Background: There is strong evidence that specific pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) reduces stress urinary incontinence (SUI), but the application of functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) is still under discussion. Objective: To evaluate and compare the effects of FMS and PFMT on pelvic floor muscle function, urinary incontinence symptoms and quality of life (QoL) in women with SUI. Methods: A randomized controlled, parallel-group trial was executed in an outpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation centre. The study included 68 women and was fully completed by 48 women (n = 24 in each group) aged 29–49 years, with SUI, who were randomly assigned to PFMT and FMS groups. The symptoms of urinary incontinence and their impact on quality of life were assessed with two questionnaires: the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire–Short Form (ICIQ-SF) and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire–Short Form (IIQ-7). Perineometer (Pelvexiser) was used to measure the resting vaginal pressure, pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength and endurance. All outcome measures were taken at baseline and after 6 weeks of interventions. Cohen’s effect size (d) was calculated. Results: A significant improvement (p < 0.05) of ICIQ-SF and IIQ-7 was observed in both groups with a high effect size in the PFMT group (d = 1.56 and d = 1.17, respectively) and the FMS group (d = 1.33 and d = 1.45, respectively). ICIQ-SF and IIQ-7 scores did not differ significantly between groups after the 6-week treatment period. Resting vaginal pressure, PFM strength and endurance increased (p < 0.05) in both groups with a medium (d = 0.52) to large (d = 1.56) effect size. Conclusion: No significant difference between groups was found in any measurement of perineometry. PFMT and FMS significantly improved SUI symptoms and the quality of life of the study participants. None of the applied interventions was superior to the other in the short-term effect.

Background: Many women may not be aware of the effect of exercise during pregnancy. The objective of this study was to explore the knowledge and perceptions of the effect of exercise and compare whether there was a difference between women who were pregnant at the time of the study, who were not pregnant but had given birth in the past, and those who had never been pregnant and had never given birth. Methods: A cohort of 291 women, aged 18–55 years, participated in this cross-sectional study. Ninety-one (31.3%) women were pregnant at the time of the study; 97 (33.3%) were not pregnant but had given birth in the past, and 103 (35.4%) were not pregnant and had never given birth. This was a survey by an on-line questionnaire. Results: Only 24.4 % of respondents were aware of the effect of exercise in pregnancy, 44% were not aware of the effect of exercise in pregnancy, and 52.6% did not know if exercise interventions could be prescribed during pregnancy. The perceived aims of exercise, reported by the women, were to keep the body fit (58%), to reduce low back and pelvic pain (55%), and to facilitate childbirth (51%). Conclusions: Women who were not pregnant but had given birth were significantly less aware of the effect of exercise than women who were pregnant at the time of the study or not pregnant and had never given birth. The internet was the most common source of information about exercise among all respondents. Almost all women in the study felt the need for more knowledge about the effect of exercise during pregnancy. Therefore, exercise specialists must inform and educate women about the benefits of exercise during pregnancy.

The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of post-isometric relaxation (PIR) compared to self-stretching (SS) in working-age individuals with chronic non-specific neck pain. A parallel-group study was conducted with 50 patients who were randomized to either the self-stretching (SS, n = 25) or post-isometric relaxation (PIR, n = 25) group and received interventions three times a week for four weeks. In addition to these interventions, all patients were prescribed transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Outcome measures were neck pain, the neck disability index (NDI), hand grip strength (HGS), and cervical spine range of motion (ROM). Data were collected at baseline and after four weeks of outpatient rehabilitation. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine within-group differences, and an independent t-test compared between-group differences. There were no significant differences between the groups at baseline in neck pain intensity. Following both interventions, pain intensity and functional disability decreased, cervical spine ROM increased, and HGS improved (p < 0.05). Between-group analysis showed that participants in the PIR group achieved lower pain intensity (p = 0.032, Cohen’s d = 0.81), greater neck extension ROM (p = 0.001, Cohen’s d = 0.96), and lower neck disability index (p = 0.004, Cohen’s d = 0.85) compared to the SS group. In conclusion, both PIR and SS interventions effectively reduced neck pain, increased range of motion, and decreased the neck disability index in working-age individuals. Neither technique showed superiority in increasing neck ROM and HGS. However, PIR was superior to SS in reducing neck pain and NDI, indicating potential benefits from integrating these interventions during treatment sessions.

Objectives: According to current research, patient handling is not universally taught in academic nursing programs in Europe. Miscellaneous patient handling education may expose students and novice health care workers to occupational hazards, especially if the evidence-based contents of safe...

Background. Sedentary behaviour (SB) is an important risk factor for several health-related outcomes. The prevalence of SB is alarmingly high in older adults, who spend on average 9.4 h being sedentary each day, making them the most sedentary of all age groups. Objectives. The primary objective of this review is to assess the impact of interventions aimed at reducing SB in older adults (aged 60 years and older) living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). The research question for this systematic review is as follows: in older people living in LTCFs, do interventions aimed at reducing SB, compared to usual care, result in a decrease in SB daily time or a reduction in the length of prolonged and uninterrupted sitting bouts? Data sources. Only peer-reviewed articles will be included in this systematic review, articles will be identified using the PICO method in seven different databases. Participants and interventions. Any primary intervention study (including randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, and cohort studies) with the aim to reduce SB daily time or shorten the length of prolonged and uninterrupted sitting bouts in older adults living in LTCFs will be included. After searching databases, abstracts of the studies will be screened, and, after retrieving full text articles, data extraction will be conducted by two independent reviewers. Study appraisal and synthesis methods. The review will adhere to PRISMA reporting guidelines. Risk of bias (RoB) will be assessed using ROBINS-I or the RoB 2.0 tool and will be discussed with a third reviewer. The data will be grouped according to study design, with separate analysis for randomised and non-randomised designs. Results. The primary outcomes will be SB or time spent sedentary, assessed before and after the intervention. For the outcomes with the same measurement units, the pooled mean differences will be calculated. Standardised mean differences will be calculated for the outcomes with different measurement units. The data not suitable in numbers will be synthesised narratively. The strength of evidence of the outcomes will be assessed using GRADE assessment. If the data are suitable for quantitative analysis, we plan to use the Revman software to conduct a meta-analysis. Conclusions and implications of key findings. This protocol can serve as a valuable resource for other researchers interested in conducting similar systematic reviews or meta-analyses in the field of SB and older adult health.

Research background and hypothesis. Postural disorders appear to be one of the biggest health threats in Lithuania. Especially significant alterations in children’s health-related behaviour emerge when they start going to school. These changes in their daily routine are often faulty and may lead to the deteriorating health condition. Postural abnormalities need to be corrected as early as possible before they become permanent. According to some authors, rural children are more physically active compared to city children, therefore it is interesting to identify is there is any difference in body posture in rural and urban schoolchildren.Research aim was to assess and compare posture in urban and rural schoolchildren aged 7 to 10. Research sample: 248 schoolchildren (109 – from urban area; 139 – from rural area).Research methods. Posture of rural and urban schoolchildren was assessed using W. K. Hoeger’s method. Alignment of ten body segments was visually evaluated in a frontal (head, shoulders, spine, hips, knees and ankles) and sagittal (neck and upper back, trunk, abdomen, lower back, legs) planes. Research results. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in total posture score between girls (41.80 ± 6.87) and boys (40.62 ± 7.13). Girls and boys from the rural area had significantly (p < 0.05) higher total posture score than their counterparts from the urban area.Discussion and conclusions. There were no significant differences in total posture score between girls and boys. Regardless of age and gender, schoolchildren from rural area had better posture than children from urban area.Keywords: alignment of body segments, area of residence, children’s posture.