Giacomo Rossettini

University of Genoa | UNIGE · Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, riabilitazione, oftalmologia, genetica e scienze materno-infantili (DINOGMI)

Mechanistic studies on manual therapy (MT) have potential to allow better understanding of ‘why’ and ‘how’ MT interventions provide an effect. Contextual factors (CF) include the multitude of intrinsic and extrinsic inputs outside of the specific intervention which influence response. CFs must be accounted for within both clinical and mechanistic t...

(1) Background: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FM) is a specific condition within the spectrum of musculoskeletal pain disorders, with an estimated global prevalence of 2%. Physical exercise has shown promise in modulating pain and improving physical function without the drawbacks of pharmacotherapy. This study aims to examine the effects of a 6-week teler...

Background and Objectives: This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of exercise interventions for managing nonspecific low back pain (NSLBP) and explores their impact on related biopsychosocial factors, physical health variables, and inflammatory biomarkers. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search of five databases (PubMed, CINAHL,...

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has significantly strained Gaza’s healthcare system (Levi et al. Citation2024; Rimawi and Madani Citation2023). To address public health challenges effectively, including those faced by people with disabilities, a multidisciplinary approach is essential, leveraging expertise from psychology, nursing, me...

Author response to the JOSPT Letter to the Editor-in-Chief “Comment on “Which Portion of Physiotherapy Treatments’ Effect Is Not Attributable to the Specific Effects in People With Musculoskeletal Pain? A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials” by Ezzatvar et al” J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2024;54(12):784-785. doi:10.2519/jospt.2024.0...

Background/Objectives: Chronic pain impacts approximately 18% of the Spanish population, with low levels of vitamin D prevalent in over 80% of individuals over 65. Given vitamin D’s critical role in pain modulation, its deficiency may be significantly linked to chronic musculoskeletal pain, though existing research offers mixed results. Methods: Th...

Objective Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a prevalent health condition worldwide. Several therapeutic interventions aim to improve CLBP. Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) helps patients better understand their pain from biological and physiological perspectives, which clinicians use to reduce pain and disability in patients with chronic musculoskel...

Hybrid e-learning offered flexibility for students who could not attend in-person classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its effectiveness in teaching chest physiotherapy remains to be determined. This retrospective case-control study assessed physiotherapy students’ academic performance and satisfaction with a hybrid classroom approach adopted...

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by chronic pain and a complex array of symptoms, with neuroinflammation implicated in its pathophysiology. Methods: This study aimed to explore the association between neuroinflammation, measured through interleukin levels (IL-1, IL-6, IL-8), and clinical outcomes in FM patients. Using a cross-sectiona...

Background Falls are a worrying and growing phenomenon worldwide that especially affects the elderly. With the development of technology, one way of studying the real-life falls that occur in healthcare settings is by using video cameras. Aims To (a) map the patterns of the research on real-life falls among older adults in healthcare settings as a...

Purpose: We aimed to identify the factors influencing the success of Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) in chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain from the perspective of those experiencing PNE first-hand. Materials and methods: We conducted a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. Articles were found on MEDLINE via Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, C...

Background Person-centred care underscores the therapeutic alliance (TA) as fundamental, fostering positive treatment outcomes through collaborative patient-clinician interactions. Biobehavioural synchrony within the TA, essential for effective care, reflects an adaptive process where organisms align responses during interactions. Enactivism and ac...

(1) Background: The objective of this study is to evaluate the predictive value of the Eaton–Littler radiologic classification for thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (CMC OA) relating to intra-articular cartilage damage assessed by the Outerbridge arthroscopic classification. (2) Methods: A total of 51 thumb CMC OA arthroscopies were performed on...

Background Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are emerging educational tools for students in healthcare science. However, assessing their accuracy is essential prior to adoption in educational settings. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of predicting the correct answers from three AI chatbots (ChatGPT-4, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini...

Background Chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is a disabling condition affecting bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons that persists beyond three months or the expected healing time. It results from various rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD) such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Low Back Pain and Neck Pain, and Fibromyalgia. Clin...

Background Low back pain (LBP) is one of the prevalent chronic pains in flight attendants. Exercise is recommended; however, the effects of resistance exercises with motor skills training and pain reprocessing in flight attendants with LBP are not currently known. This study compares the effect of resistance exercises with motor skills training and...

Introduction In recent decades, nurses’ and healthcare professionals’ digital health competencies have emerged as key factors in enabling the digital healthcare transformation. Therefore, this review aims to describe the level of digital health competencies among nurses and healthcare professionals and the factors affecting them. Methods We perfor...

Background Understanding the influence of contextual factors (CFs) on interventions for mechanical neck pain (MNP) is essential for evidence‐based practice in physical therapy. However, the specific effects and synergies of combining different CFs remain unclear. Objective The primary purpose of this study will be to determine if a CFs‐Enriched St...

Background and Objectives: This retrospective cohort study analyzes mechanical complications in hip fracture surgery using the Trochanteric Fixation Nail-Advanced (TFNA) implant. It investigates the correlation of these complications with demographic, intraoperative, and radiological factors, aiming to identify associated risk factors and suggest i...

Background: To identify in the literature the exercise training therapies for females with fibromyalgia that may improve pain management and quality of life (QOL). Methods: A literature search was conducted in MEDLINE and PEDro databases for human studies up to June 2021. We considered studies if they investigated exercise therapies and their impa...

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To quantify the proportion attributable to contextual effects of physical therapy interventions for musculoskeletal pain. DESIGN: Intervention systematic review with meta-analysis. LITERATURE SEARCH: We searched Ovid, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, PEDro, Cochrane Controlled Trials Registry, and SPORTDiscus databases from inc...

Objective A shared consensus on the safety about physical agent modalities (PAMs) practice in physiotherapy and rehabilitation is lacking. We aimed to develop evidence-informed and consensus-based statements about the safety of PAMs. Study design and setting A RAND-modified Delphi Rounds’ survey was used to reach a consensus. We established a stee...

Purpose Measuring trunk extensor muscle endurance is important for identifying non-specific low back pain (LBP) risk factors and prognostic indicators, planning treatment goals, and measuring patient progress. This randomized cross-over study evaluated the reliability and validity of a newly instrumented device for measuring lumbar spine extensor m...

Aim: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, with a huge economic burden on public health. Neuromuscular (NMS) exercises may reduce LBP recurrence, but the most effective program has not been established. This narrative review aimed to collect evidence on the effect of NMS exercises in patients with LBP. Methods: A...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the accuracy of an artificial intelligence chatbot to clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) recommendations for providing answers to complex clinical questions on lumbosacral radicular pain. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: We extracted recommendations from recent CPGs for diagnosing and treating lumbosacral radicular pai...

Background Several systematic reviews (SRs), with and without meta-analyses, have investigated the use of wearable devices to improve physical activity, and there is a need for frequent and updated syntheses on the topic. Objective We aimed to evaluate whether using wearable devices increased physical activity and reduced sedentary behaviour in ad...

Welche Rolle spielen Kontextfaktoren bei der Therapie? Und wie können sich Therapeut*innen diese zunutze machen? Das Autorenteam gibt in diesem Artikel umfassend Antwort auf diese Fragen. Sicher ist: Über die Modulation der Kontextfaktoren kann der spezifische Therapieeffekt positiv unterstützt werden. Therapeut*innen sollten dies bewusst nutzen.

Background and Purpose Lateral elbow pain represents a common musculoskeletal disorder, mostly non‐specific and benign. In rare cases, it can be the first symptom of a severe disease such as Ewing's sarcoma (ES). ES is the second most common primary malignant bone tumor in the young population, with a high probability of an unfavourable prognosis....

This book sheds light on the translation of current mechanistic research on placebo effects to develop comprehensive and adequate strategies for better symptom management and treatment. This book identifies three core aspects to bridge state-of-the-art concepts with day-to-day clinical practice. First, lessons from mechanistic placebo research indi...

Synopsis: Artificial intelligence (AI), specifically Large Language Models (LLMs), which focus on the interaction between computers and human language, can influence musculoskeletal rehabilitation management. AI chatbots (e.g., ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing, Google Bard) are a form of LLMs designed to understand, interpret, and generate text similar to w...

Objective: To establish priority gaps related to contextual factors (CFs) research and force-based manipulation (FBM). Methods: A three-round Delphi following recommended guidelines for conducting and reporting Delphi studies (CREDES) involving international and interdisciplinary panelists with expertise in CFs and FBM. Round 1 was structured ar...

Contextual factor use by healthcare professionals has been studied mainly among nurses and physiotherapists. Preliminary results show that healthcare professionals use contextual factors without specifically labelling them as such. The main objective of this study was to evaluate knowledge and explore voluntary contextual factor use among various h...

We aimed to understand whether ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM) and dynamic knee valgus (DKV) kinematic inter-limb asymmetries would be associated with the Lateral Step-Down Test (LSD) in basketball players with chronic ankle instability (CAI), patellofemoral pain (PFP) and healthy controls (HC). An observational cross-sectional study with...

We read with interest the systematic review with the meta-analysis by Miguel Molina-Álvarez et al. [...]

Objective Emerging literature suggests contextual factors are important components of therapeutic encounters and may substantially influence clinical outcomes of a treatment intervention. At present, a single consensus definition of contextual factors, which is universal across all health-related conditions is lacking. The objective of this study w...

Background: Several systematic reviews (SRs) assessing the effectiveness of superficial physical agents have been published, but the evidence about their safety remains controversial. Objective: To identify areas where there is evidence of the safety of physical agents by a scoping review. Design: Four databases were systematically searched fo...

(1) Background: In recent years, placebo and nocebo effects have been extensively documented in different medical conditions, including pain. The scientific literature has provided strong evidence of how the psychosocial context accompanying the treatment administration can influence the therapeutic outcome positively (placebo effects) or negativel...

Control interventions (often called “sham,” “placebo,” or “attention controls”) are essential for studying the efficacy or mechanism of physical, psychological, and self-management interventions in clinical trials. This article presents core recommendations for designing, conducting, and reporting control interventions to establish a quality standa...

Control interventions (often called “sham,” “placebo,” or “attention controls”) are essential for studying the efficacy or mechanism of physical, psychological, and self-management interventions in clinical trials. This article presents core recommendations for designing, conducting, and reporting control interventions to establish a quality standa...

Many causes potentially underline pain in the lower extremities, presenting a real challenge for primary care clinicians in the recognition of the source of the patient's complaints. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is defined as a total or partial blockage of the vessels that supply blood from the heart to the periphery. PAD of the lower extremit...

Medical and rehabilitation protocol

Introduction: Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is considered the gold standard in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis and post-traumatic knee deformities. The aim of the study was to report the functional results of a group of Optetrack™ TKA patients over a period between 6 and 13 years after surgery. Material and methods: A group of 47 TKA prosthese...

The ability to perform two tasks simultaneously is essential for daily activities. In older adults, this ability is markedly reduced, as evidenced by the dual-task cost on gait. Preliminary evidences indicate that the dual-task cost can be influenced by different types of manipulations. Here, we explored the effectiveness of a new approach to reduc...

Variation during practice is widely accepted to be advantageous for motor learning and is, therefore, a valuable strategy to effectively reduce high-risk landing mechanics and prevent primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Few attempts have examined the specific effects of variable training in athletes who have undergone ACL reconstruction...

Background: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is considered one of the most common health conditions, significantly increasing the disease burden worldwide. Several interventions have been used to relieve CLBP. Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) approach is used to help patients better understand their pain from a biological and physiological perspective...

Variable during practice is widely accepted to be advantageous for motor learning and therefor a valuable strategy to effectively reduce high-risk landing mechanics and prevent primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Few attempts have examined the specific effects of variable train-ing in athletes who have undergone ACL reconstruction. The...

This study aimed to measure the acute effects of Kinesio taping at different stretches on tuck jump performance in active individuals. Seventy-five males (23.01 ± 2.24 years, 178.35 ± 8.12 cm, 72.47 ± 6.58 kg) were randomly distributed into three groups: (1) Kinesio taping without stretch, (2) Kinesio taping with approximately 50% stretch, and (3)...

Objective: To investigate if alternated Epley (EP) and Semont (ST) maneuvers could be more effective than repetition of the same in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of posterior semicircular canal (pBPPV). Design: We retrospectively reviewed the outcome of pBPPV patients treated with a second maneuver for the persistence of positional nystagmus...

Emerging literature suggests contextual factors are important components of therapeutic encounters and may substantially influence clinical outcomes of a treatment intervention. At present, a single consensus definition of contextual factors, which is universal across all health-related conditions is lacking. The objective of this study was to crea...

Background: Myofascial trigger points (TrP) are diagnosed upon the presence of clinical signs among which hypersensitivity is considered one of the most important. The detection of the pressure pain threshold (PPT) is used to quantify the degree of hypersensitivity. However, there is a lack of normative data about how hypersensitive a TrP is. Ther...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/36414.].

UNSTRUCTURED No abstract available

Objective To examine the experience of Italian nurses posted on social media and discover changes, if any, over the waves. Methods A mixed methods study reported according to the Good Reporting of a Mixed Methods Study criteria. All narratives (texts, letters and interviews) posted by Italian nurses from February 2020 to May 2020 (first wave) and...

Introduction While the placebo effect is increasingly recognised as a contributor to treatment effects in clinical practice, the nocebo and other undesirable effects are less well explored and likely underestimated. In the chiropractic, osteopathy and physiotherapy professions, some aspects of historical models of care may arguably increase the ris...

Introduction: The clinical management of Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) substantially varying among general practi-tioners, specialists and physical therapists belonging to the same country, resulting in a wide spectrum of approaches. Objective: To determine how outcome expectations influence conservative treatment of working-age patients with CLBP....

Background Digitalization is not fully implemented in clinical practice, and several factors have been identified as possible barriers, including the competencies of health care professionals. However, no summary of the available evidence has been provided to date to depict digital health competencies that have been investigated among health care p...

Background Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death and comorbidity worldwide. High blood pressure and resting heart rate are risk factors (or vital signs) critical to cardiovascular health, patient safety, and medical management. Physiotherapists play a fundamental role in risk factor identification, early diagnosis, and subsequent m...

This study aimed to investigate how facilitatory and inhibitory KT of the Vastus Medialis affected the activation and the fatigue indices of VM, Vastus Lateralis (VL) and Rectus Femoris (RF) throughout a dynamic fatigue protocol. Seventeen collegiate athletes (Ten males, seven females, age: 24.76 ± 3.99 years, height: 1.73 ± 0.10 m, mass: 68.11 ± 8...

Touch is recognised as crucial for survival, fostering cooperative communication, accelerating recovery, reducing hospital stays, and promoting overall wellness and the therapeutic alliance. In this hypothesis and theory paper, we present an entwined model that combines touch for alignment and active inference to explain how the brain develops "pri...

Objetivo: Describir los procesos de adaptación transcultural al español argentino y validación de contenido de la versión italiana de un cuestionario para explorar los conocimientos, creencias y actitudes de los fisioterapeutas de Argentina con respecto al uso de factores contextuales en el dolor musculoesquelético. Materiales y método: El diseño d...

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess whether beliefs about the origin of the popping sound and the effects of thrust manipulation (TM) were in agreement with current scientific evidence and whether a practitioner's explanation could influence patient beliefs of theoretical mechanisms. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was co...

Synopsis: As physical therapists, we may have all experienced tense moments in our therapeutic relationships with patients. Whether small or large, implicit or explicit, relational breakdowns are a normal part of human interactions. Within the clinical encounter, these tensions are called "ruptures." In psychotherapy, ruptures have been associated...

Objective This study aimed at exploring the perspectives and experiences of patients with neck pain by synthesizing all available qualitative studies. Methods A systematic, qualitative meta-summary and meta-synthesis was conducted following the 5-step methodology proposed by Sandelowski and Barroso. A systematic search of 9 electronic databases wa...

Many conditions could potentially cause pain in the lower limbs. One of these is peripheral arterial disease (PAD). PAD is often a real challenge to be recognized for clinicians due to symptoms that commonly mimic musculoskeletal conditions. PAD is defined as a total or partial blockage of the vessels that supply blood from the heart to the periphe...

We want to thank you for the opportunity to respond to the issues raised in the letter to the Editor of Dr. Moretti et al. [...]

Background Recent studies found that fibromyalgia may underly neuropathic conditions affecting the peripheral nervous system. Moreover, clinical observations and preliminary reports suggest the existence of body perceptions distortions (BPD) like “phantom" feelings of swollen hands and feet, similar to those complained by patients with other neurop...

This Perspective adapts the ViolEx Model, a framework validated in several clinical conditions, to better understand the role of expectations in the recovery and/or maintenance of musculoskeletal (MSK) pain. Here, particular attention is given to the condition in which dysfunctional expectations are maintained despite no longer being supported by c...