Computer Kinesiology: New Diagnostic and Therapeutic Tool for Lower Back Pain Treatment (Pilot Study).

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the diagnostic and therapeutic medical information system Computer Kinesiology in physiotherapy in patients with low back pain who were not responding to conventional therapy. Computer Kinesiology is primarily intended for the diagnostics and therapy of functional disorders of the locomotor system. This pilot study population included 55 patients (Group 1) with acute and chronic back pain and 51 persons (Group 2) without back pain. The third group was a control group of 67 healthy volunteers with no evidence of musculoskeletal pathologies and no back pain. All 173 subjects were examined three times by the diagnostic part of the Computer Kinesiology method. Groups 1 and 2 were treated after every diagnostics. Group 3 was not treated. The effect was evaluated by H score. Improvements after therapy were defined by reducing the H score by at least 1 point. In Group 1, the H score decreased by at least 1 point in 87.3% (95% CI: 75.5-94.7) and in Group 2 in 78.4% (95% CI: 64.7-88.7). There was no change of distribution of H Score grade in Group 3. The improvement neither depended on gender, age, and BMI nor was it influenced by the length of the therapy. This study demonstrated a high therapeutic efficacy of the Computer Kinesiology system in patients with back pain (Group 1) and in persons without back pain (Group 2) who used the Computer Kinesiology system for primary and secondary prevention of back pain.

Activation of Adrenal Steroidogenesis and an Improvement of Mood Balance in Postmenopausal Females after Spa Treatment Based on Physical Activity.

Spa treatment can effectively reestablish mood balance in patients with psychiatric disorders. In light of the adrenal gland's role as a crossroad of psychosomatic medicine, this study evaluated changes in 88 circulating steroids and their relationships with a consolidation of somatic, psychosomatic and psychiatric components from a modified N-5 neurotic questionnaire in 46 postmenopausal 50+ women with anxiety-depressive complaints. The patients underwent a standardized one-month intervention therapy with physical activity and an optimized daily regimen in a spa in the Czech Republic. All participants were on medication with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. An increase of adrenal steroidogenesis after intervention indicated a reinstatement of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The increases of many of these steroids were likely beneficial to patients, including immunoprotective adrenal androgens and their metabolites, neuroactive steroids that stimulate mental activity but protect from excitotoxicity, steroids that suppress pain perception and fear, steroids that consolidate insulin secretion, and steroids that improve xenobiotic clearance. The positive associations between the initial values of neurotic symptoms and their declines after the intervention, as well as between initial adrenal activity and the decline of neurotic symptoms, indicate that neurotic impairment may be alleviated by such therapy provided that the initial adrenal activity is not seriously disrupted.