This study investigated the long-term effect (six-months) of a Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) program on pain perception, quality of life, kinesiophobia and catastrophism in older adults with multimorbidity and chronic pain. Fifty participants (n = 50) were randomly assigned to the pain education therapy group (PET; n = 24) and control group (CG; n = 26). The PET group received six sessions (i.e., once a week, 50 min) about neurophysiology of pain while the CG carried on with their usual life. Perception of pain through the visual analogue scale (VAS), quality of life (EQ-5D questionnaire), kinesiophobia (TSK-11) and catastrophism (PCS) were assessed after six months since the last PNE session. Statistically significant differences on VAS (t₍₄₈₎ = 44, p = 0.01, ES = 0.42 [0.13, 0.65]) was found in favor to PET group. No other statistically significant differences were found. This study found that the application of a PNE intervention in an isolated form was able to significantly reduce pain perception with low effect size in the long-term (six months after intervention) in elderly people with chronic pain.

Introduction: Physical activity is known to improve physical and psychological outcomes in pregnant women. While aerobic exercise is typically emphasized in physical activity guidelines for pregnant women, emerging research suggests that strength training may offer unique benefits beyond those provided by aerobic exercise alone. This systematic review aimed to systematically explore the effects and characteristics of strength training interventions on the health‐related quality of life of pregnant women, with the goal of informing more comprehensive and specific exercise guidelines.Material and Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCO Host databases without time restrictions, following PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024511477). Nine randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria, involving a total of 1581 participants.Results: The studies reviewed demonstrated that strength training during pregnancy can mitigate excessive weight gain, alleviate low back and sciatic pain, enhance mood, and improve various aspects of health‐related quality of life. These aspects include physical activity levels, muscular strength, flexibility, sleep quality, energy expenditure, and psychological well‐being.Conclusions: Despite these promising findings, this review highlights the need for standardized methodologies and detailed reporting in future research. Incorporating strength training into general exercise recommendations for pregnant women has the potential to optimize maternal health outcomes such as muscle strength, weight gain, physical activity levels, low back pain, pelvic pain, fatigue, anxiety, energy levels, vitality, sleep duration, and health status.

Background/Objectives: Hip strength and range of motion have been compared in soccer players with and without hip and groin pain but only in male footballers or gender-combined samples. In female soccer players, the biomechanics contributing to this injury remain poorly understood compared to other sporting injuries. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether differences exist in adductor and abductor isometric test values and hip joint range of motion between elite female soccer players with longstanding groin pain and injury-free controls. Methods: Ten female elite soccer players with current longstanding hip and groin pain and twenty-five injury-free controls from the same teams were included in the study. Hip adductor and abductor isometric strength were evaluated with a hand-held dynamometer. A bent knee fall-out test was also utilized to examine the hip joint range of motion. Results: A significant difference in abductor isometric test values was observed between the control group (2.29 ± 0.53 N/Kg) and the hip and groin pain group (2.77 ± 0.48 N/Kg; p = 0.018). Furthermore, the injured group showed a decreased adductor/abductor ratio compared to the control group (1.00 ± 0.33 vs. 1.27 ± 0.26; p = 0.013). No differences were observed in the bent knee fall-out test (p = 0.285). Conclusions: Female elite soccer players with current longstanding hip and groin pain exhibited higher abductor isometric strength and lower adductor/abductor ratio compared to non-injured women players. There were no differences in the BKFO test between groups.

To evaluate the relationship between pain catastrophizing, treatment modality, pain intensity, and functional disability in patients with chronic lower back pain, while also accounting for the effects of kinesiophobia and self-efficacy using generalized linear mixed models. Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Outpatient clinical setting. Forty-eight adults with chronic low back pain participated in the study. Participants were randomized into three intervention groups receiving therapeutic exercise (ET) either alone, combined with manual therapy (ET_{manualtherapy}), or with kinesiotape (ET_kinesiotape). Each group underwent two sessions per week for 12 weeks. Disability, pain intensity, kinesiophobia, pain catastrophizing, and self-efficacy were assessed at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 weeks. Generalized linear mixed models revealed a significant reduction in pain over time in all intervention groups (p < 0.001). A significant interaction was identified between the treatment group and catastrophizing levels (p = 0.023), with the Kinesiotape group being the only one showing increased pain scores associated with higher PCS levels. Regarding disability, significant effects were found for catastrophizing (p = 0.015), kinesiophobia (p < 0.001), and self-efficacy (p = 0.008), as well as a significant interaction between the group and self-efficacy (p = 0.003). In the groups without kinesiotaping, lower self-efficacy was associated with increased disability; however, this pattern was not observed in the kinesiotape group. The study found that pain and disability improved over time in all the intervention groups. However, psychological factors influenced outcomes differently depending on the treatment, with catastrophizing increasing pain only in the kinesiotape group. Thus, kinesiotaping may offer a protective effect by modulating psychological influences in chronic lower back pain. Trial registration NCT05544890

Introduction: Administration of spinal cord stimulation to individuals with PSPS-T1/2 may induce supraspinal descending activation. Similarly, exercise is recognized as a fundamental aspect of spinal pain management. Studies have demonstrated its impact on neurophysiological factors, including the release of spinal and supraspinal beta-endorphins, which activate μ-opioid receptors. Therefore, the purpose of this study will be to examine the effect of SCS in combination with lumbo-pelvic stability core training on perceived low back pain, quality of life and disability in PSPS-T2 patients. Methods/Materials: A double-blind randomized clinical trial (RCT) has been designed. All participants will be randomized from a pre-set sequence. The intervention design has been elaborated from the CONSORT guidelines. This study has been registered at Clinicaltrial.gov (NCT06272539). Sample size was calculated using G Power® Sample size software (University of Düsseldorf). The calculation was based on a moderate effect size of 0.7 (partial η2 = 0.70, α = .05, power = 0.95), resulting in a total of 40 patients. Assuming a 30% dropout rate, 52 participants will be recruited in total. Two sessions per week will be scheduled for 8 weeks with a total of 16 sessions. Each work session will have a duration of 60 minutes. The exercise will be adapted according to the phases based on the results already published, limiting in each phase the degrees of flexion and extension of the spine to avoid the risk of electrode migration. Primary outcomes will be functionality, satisfaction, strength, psychosocial variables, quality of life and pain perception.

El dolor lumbar inespecífico, que afecta al 70% de la población, está vinculado a conductas sedentarias y presenta una desconexión entre anomalías estructurales y la experiencia dolorosa. Actualmente el ejercicio es considerado la primera línea de tratamiento, mejorando la biomecánica y la autogestión del dolor. El objetivo principal de este estudio piloto fue medir antes, y tras un programa de ejercicios, la activación de la musculatura central encargada de la estabilización global y local del tronco, empleando electromiografía de superficie en una hiperflexión de tronco. Se realizó un diseño de estudio prospectivo, cuasi-experimental, incluyendo un grupo de intervención con dos momentos de evaluación (pre-intervención y 4 semanas post-intervención). Se observó un descenso significativo del lapso de activación en todos los músculos estudiados tras la finalización del programa: CL derecho e izquierdo con carga (p= .015 y p= .0003 respectivamente) y MT derecho e izquierdo sin carga (p= .028 y p= .036 respectivamente), y una alta correlación de este valor con el descenso del dolor lumbar (rho= .07). El descenso del lapso de coactivación, como indicador de mayor y mejor respuesta muscular ante perturbaciones, podría ser una alternativa en la prevención del dolor lumbar inespecífico.