Workers worldwide experience a range of occupational musculoskeletal disorders that affect both the functionality of many parts of their body and their overall performance. Physiotherapists provide counseling and treatment programs during work. Recently, physiotherapy interventions have been introduced during work breaks. This study aimed to investigate the value of different types of workplace-based exercise programs administered during work breaks and compare them with counseling methods. Electronic searches were performed in relevant databases by keywords such as: workplace, musculoskeletal disorders, sedentary, standing, employees, micro-breaks, exercise interventions, and ergonomics. Initially, 706 articles were identified. An article sorting procedure was employed by two independent researchers, based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria set for this study, and after the removal of non-relevant articles (n = 391) or duplicates (n = 300), 15 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) remained for qualitative analysis. The methodological quality of the 13 RCTs was performed using the PEDro scale. No risk of bias evaluation was made. The findings suggested that active micro-breaks that contained various exercise programs including stretching, strengthening, torso stabilization, and ergonomic interventions were more beneficial than passive micro-breaks, reducing pain and the feeling of fatigue and increasing employees’ mood. It is concluded that micro-breaks are beneficial to employees with either orthostatic or sedentary work.

Background This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt a Greek version of the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) questionnaire and to validate its usage in Greek patients. Materials and methods A forward and backward translation was performed, and the final version of the Greek questionnaire was administered to 134 outpatients (mean age 47.4 ± 14.5) with rotator cuff tear under conservative treatment. The questionnaire was re-administered 2–5 days later to assess test–retest reliability. Patients completed the Greek SPADI, the Greek version of the Quick DASH (Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire) and the EuroQoL EQ-5D. 102 of the 134 questionnaires were considered valid. Results The internal consistencies of the SPADI total and its subscales measured with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient were high (0.932 for SPADI-Total, 0.899 for SPADI-Disability, 0.905 for SPADI-Pain). Intraclass correlation coefficients showed excellent test–retest reliability (0.899 for Disability, 0.902 for Pain, and 0.929 for total SPADI). A significantly high positive correlation was found between the SPADI total score and its subscales, and Quick DASH for Pain and Disability. Significant correlations were also found between SPADI scales and EQ-5D variables. There was a moderate positive correlation with the variables “self-reliance” (r = 0.66), “common activities” (r = 0.58), and “pain/discomfort” (r = 0.49), and a weaker correlation with the “mobility” variable (r = 0.20). Factor analysis (PAF method) revealed a bidimensional formation of the SPADI. Eight items (five pain/three disability) weighted the first factor by >0.5, and five disability items weighted the second factor. Conclusions The Greek SPADI represents a valid and reliable tool for measuring pain and disability in patients with painful shoulder disorders. Level of evidence Level 3.

This randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the effect of 12 weeks of therapeutic exercise on cognitive function and daily activities in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A total of 171 patients with mild AD from the Amarousion Day Care Center of the Alzheimer Society of Athens and the Athens General Hospital “G. Gennimatas” were randomly divided into three groups. Group A (aerobic and resistance exercise, n = 57), group B (resistance exercise, n = 57), and group C (control group, n = 57). Group A followed a weekly program consisting of 5 days with 30 min walking and 3 days with resistance exercises for about 45 min. Group B followed only a resistance exercise program, the same as group A. Group C did not participate in any exercise program. After the intervention, cognitive function was assessed with the Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R), Trail Making Test A-B (TMT A-B), and Digit Span Test Forward and Backward (DST F-B) and daily activities with the instrumental activities of daily living scale (IADLs). A significant intervention effect was observed for all outcome measures (global cognitive function and instrumental activities of daily living). ANCOVA Bonferroni corrected post hoc tests revealed that the aerobic and resistance group improved compared to the control group on all measurement scales. The resistance group also showed an improvement compared to the control group. No significant effects were found between the aerobic and resistance group and the resistance group in any of the outcome measures.

Pain induction is the primary characteristic of a rotator cuff tear while muscle weakness appears as a secondary feature, leading to further disability.The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of physiotherapeutic interventions through transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) or microcurrent electrical nerve stimulation (MENS) in conjunction with kinesiotherapy in patients with partial thickness rotator cuff tear.This was a blinded randomized prospective study. The study recruited 42 outpatients with partial rotator cuff tear under conservative treatment selected from the 401 General Military Hospital of Athens and the University General Hospital ‘Attikon’ during 2015 - 2017. Patients were assessed for pain and disability using the SPADI (shoulder pain and disability index), a numerical rating scale (NRS) for pain, and the EuroQoL-5 questionnaire for the evaluation of the quality of life. The first group received TENS and kinesiotherapy while the second group received MENS and kinesiotherapy. Three measurements were recorded. The first assessment was performed during the initial patient visit; the second after completion of the physiotherapeutic sessions, and the third one three months after the initial assessment. A follow-up ultrasound scan was performed three months after the completion of the therapeutic sessions to assess the anatomical healing of the rotator cuff tear.Repeated measurements analysis indicated a significant improvement in pain scores, functionality, and patients’ quality of life (P value < 0.001). Comparison of the two treatment methods did not reveal any significant differences (P value > 0.05) despite the fact that the MENS was associated with a greater improvement in pain intensity and TENS with a greater improvement in functionality and quality of life.Using MENS and TENS appears to be equally effective in terms of pain relief, functional improvement, and quality of life enhancement in patients.

Dementia causes deterioration in cognitive and physical functions. The scope of this study is to investigate the effect of different exercise programs on cognitive functions and functionality of persons suffering from mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by generating information on the exercise types and their parameters. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be performed involving aerobic and resistance exercise interventions, taking place both at the sample collection center and at home. Participants will be randomly divided into two different intervention groups and a control group. All groups will be assessed twice; once at baseline and once after 12 weeks. The primary outcome shall comprise the effect of exercise programs on cognitive functions using cognitive testing, such as Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination—Revisited (ACE-R), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Trail Making Test A-Β (TMT A-B), and Digit Span Test (DST): Digit Span Forward (DSF) and Digit Span Backward (DSB). The effect on functionality will be assessed using the Senior Fitness Test (SFT), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL) questionnaire. Secondary outcomes include the effect of exercise on depression using the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15), on physical activity using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), as well as the participants’ compliance with the intervention. This study will investigate the possible effect of intervention of different exercise types and the comparison between them. Exercise forms a low-cost and reduced-risk intervention.

Exercise is often recommended for fibromyalgia. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible influence and change in the pain characteristics of fibromyalgia patients when breathing exercises were added to their exercise program. A total of 106 patients were included and randomly divided into two groups. Τhe first group of patients followed a program of active exercises up to the limits of pain, lasting 30 min with a repetition of two times a week. Patients of the second group followed the same program with the addition of diaphragmatic breaths when they reached the pain limit. The patients completed three questionnaires: the Fibromyalgia Rapid Screening Tool (FiRST), the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and the Pain Quality Assessment Scale (PQAS)—once at the beginning, once again after three weeks of exercise, and again 3 months since the beginning of the program. Independent t-tests for the mean total change scores in pain scales demonstrated that for the second group there was a greater improvement in all pain scales, except for the PQAS Deep Pain subscale (p = 0.38). In conclusion, both groups showed significant improvement in all characteristics of the pain scales; however, the improvement of the second group was significantly higher.