Among the health professions, nursing, in particular, has been affected by musculoskeletal disorders. The WMSD produce changes in the lives of these workers, impossible of them held daily activities and labour. Objective: Investigating the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and associated with the quality of life in nursing professionals who work in surgery teams. Method: Cross-sectional study conducted between March 2011 and January 2012 in a tertiary university hospital in southern Brazil. We evaluated 110 workers nursing teams. It was excluded workers on sick leave, vacation or other absence during the period of data collection. The musculoskeletal pain was assessed using the Nordic Musculoskeletal symptoms questionnaire the quality of life was assessed by the Medical Outcomes Study 36 -Item Short-Form Survey (SF-36). The relationship between musculoskeletal pain and quality of life were analyzed by the U of Mann-Whitney test, using a significance level of 95%. Results: The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain found in this study was 91.81%. With respect to anatomic regions, it was considered the complaints of musculoskeletal pain retroactive twelve months ago, where there was the predominance of neck pain (56%) and shoulders (56%). When we consider sick leaving for musculoskeletal pain we found the prevalence of low back pain (34%). The group who reported no musculoskeletal pain showed better indices of quality of life in the areas of physical functioning, physical aspect, bodily pain, vitality, social and mental health aspect. Conclusion: the higher prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in the neck and shoulder regions. Moreover, the largest number of sick leaves occurs because of the prevalence of low back pain among nursing staff of the surgical teams. The pain influenced the quality of life affecting six of the areas assessed.

BackgroundSeveral studies have shown that Tai Chi Chuan can improve cardiac function in patients with heart disease.ObjectiveTo conduct a systematic review of the literature to assess the effects of Tai Chi Chuan on cardiac rehabilitation for patients with coronary artery disease.MethodsWe performed a search for studies published in English, Portuguese and Spanish in the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS and Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials. Data were extracted in a standardized manner by three independent investigators, who were responsible for assessing the methodological quality of the manuscripts.ResultsThe initial search found 201 studies that, after review of titles and abstracts, resulted in a selection of 12 manuscripts. They were fully analyzed and of these, nine were excluded. As a final result, three randomized controlled trials remained. The studies analyzed in this systematic review included patients with a confirmed diagnosis of coronary artery disease, all were clinically stable and able to exercise. The three experiments had a control group that practiced structured exercise training or received counseling for exercise. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 12 months.ConclusionPreliminary evidence suggests that Tai Chi Chuan can be an unconventional form of cardiac rehabilitation, being an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of patients with stable coronary artery disease. However, the methodological quality of the included articles and the small sample sizes clearly indicate that new randomized controlled trials are needed in this regard.

The shoulder is susceptible to disturbances caused by microtraumas due to direct contact of the surrounding skeletal structures or failure of the soft parts of the rotator cuff and other muscles inserted into the glenohumeral joint. The purpose of the study was to compare the electromyographic signal in the stabilizing muscles of the shoulder during the diagonal elevation exercise as recommended by the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) method and dumbbell exercise. This study is classified as Quase-experiment. Subjects were instructed to perform diagonal standard exercises and the electromyographic signal was detected from pectoralis muscles, middle and upper trapezius of dominant limb in each subject. We observed greater muscular recruitment when the PNF method was adopted in comparison with the dumbbell workouts for the trapezius upper and middle fiber muscles and for the major pectoralis (267,30 μv/181,02 μv; 235,76 μv/;164,47 μv; 299,87 μv/148,69 μv; P<0.001). The PNF method promotes a greater recruitment of the shoulder dynamic stabilizing muscles during diagonal elevation exercises. Being so, such kinesiotherapeutic technique may be effectively used in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of shoulder disorders.

[Purpose] The purpose is to analyze the effects of Constraint-induced Movement Therapy in post stroke patients in chronic course. [Subjects and Methods] This is a Quasi-experiment study and the adopted protocol consisted of a three-hour therapy for ten consecutive working days applied to a constraint intact upper limb. Surface Electromyography, Motor Activity Log, Wolf Motor Function Test and Functional Independence Measure were used for evaluating the experiment. [Results] The individuals showed reduction in the degree of spasticity, confirmed by Surface Electromyography. In relation to Motor Activity Log this study showed an increase in amount and in quality of the paretic upper limb movement. The Wolf Motor Function Test showed reduction in the average time to perform the tasks and a functional improvement was identified through the Functional Independence Measure. [Conclusion] Constraint Induced Movement Therapy proved to be a relevant method to improve motor function in chronic hemiparesis post stroke reducing the spasticity, maximizing and improving the use of committed upper limb.

Introduction The proper use of the position of the arm and wrist while typing may reduce muscle overload and prevent musculoskeletal disorders.Objective To evaluate the electromyographic activity of upper trapezius and wrist extensor muscles during two typewriting conditions.Materials and methods : Six healthy females (Xage = 42 years,SD= 10), (Xheight = 1.65m, SD = 0.05) and (Xweight = 71kg, SD = 16) participated in this study. The task was performed with a newly developed arm support and without the support. A perceived exertion scale was used with all subjects. An ANOVA with repeated measures was used to verify differences in perceived exertion and root mean square (RMS).Results There were no statistically significant differences for the RMS between the typewriting tasks. The condition without arm support presented a significantly greater mean velocity and amount of words typed (P= 0.02; P= 0.03) and there was a significant difference in perceived exertion during the condition without arm support (P= 0.03). Electromyographic activity did not present differences.Conclusion The muscle electrical activity was not altered regardless the arm support and occurred the improvement of the perceived exertion after 10 minutes of typing without support. Long-term studies are needed.