Welcome to PTPN Clinical Focus, your source for relevant and useful information from the current rehabilitation literature. Bookmark this page for the latest and greatest clinical information, journal articles, research results and other tools you can implement in your own practice.

These links will be updated quarterly, so check back for the most current additions. If you’d like to suggest an article or study to be featured on this page, please click here.

Below are the latest highlights. Click here for an index of archived article topics.

Summer 2008

Effects of a Single Session of Posterior-to-Anterior Spinal Mobilization and Press-up Exercise on Pain Response and Lumbar Spine Extension in People With Nonspecific Low Back Pain

PURPOSE: This study examined the immediate effects of Posterior-to-anterior (PA) mobilization and a press-up exercise on pain with standing extension and lumbar extension in people with nonspecific low back pain.

CONCLUSION: The findings of this study support the use of PA mobilization and a press-up exercise for improving lumbar extension in people with nonspecific low back pain. Although statistically significant within-group changes in pain were detected, the clinical meaningfulness of these changes is questionable.

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The role of pelvic floor physical therapy in the treatment of pelvic and genital pain-related sexual dysfunction

PURPOSE: This Continuing Medical Education article is to describe the musculoskeletal components involved in pelvic and genital pain syndromes and associated sexual dysfunction, introduce specific physical therapy assessment and intervention techniques, and provide suggestions for facilitating an effective working relationship among practitioners involved in treating these conditions.

CONCLUSIONS: Physical therapy treatment of pelvic pain is an integral component of the multidisciplinary approach to CPP and associated sexual dysfunction.

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Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy and Eccentric Exercises in the Treatment of Recreational Athletes With Chronic Achilles Tendinopathy

BACKGROUND: Eccentric exercises (EEs) are recommended for the treatment of Achilles tendinopathy, but the clinical effect from EE has a slow onset. Hypothesis: The addition of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) to EE may cause more rapid clinical improvement.

CONCLUSION: Low-level laser therapy, with the parameters used in this study, accelerates clinical recovery from chronic Achilles tendinopathy when added to an EE regimen. For the LLLT group, the results at 4 weeks were similar to the placebo LLLT group results after 12 weeks.

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Specific Strength Training Helpful for Neck Muscle Pain

PURPOSE: To determine the effectiveness of specific strength training of the painful muscle versus general fitness training without direct involvement of the painful muscle (leg bicycling) on work-related neck muscle pain.

CONCLUSION: Supervised high-intensity (8 - 12 RM) dynamic strength training of the painful muscle 3 times a week for 20 minutes should be recommended in the treatment of trapezius myalgia.

Full Article (Requires Login.)


Hip Strength and Hip and Knee Kinematics During Stair Descent in Females With and Without Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

PURPOSE: To determine if females presenting with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) from no discernable cause other than overuse demonstrate hip weakness and increased hip internal rotation, hip adduction, and knee valgus during stair descent.

CONCLUSION: Subjects with PFPS had significant hip weakness but did not demonstrate altered hip and knee kinematics as previously theorized. Additional investigations are needed to better understand the association between hip weakness and PFPS etiology.

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Look for free full-text access to journal articles at these Web sites:

• BioMed Central
• Directory of Open Access Journals: Access "Health Sciences" and select the "Medicine (General)" and "Public Health" categories.
• Findarticles.com: Select the "free articles only" option next to the search box.
• Free Medical Journals
• Highwire Press -- free online full-text articles
• Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• PubMed: PubMed is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine that includes over 16 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles back to the 1950s. PubMed includes publisher links to full text articles and other related resources. Look for publisher links to full-text articles in the abstracts; publisher links, if present, are located immediately below the primary citation. Note: the link will usually indicate if the article is free; if the word "free" does not appear, then a fee may be involved to access the full-text article.
• PubMed Central: This service is the U.S. National Institutes of Health's (NIH) free digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature. All the articles in PubMed Central are free (sometimes on a delayed basis).
• SciELO

Open Door: APTA's Portal to Evidence-based Practice  (Requires APTA membership.) http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm? Section=Research&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&ContentID=32251.

Hooked on Evidence is a great resource if you are interested in doing your own literature search. It is available from the APTA at http://www.hookedonevidence.com  (Requires APTA membership.)