Objective: To compare the efficacy of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) with that of microcurrent electrical stimulation (MES) on wound surface area, length of stay (LoS) and colony count of wounds in patients with burns. Method: Patients with thermal dermal burn injuries covering 25–40% of total body surface area were enrolled in this clinical trial. Participants were randomly allocated into three, equal-sized groups: patients receiving NPWT, patients receiving MES and a control group which received standard wound care. All groups received the same traditional physical therapy programme in addition to the same nursing and medical care. In all groups, wound surface area, colony count and LoS were measured 72 hours after thermal burn injury (pre), after 10 days and again at 21 days from the beginning of the study. Results: A total of 45 patients took part in the study. There were statistically significant decreases in wound surface area observed in all groups (p<0.05) while MES showed the highest mean percentage of reduction in wound surface. MES and NPWT both showed the lowest values for bacterial growth but NPWT was superior in colony count reduction. For LoS, both MES and NPWT showed the lowest mean value. Conclusion: From the findings of this study, MES was more effective in decreasing wound surface area in burn wounds while NPWT was more effective in reducing bacterial growth.

Background: Nonspecific low back pain (LBP) in collegiate athletes is shown to be accompanied by poor core endurance. Consequently, trunk muscle stabilization exercises for lumbar instability are widely used. Virtual reality (VR) training can activate the cerebral cortex and enhance the cortex to control balance and improve motion function. The purpose of the study was to assess the effect of combined core stability exercises (CSE) and VR training in improving body balance and function in collegiate male athletes with nonspecific low back pain (LBP). Results: The post-values of the experimental group were significantly higher than that of the control group for the dynamic balance in anterior (p = 0.031), posterolateral (p = 0.034), and posteromedial (p = 0.037) directions. Moreover, there was a significant difference in the post-values of both groups regarding reducing the Micheli Functional Scale in favor of the experimental group (p = 0.012). Conclusions: CSE training plus virtual reality is more effective than CSE training alone in improving total body balance and dysfunction level in collegiate male athletes with nonspecific LBP. It is recommended that clinicians consider CSE combined with VR to maximize the improvement in overall body balance when developing rehabilitation programs for collegiate athletes with nonspecific low back pain. Trial registration: Pan African Clinical Trial Registry, PACTR201907749053096. Retrospectively registered on 15 April 2019. https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/Researcher/ManageTrials.aspx

Article: Efficacy of telehealth core exercises during COVID-19 after bariatric surgery: a randomized controlled trial - European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine 2022 Jul 29 - Minerva Medica - Journals