Joseph William Myrer

Topical analgesic added to paraffin enhances paraffin bath treatment of individuals with hand osteoarthritis

Purpose. To compare treating patients with symptomatic hand osteoarthritis (OA) with paraffin baths only (PO) (100% wax) or paraffin baths 80% wax with 20% topical analgesic (PTA). Methods. Subjects met criteria of the American College of Rheumatology for classifying symptomatic hand OA and had a Dreisers index score >5 points. Current and average pain at rest and with movement was assessed with visual analogue scales. Hand function was assessed by the functional index for hand OA (FIHOA). Results. Both groups had a significant reduction in their ‘current’ pain 15 min after the first and twelfth treatments compared to pre-treatment but there was no difference between groups (t = 0.10, p > 0.05). The PTA group had greater improvement over the 12 treatment sessions for their pain at rest (t = 2.92, p < 0.05) and with movement (t = 4.73, p < 0.05) than the PO group. The PTA group also showed greater improvement in their FIHOA following 12 treatments than the PO group (t = 3.52, p < 0.05). Conclusion. Our results indicate that the addition of a topical analgesic to paraffin produced significantly greater pain relief at rest and during movement than paraffin baths alone after 12 treatments. Additionally, the PTA group experienced greater improved hand function.

Water treadmill parameters needed to obtain land treadmill intensities in runners.

PURPOSE To establish water treadmill running parameters with shoes (WTR-S) and without water shoes (WTR-NS) needed to obtain known land treadmill running (LTR) cardiorespiratory responses. METHODS Eighteen trained college-aged runners participated in three running conditions (LTR, WTR-S, and WTR-NS) where cardiorespiratory responses were measured. The primary variables of interest were VO2, HR, treadmill speed, and stride frequency (SF). These variables were assessed at 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% equivalents of land VO2max for all three running conditions. RESULTS Data were centered; so in the analysis, intercepts were calculated within the range of data. At an HR of 150 bpm, VO2 was significantly less (P < 0.05) during LTR (34.6 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1)) compared with WTR-S (37.5 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1)) and WTR-NS (37.2 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1)). HR was approximately 7 bpm less during WTR compared with LTR, although the metabolic demand (VO2) was similar. At a treadmill speed of 160.9 m·min(-1), SF during LTR was 23.6 strides per minute greater (P < 0.05) than that during WTR-S and 21.8 strides per minute greater than that during WTR-NS. Wearing water shoes increased VO2 by 4.12 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1) at any given water treadmill speed. CONCLUSIONS To achieve metabolic oxygen demands equivalent to intensities from 50% to 80% of VO2max on LTR, WTR parameters have to be changed from those used on LTR. WTR is an effective alternative to LTR. Subjects were able to exercise on the water treadmill at intensities equivalent to 80% of their VO2max and 55% to 94% of their land HRmax. Individuals can select a treadmill speed during WTR that elicits an HR of approximately 7 bpm less than their LTR to obtain a cardiorespiratory overload equivalent to 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% of their land VO2max.

COLD AND HOT-PACK CONTRAST THERAPY: SUBCUTANEOUS AND INTRAMUSCULAR TEMPERATURE CHANGE 1459

OBJECTIVE To investigate the temperature changes in subcutaneous and intramuscular tissue during a 20-minute cold- and hot-pack contrast therapy treatment. DESIGN AND SETTING Subjects were randomly exposed to 20 minutes of contrast therapy (5 minutes of heat with a hydrocollator pack followed by 5 minutes of cold with an ice pack, repeated twice) and 20 minutes of cold therapy (ice pack only) in a university laboratory. SUBJECTS Nine men and seven women with no history of peripheral vascular disease and no allergy to cephalexin hydrochloride volunteered for the study. MEASUREMENTS Subcutaneous and intramuscular tissue temperatures were measured by 26-gauge hypodermic needle microprobes inserted into the left calf just below the skin or 1 cm below the skin and subcutaneous fat, respectively. RESULTS With contrast therapy, muscular temperature did not fluctuate significantly over the 20-minute period compared with the subcutaneous temperature, which fluctuated from 8 degrees C to 14 degrees C each 5-minute interval. When subjects were treated with ice alone, muscle temperature decreased 7 degrees C and subcutaneous temperature decreased 17 degrees C over the 20-minute treatment. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that contrast therapy has little effect on deep muscle temperature. Therefore, if most of the physiologic effects attributed to cold and hot contrast therapy depend on substantial fluctuations in tissue temperature, contrast therapy needs to be reconsidered as a viable therapeutic modality.

Multifidus Muscle Size and Symmetry in Ballroom Dancers with and without Low Back Pain

The incidence of low back pain (LBP) among elite ballroom dancers is high and understanding associations between muscle morphology and pain may provide insight into treatment or training options. Research has linked multifidus muscle atrophy to LBP in the general and some athletic populations; however, this has not been examined in ballroom dancers. We compared the lumbar multifidus cross-sectional area (CSA) at rest in 57 elite level ballroom dancers (age 23±2.4 years; height, 174±11 cm; mass, 64±10 kg) divided into one of three pain groups, according to their self-reported symptoms, 1) LBP group (n=19), 2) minimal LBP (n=17), and 3) no LBP (n=21). There were no significant difference in demographics between the groups (P>0.05). The LBP group demonstrated significant differences in reported pain and Oswestry Disability Index scores compared to the other two groups. There was no significant difference between groups in multifidus cross-sectional area (P=0.49). Asymmetry was found in all groups with the overall left side being significantly larger than the right (P<0.002). Pain associated with segmental decrease in multifidus CSA was not observed in ballroom dancers with LBP, suggesting other reasons for persistent LBP in ballroom dancers.