1/27. Low power laser therapy and analgesic action.OBJECTIVE: The semiconductor or laser diode (GaAs, 904 nm) is the most appropriate choice in pain reduction therapy. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Low-power density laser acts on the prostaglandin (PG) synthesis, increasing the change of PGG2 and PGH2 into PG12 (also called prostacyclin, or epoprostenol). The last is the main product of the arachidonic acid into the endothelial cells and into the smooth muscular cells of vessel walls, that have a vasodilating and anti-inflammatory action. methods: Treatment was performed on 372 patients (206 women and 166 men) during the period between May 1987 and January 1997. The patients, whose ages ranged from 25 to 70 years, with a mean age of 45 years, suffered from rheumatic, degenerative, and traumatic pathologies as well as cutaneous ulcers. The majority of patients had been seen by orthopedists and rheumatologists and had undergone x-ray examination. All patients had received drug-based treatment and/or physiotherapy with poor results; 5 patients had also been irradiated with He:Ne and CO2 lasers. Two-thirds were experiencing acute symptomatic pain, while the others suffered long-term pathology with recurrent crises. We used a pulsed diode laser, GaAs 904 nm wavelength once per day for 5 consecutive days, followed by a 2-day interval. The average number of applications was 12. We irradiated the trigger points, access points to the joint, and striated muscles adjacent to relevant nerve roots. RESULTS: We achieved very good results, especially in cases of symptomatic osteoarthritis of the cervical vertebrae, sport-related injuries, epicondylitis, and cutaneous ulcers, and with cases of osteoarthritis of the coxa. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with 904-nm diode laser has substantially reduced the symptoms as well as improved the quality of life of these patient, ultimately postponing the need for surgery.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = muscle (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/27. Suspected role of ofloxacin in a case of arthalgia, myalgia, and multiple tendinopathy.A 53-year-old woman on ofloxacin developed myalgia, arthralgia, and tendinopathy. Her symptoms resolved after ofloxacin discontinuation. Although tendinopathy is a well-documented complication of quinolone therapy, there have been few reports of muscle symptoms. Concomitant involvement of the tendons, muscles, and joints has been exceedingly rare. Inhaled glucocorticoid therapy and moderate hypothyroidism were probably precipitating factors in our patient.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = muscle (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/27. Cervical flexion: a study of dynamic surface electromyography and range of motion.BACKGROUND: In the comprehensive assessment of painful conditions, dynamic surface electromyography (sEMG) and range of motion (ROM) recordings can provide information regarding muscle spasm, antalgic postures, fear of pain (protective guarding), muscle injury, and disordered movement caused by pain. This study examines ROM and sEMG patterns observed during cervical flexion. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate 2 distinctive sEMG recruitment and dynamic ROM patterns observed during cervical flexion and return to mid-line. DESIGN: Single-subject design with independent measurement of dynamic ROM and sEMG. SETTING: Applied clinical setting. PARTICIPANTS: Two subjects with normal ROM and cervical muscles were studied. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: One subject was studied with sEMG. looking at the cervical paraspinals and sternocleidomastoid muscles; the other subject was studied with an active ROM device. Three cervical movements were studied: lower cervical flexion, atlantoaxial (upper) cervical flexion, and a combination upper/lower cervical flexion. RESULTS: The active ROM device indicates larger movements (higher degrees of flexion) for the lower cervical flexion compared with upper flexion. The combined movement indicates a differential movement from 2 spinal segments. The sEMG recordings indicated differential recruitment patterns. The sternocleidomastoid recruits briskly during the flexion phase of the upper cervical flexion movement, whereas the cervical paraspinals recruit briskly during return to mid-line when the lower cervical flexion is used. The combined upper then lower cervical flexion movement recruits both sets of muscles. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicate 2 distinct movement patterns associated with upper versus lower cervical flexion and 2 distinct sEMG recruitment patterns. The study suggests that these 2 distinct movements involve 2 distinct cervical segments and are associated with recruitment of different muscle groups. Applied clinical research on the cervical spine should use sEMG recordings to assess both the upper and lower flexion movements as the standard for the study of cervical flexion.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 6keywords = muscle (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/27. central nervous system disease in patients with macrophagic myofasciitis.Macrophagic myofasciitis (MMF), a condition newly recognized in france, is manifested by diffuse myalgias and characterized by highly specific myopathological alterations which have recently been shown to represent an unusually persistent local reaction to intramuscular injections of aluminium-containing vaccines. Among 92 MMF patients recognized so far, eight of them, which included the seven patients reported here, had a symptomatic demyelinating CNS disorder. CNS manifestations included hemisensory or sensorimotor symptoms (four out of seven), bilateral pyramidal signs (six out of seven), cerebellar signs (four out of seven), visual loss (two out of seven), cognitive and behavioural disorders (one out of seven) and bladder dysfunction (one out of seven). brain T(2)-weighted MRI showed single (two out of seven) or multiple (four out of seven) supratentorial white matter hyperintense signals and corpus callosum atrophy (one out of seven). evoked potentials were abnormal in four out of six patients and CSF in four out of seven. According to Poser's criteria for multiple sclerosis, the diagnosis was clinically definite (five out of seven) or clinically probable multiple sclerosis (two out of seven). Six out of seven patients had diffuse myalgias. deltoid muscle biopsy showed stereotypical accumulations of PAS (periodic acid-Schiff)-positive macrophages, sparse CD8 T cells and minimal myofibre damage. Aluminium-containing vaccines had been administered 3-78 months (median = 33 months) before muscle biopsy (hepatitis b virus: four out of seven, tetanus toxoid: one out of seven, both hepatitis b virus and tetanus toxoid: two out of seven). The association between MMF and multiple sclerosis-like disorders may give new insights into the controversial issues surrounding vaccinations and demyelinating CNS disorders. deltoid muscle biopsy searching for myopathological alterations of MMF should be performed in multiple sclerosis patients with diffuse myalgias.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = muscle (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/27. Giving way event during a combined stepping and crossover cutting task in an individual with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency.STUDY DESIGN: Case study. OBJECTIVE: To compare knee kinematics and moments of nongiving way trials to a giving way trial during a combined stepping and crossover cutting activity. BACKGROUND: The knee kinematics and moments associated with giving way episodes suggest motor control strategies that lead to instability and recovery of stability during movement. methods AND MEASURES: A 27-year-old woman with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency reported giving way while performing a combined stepping and crossover cutting activity. A motion analysis system recorded motion of the pelvis, femur, tibia, and foot using 3 infrared emitting diodes placed on each segment at 60 Hz. Force plate recordings at 300 Hz were combined with limb inertial properties and position data to estimate net knee joint moments. The stance time, foot progression angle, and cutting angle were also included to evaluate performance between trials. RESULTS: Knee internal rotation during the giving way trial increased 3.2 degrees at 54% of stance relative to the nongiving way trials. Knee flexion during the giving way trial increased to 33.1 degrees at 66% of stance, and the knee moment switched from a nominal flexor moment to a knee extensor moment at 64% of stance. The knee abductor moment and external rotation moment during the giving way trial deviated in early stance. CONCLUSIONS: The observed response to the giving way event suggests that increasing knee flexion may enhance knee stability for this subject. The transverse and frontal plane moments appear important in contributing to the giving way event. Further research that assists clinicians in understanding how interventions can impact control of movements in these planes is necessary.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.34041828682048keywords = limb (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/27. Case report: diabetic muscle infarction presenting as knee arthralgia.Diabetic muscle infarction is a rare complication of diabetes and has characteristic clinical features including acute onset of pain with painful swelling, most commonly in the thigh or calf muscle, which gradually improves to complete resolution. Recently we experienced a case of diabetic muscular infarction presenting as knee joint pain due to involvement of the proximal portion of the leg muscle, which site has not been reported previously. This case shows that diabetic muscle infarction may involve sites other than the thigh and calf areas and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of knee arthralgia.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 8keywords = muscle (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/27. HLA-B27 positive juvenile arthritis with cardiac involvement preceding sacroiliac joint changes.While cardiovascular disease develops in up to 50% of adult patients with ankylosing spondylitis, it is very uncommon in its juvenile counterpart. Regarding the early stage of the disease, before onset of sacroiliac joint changes, only two cases with aortic incompetence have been published while reports of mitral valve involvement are not available. A 13 year old boy is described with an HLA-B27 positive asymmetric oligoarthritis and enthesitis, without back pain or radiographic evidence of sacroiliitis. echocardiography showed an echogenic structure measuring 8 x 11 x 20 mm at the fibrous continuity between the aortic and mitral valves extending through a false tendon into an echogenic thickened posterior papillary muscle, causing a grade II aortic and grade I/II mitral regurgitation. Short term corticosteroid and long term non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and disease modifying antirheumatic drug treatments efficiently controlled the symptoms. The cardiac findings remained unchanged during a follow up of 20 months. Careful cardiac evaluation appears to be mandatory even in these young patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = muscle (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/27. Adductor myositis as a cause of childhood hip pain.Two cases of bacterial adductor myositis that presented as painful hips in boys aged 4 and 9 years are reported. Clinically, there was severe pain and a high pyrexia, a raised c-reactive protein and positive blood cultures but a negative hip ultrasound. Urgent magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated changes throughout the adductor muscles in keeping with bacterial myositis. Both boys settled with intravenous antibiotic therapy. We propose that magnetic resonance imaging is a valuable tool in the assessment of infection around the hip and should be indicated when other investigations have excluded a septic arthritis but the child remains unwell.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = muscle (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/27. A new acute inflammatory syndrome related to the introduction of mycophenolate mofetil in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis.Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is increasingly used for prevention of allograft rejection and to treat immune disorders. We report the development of an acute inflammatory syndrome in two patients with Wegener's granulomatosis after MMF was introduced, because of persistent renal and systemic disease activity despite cyclophosphamide treatment. Within 1 week both patients developed an acute inflammatory syndrome, characterized by fever, arthralgias and muscle pain. No infection could be detected and no indications for increased Wegener's activity were present. MMF was stopped resulting in a rapid and complete resolution of the syndrome. A rechallenge with 2 g of MMF in the second patient resulted in a relapse of the syndrome within 4 days. There was an association between symptoms and increased levels of mycophenolic acid (MPA) acyl glucuronide and serum interleukin-6, suggesting the induction of inflammatory cytokines by MPA acyl glucuronide as the cause of the syndrome. Therefore, special attention should be given to side effects such as fever, arthralgias and muscle pain when treating patients with Wegener's granulomatosis during the active phase. Because this side effect of MMF may also occur after solid organ transplantation and in other immune disorders, pharmacokinetic profiling of MPA and MPA acyl glucuronide is needed in future studies with MMF.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = muscle (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/27. Bilateral symmetric polyarthralgia revealing Fanconi's syndrome.We report the case of a 45-year-old woman who presented with a six-year history of diffuse polyarthralgia responsible for major disability. She reported bilateral symmetric arthralgia in nearly every joint, as well as back pain. Muscle wasting predominating in the roots of the limbs was found. Laboratory tests showed hypocalcemia, severe hypophosphatemia, hypokalemia, alkaline phosphatase elevation, aminoaciduria, and hyperphosphaturia, with no glycosuria. Radiographs disclosed osteolysis of the pubic symphysis, multiple pelvic fractures, vertebral compression fractures, and diffuse demineralization. A bone scan visualized symmetric foci of hyperactivity in nearly all joints and fracture sites. Dramatic improvements in clinical and radiographic abnormalities were noted after six months of treatment with phosphate and calcitriol. This is a case of incomplete fanconi syndrome, with no glycosuria. The clinical presentation of fanconi syndrome can be misleading. fanconi syndrome should be borne in mind as a possible cause of polyarthralgia to avoid diagnostic delay, which in our patient led to a picture of pseudomyopathy with multiple fractures.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.34041828682048keywords = limb (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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