Background: The aim of this systematic review was to determine whether strength exercises improve the symptoms of menopause and to provide an update on the most recent scientific evidence on the type and regimen of exercise that help reduce the symptoms. Methods: An electronic search of scientific databases was performed from 2015 to 2022. Randomized clinical trials that analyzed the effects of strength exercises versus other types of interventions, considering all the outcome measures of interest, were included in this review. Results: We found 5964 potential articles. After applying the selection criteria, we selected 12 of the articles. The studies compared strength exercises versus other therapies or compared strength exercises versus no intervention in one of the groups. The results showed improvements in the strength of the legs and pelvic floor, physical activity, bone density, metabolic and hormonal changes, heart rate and blood pressure and a change in hot flashes. Conclusions: There is evidence that strength exercises can be beneficial for improving strength, physical activity, bone density and hormonal and metabolic levels. In terms of the appropriate type of strength training, the evidence is still unclear given that the same benefits are achieved by various types of exercises.

The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) is a tool designed to evaluate the impact of shoulder pathology. The aim of this study was to cross culturally adapt a Spanish version of the SPADI for Spanish population with a musculoskeletal shoulder pain, and to determine the psychometric properties of this instrument using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Cross-cultural adaptation was performed according to the international guidelines. To assess factor structure, a confirmatory factor analysis was done. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach’s alpha. Item-total and inter-item correlations were assessed. Pearson and Spearman correlations were calculated to assess the convergent validity between SPADI and quick-DASH. A new Spanish version of SPADI was achieved. The original SPADI factor structure was tested by CFA, obtaining a poor fit: relative chi-square (χ2/df) 3.16, CFI 0.89, NFI 0.92, and RMSEA 0.10 (90 % CI 0.08 to 0.12). An additional model was tested, after deleting items which have had a poor adjustment in the model (1, 11, and 12), obtaining the best fit: relative chi-square (χ2/df) of 1.94, CFI 0.98, NFI 0.95, GFI 0,95, and RMSEA 0.06 (90 % CI 0.04 to 0.09). The analysis confirmed the bidimensional structure (pain and disability subscales). A correlation Spearman’s Rho coefficient of 0.752 (p < 0.0001) and a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.90 were obtained. This study validated a new 10-items version of SPADI for Spanish population with musculoskeletal shoulder pain providing a patient reported outcome measure that could be used in both clinical practice and research.

Background: Chronic low back pain is considered to be one of the main causes of absenteeism from work and primary and specialized consultations. The symptoms of nonspecific chronic low back pain may be accompanied by the activation of myofascial trigger points in the muscles, together with local and/or referred pain. Electrical dry needling is increasingly used in the treatment of lumbar myofascial pain. Conventional physiotherapy, however, is a popular approach to chronic pathologies, and there is evidence of different modalities of physiotherapy being used in the treatment of chronic low back pain. The aim of this study has been to determine the effectiveness of electrical dry needling versus conventional physiotherapy when applied to active and latent myofascial trigger points in patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain. Methods: This is a controlled, randomized, two-arm, double-blind study. A total of 92 patients with chronic low back pain (time to onset ≥ 3 months, Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire score ≥ 4) will be recruited from the University of Almería. Participants will be divided into two study groups (n = 40) to receive treatment of low back pain with electrical dry needling and conventional physiotherapy (ischaemic compression, analytic stretching and postural education training dossier). A total of 6 sessions will be administered once a week for 6 weeks. Pain intensity, disability, fear of movement, quality of life, quality of sleep, anxiety and depression, pressure pain threshold, abdominal strength and lumbar mobility will be recorded at 6 weeks (post-immediate) and 2 months after the end of treatment. Discussion: We believe that an approach including electrical dry needling to chronic low back pain dysfunction will be more effective in these patients. The results of this study will inform clinicians on which type of treatment is more beneficial for patients with chronic low back pain. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04804228. Registered on 14 January 2021

Introduction There is a large diversity in the clinical presentation of frozen shoulder (FS) and the clinical outcome is not always satisfactory. The aim of the current study was to examine to what extent range of motion (ROM) limitation, metabolic factors (diabetes mellitus and thyroid disorders), autonomic symptoms and pain sensitivity may contribute to the prognosis in terms of shoulder pain and disability and quality of life in patients with FS. Methods Patients with stage 1 or 2 FS were longitudinally followed-up during 9 months after baseline assessment. They completed six questionnaires and underwent quantitative sensory testing (pressure pain thresholds, temporal summation and conditioned pain modulation) and ROM assessment. Results One hundred and forty-nine patients with FS were initially recruited and 121 completed at least one follow-up measurement. Shoulder pain and disability improved over time and diabetes mellitus was found to be a prognostic factor for final outcome. Several domains of quality of life also improved over time and external rotation ROM, diabetes mellitus, thyroid disorder and autonomic symptoms were found to be prognostic factors for final outcome. These prognostic factors explained 2.5%–6.3% of the final outcome of shoulder pain and disability and quality of life. Discussion and conclusion In patients with FS, prognostic variables were able to predict different outcomes, indicating that outcomes in this population can be variable-dependent. Other variables not explored in this study might contribute to the prognosis of patients with FS, which should be investigated in future research. In clinical practice, baseline assessment of prognostic factors and focusing on a more holistic approach might be useful to inform healthcare practitioners about progression of patients with FS during a 9-month period.

(1) Background: Using new technologies to manage home exercise programmes is an approach that allows more patients to benefit from therapy. The objective of this study is to explore physical therapists’ opinions of the efficacy and disadvantages of implementing a web-based telerehabilitation programme for treating chronic low back pain (CLBP). (2) Methods: Nineteen physical therapists from academic and healthcare fields in both the public and private sector participated in the qualitative study. Texts extracted from a transcript of semi-structured, individual, in-depth interviews with each consenting participant were analysed to obtain the participants’ prevailing opinions. The interviews lasted approximately 40 min each. The participants’ responses were recorded. (3) Results: The results suggest that telerehabilitation can only be successful if patients become actively involved in their own treatment. However, exercise programmes for LBP are not always adapted to patient preferences. New technologies allow physical therapists to provide their patients with the follow-up and remote contact they demand, but long-term adherence to treatment stems from knowledge of the exercises and the correct techniques employed by the patients themselves. (4) Conclusions: Physical therapists treating patients with chronic non-specific low back pain believe that new technologies can provide highly effective means of reaching a greater number of patients and achieving significant savings in healthcare costs, despite the limitations of a telerehabilitation approach in developing an appropriate and effective patient-based physiotherapy programme.