Impaired performance of women with patellofemoral pain during functional tests.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the performance, reliability, and validity of functional tests between women with and without patellofemoral pain. METHODS: Twenty women with a diagnosis of patellofemoral pain between 18 and 40 years of age and 20 age-matched pain-free controls participated in the study. All participants performed a set of five function tests: sitting-rising test, sit-to-stand in 30 seconds, stair-climb test, stair descent test, and six-minute step test. To investigate reliability, participants were assessed on two different days, seven days apart, by two independent investigators blinded to the results of the other investigator. Validity was evaluated through associations with the results on the Anterior Knee Pain Scale. RESULTS: Performance in the tests was worse in women with patellofemoral pain than in the control group for the sit-to-stand in 30 seconds (mean difference [MD] 3.4reps; 95%CI: 0.4, 6.4), stair-climb test (MD: 0.36s; 95%CI: 0.1, 0.63), and six-minute step test (MD: 45reps; 95%CI: 20, 70). No differences were observed for the sitting-rising and stair descent tests. All tests in both groups showed moderate to excellent intra- and inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients: 0.61 to 0.91 and 0.72 to 0.96, respectively). Finally, only the results on the sit-to-stand in 30 seconds test correlated with the Anterior Knee Pain Scale (r=0.44, p=0.047) in the patellofemoral pain group. CONCLUSION: Women with patellofemoral pain present lower performance on some functional tests. Functional tests are reliable in patients with patellofemoral pain, although they are not associated with the results on the Anterior Knee Pain Scale self-questionnaire.

Eficácia da terapia manual craniana em mulheres com cefaléia / Cranium manual therapy effectiveness in women with headache

Objetivou-se investigar, em mulheres com cefaléia, a eficácia da terapia manual craniana sobre a intensidade, frequência e intensidade da dor, bem como na qualidade de vida e depressão. A amostra foi composta por 37 pacientes com cefaléia crônica, divididas aleatoriamente em grupo tratamento...

The aim of this study was to investigate, in women with migraine, the efficacy of cranium manual therapy on to the intensity, frequency, and duration of pain, as well as on qualify of life and depression...