Objective To analyze how Pilates exercises affect standing, walking, and balance in children with diplegic cerebral palsy throughout a 10-week program.Methods We included 40 children aged 7–9 years with diplegic cerebral palsy, and randomly allocated them into two groups of the same size: conventional therapy group (group A) and conventional therapy+Pilates group (group B). We administered the same conventional physical therapy program to both groups for 45 minutes, with group B receiving additional Pilates exercises for 45 minutes. Both groups attended the intervention program three times/week for 10 weeks. We used the Growth Motor Function Measure Scale (GMFM-88) to evaluate standing and walking (Dimensions D and E), and the Pediatric Balance Scale to evaluate balance function before and after treatment.Results Comparison of the average values of all measured variables before and after therapy showed a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between the two groups. All measured variables showed a significant difference between groups A and B, in favor of group B (p<0.05).Conclusion Pilates exercise in addition to conventional therapy is more effective in improving balance and gross motor function in children with diplegic cerebral palsy than the conventional therapy alone.

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Objectives. This research aimed to assess the impact of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on pain severity, functional abilities, and trunk range of motion in patients with lumbar disc prolapse (LDP). Methods. Design of study was randomized clinical study. Forty male patients had disc prolapse at L5–S1 spine segment with chronic pain. Patients have been randomly divided to two equal groups. The patients in study group received extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in addition to conventional physical therapy program. Patients in control group were treated with the conventional physical therapy program which composed of electrotherapy using TENS (15 minutes) and exercise program. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate pain. Functional disability was evaluated by Oswestry disability index (ODI). The Back range of motion device (BROM) has been utilized to measure trunk motion (flexion, extension, side bending, external and internal rotation). For all patients prior to and after six weeks of the therapy program, all outcome measures were evaluated. Results. In the research and control groups, there was a substantial reduction in post-treatment VAS and ODI as compared to pre-therapy (p > 0.001). In both groups, there was a substantial increase in post-therapy ROM compared to pre-therapy (p > 0.001). The comparison among the study and post-therapy control groups showed a substantial decrease in the study group’s VAS and ODI relative to the control group (p > 0.001). There was also a substantial increase in the study group’s trunk flexion, extension, and rotation relative to that of the control group (p > 0.01). Conclusion. The ESWT had a significant analgesic effect and improved functional abilities relative to the conventional physiotherapy program in patients with LDP. Also ESWT had substantial enhancements in trunk ROM relative to conventional physiotherapy.

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Background Smartphone use has been associated with pain in the upper quadrant; however, the relationship between usage duration and low back pain is still unclear. This study investigated the association between continuous smartphone use up to 30-min and back pain severity and proprioception acuity in patients with chronic low back pain. Fifty-eight patients with chronic mechanical LBP played a game for 10- and 30-min. In each session, pain and back repositioning errors were measured at baseline and immediately after task completion. Results Pain significantly but slightly increased following smartphone use, regardless to the duration (after 10 min: mean increase = 0.75 ± 1.17, P value < 0.001, 95% CI 0.44–1.06; after 30 min: mean increase = 0.96 ± 1.93, P value < 0.001, 95% CI 0.44–1.46). However, changes in perceived pain scores were not significantly different between the two tested durations (P value = 0.42). Proprioception repositioning error was not significantly different within the same testing session (mean change = 0.08 ± 1.83, 0.13 ± 1.77, P value = 0.73, 0.58, 95% CI − 0.40–0.56, − 0.60–0.33, for the 10 and 30 min, respectively). The changes in proprioception were not significant between the two-tested durations (P value = 0.56). Further, smartphone addiction did not significantly affect changes in pain and proprioception after game playing, regardless of the duration (P > 0.05). Conclusions These findings show that smartphone use slightly increases back pain immediately after continuous use; with no effect on back proprioception within the duration tested in this study. Changes in pain and proprioception were not influenced by smartphone addiction.