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.

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.

Environmental conditions are associated with the onset of pain or the recurrence of symptoms of chronic sufferers either with musculoskeletal pathologies or neurological diseases. Recent research has indicated that physiotherapy also appears to be helpful in dealing with the symptoms of climate change. The purpose of this study was to investigate how temperature and precipitation are associated with referrals for physical therapy. All the data were collected retrospectively for three years, 2020–2022. A total of 2164 referrals were studied, 78% of which were female cases. Our results highlighted that (a) referrals with musculoskeletal problems are associated with the weather indicators of temperature and precipitation, (b) this relation was found to be stronger for females, and (c) there were slightly differentiated trends between them and those with neurological problems. These results suggest that low temperatures and high precipitation are strongly associated with increased referrals for chronic musculoskeletal pain and that females are more vulnerable to precipitation. Moreover, the increased number of referrals with chronic neurological problems was found to be associated with extreme temperatures. Considering these findings, rehabilitation centers and healthcare systems have the opportunity to immediately provide reliable and qualitative services, guided always by the safety and maximum relief of chronic sufferers.

High-dose intravenous steroid treatment (HDIST) represents the first choice of treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses. Chronic oral glucocorticoid (GC) administration correlates with bone loss whereas data regarding HDIST in MS are still conflicting. Twenty-five newly diagnosed MS patients (NDMSP) (median age: 37 years) were prospectively studied for the effects of HDIST on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolism. Patients received 1000 mg methylprednisolone intravenously every day for 5 days followed by oral prednisolone tapering over 21 days. Bone metabolism indices were determined prior to GC, on days 2, 4, 6, and 90, and at months 6, 12, 18, and 24 post GC therapy. Femoral, lumbar-spine BMD, and whole-body measurement of adipose/lean tissue were assessed prior to GC-administration and then every six months. Ten patients completed the study. N-terminal-propeptide-procollagen-type-1 and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase showed a significant increase at day-90 (p < 0.05). A transient non-significant fall of BMD was observed at 6 months after GC-administration, which subsequently appeared to be restored. We conclude that HDIST seems not to have long-term negative effects on BMD, while the observed transient increase of bone formation markers probably indicates a high bone turnover phase to GC-administration. Additional prospective studies with larger sample size are needed.

The aim of this study was to investigate how temperature and precipitation are associated with the number of referrals for physical therapy. Material and Methods: Weather data and monthly referrals were collected retrospectively for three years (2020–2022). A total of 937 referrals were studied. Trend analysis was conducted to identify patterns and trends in data over time, including correlation analysis to discover relationships and multivariate linear regression analyses to model the direction and strength of this. Results: Monthly referrals were found to be strongly associated with weather indicators (r_s = −0.744, p < 0.001 for temperature and r_s = 0.894, p < 0.001 for precipitation). Multivariate regression analyses verified this significant correlation (b = −0.763, p < 0.025 and b = 0.598, p < 0.001, respectively). A stronger correlation was found for female referrals (b = 0.509, p < 0.001) compared to that found for male referrals (b = 0.089, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Low temperatures and high precipitation rates were found to be associated with an increased number of referrals. Females were more vulnerable to precipitation increases.

Background/Objective: Partial-thickness rotator cuff tears represent a distinct, highly prevalent clinical entity governed by a multifactorial continuum of intrinsic senescence and extrinsic biomechanical overload, rather than an oversimplified acute traumatic versus degenerative dichotomy. While conservative management centered on kinesiotherapy is primary, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and Microcurrent Electrical Neuromuscular Stimulation (MENS) are widely utilized as adjunctive electrophysical modalities. However, empirical trials directly comparing their long-term therapeutic longevity and structural stability remain scarce. This prospective, randomized, participant- and outcome assessor-blinded clinical trial evaluated the 12-month effectiveness of combining structured kinesiotherapy with either TENS or MENS in patients with partial-thickness rotator cuff tears. Methods: Of 47 candidates screened via standardized physical provocation tests and musculoskeletal ultrasound, 5 were excluded prior to treatment allocation. Exactly 42 eligible patients (n = 42; 22 males, 20 females; mean age: 46.71 ± 12.24 years) were formally enrolled and randomized (1:1) to receive 15 supervised sessions of either conventional sensory TENS (n = 21; 100 Hz, 10–15 mA) or subsensory MENS (n = 21; 50 Hz, 100 μA) alongside an identical kinesiotherapy program. Longitudinal evaluations were conducted at baseline, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-treatment, achieving a 100% participant retention rate (n = 42). Clinical outcomes comprised the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for pain, and the EuroQoL 5-Dimension Questionnaire (EQ-5D). Structural tear dimensions were monitored via serial ultrasonography. Longitudinal data were analyzed using two-way repeated-measures Analysis of Variance (RM-ANOVA)with Bonferroni adjustment applied for post hoc pairwise comparisons for normally distributed metrics and the Friedman and Mann–Whitney U tests for non-parametric variables, assessing both within-group trajectories and between-group interaction effects across time. Results: Baseline demographic, occupational, and clinical characteristics showed no significant differences between cohorts (p > 0.05). At the 3-month post-treatment mark, both groups exhibited equivalent, statistically significant within-group improvements across all clinical scores (p < 0.01). However, longitudinal trajectories diverged significantly thereafter. Between-group comparative analyses established that the MENS cohort achieved statistically and clinically superior outcomes over the TENS cohort at both 6 and 12 months. Specifically, at the 12-month primary endpoint, between-group comparisons favored MENS for SPADI Pain (mean difference: 14.39 ± 3.51, 95% CI: 7.28 to 21.50, p < 0.001), SPADI Disability (mean difference: 13.56 ± 2.89, 95% CI: 7.71 to 19.42, p < 0.001), NRS pain (mean difference: 2.33 ± 0.32, p < 0.001), and EQ-5D health status (p < 0.001), substantially exceeding established Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) benchmarks. Musculoskeletal ultrasound demonstrated post-intervention stabilization of tear progression in the MENS cohort (0.02 mm secondary depth increase between months 3 and 12), whereas the TENS arm exhibited progressive expansion (0.45 mm increase), presenting a classic clinicoradiological paradox against functional recovery. Conclusions: Both TENS and MENS serve as effective adjunctive modalities for acute symptom alleviation when paired with kinesiotherapy. However, based on robust between-group comparisons, subsensory MENS provides significantly superior long-term clinical durability, tear containment, and functional stability over a 12-month timeline, making it the preferred adjunctive electrophysical intervention for sustained conservative management.