Background: Loss of balance and Activity of daily living commonly compromised in stroke patients. Conventional physical therapy CPT) showed promising result in the rehabilitation of stroke, but these effects are very slow. Virtual reality (VR) technology is an adjunctive therapy that could be applied in neurorehabilitation in conjunction with conventional physical therapy. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of virtual reality and conventional physical therapy (CPT) for stroke management in improving activities of daily living and balance. Methodology: A total of n=30 participants with sub-acute ischemic stroke, aged between 45-65 years, were divided into group A and group B. The group A received virtual reality training (VRT) with conventional physical therapy (CPT) for stroke management, while Group B received conventional physical therapy (CPT). The activities of daily living (ADLs) were assessed through Barthel index and balance was assessed through Balance Berg Scale (BBS). The data was collected at baseline, 2nd week, 4th week and after 6th week of intervention. The mixed ANOVA and One way MANCOVA was applied to see the interaction and main effects. The data was analyzed using SPSS 21. Results: The mean age of study participants of Group A was 51.533±4.82 years and Group B was 52.53±5.01 years. There is significant interaction effect between interventions and level of assessment in Balance score {F=11.705(1.683, 47.134), p<.001, ηp2=.295} as well as activity of daily living {F=4.782(2.209, 61.841), p=.010, ηp2=.146} after 6 week intervention. Conclusion: Both groups were effective in improving ADLs and balance but VR was more effective as compared to traditional balance exercises. Keywords: activities of daily living, acute stroke, balance, physical therapy, virtual reality

Introduction: Upper crossed syndrome is a common postural dysfunctional pattern that describes the dysfunctional tone of the musculature of the shoulder girdle/ cervicothoracic region of the body. Objective: To determine association of Upper Crossed Syndrome and Neck pain among general population in Islamabad. Materials & Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted from December 2017 to February 2018 in Rawal General and Dental Hospital Islamabad, and National Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences Islamabad after approval of synopsis from Advanced Studies and Research Board. Convenience sampling was used to collect data from male and female participants having neck pain after obtaining informed consent. The questionnaires provided for a subjective assessment from the patient and an objective measure for the clinician. REEDCO scale was used to analyze the proper alignment of head, neck and shoulder, while wall push test was used to assess the abnormal protrusion of scapula. Data were analyzed for descriptive and inferential statistics by SPSS 20; continuous variables were expressed as mean ± SD, and categorical variables as frequency and percentage. A p≤0.05 denoted significance. Results: The occurrence of upper crossed syndrome was 24.1%.  Out of 340 respondents, 143 (42.06%) had poor posture whereas 197 respondent (57.94%) had good posture. There was strong association between posture and upper crossed syndrome (p˂0.05). Conclusion: Most patients with neck pain are exposed to the risk of adopting poor posture which can lead to Upper Crossed Syndrome in future; hence the importance of postural awareness among general population of Islamabad.

Background: Sedentary lifestyle cause obesity that can disturb body composition, metabolic profiles and insulin resistance which may then lead to ectopic fat in organs and thus leads to diabetes. Physical activity and life style modification was found to be very effective in reducing diabetes and its risk in adults. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of moderate physical activity on glycemic control in Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus. Methodology: The participants with the age criteria of 35 years and above and non-insulin dependent type II diabetic mellitus were included in a study. A total of n=45 diabetic patient were assigned to three groups i.e. group 1 (brisk walk, n=16), Group 2 (aerobic training, n=16) and group 3 (resistance training, n=13). Each group performed these exercises for three months for five days a week, a total of 150 minutes per week. HbA1c test was used to determine the glucose level in blood. The data was presented in terms of frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, median, and mode. Depending on normality of the data, MANCOVA test was used for within group changes while paired sample T test was used for between group comparisons. Paired sample T test was used to determine correlation. Results: The mean age of n=45 study participants were 49.75 ±7.86 years. Between groups analysis showed that all groups significantly improved (p<0.001) regarding HBA1c level after 12 weeks intervention. However, no significant difference {F(2,39), p=0.117} was observed among the groups regarding HBA1c level after 12 week intervention. Conclusion: Moderate physical activity showed significant improvement on HbA1c levels. Keywords: Type 2 diabetes mellitus, moderate physical activity, HbA1c