal stance under Vision and No-Vision experimental conditions. VPDIs were calculated as the normalized pair-wise subtraction of recordings obtained under Vision and No-Vision. A total of one hundred and twenty-nine volunteers were organized into two groups: mTBI group (n = 50) and neurotypical control group (n = 79). Consistent with our hypothesis, the results reveal that balance behavior of participants with mTBI deteriorate more abruptly in the absence of visual inputs when compared to neurotypical controls. These impairments might increase the likelihood of recurrent injuries and falls when time-constrained reactions are needed in daily activities, sports practice, or military operations. Additionally, the methodology used in this study shows to be potentially useful to aid future investigations of neural circuitry impaired by mTBI. It also provides indices of recovery for future clinical trials testing mTBI-related clinical interventions.

Postural Behavior in Medicated Parkinson Disease Patients: A Preliminary Study Searching for Indicators to Track Progress.

PURPOSE: The establishment of early diagnostic methods for Parkinson disease (PD) is one of the key features to clinically control the rate of PD progression. This study aimed to give a first step toward recognizing the efficacy of multiple postural indices of balance control in differentiating medicated PD patients from health participants. METHODS: Nine individuals with PD (Hoehn and Yahr Stage up to 2), 9 staged 2.5 and up, and 9 healthy age-matched Controls performed bipedal stances for 120 seconds with eyes either open or closed on a stable force platform. All participants with PD were under anti-Parkinsonian medication. Non-parametric tests investigated the effects of PD and visual input on postural indices extracted from the center of pressure coordinates. RESULTS: Independent of the stage of the disease, individuals with PD presented faster and shakier body sway compared with Controls. Advanced stages of PD also revealed increased body sway length and variability. In addition, medio-lateral postural instability was more pronounced in all stages of PD when visual inputs were not allowed. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: Body sway velocity, jerkiness, length, and its variability revealed to be potential markers for subclinical signs of adjustments in the neuromechanisms of balance control and postural instability even at early stages of disease and under anti-Parkinsonian medication. Results produced here will direct future studies aiming to investigate the efficacy of these same indices on recognizing subclinical development of PD as well as those individuals susceptible to faster rates of progression.

Is voluntary control of natural postural sway possible?

The authors explored whether standing human participants could voluntarily decrease the amplitude of their natural postural sway when presented with explicit visual feedback and a target. Participants (N = 9) stood quietly, without any feedback and with feedback on the center of pressure coordinate or the head orientation. They were unable to decrease sway amplitude when presented with visual feedback and a target. Decreasing target size led to contrasting effects on the 2 fractions of sway: rambling and trembling. The smaller target was associated with a decrease in rambling and an increase in trembling. Those observations suggest that sway represents a superposition of at least 2 independent processes. They also suggest that providing visual feedback on a variable tied to body sway may not be an effective way to decrease postural sway in young healthy people.

How does my pain look like? Characterizing dysmenorrhea-related pain using the body map / Como se parece a minha dor? Caracterizando a dor relacionada à dismenorreia utilizando o mapa corporal da dor

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a common gynaecological disorder characterized by pain in the abdominal region without pelvic disease. Evidence suggests that PD-related pain may not be restricted to the pelvis region, hence body mapping could be helpful in assessing the subjective location, intensity, and distribution of pain areas in women with PD. The objective of this study was to characterize dysmenorrhea-related pain location and intensity using body map. METHODS: We conducted a web-based cross-sectional study for adult women to self-report menstrual pain during three menstrual cycles. Each participant was instructed through a messaging application to paint the body map after printing it and rank their pain according to the 11-point Numerical Rating Scale. RESULTS: Seventy-three women (24.1 ± 3.0 years) participated in the study. A considerable proportion of participants reported pain in the lower abdomen (90.4%) and other body areas, such as the lower back (82.1%), head (54.6%), breasts (32.9%), upper abdomen (31.5%), and legs (28.8%). CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed that women with PD also present pain outside the uterine referral area during their period. In this way, body maps can help healthcare professionals to record specific regions of pain and track changes or patterns in the location or intensity pain during menses, helping to determine treatment strategies appropriate to the individual needs of each woman with PD. Therefore, we strongly recommend the clinical use of the self-report body map to evaluate menstrual pain and help health providers to improve PD symptoms in this population.

RESUMO JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: A dismenorreia primária (DP) é um distúrbio ginecológico comum caracterizado por dor na região abdominal sem doença pélvica. Evidências sugerem que a dor relacionada à DP pode não estar restrita à região da pelve, portanto, o mapeamento corporal pode ser útil para avaliar a localização subjetiva, a intensidade e a distribuição das áreas de dor em mulheres com DP. O objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar a localização e a intensidade da dor relacionada à dismenorreia por meio do mapa corporal. MÉTODOS: Conduziu-se um estudo transversal baseado na web para mulheres adultas para autorrelato de dor menstrual durante três ciclos menstruais. Cada participante foi instruído por meio de um aplicativo de mensagens a pintar o mapa corporal após imprimi-lo e classificar sua dor de acordo com a Escala de Avaliação Numérica de 11 pontos. RESULTADOS: Setenta e três mulheres (24,1±3,0 anos) participaram do estudo. Uma proporção considerável de participantes relatou dor na parte inferior do abdômen (90,4%) e em outras áreas do corpo, como a parte inferior das costas (82,1%), cabeça (54,6%), mamas (32,9%), parte superior do abdômen (31,5%) e pernas (28,8%). CONCLUSÃO: Os presentes achados revelaram que mulheres com DP também apresentam dor fora da área de referência uterina durante o período menstrual. Dessa forma, os mapas corporais podem ajudar os profissionais de saúde a registrar regiões específicas de dor e rastrear mudanças ou padrões na localização ou intensidade da dor durante a menstruação, ajudando a determinar estratégias de tratamento adequadas às necessidades individuais de cada mulher com DP. Portanto, recomenda-se fortemente o uso clínico do mapa corporal de autorrelato para avaliar a dor menstrual e ajudar os profissionais de saúde a melhorar os sintomas de DP nessa população.

Hidroterapia: os efeitos físicos, fisiológicos e terapêuticos da água / Hydrotherapy: the physical effects, physiological and therapeutical water

A hidroterapia é um recurso fisioterapêutico que vem demonstrando resultados positivos no tratamento e na prevençäo de várias patologias. Os efeitos da terapia em piscina combinam os produzidos pela água aos exercícios e movimentos realizados, porém a extensäo destes efeitos dependerá da temperatura da água, da duraçäo do tratamento, do tipo e intensidade do exercício e da necessidade específica de cada indivíduo. O objetivo deste artigo é fazer uma revisäo dos princípio básicos da água para uma adequada e eficiente terapia, já que este meio é bastante diferente do ambiente "ar"