Cervical stability training with and without core stability training for patients with cervical disc herniation: A randomized, single-blind study.

BACKGROUND: This study aims at evaluating and comparing the effects of cervical stability training to combined cervical and core stability training in patients with neck pain and cervical disc herniation. METHODS: Fifty patients with neck pain and cervical disc herniation were included in the study, randomly divided into two groups as cervical stability and cervical-core stability. Training was applied three times a week in three phases, and lasted for a total duration of 8 weeks. Pain, activation and static endurance of deep cervical flexor muscles, static endurance of neck muscles, cross-sectional diameter of M. Longus Colli, static endurance of trunk muscles, disability and kinesiophobia were assessed. RESULTS: Pain, activation and static endurance of deep cervical flexors, static endurance of neck muscles, cross-sectional diameter of M. Longus Colli, static endurance of trunk muscles, disability and kinesiophobia improved in both groups following the training sessions (p < 0.05). Comparison of the effectiveness of these two training methods revealed that the cervical stability group produced a greater increase in the right transverse diameter of M. Longus Colli (p < 0.05). However, static endurance of trunk muscles and kinesiophobia displayed better improvement in the cervical-core stability group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cervical stability training provided benefit to patients with cervical disc herniation. The addition of core stability training did not provide any additional significant benefit. Further research is required to investigate the efficacy of combining other techniques with cervical stability training in patients with cervical disc herniation. SIGNIFICANCE: Both cervical stability training and its combination with core stability training were significantly and similarly effective on neck pain and neck muscle endurance in patients with cervical disc herniation.

Is choroidal thickness related with disease activity and joint damage in patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Aim of the study was to evaluate the choroidal thickness (CT) in patients with RA and detect the relation with disease activity and joint damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritisBACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disease associated with various extra-articular organ manifestations including ocular manifestationsMATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 59 eyes of 59 patients with RA and 59 eyes of 59 controls without RA in the study. Subfoveal and perifoveal CT were measured using enhanced depth imaging optic coherence tomography. Disease activity score 28 (DAS 28) and Larsen score were calculated for each patient with RA and compared with measurements of CT. RESULTS: CT was statistically thinner in patients with RA than controls, at subfoveal CT (p = 0.008), at 500 µm temporal to the fovea (p = 0.004), at 1000 µm temporal to the fovea (p = 0.010), at 1500 µm temporal to the fovea (p = 0.005), at 500 µm nasal to the fovea (p = 0.035). Additionally there was no correlation measurements of CT with disease activity and joint damage. CONCLUSIONS: Subfoveal and perifoveal CT was significantly thinner in patients with RA than in healthy controls but there was no correlation detected between CT measurements and DAS 28 or Larsen scores (Tab. 5, Ref. 33).