Association Between Changes in Electromyographic Signal Amplitude and Abdominal Muscle Thickness in Individuals With and Without Lumbopelvic Pain.

Association Between Changes in Electromyographic Signal Amplitude and Abdominal Muscle Thickness in Individuals With and Without Lumbopelvic Pain.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2013 Apr 30;
Whittaker JL, McLean L, Hodder J, Warner MB, Stokes MJ

STUDY DESIGN: Validation study. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between changes in electromyographic (EMG) signal amplitude and sonographic measures of muscle thickness of 4 abdominal muscles, during 2 clinical tests, in adults with and without lumbopelvic pain (LPP). BACKGROUND: There is a trend in rehabilitation to use ultrasound imaging (USI) to determine the extent of abdominal muscle contraction. However the literature investigating the relationship between abdominal muscle thickness change and level of activation is inconclusive, and has not included clinically relevant tasks. METHODS: Simultaneous recording from fine-wire EMG and USI was performed for 4 abdominal muscles in 7 adults (mean ± SD age, 29.7±12.0 years) with and 7 adults (32.0±10.6 years) without LPP, during an active straight leg raise (ASLR) test and an abdominal drawing in manoeuvre (ADIM). Cross-correlation functions and linear regression analyses were used to describe the relationship between the 2 measures. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare individuals with and without LPP, with a set at 0.05. RESULTS: Across all muscles, peak cross-correlation values were low (ASLR; r=0.28±0.09, ADIM; r=0.35±0.11) and there was large variability in associated time lags (ASLR; ?=0.69s±2.56s, ADIM; ?=0.53s±3.75s). Regression analyses did not detect a systematic pattern of association between EMG signal amplitude and RUSI measurements and ANOVAs revealed no differences between cohorts. CONCLUSION: These results suggest a weak relationship between EMG amplitude and abdominal muscle thickness change measured with USI during the ADIM and ASLR, and raises question about using thickness change derived from USI as a measure of muscular activity for the abdominal musculature.J Orthop Sports Phys Ther, Epub 30 April 2013. doi:10.2519/jospt.2013.4440. HubMed – rehab

Interventions for treating pain and disability in adults with complex regional pain syndrome.

Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013; 4: CD009416
O’Connell NE, Wand BM, McAuley J, Marston L, Moseley GL

There is currently no strong consensus regarding the optimal management of complex regional pain syndrome although a multitude of interventions have been described and are commonly used.To summarise the evidence from Cochrane and non-Cochrane systematic reviews of the effectiveness of any therapeutic intervention used to reduce pain, disability or both in adults with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).We identified Cochrane reviews and non-Cochrane reviews through a systematic search of the following databases: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, CINAHL, LILACS and PEDro. We included non-Cochrane systematic reviews where they contained evidence not covered by identified Cochrane reviews. The methodological quality of reviews was assessed using the AMSTAR tool.We extracted data for the primary outcomes pain, disability and adverse events, and the secondary outcomes of quality of life, emotional well being and participants’ ratings of satisfaction or improvement. Only evidence arising from randomised controlled trials was considered. We used the GRADE system to assess the quality of evidence.We included six Cochrane reviews and 13 non-Cochrane systematic reviews. Cochrane reviews demonstrated better methodological quality than non-Cochrane reviews. Trials were typically small and the quality variable.There is moderate quality evidence that intravenous regional blockade with guanethidine is not effective in CRPS and that the procedure appears to be associated with the risk of significant adverse events.There is low quality evidence that bisphosphonates, calcitonin or a daily course of intravenous ketamine may be effective for pain when compared with placebo; graded motor imagery may be effective for pain and function when compared with usual care; and that mirror therapy may be effective for pain in post-stroke CRPS compared with a ‘covered mirror’ control. This evidence should be interpreted with caution. There is low quality evidence that local anaesthetic sympathetic blockade is not effective. Low quality evidence suggests that physiotherapy or occupational therapy are associated with small positive effects that are unlikely to be clinically important at one year follow up when compared with a social work passive attention control.For a wide range of other interventions, there is either no evidence or very low quality evidence available from which no conclusions should be drawn.There is a critical lack of high quality evidence for the effectiveness of most therapies for CRPS. Until further larger trials are undertaken, formulating an evidence-based approach to managing CRPS will remain difficult. HubMed – rehab

Cognitive rehabilitation for executive dysfunction in adults with stroke or other adult non-progressive acquired brain damage.

Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013; 4: CD008391
Chung CS, Pollock A, Campbell T, Durward BR, Hagen S

Executive functions are the controlling mechanisms of the brain and include the processes of planning, initiation, organisation, inhibition, problem solving, self monitoring and error correction. They are essential for goal-oriented behaviour and responding to new and novel situations. A high number of people with acquired brain injury, including around 75% of stroke survivors, will experience executive dysfunction. Executive dysfunction reduces capacity to regain independence in activities of daily living (ADL), particularly when alternative movement strategies are necessary to compensate for limb weakness. Improving executive function may lead to increased independence with ADL. There are various cognitive rehabilitation strategies for training executive function used within clinical practice and it is necessary to determine the effectiveness of these interventions.To determine the effects of cognitive rehabilitation on executive dysfunction for adults with stroke or other non-progressive acquired brain injuries.We searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register (August 2012), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library, August 2012), MEDLINE (1950 to August 2012), EMBASE (1980 to August 2012), CINAHL (1982 to August 2012), PsycINFO (1806 to August 2012), AMED (1985 to August 2012) and 11 additional databases. We also searched reference lists and trials registers, handsearched journals and conference proceedings, and contacted experts.We included randomised trials in adults after non-progressive acquired brain injury, where the intervention was specifically targeted at improving cognition including separable executive function data (restorative interventions), where the intervention was aimed at training participants in methods to compensate for lost executive function (compensative interventions) or where the intervention involved the training in the use of an adaptive technique for improving independence with ADL (adaptive interventions). The primary outcome was global executive function and the secondary outcomes were specific components of executive function, working memory, ADL, extended ADL, quality of life and participation in vocational activities. We included studies in which the comparison intervention was no treatment, a placebo intervention (i.e. a rehabilitation intervention that should not impact on executive function), standard care or another cognitive rehabilitation intervention.Two review authors independently screened abstracts, extracted data and appraised trials. We undertook an assessment of methodological quality for allocation concealment, blinding of outcome assessors, method of dealing with missing data and other potential sources of bias.Nineteen studies (907 participants) met the inclusion criteria for this review. We included 13 studies (770 participants) in meta-analyses (417 traumatic brain injury, 304 stroke, 49 other acquired brain injury) reducing to 660 participants once non-included intervention groups were removed from three and four group studies. We were unable to obtain data from the remaining six studies. Three studies (134 participants) compared cognitive rehabilitation with sensorimotor therapy. None reported our primary outcome; data from one study was available relating to secondary outcomes including concept formation and ADL. Six studies (333 participants) compared cognitive rehabilitation with no treatment or placebo. None reported our primary outcome; data from four studies demonstrated no statistically significant effect of cognitive rehabilitation on secondary outcomes. Ten studies (448 participants) compared two different cognitive rehabilitation approaches. Two studies (82 participants) reported the primary outcome; no statistically significant effect was found. Data from eight studies demonstrated no statistically significant effect on the secondary outcomes. We explored the effect of restorative interventions (10 studies, 468 participants) and compensative interventions (four studies, 128 participants) and found no statistically significant effect compared with other interventions.We identified insufficient high-quality evidence to reach any generalised conclusions about the effect of cognitive rehabilitation on executive function, or other secondary outcome measures. Further high-quality research comparing cognitive rehabilitation with no intervention, placebo or sensorimotor interventions is recommended. HubMed – rehab

Non-invasive ventilation for cystic fibrosis.

Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013; 4: CD002769
Moran F, Bradley JM, Piper AJ

Non-invasive ventilation may be a means to temporarily reverse or slow the progression of respiratory failure in cystic fibrosis.To compare the effect of non-invasive ventilation versus no non-invasive ventilation in people with cystic fibrosis.We searched the Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis and Genetic Disorders Group Trials Register comprising references identified from comprehensive electronic database searches, handsearching relevant journals and abstract books of conference proceedings. We searched the reference lists of each trial for additional publications possibly containing other trials.Most recent search: 22 February 2013.Randomised controlled trials comparing a form of pressure preset or volume preset non-invasive ventilation to no non-invasive ventilation in people with acute or chronic respiratory failure in cystic fibrosis.Three reviewers independently assessed trials for inclusion criteria and methodological quality, and extracted data.Fifteen trials were identified; seven trials met the inclusion criteria with a total of 106 participants. Six trials evaluated single treatment sessions and one evaluated a six-week intervention.Four trials (79 participants) evaluated non-invasive ventilation for airway clearance compared with an alternative chest physiotherapy method and showed that airway clearance may be easier with non-invasive ventilation and people with cystic fibrosis may prefer it. We were unable to find any evidence that NIV increases sputum expectoration, but it did improve some lung function parameters.Three trials (27 participants) evaluated non-invasive ventilation for overnight ventilatory support, measuring lung function, validated quality of life scores and nocturnal transcutaneous carbon dioxide. Due to the small numbers of participants and statistical issues, there were discrepancies in the results between the RevMan and the original trial analyses. No clear differences were found between non-invasive ventilation compared with oxygen or room air except for exercise performance, which significantly improved with non-invasive ventilation compared to room air over six weeks.Non-invasive ventilation may be a useful adjunct to other airway clearance techniques, particularly in people with cystic fibrosis who have difficulty expectorating sputum. Non-invasive ventilation, used in addition to oxygen, may improve gas exchange during sleep to a greater extent than oxygen therapy alone in moderate to severe disease. These benefits of non-invasive ventilation have largely been demonstrated in single treatment sessions with small numbers of participants. The impact of this therapy on pulmonary exacerbations and disease progression remain unclear. There is a need for long-term randomised controlled trials which are adequately powered to determine the clinical effects of non-invasive ventilation in cystic fibrosis airway clearance and exercise. HubMed – rehab