Objectives:This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of kinesiology taping (KT) on pain, movement restriction, walking speed, daily living activities, and isokinetic muscle performance in female patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Patients and methods:The study included 61 female patients (mean age 53.5±3.5 years; range 50 to 60 years) who were admitted to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic with complaints of mechanical knee pain. Knee OA was diagnosed according to the clinical/ radiological criteria of the American College of Rheumatology and patients with Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2 and 3 were included. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. Both groups received transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for 30 minutes, hot pack for 30 minutes, and therapeutic ultrasound for 10 minutes in a day for three weeks (five days in a week). Also, one group was treated with KT (KT group, n=31) while the other group was treated with sham-KT (sham-KT group, n=30) one time a week for three weeks. A home program of around the knee strengthening exercises was recommended for all patients. All patients were evaluated with Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) values, goniometric measurement of active knee range of motion, 50-meter walking distance, and isokinetic knee extensor muscle peak torque measurements before treatment, at the end of treatment, and at one month and three months after treatment. Results: There was a significant improvement in after treatment and first month VAS values in the KT group compared to the sham-KT group (p<0.05). In the KT group, the WOMAC pain and WOMAC total scores decreased significantly after treatment compared to the sham-KT group (p<0.05). VAS values were significantly decreased after treatment in both groups (p<0.05). In both groups; WOMAC pain, stiffness, physical function, and total values decreased significantly after treatment (p<0.05). In both groups, isokinetic quadriceps peak torque measurements were increased after treatment (p<0.05). Conclusion: The application of KT to females with knee OA appears to be a method that may be effective on pain and functional capacity.

A 47-year-old male smoker was referred to our outpatient clinic with slowly developing, continuous low back pain (LBP) and vascular claudiation in his lower extremities. LBP had persisted for 6 years. His back pain was insidious at onset, and the pain worsened with standing and walking. His complaints sometimes occurred even at rest, especially during lying down. He did not have any other signs of cardiovascular distress other than the fatigue. He has never sought help for his back pain. He reported no history of regular exercise. He had no history of major trauma. Medical history revealed hypertension. On physical examination, the neuro-muscular examination was normal. Arterial pulses for the lower limbs were normal. Palpation of the lumbar spinous process segments and erector spinae muscles were painful. Laboratory investigations (complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein) were within normal limits. Lumbar spine radiographs showed destruction of the anterior wall of the vertebral bodies of L3 and L4 ( Figure 1A). Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a chronic contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) ( Figure 1C-F) and aortic dissection ( Figure 1G). The lower aneurysm was eroding the anteroinferior margin of the L3 vertebra body extensively and the anterior margin of the L4 vertebra body. On consultation, the patient was treated with a graft by vascular surgeons and his back pain did improve after the surgery. Figure 1 Lateral X-ray image (A) showing a destruction of anterior wall of vertebral bodies of L3 and L4, and posteroanterior view (B) appears normal. MR imaging in T1 (C) and T2 (D) showing aneurysm in abdominal aorta, massive destruction L3 and L4 vertebral body. Sagittal (E) and axial (F) CT images show aneurysm of the abdominal aorta (white arrow) eroding L3 and L4 vertebral bodies (black thin arrow). (G) Axial CT imaging showing dissection of the aorta above the aneurysm sac (arrow).

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Ankylosing spondylitis, a form of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA), is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease and manifests itself by inflammatory back pain, radiographic sacroiliitis, and excess spinal bone formation, as well as non-skeletal manifestations such as uveitis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or psoriasis 1 . Reported prevalence rates range between 0.1 and 0.5% 1,2 .Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a cytokine with a key regulatory role in the inflammatory response, and impaired regulation of TNF-alpha has been suggested to have a role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory conditions. Blocking the action of TNF-alpha has been used in the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions, including ankylosing spondylitis. Adalimumab is a recombinant human IgG1 monoclonal antibody, specific for human TNF-alpha.Despite its revolutionary benefits in rheumatologic disease, adverse effects such as ocular complications, severe infection, demyelinating conditions, malignancies, a lupus-like syndrome, induction of autoantibodies, injection site reactions, and heart failure have been reported with the use of TNF-alpha inhibitors 3 . Reported ocular side effects include periorbital infection, oculomotor nerve palsy, optic neuritis, central vein occlusion, as well as a paradoxical adverse event uveitis [4][5][6][7][8] . Most data on ocular side effects come from anecdotal reports, and pathophysiological processes are mostly unknown³; thus, ocular structural changes during long-term TNF-alpha inhibitor use may shed light on the pathogenesis of these conditions.Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a practical technique widely used in clinical practice, which enables detailed examination of the eye and allows the thicknesses of the choroid, retina, and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) to be measured.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of a rehabilitation program consisting of specific exercises for Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients on reaction time (RT), movement time (MT), quality of life and disease activity. Materials and Methods: A total of 26 idiopathic PD patients were included in the study. The exercises specific to Parkinson’s were applied to the patients for 16 weeks. The evaluation of the patients were done before and after the treatment. The disease severity was measured with Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), quality of life was measured with Short Form-36 (SF-36). RT and MT measurements were done electromyographically. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in UPDRS total and sub-section values and SF-36 quality of life evaluation before and after the exercise program. While a significant decrease was observed in the RT values of the patients after the 16 week exercise program compared to prior to the program (Deltoid RT 370.46 ± 25 to 219.58 ± 17, biceps RT 370.42 ± 27 to 216.49 ± 14 and triceps RT 445.21 ± 31 to 247.53 ± 23, respectively). Conclusion: In PD, the rehabilitation program specific to the disease leads to a significant decrease in RT. Although the exercise has no statistically significant effect on disease activity, quality of life and MT values, it was seen that it still led to improvement.