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Contemporary Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation: Issues and Challenges
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Contemporary Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation: Issues and Challenges

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 18905

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Stefano Palermi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Public Health Department, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: sports medicine; sports cardiology; spors traumatology and rehabilitation; pre participation screening; ultrasound
Dr. Felice Sirico

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Public Health, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: public health; epidemiology; rehabilitation; prevention; corporate wellness; health promotion; physical exercise; preventive medicine; human anatomy; sport medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rehabilitation treatments aim to restore abilities, functions and autonomy after a pathological process has occurred. The timing of rehabilitation represents a core concept in the management of the disability. Advance in physical therapy and rehabilitation are needed to design the most suitable approach to guide the functional restoration after orthopedic, neurological, cardiorespiratory and other pathological processes. A number of cutting-edge technologies in rehabilitation, focused on fostering the compliance of patients under treatment, along with optimal outcomes, has recently developed to cope with restrictions in functioning that dramatically reduce the autonomy in daily-life activities. The choice of a multidisciplinary approach, based on the combination of basic research, modern technology and the latest advance in biomechanics, pharmacology and training concepts could yield the most effective recovery through the rehabilitation process. Advance in the scientific research in term of wearable devices, robotics, therapeutic exercise protocols, injections, pain management and in muscle, tendon, ligament, bone and nerve physiology and other advance in the scientific research could be applied as new tools in rehabilitation field. Well-structured randomized trials are ongoing to investigate the efficacy and safety of these new technologies in guiding rehabilitation process. This Special Issue provides an overview of the most recent advance in the field of physical therapy and rehabilitation and their applications in several areas. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Physical Therapy
  • Therapeutic Exercise 
  • Rehabilitation 
  • Devices 
  • Technologies
  • Patients
  • Return to Sport
  • Sport Performance 
  • Sport Rehabilitation 
  • Orthopedic Rehabilitation 
  • Neurological Rehabilitation
  •  Robotics 
  • Injection treatments 
  • Pain 
  • Muscle, tendon, ligament, bone and nerve physiology
  • Muscle, tendon, ligament, bone and nerve anatomy

Dr. Stefano Palermi
Dr. Felice Sirico
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • physical therapy
  • rehabilitation
  • technology

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 1250 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Yoga Exercise on Blood Pressure and Hand Grip Strength in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Pilot Controlled Study
by Yen-Ting Lai, Hsiao-Ling Huang, City C. Hsieh, Chien-Hung Lin, Jung-Cheng Yang, Han-Hsing Tsou, Chih-Ching Lin, Szu-Yuan Li, Hsiang-Lin Chan and Wen-Sheng Liu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1108; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021108 - 8 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2816
Abstract
Background: We investigated the beneficial effect of add-on yoga with rehabilitation on blood pressure (BP) and hand grip strength in patients with chronic stroke (more than 90 days). Methods: The study included patients 30–80 years of age who could stand independently for 1 [...] Read more.
Background: We investigated the beneficial effect of add-on yoga with rehabilitation on blood pressure (BP) and hand grip strength in patients with chronic stroke (more than 90 days). Methods: The study included patients 30–80 years of age who could stand independently for 1 min. Patients with psychiatric diseases or undergoing other therapies (like acupuncture) were excluded. The yoga group received training (1 h session twice weekly) with standard rehabilitation for 8 weeks. The control group received standard rehabilitation only. There were no differences in age, gender, hand grip strength, or BP between the two groups (16 subjects in each group) at baseline. Results: The systolic BP (p = 0.01) decreased significantly, and the diastolic BP also decreased but not significantly in the yoga group (p = 0.11). For hand grip strength, both the unaffected hand (p = 0.00025) and the affected hand (p = 0.027) improved significantly. The control group showed no significant change in systolic or diastolic BP, nor did the grip strength change in both hands. Gender and age also affected the results of overall rehabilitation in that women benefited more from a decrease in BP, while men and young people (lower than the mean age of 60) benefited from hand grip strength improvement. Conclusions: Combining yoga with rehabilitation in chronic stroke patients can improve hand grip strength and decrease systolic BP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contemporary Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation: Issues and Challenges)
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19 pages, 2238 KiB  
Article
Comparing a Sensor for Movement Assessment with Traditional Physiotherapeutic Assessment Methods in Patients after Knee Surgery—A Method Comparison and Reproducibility Study
by Jennifer Eymann, Werner Vach, Luis Fischer, Marcel Jakob and Andreas Gösele
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16581; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416581 - 9 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1458
Abstract
Wearable sensors offer the opportunity for patients to perform a self-assessment of their function with respect to a variety of movement exercises. Corresponding commercial products have the potential to change the communication between patients and physiotherapists during the recovery process. Even if they [...] Read more.
Wearable sensors offer the opportunity for patients to perform a self-assessment of their function with respect to a variety of movement exercises. Corresponding commercial products have the potential to change the communication between patients and physiotherapists during the recovery process. Even if they turn out to be user-friendly, there remains the question to what degree the numerical results are reliable and comparable with those obtained by assessment methods traditionally used. To address this question for one specific recently developed and commercially available sensor, a method comparison study was performed. The sensor-based assessment of eight movement parameters was compared with an assessment of the same parameters based on test procedures traditionally used. Thirty-three patients recovering after arthroscopic knee surgery participated in the study. The whole assessment procedure was repeated. Reproducibility and agreement were quantified by the intra class correlation coefficient. The height of a one-leg vertical jump and the number of side hops showed high agreement between the two modalities and high reproducibility (ICC > 0.85). Due to differences in the set-up of the assessment, agreement could not be achieved for three mobility parameters, but even the correlation was only fair (r < 0.5). Knee stability showed poor agreement. Consequently, the use of the sensor can currently only be recommended for selected parameters. The variation in degree of agreement and reproducibility across different parameters clearly indicate the need for developing corresponding guidance for each new sensor put onto the market. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contemporary Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation: Issues and Challenges)
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12 pages, 2753 KiB  
Article
The Role of Platelet-Rich Plasma on the Chondrogenic and Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Amniotic-Fluid-Derived Stem Cells
by Alessio Giannetti, Andrea Pantalone, Ivana Antonucci, Sandra Verna, Patrizia Di Gregorio, Liborio Stuppia, Vittorio Calvisi, Roberto Buda and Vincenzo Salini
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15786; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315786 - 27 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2022
Abstract
Amniotic fluid represents a new and promising source of engraftable stem cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vitro effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on amniotic-fluid-derived stem cells (AFSCs) on chondrogenic or osteogenic differentiation potential. Amniotic fluid samples were [...] Read more.
Amniotic fluid represents a new and promising source of engraftable stem cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vitro effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on amniotic-fluid-derived stem cells (AFSCs) on chondrogenic or osteogenic differentiation potential. Amniotic fluid samples were obtained from women undergoing amniocentesis for prenatal diagnosis at 16–18 weeks of pregnancy. Undifferentiated human AFSCs were cocultured with PRP for 14 days. The study includes two protocols investigating the effects of activated PRP using two different methods: via freeze–thaw cycles and via the addition of calcium gluconate. On the 14th day of culturing, the differentiation potential of the cocultured AFSCs was then compared with undifferentiated AFSCs. Staining with alcian blue solution (ABS) and alizarine red solution (ARS) was performed, and chondrogenic- and osteogenic-associated genes markers were investigated. ABS demonstrated enhanced glycosaminoglycan expression. Cocultured cells expressed chondrocyte-associated genes, determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), including type I collagen, type II collagen, COMP, and aggrecan. In regard to the osteogenic markers, osteopontin and bone sialoprotein, there were no changes. In particular, the activation of PRP using the freeze–thaw cycle protocol showed a higher expression of the chondrogenic markers. Our preliminary in vitro results showed that PRP has good potential in the chondrogenic differentiation of AFSCs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contemporary Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation: Issues and Challenges)
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17 pages, 17891 KiB  
Article
Match Analysis, Physical Training, Risk of Injury and Rehabilitation in Padel: Overview of the Literature
by Andrea Demeco, Alessandro de Sire, Nicola Marotta, Riccardo Spanò, Lorenzo Lippi, Arrigo Palumbo, Teresa Iona, Vera Gramigna, Stefano Palermi, Massimiliano Leigheb, Marco Invernizzi and Antonio Ammendolia
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(7), 4153; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19074153 - 31 Mar 2022
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 6225
Abstract
Padel is a racket sport that has been gaining great popularity and scientific interest in recent years. It could be considered to be a high-intensity intermittent sport with valuable cardiovascular and neuromuscular benefits; however, the risk of injury cannot be neglected. To date, [...] Read more.
Padel is a racket sport that has been gaining great popularity and scientific interest in recent years. It could be considered to be a high-intensity intermittent sport with valuable cardiovascular and neuromuscular benefits; however, the risk of injury cannot be neglected. To date, there is still a gap of knowledge in the scientific literature on this emergent sport. Therefore, the present review aims to synthetize the current knowledge on padel game dynamics to better characterize the main risk factors, the injury rate and characteristics, and the most effective rehabilitative treatment strategies. PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and PEDro were screened up to January 2022 to identify eligible studies focusing on padel players as participants. Out of 160 records, we included 19 studies, which were focused on match analysis, anthropometric and physical training, the risk of injury, and rehabilitative interventions. The results showed that the high action velocity and the sudden changes in direction during a padel match could represent a risk factor for injuries, especially in untrained players. However, the high heterogeneity of the studies in the literature hinders our ability to draw any strong conclusions, and the results should be carefully considered. Future research should address the lack of knowledge on injury mechanisms and type to implement a tailored rehabilitation program. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contemporary Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation: Issues and Challenges)
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Review

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23 pages, 1031 KiB  
Review
Inpatient Physical Therapy in Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in in Older Adults: A Scoping Review
by Florence Noël, Marie-Pier Gagnon, Jasmine Lajoie, Marjorie Côté, Sarah-Maude Caron, Abygaël Martin, Alexis Labrie-Pichette and Livia P. Carvalho
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3367; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043367 - 14 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3220
Abstract
Background: Around 500/100,000 Canadians experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) resulting in long-term disabilities and premature death. Physiotherapy is known to positively impact the prognosis of young adults following a TBI. Objective: This is a scoping review that aimed to identify research topics [...] Read more.
Background: Around 500/100,000 Canadians experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) resulting in long-term disabilities and premature death. Physiotherapy is known to positively impact the prognosis of young adults following a TBI. Objective: This is a scoping review that aimed to identify research topics in physiotherapy interventions for seniors after a TBI, describe potential knowledge gaps, and uncover needs for future research. Methodology: Ten databases were interrogated (January–March 2022). We included texts published after 2010, in English or French, scientific papers, guidelines, and gray literature sources targeting in-hospital, acute-to-subacute interventions for people aged ≥55 years old with a moderate-to-severe TBI. The outcomes sought were physical/functional capacities, injury severity, and quality of life. Results: From 1296 articles, 16 were selected. The number of participants from the studies altogether was 248,794. We identified eight retrospectives studies, three clinical trials, and five articles from the gray literature. Articles were classified according to the nature of their analysis and outcomes: (1) interventional studies including physiotherapy (at least 10 types of rehabilitative or preventive interventions were identified); (2) studies evaluating prognostic factors (five factors identified); and (3) recommendations from clinical practical guidelines and other sources (gray literature). Our results provide evidence that physiotherapy is effective in TBI acute rehabilitation for the elderly to prevent complications arising from the primary injury and to improve functional capacities. Conclusion: The heterogeneity of our results does not allow us to infer the effectiveness of one intervention over another. However, we found that the elderly population benefits from physiotherapy interventions as much as adults, but the gap must be filled with higher-quality studies to make definite recommendations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contemporary Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation: Issues and Challenges)
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Other

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10 pages, 3420 KiB  
Case Report
Achilles Tendon Repair after Tenorraphy Imaging and the Doughnut Metaphor
by Gian Nicola Bisciotti, Andrea Bisciotti, Alessio Auci, Alessandro Bisciotti, Cristiano Eirale, Alessandro Corsini and Piero Volpi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(11), 5985; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20115985 - 29 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1858
Abstract
After Achilles tendon tenorraphy, tendon tissue undergoes a long period of biological healing. During this period, tissue turnover shows heterogeneity between its peripheral and central regions. This case report concerns the description of the tendon healing process of an athlete who underwent an [...] Read more.
After Achilles tendon tenorraphy, tendon tissue undergoes a long period of biological healing. During this period, tissue turnover shows heterogeneity between its peripheral and central regions. This case report concerns the description of the tendon healing process of an athlete who underwent an Achilles tendon tenorraphy. As the reparative processes progressed, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed centralization of the hyperintensity area and the tendon assumed a doughnut-like appearance. At the same time, ultrasound (US) assessment showed a progressive reorganization of the tendon fibrillar structure. Therefore, for the athlete, MRI and US assessment together represent a useful tool for the decision-making process after Achilles tendon tenorraphy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contemporary Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation: Issues and Challenges)
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