Objective: This systematic review aimed to investigate the efficacy of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) on pain and pressure pain threshold (PPT) in patients with myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) of the upper trapezius muscle. Materials and methods: A total of 17 studies (944 patients) were included; data regarding participants, intervention parameters, outcome measures, time of measurement, and follow-up were extracted. Evaluation of the methodological quality was performed by Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system was used to assess the quality of evidence. A meta-analysis was performed on 16 studies, and standardized mean difference (SMD), corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI), and overall effect size (ES) were calculated. Results: Meta-analysis using a random-effect model was performed to evaluate the effects of PBMT alone or PBMT plus exercise (EX) compared with placebo, medical treatment, physical therapy (PT) modality, manual therapy, or complementary PT. Assessment according to the PEDro scale revealed 12 high-quality, 3 fair-quality, and 2 low-quality studies. According to the GRADE system, studies exhibited low to medium quality of evidence, with medium ES [SMD −0.54 (95% CI −1.05 to −0.02)] for studies using PBMT alone and large ES [SMD −0.80 (95% CI −1.35 to −0.26)] for PBMT+EX. Conclusions: The present systemic review revealed that PBMT is an effective PT modality for reducing pain and increasing PPT in patients with MPS of the upper trapezius. PBMT, when combined with EX, had more significant effects in reducing pain and increasing PPT compared with controls. The low-quality studies with low to moderate quality of evidence limit the confidence in the effect estimate and recommend further high-quality studies for standardization of treatment protocols and irradiation parameters. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021241155.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is one of the most common and disabling complication of diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) on diabetic peripheral neuropathy. A total of 30 patients with diabetic neuropathy from both sexes were selected from the Outpatient Clinic of Diabetes Mellitus, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, with age ranging from 40 to 50 years. They were divided into two equal groups: PEMF group (group A) and control group (group B). Group A received PEMF with frequency of 50Hz and intensity of 20 G in addition to traditional physical therapy program. Group B received traditional physical therapy program only. The treatment program was conducted three times per week for 4 weeks. Measurements of pain intensity by visual analog scale and peroneal nerve conduction velocity by computerized electromyography device were done before and after treatment. Results revealed that there was a significant reduction of pain intensity and significant improvement of peroneal nerve conduction velocity (m/s) in both groups (P<0.05), with slightly in favor of group A. It could be concluded that PEMF combined with traditional physical therapy program has a positive effect on diabetic neuropathy symptoms.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Cryoflow cooling on forearm skin temperature and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) in normal subjects. Methods: Thirty male volunteers participated in this study, with a mean age of 20.8 ± 0.74 years. A Cryoflow hose with a nozzle was positioned approximately 10 cm from the forearm and scanned the anterior surface of the non-dominant forearm for 10 min, with temperatures adjusted to −10 °C. Participants’ average skin temperature was measured by using an infrared camera. Motor and sensory NCV for both the median and ulnar nerves were measured from both forearms. The dominant side served as a control side. The level of significance was set at p value ≤ 0.05. Results: Following treatment, the experimental group experienced a reduction in average skin temperature, dropping from 32.94 ± 1.11 °C to 16.92 ± 1.68 °C, while the control group showed no significant change. Both the median and ulnar nerves exhibited significant decreases in motor NCV (−10.37 m/s and −8.79 m/s, respectively), alongside slight increases in distal motor latency. Sensory NCV of the median and ulnar nerves decreased significantly (−5.20 m/s and −8.40 m/s, respectively), accompanied by increased onset latency. No significant changes were found in the control group. Conclusions: Cryoflow air-based cryotherapy to the forearm causes a substantial reduction in local skin temperature and significant slowing of peripheral nerve conduction. Both motor and sensory fibers of the median and ulnar nerves exhibited decreased conduction velocities and increased latencies following cooling.

Non-specific neck pain (NSNP) is one of the most significant health problems especially with frequent use of media devices as computers and cell phones that may be associated with some faulty postures as forward head posture or rounded shoulders. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation of neck, head and shoulders angles: cranio-cervical angle (CVA), forward shoulder angle (FSA), coronal shoulder angle (CSA) and sagittal head tilt angle (SHT) with the non-specific neck pain. A total of 100 females with non-specific neck pain, whose ages were ranged between 18-25 years old. Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and Digital Camera were used to assess neck pain, and neck different angles of cervical and shoulders, respectively. There was indicated a positive and significant correlation between NPRS and FSA (P < 0.045), while there were non-significant correlations between NPRS and other variables (P > 0.05). It was found that there was a significant positive correlation between forward shoulder angle and non-specific neck pain in the sample of female participants. However, no significant associations were observed between neck pain intensity and CCA, CSA, and SHT. Addressing and improving forward shoulder angles may be a potential strategy to reduce neck pain in individuals with non-specific neck pain.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between duration of daily computer use and shoulder muscle peak torque.