[Purpose] The aim of this research was to see how ultrasound and nerve gliding with and without shock wave therapy effects on clinical and sonographic data of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). [Participants and Methods] Forty four patients with moderate carpal tunnel syndrome participated in this research. One group got shock-wave therapy in addition to median nerve glide exercises and ultrasound, whereas the other group received median nerve glide exercises and ultrasound alone. Hand grip strength (HGS), pinch grip strength (PGS), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)-pain, Boston Questionnaire (BQ), and Cross-sectional area (CSA) of median nerve were examined before and after 10 sessions of treatment. [Results] HGS, PGS, VAS, BQ and CSA of median nerve improved considerably after therapy. [Conclusion] Patients with moderate CTS who received ultrasound and median nerve glide exercises with and without shock-wave therapy improved considerably without preference of adding shock-wave therapy to other treatment.

[Purpose] Young’s modulus distributions for subcutaneous and muscle tissues in a large sample of healthy individuals, based on ultrasonography and compression testing, remains uninvestigated till date. This study aimed to separately estimate the hardness of subcutaneous tissues and muscles in the human gluteal region under a range of loads in terms of mean Young’s moduli and associated distributions. [Participants and Methods] Data of 21 males aged 20–22 years were acquired using synchronous compression testing and ultrasonography. Stress-strain curves comprised the loads applied (stress) were plotted against ultrasonographic changes in subcutaneous/muscle tissue thickness (strain). Young’s moduli were calculated as slopes of approximation curves fitted to highly linear regions of the stress-strain curves. [Results] Young’s moduli (mean ± standard deviation) for gluteal subcutaneous and muscle tissues were estimated as: 26.1 ± 19.0 kPa, 1-N load; 2,199.1 ± 1,354.8 kPa, 30-N load; and 62.2 ± 10.3 kPa, 5-N load; 440.4 ± 80.0 kPa, 30-N load, respectively. No correlation between any pair of these measures reached statistical significance. [Conclusion] Young’s moduli were successfully measured for subcutaneous and muscle tissues in a large participant sample using ultrasonography and compression testing. Our results may serve as reference data when assessing tissue hardness by palpation.

[Purpose] In this pilot study, we investigated the effectiveness of physical therapist-delivered acceptance and commitment therapy in older outpatients with knee osteoarthritis and chronic pain. [Participants and Methods] This single-center, open-label, parallel-group pilot randomized controlled trial included 30 patients assigned to the physical therapist-delivered acceptance and commitment therapy group (n=15) and the usual care physical therapy-only group (n=15). Both treatments were administered once a week for 8 weeks. Evaluation was performed 4 weeks before intervention, pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 4 weeks after intervention. The primary outcome was diagnosis of a physical disability, and secondary outcomes included psychological inflexibility, pain intensity, anxiety, depression, physical function, and objectively measured physical activity. [Results] Physical therapist-delivered acceptance and commitment therapy had a limited effect on physical disability, although we observed a favorable tendency. With regard to secondary outcomes, physical therapist-delivered acceptance and commitment therapy did not show significant effects. Notably, 15 patients withdrew from this study and 6 were diagnosed with coronavirus disease. [Conclusion] Physical therapist-delivered acceptance and commitment therapy did not appear to show significant effects in the present study. It is necessary to correct these issues in this study, and future studies are warranted to investigate the effects of this therapy.

[Purpose] With the innovation of healthcare delivery systems, a need for early determination of patients’ discharge outcomes arises after proximal femur fracture surgery, to reduce the burden on healthcare infrastructure. Several studies have examined the extent of walking ability early in the postoperative period to predict the outcome destination. In this study, as an additional validation of these studies, we examined the effect of walking ability on the hospital discharge prognosis of patients in the first week after proximal femur fracture surgery in Japan. [Participants and Methods] Medical records of 228 patients with proximal femur fractures, aged ≥75 years old, admitted between April 2015 and March 2019, were retrospectively analyzed. The objective variable was discharge destination. The main evaluation factor was walking ability one-week post-surgery. [Results] Good walking ability and the company of a relative living together one week post-surgery were significant determining factors of discharge destination. [Conclusion] The ability to walk and the presence of a co-resident one week after surgery increased the likelihood of proximal femur fracture patients to be discharged directly to home. Our findings may help rehabilitation professionals make better decisions regarding discharge destination.

[Purpose] There is no established learning methods for movement procedures for activities of daily living. Patients with higher brain dysfunction and other disorders encounter challenges with movement procedures. Therefore, as a basic study on the memorization methods for movement procedures, we examined the differences between the effects of two memorization methods on healthy participants. [Participants and Methods] Forty student participants were asked to memorize and recall 10 movement elements. The control condition comprised all presented movements; whereas the intervention method comprised two movement elements (one block) each. The number of sets wherein all 10 movements were recalled and the number of consecutive recalls per set after 7 days were compared between the two conditions. [Results] The intervention method engendered significantly fewer sets that were recalled and significantly more consecutive recalls. [Conclusion] It is suggested that the method of presenting the movement procedure in smaller pieces is a more effective memory method than presenting the entire procedure.

[Purpose] Arm choice is an unconscious action selection performed in daily life. Even if hemiparetic stroke patients can use their paretic arm, they compensate for their movements with their non-paretic arm, leading to decreased function of their paretic arm. Therefore, we need to encourage stroke patients to actively use their paretic arm. For this purpose, it is imperative to understand the process of selection of the left or right hand by patients. Here, we conducted a scoping review to summarize the findings of previous studies on factors and brain regions related to choice of arm. [Methods] We used PubMed/Medline, EBSCO, and the Cochrane Library to obtain research literature according to the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. [Results] Twenty-five of the 81 articles obtained from the search met the defined criteria. Cost, success, and dominance were investigated as relevant factors for arm choice. We also extracted articles examining the relationship between the posterior parietal and premotor cortex activity and arm choice. [Conclusion] From these results, we considered ways to facilitate the use of the paretic arm, such as the use of virtual reality systems or exoskeletal robots to modulate the reaching cost and success rates, or non-invasive brain stimulation methods to modulate brain activity.