Charu Eapen

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Verified

Charu verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

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• Ph.D
• Professor (Full) at Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA)is a degenerative joint condition affecting about 240 million people worldwide with rising incidences in India. The progressive nature of the disease leads to pain, reduced mobility, and diminished quality of life. Despite extensive global research, there is a lack of normative data on the cartilage thickness specific to th...

Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) is a degenerative condition that significantly impacts individuals, causing disability. Routine rehabilitation methods primarily involve knee and hip strengthening exercises. While there is limited evidence supporting the potential benefits of core muscle strengthening in KOA rehabilitation, further research is needed to e...

Introduction KOA is progressively disabling in nature, and developing effective treatment strategies is crucial to impede disease progression. Recent research has explored the role of core muscle exercises in mitigating KOA progression. This study evaluates the effectiveness of integrating core strengthening exercises into standard KOA rehabilitati...

Purpose To describe the beliefs, barriers and promotion practices of Indian nurses’ regarding healthy eating (HE) behaviours amongst cancer survivors, and to gain insights into whether their educational qualifications might affect the promotion of HE. Methods Data was gathered using a validated questionnaire, 388 of the approached 400 nurses who w...

Athletic injuries are commonly implicated in the development of early osteoarthritic (EOA) changes in the knee. These changes have a significant impact on athletic performance, and therefore the early detection of EOA is paramount. The objective of the study is to assess the impact of different interventions on individuals with EOA, particularly fo...

Purpose: The study aimed to find the association between ankle muscle strength and agility in competitive badminton players. Method: Thirty-two competitive badminton players (age 21.1 ± 2.9 years and competition experience 4.8 ± 1.9 years) participated in the study. The maximum isometric strength for the ankle dorsiflexor, plantar flexor, invertor,...

Background The considerable economic burden caused by work-related low back pain advocates aggressive prophylactic measures for prevention of work-related back injuries. On-body personal lift-assist devices (OBPLAD), via the use of passive elastic elements, are believed to offload the muscles of the spine while performing a lift, thereby delaying t...

Study design: Systematic review. Introduction: Several treatment methods treat lateral epicondylitis, but there is no consensus regarding the most effective method. Research has suggested that joint mobilizations may help recover patients with lateral epicondylitis. Purpose of the study: To determine if wrist joint manipulations effectively im...

ABSTRACT: To analyze the existing evidence on the effects of concentric and eccentric exercises on pain, strength, and functional outcomes in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), from inception to June 2022, for articles comparing the effectiveness of ecc...

Introduction Muscle fatigue is a leading cause of rotator cuff (RC) pathologies. Scapular orientation affected by changes in the thoracic spine account for differences in body postures leading to altered RC muscle activation. This posture-related alteration in RC muscle activation and its fatigue response needs to be analyzed. Materials and method...

Background/Aims Shoulder pain is reported to be the third most common musculoskeletal disorder. Rotator cuff muscles play an important role in stabilising the shoulder and decreasing pain. Assessment of handgrip strength has been proposed as an indicator of rotator cuff function in healthy individuals, but not in those experiencing shoulder pain. T...

Background: Ankle proprioception may be affected in knee Osteoarthritis (OA), but there is a lack of evidence showing changes in ankle proprioception within the grades of severity of knee OA. Objective:To assess ankle proprioception in patients with knee OA and find its change within the grades of severity of knee OA knee based on the Kellgren and...

Abstract Background Globally osteoarthritis of the knee is a leading cause of disability. Hip abductor strength and activation are essential for maintaining postural balance during transfers and are related to joint loading and progression during weight-bearing activities. Strength deficits in the hip abductors might cause a reduction in the lower...

Purpose To describe the physical activity (PA) promotion practices, beliefs, and barriers of Indian nurses working with cancer survivors, and to gain preliminary insights into how their educational qualification might affect PA promotion practices. Methods A validated questionnaire was used to obtain the data ( N = 388). Sub-group comparisons were...

BACKGROUND: Despite recent gain in popularity and the proposed theories of effectiveness of kinesio taping (KT), there remains a lack of sufficient literature on the effect of kinesio taping on maximal voluntary contraction, proprioception and upper limb reaction time. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of kinesio taping and fatigue on maximal volunta...

Background: An on body personal lift assist device (OBPLAD) is a non-motorized, passive device in which the elastic elements act as an external muscle power generator to assist lifting thereby offloading the trunk muscles. Though there is enough evidence for the use of OBPLAD generated through laboratory studies, we found a scarcity of evidence on...

Background: An on body personal lift assist device (OBPLAD) is a non-motorized, passive device in which the elastic elements act as an external muscle power generator to assist lifting thereby offloading the trunk muscles. Though there is enough evidence for the use of OBPLAD generated through laboratory studies, we found a scarcity of evidence on...

Purpose Neck extensor endurance (NEE) and position sense are vital for maintaining cervical spine function and defects in these processes may be associated with impaired postural control in chronic neck pain (CNP) subjects. The study’s objectives are 1) to compare the cervical extensor endurance capability and postural control of CNP subjects with...

Background:Stretching has been proven to be effective on pain and range of motion (ROM) in patients with plantar fasciitis. Despite recent gain in popularity and the proposed theories of effectiveness of foam roller, there is a lack of literature on the effect of foam rolling on plantar fasciitis. Objective:The objective of this study was to compar...

Objective The purpose of the study was to assess the length of TLF and to evaluate the strength of muscles attached to it in subjects with and without nonspecific low back pain (NSLBP). Methods 31 patients with NSLBP and 31 healthy individuals were included in the study. In each subject the TLF length was assessed by quantifying lumbar rotation us...

Bharatanatyam is a popular classical and traditional dance of India. The dance’s postures and repetitive movements may affect loading on the spine. This study was undertaken to establish the relationship between the lumbar spine and pelvic tilt on abdominal muscle endurance in Bharatanatyam dancers. A secondary aim was to determine the effect of ot...

Introduction: Shoulder Impingement Syndrome (SIS) is one of the common cause of shoulder ailment which leads to pain and restriction of the movements. Though Mobilisation with Movement and cryotherapy, both are found to be effective in managing SIS, there is no comparison done between the two treatments. Aim: To compare the effectiveness of Mobilis...

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare clinical and ultrasound findings of thumb joints in young adults with and without thumb pain associated with text messaging. Methods: In this case-control study, 117 students with thumb pain associated with text messaging were evaluated clinically and with ultrasound analysis of the thumb. Age- and...

Study design: Randomized controlled trial. Purpose of the study: To study the effect of adding rotator cuff (RC) muscles strengthening to joint mobilization and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in patients with adhesive capsulitis. Methods: A prospective, parallel-group, randomised clinical trial was conducted on 42 patients....

Introduction: Low back pain is a chronic health problem with high socioeconomic impact. Specific diagnosis or treatment approach has not yet effectively established to treat chronic low back pain. Standing Back Extension Test is one of the clinical measures to detect the passive extension subgroup of Motor Control Impairment (MCI); which could have...

Low back is a problem on the rise in adolescents which can be specific or non specific type. The risk increases in adolescents with their participation in sports activities that place a high amount of stresses on the lumbar spine. This not only leads to increased absenteeism from school but also increases the risk to have low back pain in adulthood...

To do a clinical and ultrasonic evaluation of subjects with thumb pain with text messaging. Thumbs are commonly used for text messaging, which are not as well designed for fine manipulative or dexterous work. Repetitive use as in text messaging can lead to the injury to the tendons of the thumb. Ninety eight students with symptoms of Repetitive Str...

Abstract Purpose: Adolescence is the common age for sport involvement and theses athletes are more vulnerable to injury compared to adults. Due to the various factors there is a need to know the prevalence, nature of injuries and the various factors contributing to them in sports like football, hockey, cricket, athletics and basketball are the most...

Purpose: To evaluate and to find an association between postural stability amongst the subjects with sacroiliac iliac joint pain (SIJP) and compare it with healthy subjects. Methods: Single leg standing balance test with eyes closed (SLSBT-EC) was performed in 30 SIJP subjects without any visual, vestibular or other neuromusculoskeletal conditions...

The purpose of the study was to determine the normal sensory and range of motion (ROM) responses during the movement components of Thoracic Slump Test (Thoracic ST) in asymptomatic subjects. Sixty asymptomatic subjects were included in the study. Thoracic ST was performed in two sequences, proximal initiation, which was proximal to distal and dista...

Background: Physiotherapists perform movement testing in the assessment of patients with low back pain (LBP), to evaluate spinal mobility and symptom response. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between degree of spinal curvature (SC) and pain elicited by posteroanterior (PA) forces in individuals with and without LBP. Met...

To find intra rater and inter rater reliability of Dynamic Rotator Stability Test (DRST) and to find concurrent validity of Dynamic Rotator Stability Test (DRST) with University of Pennsylvania Shoulder Score (PENN) Scale. 40 subjects of either gender between the age group of 18-70 with painful shoulder conditions of musculoskeletal origin was sele...

There is a decrease in quadriceps muscle strength in subjects with patellofemoral pain syndrome. Various types of strengthening exercises of the quadriceps are done as part of its management, but the effect of isotonic eccentric quadriceps muscle exercises on patellofemoral pain syndrome has not been studied. Hence the aim of this exploratory pilot...

Context: Sensory changes are associated with diabetic neuropathy and the assessment of sensation is commonly done in the foot to prevent ulcers. Though sensory changes may be present in the upper limb also, its documentation is not done routinely. Aims: To find out the two point discrimination values and other sensory changes in the upper limb in t...

Lateral epicondylitis is a common sports injury of the elbow caused due to altered muscle activation during repetitive wrist extension in many athletic and non-athletic endeavours. The amount of muscle activity and timing of contraction eventually is directly dependent upon joint position during the activity. The purpose of our study was to compare...

Purpose: In recent years, ownership and usage of cell phones have become widespread, especially amongst young people. The increasing use of text messaging on mobile phones has focused concern on possible musculoskeletal disorders for the users. Hence the purpose of this study was to find the prevalence of cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs) of the u...