Francisco Alburquerque--Sendín

University of Córdoba | UCO · Departamento de Enfermería Farmacología y Fisioterapia

Background/Objectives: To compare the lumbopelvic muscle mechanical properties (MMPs) of women with and without multiple sclerosis (MS) and explore relationships between these properties and sociodemographic/clinical characteristics. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included 22 women with MS and 22 age- and BMI-matched women withou...

High-impact physical activity is a known risk factor for the development of pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) in women, affecting the pelvic floor muscles (PFMs). However, there is insufficient information to determine whether alterations in PFMs, or even in the lumbar muscles, can be detected before the onset of symptoms. The aim of the study was to i...

The human pelvis is a complex structure, which participates in the biomechanical functioning of the musculoskeletal system. Although it is considered a symmetrical entity, the morphology of the pelvis is subject to different factors that alter its anatomy, function or biomechanics, such as age, bipedal locomotion, obstetric changes and sexual dimor...

Objective To identify differences in the muscle mechanical properties of the pelvic floor (PF) and lumbar paravertebral (LP) muscles between young nulliparous and uni/multiparous women. Secondarily, specific behaviors, depending on the presence or absence or urinary incontinence (UI), were also researched. Design Case–control study. Setting Highe...

The lumbopelvic muscle mechanical properties (MMPs) are clinically relevant, but their dependence on sex remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to identify if lumbopelvic MMPs depend on the sex in a young adult population. Thirty-five healthy nulliparous women and 35 healthy men were analyzed (age range: 18–50). Lumbopelvic MMPs, that is, ton...

Objective: Recently, the DC/TMD has become an essential tool for the diagnosis of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). However, as they fail to include functional activities, new assessment proposals have emerged, such as the isometric contraction test (IC test) of the masticatory muscles, which uses muscle contractions to identify muscular TMD. Thi...

Objectives: To assess whether cervical sensitivity, range of motion (ROM) and strength are impaired in individuals with shoulder pain and how they interact with sociodemographic and clinical data. Methods: Forty-eight individuals with shoulder pain and 48 asymptomatic matched ones were included. Pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) in cervical region...

Introduction: Health-related quality of life (HRQL), pain and sleep have been described as relevant traits in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The aim of this study is to describe and evaluate HRQL, pain and sleep and their interdependence in HIV-positive patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study on HIV-infected patients was co...

Introduction Although compression is used to control pain in knee osteoarthritis (KOA), its clinical application is poorly supported, and there is a lack of scientific evidence to support its clinical use. As a low-cost and accessible protocol, compression using elastic bands could be a non-pharmacological intervention to reduce pain and improve ph...

This study aimed to identify if the muscle mechanical properties (MMPs) of both sides of pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) are symmetrical in different populations of both sexes. Between-sides comparisons of MMPs of PFMs, assessed with manual myotonometry, were performed in three groups, with 31 subjects each, composed of healthy nulliparous women (witho...

In recent years, the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Pain Disorders (DC/TMD) has been questioned, mainly because of the dependence on the muscular pressure needed to be applied during the clinical examination. Therefore, it is necessary to establish improvements in diagnostic strategies for DC/TMD of axis I. The aim of this study was to d...

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate relationships between the presence and number of active myofascial trigger points (MTPs) in shoulder muscles and physical and demographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, pain and function, range of motion (ROM), and strength in individuals with shoulder pain. Methods Fifty-eight individuals...

Aim To identify better predictors of early death in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using potential predictors derived from key measures obtained from cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). Methods This is a prospective, cohort study with 42-month follow-up in 126 COPD patients. Every patient completed the clinical eva...

Objective This meta-analysis compared pressure pain sensitivity in trigeminal, cervical spine and remote pain-free areas between migraine patients and headache-free controls considering diagnosis (episodic versus chronic) and sex. Databases and data treatment: Electronic databases were searched for cross-sectional or prospective case-control studie...

Objective: To assess the potential relationship between demographic (age, gender, body mass index, height, weight), clinical (affected side, duration of symptoms, health-related quality of life), psychological (depressive levels) or neuro-physiological (pressure pain sensitivity and number of trigger points -TrP-) outcomes with foot function and p...

This research aimed to identify changes in muscle mechanical properties (MMPs) when a standardized sequence of movements is performed and to determine the influence of acute low back pain (LBP) and age on the MMPs. Socio-demographic, clinical variables and MMPs were collected in 33 patients with LBP and 33 healthy controls. A 2 × 2 × 2 (group × age...

An analysis of the muscle mechanical properties (MMPs) of the pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) is relevant for understanding the physiopathology of urinary incontinence (UI). However, there is no objective and reliable methodology currently available for quantifying the MMPs of PFMs. Thus, the objective was to determine the intra-rater and inter-rater r...

Background Abdominal diastasis (AD) is highly prevalent at post-partum. Although several conservative approaches have been proposed, an effective and protocolized treatment is lacking for this condition. Objective To identify modifications of inter-rectus abdominis distance (IRAD), trunk circumferences and mechanical properties of the AD, transver...

Evidence supports the presence of comorbid conditions, e.g., irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), in individuals with fibromyalgia (FM). Physical therapy plays an essential role in the treatment of FM; however, it is not currently known whether the IBS comorbidity is considered in the selection criteria for clinical trials evaluating physiotherapy in FM...

Different musculoskeletal disorders are a source of pain in the spinal region; most of them can be divided into mechanical, such as low back pain (LBP), or inflammatory origins, as is the case of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Nevertheless, insufficient information is available about the muscle negative consequences of these conditions. Thus, the...

Objective: The aim of this scoping review was to identify if the phase of the menstrual cycle was considered in observational studies comparing pressure pain sensitivity between women with migraine or tension-type headache (TTH) and headache-free women. Methods: A systematic electronic literature search in PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus...

Background: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) affects spinal muscles, due to inflammation and structural damage. The mechanical properties of the muscles, such as tone or stiffness, could be altered in axSpA. The aim of this work is to analyze the mechanical properties of cervical and lumbar spine muscles in axSpA patients and their relationship wit...

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a rheumatic inflammatory chronic disease that mainly affects the spine, producing inflammation and structural damage at the vertebral level (erosions, syndesmophytes, and bony bridges) [...]

Background The spinal range of motion (ROM) and the mechanical muscle properties (MMPs) at rest are defined as relevant clinical factors in inflammatory (i.e. axial Spondyloarthritis -axSpA) and mechanical spinal pain (i.e. Mechanical Neck pain -NP- or Mechanical Low Back pain -LBP-). Nevertheless, there is not enough evidence regarding if ROM and...

Our aims were to identify potential differences in muscle mechanical properties (MMPs) of cervical and lumbar tissues and in spinal range of motion (ROM) between patients with acute low back pain (LBP) or acute neck pain (NP) and healthy controls, and to identify if ROMs and MMPs are able to identify subjects among the three groups. Clinical variab...

The aim of the current scoping review was to identify if the presence of irritable bowel syndrome was included as eligibility criteria of participants included in clinical trials investigating the effects of physical therapy in individuals with temporomandibular pain disorders (TMDs). A systematic electronic literature search in the Web of Science...

Objetivo: Primeiramente, avaliar o efeito imediato da terapia de compressão isquêmica (TCI) na dor, mobilidade e força dos músculos do ombro em indivíduos com Síndrome do Impacto Subacromial (SIS). Em segundo lugar, verificar se o protocolo de avaliação de força e mobilidade influencia a quantidade de pontos-gatilho miofasciais (PGMs). Métodos: Est...

Biopsychosocial aspects seem to influence the clinical condition of rotator cuff related shoulder pain (RCRSP). However, traditional bivariate and linear analyses may not be sufficiently robust to capture the complex relationships among these aspects. This study determined which biopsychosocial aspects would better classify individuals with acute a...

Objective: The aim of this study was to design and propose a new test based on inertial measurement unit (IMU) technology, for measuring cervical posture and motor control in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to evaluate its validity and reliability. Methods: Twenty-four individuals with CP (4-14 years) and 24 gender- and age-matched control...

Background: The myofascial trigger points (MTPs) may be associated with in shoulder dysfunction. Objective: To evaluate the immediate effect of ischemic compression therapy (ICT) and to verify the effect of the evaluation protocol on MTPs, pain, mobility and strength of shoulder. Methods: 15 individuals were assessed for the amount of MTPs, pressur...

Introduction There is an unmet need to develop tailored therapeutic exercise protocols applying different treatment parameters and modalities for individuals with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Cryotherapy is widely used in rehabilitation as an adjunct treatment due to its effects on pain and the inflammatory process. However, disagreement between KOA...

Background Physical exercise, a cornerstone of the conservative management of knee osteoarthritis (KOA), is exhaustively recommended by important clinical guidelines. A strength therapeutic exercise program (STEP) relieves pain, improves physical function and ultimately ameliorates quality of life (QoL). Furthermore, photobiomodulation (PBM) has be...

Objective To assess the influence of clinical, psychological, and psychophysical variables on treatment outcomes after application of exercise combined with education with/without manual therapy in people with tinnitus associated to TMD. Methods A secondary analysis of a clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of including cervico‐mandibula...

Objective: This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) for the assessment of craniocervical range of motion (ROM) in patients with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: twenty-three subjects with CP and 23 controls, aged between 4 and 14 years, were evaluated on two occasions, separated by 3 to 5 days....

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the relative and absolute reliability of the pressure pain threshold (PPT) in the shoulder muscles of participants with and without unilateral subacromial impingement syndrome. Methods: Study of intraday intra- and interrater and interday intrarater reliability. Fifty-two participants symptom...

Background There are insufficient studies providing Minimal Clinical Important Difference (MCID) for outcomes related to temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Objectives (1) To provide the MCID of outcomes related to TMD using the Global Rating of Change Scale (GRCS) as an anchor. (2) To verify which outcomes can predict a moderate or large response...

Objective The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of early rehabilitation on arm range of motion (ROM), strength and function after breast cancer surgery (BCS). Data sources: PubMed, MEDLINE, Bireme, Embase, LILACS and CINAHL databases were searched. Methods Two independent reviewers selected randomized controlled trials evaluating women w...

Background Lumbar back pain reduces spinal mobility in patients. Although there are some symptoms that characterise ‘inflammatory back pain’, these are non-specific and the diagnosis is often delayed. It is not clear if there are kinematic differences between axial Spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and other types of back pain. Inertial motion sensors are...

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of cryotherapy on pain and physical function in knee osteoarthritis. Data sources: An electronic search was performed up to February 2019 on PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Lilacs, Cochrane, Web of Science, Ibecs, and Scielo databases with keywords knee osteoarthritis and cryotherapy. Methods: Two au...

Background: There are no conclusive results concerning changes in scapular kinematics associated with upper limb dysfunctions after breast cancer surgery. Objective: To compare the three-dimensional (3-D) scapular kinematics during elevation of the arm between women after breast cancer surgery and controls. Shoulder range of motion (ROM), muscle st...

Background Studies exploring interventions targeting the cervical spine to improve symptoms in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are limited. Objectives To determine whether mobilization of the upper cervical region and craniocervical flexor training decreased orofacial pain, increased mandibular function and pressure pain thresholds...

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to summarize the experiences of African psychiatric nurses in their workplace by examining the findings of existing qualitative studies. Methods: Eleven studies published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, between 1998 and 2016, which explored psychiatric nurses' experiences in Africa, were included. Find...

Mechanical hyperalgesia defined as decreased pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) is commonly associated with pain. In this narrative review, we report the current state of the art within topographical pressure sensitivity maps. Such maps are based on multiple PPT assessments. The PPTs are assessed by an a priori defined grid with special focus on both...

Previous studies evaluated 3D human jaw movements using kinematic analysis systems during mouth opening, but information on the reliability of such measurements is still scarce. The purpose of this study was to analyze within- and between-session reliabilities, inter-rater reliability, standard error of measurement (SEM), minimum detectable change...

We aimed to evaluate gender differences in the relationships between headache features, sleep quality, anxiety, depressive symptoms and burden of headache in 193 patients (73% women) with chronic tension type headache (CTTH). Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Headache features were collected with a four-week diary....

Background: Although hydrotherapy is widely used to treat women with fibromyalgia, no studies have investigated the effects of this intervention on scapular kinematics in this population. This study verified the effectiveness of a hydrotherapy program on scapular kinematics, pain and quality of life in women with fibromyalgia. Methods: Twenty wo...

Objective: To determine inter and intraexaminer reliability of examiners without clinical experience in identifying and classifying MTPs in the shoulder muscles of subjects asymptomatic and symptomatic for unilateral SIS. Design: Within-day inter and intraexaminer reliability study. Setting: Physical Therapy Department of a University. Partic...

Background: Knee Osteoarthritis seems to negatively impact ankle biomechanics. However, the effect of knee osteoarthritis on ankle muscle strength has not been clearly established. This study aimed to evaluate the ankle strength of the plantar flexors and dorsiflexors of patients with knee osteoarthritis in different degrees of severity. Methods:...

Objective: To investigate the short-term effects of thoracic spine manipulation (TSM) on pain, function, scapular kinematics and scapular muscle activity in individuals with shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS). Design: Blinded assessor and patient, randomized controlled trial. Setting: Laboratory. Participants: Sixty-one patients with SIS....

Background: People with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) exhibit widespread pressure pain and thermal pain hypersensitivity as a manifestation of central sensitization. The aim of our study was to compare the effectiveness of manual therapy versus surgery for improving pain and nociceptive gain processing in people with CTS. Methods: The trial was c...

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the immediate effects of mobilization with movement (MWM) with sham technique on range of motion (ROM), muscle strength, and function in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome. Methods: A randomized clinical study was performed. Participants (mean age ± standard deviation, 31 ± 8 years; 56...

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to compare the number of myofascial trigger points (MTPs) and the pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) in the shoulder girdle, on the dominant and nondominant sides, between healthy children and adults. The secondary aim was to assess the correlations between the number of MTPs and the PPTs in these po...

Background: Low back pain (LBP) could be influenced by socio-cultural factors. Pain narratives are important to understand the influence of environment on patients with chronic LBP. There are few studies that have explored the experience of patients with chronic LBP in different socio-cultural environments. The aim of this study was to describe th...

Narratives from Low Back Pain patients. (DOC)

Background: Cultural and social factors play an important role in the development and persistence of Low Back Pain (LBP). Nevertheless, there are few studies investigating differences in LBP features between countries. Objective: To determine differences in pain perception between individuals with LBP living in Brazil and Spain. Method: Thirty...

Aim: To establish whether there are differences in pain sensitivity between hypertensive and normotensive older adults. Methods: A cross-sectional case control study was carried out. A total of 72 older adults, 36 normotensive and 36 hypertensive, participated in the study. The pressure pain threshold (PPT) was assessed on seven points bilateral...

Aim To summarise the current evidence regarding the effectiveness of physical therapy on pain, function and range of motion in individuals with subacromial pain syndrome (SAPS). Design Systematic review. Data sources PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, Lilacs, Ibecs and Scielo databases. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Rand...

Objective: To investigate the effect of a rehabilitation program based on cervical mobilization and exercise on clinical signs and mandibular function in subjects with temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Material and Methods: Single-group pre-post test, with baseline comparison. Subjects: Twelve women (22.08±2.23 years) with myofascial pain and mi...

Study design: Randomized controlled trial. Objective: To evaluate the effects of an exercise protocol, with and without manual therapy, on scapular kinematics, function, pain, and mechanical sensitivity in individuals with shoulder impingement syndrome. Background: Stretching and strengthening exercises have been shown to effectively decrease...

Background: Mobilization with movement (MWM) has been shown to reduce pain, increase range of motion (ROM) and physical function in a range of different musculoskeletal disorders. Despite this evidence, there is a lack of studies evaluating the effects of MWM for hip osteoarthritis (OA). Objectives: To determine the immediate effects of MWM on p...

Topographical pain maps (TPM) are useful tools to assess deep tissue sensitivity in musculoskeletal pain conditions. There is evidence suggesting bilateral sensitivity in subacromial pain syndrome (SAPS), although it is not widely accepted. No previous study has investigated TPM of the shoulder in SAPS. To investigate whether differences for TPM of...

There is a lack of knowledge about the effectiveness of manual therapy (MT) on subjects with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). The aim of this systematic review is to synthetise evidence regarding the isolated effect of MT in improving maximum mouth opening (MMO) and pain in subjects with signs and symptoms of TMD. MEDLINE(®) , Cochrane, Web of Sc...

The purpose of this study was to compare the immediate effects of mobilization with movement (MWM) to a sham technique in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome. A randomized controlled trial was performed. Forty-two patients (mean ± SD age, 55 ± 9 years; 81% female) satisfied eligibility criteria, agreed to participate, and were randomized in...

Objective. To compare the effects of combined trigger point dry needling (TrP-DN) and proprioceptive/strengthening exercises to proprioceptive/strengthening exercises on pain and function in ankle instability. Methods. Twenty-seven (44% female, mean age: years) individuals with unilateral ankle instability were randomly assigned to an experimental...

The objectives of this study were to investigate if referred pain elicited by active trigger points (TrPs) reproduced the symptoms in individuals with painful knee osteoarthritis (OA) and to determine the relationship between the presence of active TrPs, intensity of ongoing pain, function, quality of life, and sleep quality in individuals with pai...

Excessive mechanical loading is considered the major cause of rotator cuff tendinopathy. Although tendon problems are very common, they are not always easy to treat. Eccentric training has been proposed as an effective conservative treatment for the Achilles and patellar tendinopathies, but less evidence exists about its effectiveness for the rotat...

The scope of this paper was to study the relationship between pain intensity, health-related quality of life, disability, sleep quality and demographic data in elderly people with total knee arthroplasty (TKA). 24 subjects who had been subjected to TKA the previous month (4 females; 66 ± 9years) and 21 comparable controls (8 male; 70 ± 9years) part...