2023 CiteScore: 0.5
pISSN: 2538-385X
eISSN: 2538-3868
Editor-in-Chief:
Kazem Malmir, Ph.D.
Vol 13 No 4 (2019)
Research Article(s)
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Introduction: Physiological changes during the menstrual cycle in women with primary dysmenorrhea may affect their respiratory system, so this study aimed to examine various respiratory parameters in three phases of the menstrual cycle in these women.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 15 women with dysmenorrhea aged 18-25 years. The respiratory parameters were measured using a capnograph during the menstrual phase (MP; on days 3 or 4), follicular phase (FP; on days 10 or 11), and luteal phase (LP; on days 20 or 21).
Results: The results of this study showed a significant difference in end-tidal CO2 pressure in the follicular and luteal phase with that in the menstrual phase (P<0.01). Also, the respiration rate and oxygen saturation showed a significant difference in different phases of menstruation (P<0.01).
Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that respiratory indices differ in various phases of the menstrual cycle in women with primary dysmenorrhea, which seems to be due to pain during the menstrual cycle and increased progesterone levels in the luteal phase. -
Introduction: Health-related physical fitness requires muscular strength to perform physical activities. The handgrip test is used to assess the muscular strength of the hand. The flexor muscle strength in palmar, thenar, and hypothenar areas of the hand collectively form the Handgrip Strength (HGS). However, the extensor mechanism, including the intrinsic musculature, plays a minor role in producing handgrip strength. Also, each finger plays an essential role in handgrip strength. This study aims to identify the association between the handgrip strength and the handspan of the dominant and non-dominant hands of undergraduate physical therapy students.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on undergraduate physical therapy students. Different public and private physical therapy schools and universities in Karachi City, Pakistan were chosen to collect the data with an estimated sample size of 100 undergraduate physical therapy students. The sampling was done by the non-probability convenient sampling method. The inclusion criteria were undergraduate physiotherapy students (from both genders) and willing to participate in the study.
Results: The Pearson test was used to determine the significant correlation between handgrip strength and handspan. The results showed the mean and standard deviation of handgrip strength (dominant hand) was 25.96±11.538, of handgrip strength in Kg (non-dominant hand) was 24.93±12.336, and of handspan length in Cm of the dominant hand was 20.2910±1.78671. The present study showed a positive association between handgrip strength and handspan. The handgrip strength of the non-dominant hand was higher than the dominant handgrip strength values. Handspan was also higher in the non-dominant hand compared with the dominant hand, but this difference is not significant.
Conclusion: The handgrip strength of physical therapy students had a positive association with the handspan. The handspan and dominant hand influence handgrip strength. -
Introduction: Stuttering is a speech disorder examined in many studies on motor speech deficiency in people with stuttering. In the area of language, some studies have also shown that people with stuttering are different from people without stuttering in terms of phonological, lexical, and syntactic processing .In this area, studies on the evaluation of phonological processing in Iranian people with stuttering are a few. One of the tasks for evaluating phonological processing is anon-word repetition task. This study aimed to examine the ability of adults who stutter to repeat words/non-words compared with those with fluent speech.
Materials and Methods: This research is across-sectional descriptive-correlational study. The participants included 20 adults with stuttering (18-30 years old) selected by the convenience sampling method from those referred to speech therapy centers and hospitals in Tehran Province. Besides, 30 age-matched peers participated in this study as the control. The phonological processing of participants was examined in terms of reaction time and word/non-word repetition accuracy. To detect stuttering, we asked the subjects to read a text in Persian, and its severity was detected by stuttering severity instrument-3. For measuring reaction time, DMDX software was used, and data were analyzed in SPSS V. 21.
Results: Mann-Whitney test results showed a significant difference between adults with and without stuttering in terms of repetition accuracy (P<0.05), but no significant difference was found between them in terms of reaction time (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Phonological processing in adults who stutter is different compared with those with speech fluency, but this difference is non-significant. Results indicated slow phonological processing in an adult with stuttering. This can raise the awareness of therapists during the evaluation and treatment of stutterers in terms of phonological processing and phonological working memory. -
Introduction: Physical conditions of people are among the essential components of their health. Any structural or physical changes of the human body can affect the performance of the individual. Flat foot is one of the most common problems in musculoskeletal disorders that can be addressed in childhood, and its complications can be reduced by providing appropriate and timely treatments. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of flat foot in primary school students (aged 7-12 years) in Zanjan City, Iran to improve the effectiveness of interventions.
Materials and Methods: This research was a cross-sectional study to assess the prevalence of flat foot types among 1700 girls and boys students aged 7-12 years in the elementary schools of Zanjan City.
Results: A total of 900 male (53%) and 800 female (47%) students participated in this study. The samples’ Mean±SD age, height, and weight were 9.63±1.55 years, 132.93±13.42 cm, and 32.75±10.46 kg. The prevalence of different types of flat feet were as follows: 491 (28.9%) children with smooth flat foot, 12 (0.7%) children with rigid flat foot, and 1197 (70.4%) children without any type of flat feet. The ordinal regression model showed that the highest level of the flat foot was observed among the third-grade students with 33%, and the lowest level of the flat foot was among the second-grade students with 26.3%. Weight was the strongest predictor for the flat foot in the students. By 1 kg weight increase, the probability of flat foot increases by 1.065 times.
Conclusion: The prevalence of foot flat among primary school students in Zanjan City had a high rate. There is a significant relationship between the flat foot and weight , therefore nutritional interventions are necessary for these children. -
Introduction: Compared with professionals and semi-professionals, amateur athletes need more strengthening modalities due to their lower muscle strength, as well as limited facilities and time. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is a sensory-targeted modality traditionally used to treat pain, but it is also one of the most successful methods for increasing muscle activation level, too.
Materials and Methods: A total of 30 sportswomen in basketball, volleyball, futsal, football, and taekwondo with the Mean±SD age of 23.5±3.6 years were randomly divided into two groups: intervention (n=15) and control (n=15). In the intervention group, a single session of TENS with a frequency of 150 Hz and pulse duration of 150 µs was applied for 20 minutes. The control group received placebo TENS. Isokinetic dynamometer and vertical jump test were used to assess quadriceps activation and strength. All samples were evaluated at three different time intervals: before, immediately after, and 30 minutes after the intervention.
Results: The mean maximal voluntary isometric contraction, central activation ratio, and height of jumping in the TENS and control group were not significantly different immediately and 30 minutes after the intervention (P>0.05).
Conclusion: According to this study, a single session of TENS cannot immediately improve quadriceps activation and strength in amateur female athletes. -
Introduction: Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) is a common muscular disorder characterized by a referral pain to a particular area after irritating the myofascial trigger point. This study aimed to determine the combined treatment effect of laser therapy and ischemic compression of an active myofascial trigger point in the upper trapezius muscle.
Materials and Methods: This is a clinical trial study conducted on 15 subjects with Active Trigger Points (ATPs). In one session, 15 subjects received laser therapy and ischemic compression. The assessment was done immediately after the treatment. We used the visual analog scale for the measurement of pain intensity, algometry (FG-5020, Taiwan made) for pressure pain threshold, and goniometer for cervical lateral flexion.
Results: The cervical lateral flexion after the intervention was significantly higher than that before the intervention (P<0.001). Also, the post-operative pressure pain threshold was significantly higher than that before the intervention (P<0.001). The level of pain decreased after the intervention, but this difference was not statistically significant (P=0.90).
Conclusion: according to this study, the laser therapy combined with ischemic compression can significantly change the pressure pain threshold and cervical lateral flexion in patients with active trigger points in their upper trapezius muscles. -
Introduction: The rate of football-related traumas is high. However, greater levels of fitness may decrease the probability of these injuries. Researchers believe that plyometric training can have significant short-term results. This study aimed to investigate the effects of plyometric exercises on athletic performance (speed, balance, and vertical jump ability) of male amateur futsal players.
Materials and Methods: Thirty male amateur futsal players were randomly divided into control and plyometric groups. All participants went through 15 minutes of standard warm-up activity, and then they were asked to perform the tests. The athletes of the plyometric group also completed three rounds of plyometric jumps and then were assessed 3, 10, 15 and 20 minutes after the warm up. The athletes of the control group were evaluated 3, 10, and 15 minutes immediately after the standard warm-up activity.
Results: The study findings indicated an overall improvement in balance and vertical jump scores of amateur futsal players following plyometric exercises (P<0.05). However, there was no significant effect on athletes’ speed. Speed, vertical jump, and balance did not significantly change in the control group.
Conclusion: Vertical jump and balance ability may improve immediately after plyometric exercises. Further studies are necessary to reassess speed test results.
