This is one of those papers where the abstract doesn’t quite cut it, and the whole paper was a fascinating read. I got thinking about it after reading my favorite paper on acupuncture, “Acupuncture is Theatrical Placebo” and I have since caught myself using the term “theatrical placebo” on the reg. That got me wondering and … Read more
This study was more interesting in its entirety than its abstract. I thought the home exercises given were beyond banal, but they still turned out best in the long term. Cortisone injected into tendons was yet again shown to be fool’s gold, and shock wave therapy? I don’t know but I’m still skeptical. More comments … Read more
I had a physical therapist stop by my office last week and try and sell me on dry needling. I said heard all about dry needling and that I thought that like the force, it can have a strong influence on the weak minded. I said I thought dry needling sounded a lot like acupuncture and … Read more
Strong evidence against platelet-rich plasma injections for chronic lateral epicondylar tendinopathy: a systematic review. de Vos RJ, Windt J, Weir A. Br J Sports Med. 2014 Jun;48(12):952-6. AbstractBACKGROUND:Chronic lateral epicondylar tendinopathy is frequent in athletes, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is being used increasingly in its treatment. OBJECTIVE:To systematically review the literature on the efficacy of PRP … Read more
Clinical effectiveness of low-level laser therapy as an adjunct to eccentric exercise for the treatment of Achilles’ tendinopathy: a randomized controlled trial. Tumilty S, McDonough S, Hurley DA, Baxter GD. From the AbstractOBJECTIVE:To investigate the effectiveness of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) as an adjunct to a program of eccentric exercises for the treatment of Achilles’ … Read more
Does anodyne light therapy improve peripheral neuropathy in diabetes? A double-blind, sham-controlled, randomized trial to evaluate monochromatic infrared photoenergy. Lavery LA, Murdoch DP, Williams J, Lavery DC. Diabetes Care. 2008 Feb;31(2):316-21. AbstractOBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of anodyne monochromatic infrared photo energy (MIRE) in-home treatments over a 90-day period to improve … Read more
Traction for low-back pain with or without sciatica. Wegner I, Widyahening IS, van Tulder MW, Blomberg SE, de Vet HC, Brønfort G, Bouter LM, van der Heijden GJ. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Aug 19;8 Quotes from abstract (but I read the whole thing) We included 32 RCTs involving 2762 participants in this review. We considered … Read more
Basis for spinal manipulative therapy: a physical therapist perspective. Bialosky JE, Simon CB, Bishop MD, George SZ. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2012 Oct;22(5):643-7. [Free Full Text] My comments: This paper has an extremely well referenced number of facts seemingly leading to one conclusion, that oddly appears to escape the authors. I think this paper was intended … Read more
Do manual therapies help low back pain? A comparative effectiveness meta-analysis. Menke JM. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2014 Apr 1;39(7) :E463-72. AbstractSTUDY DESIGN:Meta-analysis methodology was extended to derive comparative effectiveness information on spinal manipulation for low back pain. OBJECTIVE:Determine relative effectiveness of spinal manipulation therapies (SMTs), medical management, physical therapies, and exercise for acute and … Read more
Spinal manipulative therapy for chronic low-back pain: an update of a Cochrane review. Rubinstein SM, van Middelkoop M, Assendelft WJ, de Boer MR, van Tulder MW. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 Jun;36(13) AbstractSTUDY DESIGN:Systematic review of interventions. OBJECTIVE:To assess the effects of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) for chronic low-back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA:SMT is … Read more
Spinal manipulative therapy for acute low-back pain. Rubinstein SM, Terwee CB, Assendelft WJ, de Boer MR, van Tulder MW. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Sep 12;9 AbstractBACKGROUND:Many therapies exist for the treatment of low-back pain including spinal manipulative therapy (SMT), which is a worldwide, extensively practiced intervention. This report is an update of the earlier Cochrane … Read more
The effects of topical vitamin E on the cosmetic appearance of scars. Baumann LS, Spencer J. Dermatol Surg. 1999 Apr;25(4):311-5. AbstractBACKGROUND:Vitamin E is a generic term for a group of tocol and tocotrienol derivatives. Since the discovery that vitamin E is the major lipid soluble antioxidant in skin, this substance has been tried for the … Read more
Current evidence does not support the use of Kinesio Taping in clinical practice: a systematic review. J Physiother. 2014 Mar;60(1):31-9. Parreira Pdo C, Costa Lda C, Hespanhol Junior LC, Lopes AD, Costa LO. AbstractQuestions: Is Kinesio Taping more effective than a sham taping/placebo, no treatment or other interventions in people with musculoskeletal conditions? Is the addition … Read more
Risk factors affecting chronic rupture of the plantar fascia. Foot Ankle Int. 2014 Mar;35(3):258-63. Lee HS1, Choi YR, Kim SW, Lee JY, Seo JH, Jeong JJ. AbstractBACKGROUND:Prior to 1994, plantar fascia ruptures were considered as an acute injury that occurred primarily in athletes. However, plantar fascia ruptures have recently been reported in the setting of preexisting plantar … Read more