Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud

Study design: Double-blind, randomized parallel sham-controlled trial with concealed allocation and intention-to treat analysis. Objective: To investigate the effects of an isolate myofascial release (MFR) protocol on pain, disability, and fear-avoidance beliefs in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Summary of background data: MFR is a form of manual medicine widely used by physiotherapists in the management of different musculoskeletal pathologies. Up to this moment, no previous studies have reported the effects of an isolated MFR treatment in patients with CLBP. Methods: Fifty-four participants, with nonspecific CLBP, were randomized to MFR group (n = 27) receiving four sessions of myofascial treatment, each lasting 40 minutes, and to control group (n = 27) receiving a sham MFR. Variables studied were pain measured by means Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and visual analog scale (VAS), disability measured with Roland Morris Questionnaire, and fear-avoidance beliefs measured with Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire. Results: Subjects receiving MFR displayed significant improvements in pain (SF-MPQ) (mean difference -7.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -14.5 to -1.1, P = 0.023) and sensory SF-MPQ subscale (mean difference -6.1; 95% CI: -10.8 to -1.5, P = 0.011) compared to the sham group, but no differences were found in VAS between groups. Disability and the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire score also displayed a significant decrease in the MFR group (P < 0.05) as compared to sham MFR. Conclusion: MFR therapy produced a significant improvement in both pain and disability. Because the minimal clinically important differences in pain and disability are, however, included in the 95% CI, we cannot know whether this improvement is clinically relevant.

Objective: To assess the effect of different dosages of pain neuroscience education (PNE) programs on central nociceptive processing in patients with fibromyalgia. Second, to compare the effects of different dosages of PNE programs on numerical pain rating scale (NPRS), disability, and psychological variables. Design: Single-blind randomized controlled trial. Setting: Three fibromyalgia centers in Spain (Valencia, Alcorcón, Alcalá de Henares). Subjects: Seventy-seven patients with fibromyalgia. Methods: Participants were randomized to four groups of PNE: 1) high-dose PNE (N = 20), 2) low-concentrated dose PNE (N = 20), 3) diluted low-dose PNE (N = 20), and (4) control treatment (N = 17), conducted in two 30-50-minute sessions in groups of four to six participants. Conditioned pain modulation (CPM), temporal summation (TS), and pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) were assessed at baseline and at three-month follow-up. Secondary outcome measures were the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale. Results: There were significant between-group differences for NPRS in favor of the groups receiving high-dose PNE, with a large effect size at three-month follow-up (P < 0.01, η2p = 0.170), but there were no significant differences between groups for the remaining variables (P > 0.05). All groups improved for central nociceptive processing, psychological variables, disability, and pain intensity (NPRS). Conclusions: In patients with fibromyalgia, higher dosages of PNE produced a larger improvement in pain severity at three-month follow-up than other dosages of PNE and biomedical education. However, PNE was not superior to biomedical education in the central nociceptive processing, disability, or psychological variables in patients with fibromyalgia.

Background and purpose: Because of its high prevalence and association with negative health-related outcomes, frailty is considered one of the most important issues associated with human aging and its mitigation is among the essential public health goals for the 21st century. However, very few studies have focused on institutionalized older adults, despite the knowledge that frailty can be reversible when identified and treated from its earliest stages. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a supervised group-based multicomponent exercise program intervention with or without oral nutritional supplementation on functional performance in frail institutionalized older adults. Methods: This was a multicenter randomized controlled trial study with a 6-month intervention period. A total of 111 frail institutionalized older adults (75 years or older) who met at least 3 of the 5 Fried frailty criteria were randomly allocated to the control group (CG; n = 34, mean age = 87.3 ± 5.3 years), a supervised group-based multicomponent Otago Exercise Program group (OEP; n = 39, mean age = 86 ± 5.9 years), or a supervised group-based multicomponent exercise program intervention with oral nutritional supplementation (OEP+N; n = 38, mean age = 84.9 ± 6 years). Measurements included the Timed Up and Go test (TUG), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Short Physical Performance Battery, repeated chair stand test (STS-5), handgrip strength (HGS), 10-m walking test, and 6-minute walking test, both at baseline and after the 6-month intervention period. Results and discussion: The between-group analysis by 2-way analysis of covariance showed significant improvement in the TUG [{OEP vs CG: -8.2 seconds, 95% CI [-13.3 to -2.9]; P < .001}; {OEP vs OEP+N: -7.3 seconds, 95% CI [-12.4 to -2.2]; P = .002}], BBS [{OEP vs CG; 8.2 points, 95% CI [5.2 to 11.2]; P < .001}; [{OEP+N vs CG: 4.6 points, 95% CI [1.6 to 7.6]; P < .001}; {OEP vs OEP+N: 3.5 points, 95% CI [0.6 to 6.5]; P = .011}], and HGS [{OEP vs CG: 3.4 kg, 95% CI [1.5 to 5.3]; P < .001}; {OEP+N vs CG: 3.6 kg, 95% CI [1.7 to 5.5]; P < .001}]. Additionally, the within-group analysis showed a significant improvement in the TUG (-6.9 seconds, 95% CI [-9.8 to -4.0]; P < .001) and BBS (4.3 points, 95% CI [2.6 to 5.9]; P < .001) in the OEP group. A significant decrease in the BBS and HGS was shown in the CG. Conclusions: A 6-month supervised group-based multicomponent exercise intervention improved the levels of mobility, functional balance, and HGS in frail institutionalized older adults. Further research will be required to evaluate the nutritional supplementation effects on functional performance to better determine its clinical applicability for tackling frailty.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the pain-relieving effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) during office-based hysteroscopy without sedation. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to the active TENS, placebo TENS, or control group. The active TENS intervention consisted of a varying high-frequency (80–100 Hz), 400-microseconds, individually adjusted, high-intensity TENS application with two self-adhesive electrodes placed parallel to the spinal cord at the T10–L1 and S2–S4 levels. In the placebo group, participants were connected to the TENS unit but delivering no electrical stimulation. The primary outcome was self-reported pain intensity (0–100 mm) measured on a visual analog scale at several stages (entry, contact, biopsy, and residual). The minimum clinically relevant difference for the visual analog scale has been previously reported as 10 mm. Sample size was calculated to provide 80% power to show a 10-mm difference (α=0.0125) in the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included duration of the procedure, vital parameters, vasovagal symptoms, and participant satisfaction index (0–10 rating scale). RESULTS: A total of 138 women (46 per group) participated in the study between January 2016 and April 2016. No differences were found between groups regarding age, weight, body mass index, parity status, menopausal status, or previous hysteroscopy status. Visual analog scale scores highlighted a decrease in pain in the active TENS group compared with the placebo group (entry: −11 mm, 95% confidence interval [CI] −17 to −5; contact: −21.9 mm, 95% CI −30 to −13.9; biopsy: −30.5 mm, 95% CI −47.1 to −13.8, P<.001). Moreover, the reduction in pain reached the minimum clinically relevant difference. Regarding satisfaction, results also revealed differences between active TENS and placebo groups (1.3, 95% CI 0.5–2.2, P=.001). CONCLUSION: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation reduces pain and increases patient satisfaction during office hysteroscopy without sedation.

Various stimuli such as the flexibility of lumbopelvic structures influence the neuromuscular responses of the trunk musculature, leading to different load sharing strategies and reflex muscle responses from the afferents of lumbopelvic mechanoreceptors. This link between flexibility and neuromuscular response has been poorly studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between lumbopelvic flexibility and neuromuscular responses of the erector spinae, hamstring and abdominal muscles during trunk flexion-extension. Lumbopelvic movement patterns were measured in 29 healthy women, who were separated into two groups according to their flexibility during trunk flexion-extension. The electromyographic responses of erector spinae, rectus abdominis and biceps femoris were also recorded. Subjects with greater lumbar flexibility had significantly less pelvic flexibility and vice versa. Subjects with greater pelvic flexibility had a higher rate of relaxation and lower levels of hamstring activation during maximal trunk flexion. The neuromuscular response patterns of the hamstrings seem partially modulated by pelvic flexibility. Not so with the lumbar erector spinae and lumbar flexibility, despite the assertions of some previous studies. The results of this study improve our knowledge of the relationships between trunk joint flexibility and neuromuscular responses, a relationship which may play a role in low back pain.

Objetivo: Determinar los efectos del estiramiento de la musculatura isquiotibial sobre el patrón de activación del erector spinae durante los movimientos de flexoextensión de tronco. Hipótesis: El estiramiento repetido de la musculatura isquiotibial podría acortar la duración del período del silencio mioeléctrico del erector spinae durante la flexoextensión de tronco. Metodología: Se registraron en 14 sujetos sanos la activación electromiográfica (EMG) del erector spinae y los grados de flexión de cadera durante movimientos de flexoextensión de tronco antes y después de realizar el estiramiento isquiotibial. Las variables de estudio fueron el rango máximo de movimiento de cadera, los porcentajes de flexión de cadera en el offset/onset del erector spinae y la actividad EMG media de este músculo en las fases excéntrica y concéntrica. Resultados: La prueba T mostró que no existen diferencias significativas en el momento de aparición del offset y del onset antes y después del estiramiento. Se observó un aumento significativo de la actividad EMG del erector durante la contracción concéntrica tras el estiramiento. Conclusión: El estiramiento prolongado de las estructuras isquiotibiales no produce variaciones en la duración del período del silencio mioeléctrico del erector spinae, pero sí sobre su actividad EMG media durante la extensión de tronco, con lo que podría estar alterándose la coactivación muscular necesaria para proporcionar estabilidad al raquis lumbar.