UNLABELLED Focal hand dystonia (FHD) in musicians is a painless task-specific motor disorder characterized by an involuntary loss of control of individual finger movements. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an innovative behavioural therapy intervention, aimed at normalising movement patterns, in musicians affected by FHD. METHODS Eight musicians volunteered to take part...

Focal dystonia is a debilitating movement disorder which occurs as a result of many repetitions of a specific task and typically manifests in involuntary muscle contractions. In pianists, an incoordination occurs between fingers, making it impossible to play at concert level. Three pianists with focal hand dystonia participated in a retraining program based on a biomechanically sound way of pla...

BACKGROUND Foot ulceration is the main precursor to lower limb amputation in patients with type 2 diabetes worldwide. Biomechanical factors have been implicated in the development of foot ulceration; however the association of these factors to ulcer healing remains less clear. It may be hypothesised that abnormalities in temporal spatial parameters (stride to stride measurements), kinematics (j...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Although the diagnostic accuracy of paradoxical vocal fold movement disorder and chronic cough has improved, the underlying pathophysiology remains relatively unknown. We hypothesize that one potential etiological factor in these patients is an aberrant laryngeal sensory response and sought to determine if respiratory retraining in addition to antireflux therapy alters thi...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of aerobic retraining as rehabilitation after short-term leg immobilization on leg strength, leg work capacity, leg lean mass, leg muscle fibre type composition and leg capillary supply, in young and older men.Subjects and design: Seventeen young (23 ± 1 years) and 15 older (68 ± 1 [standard error of the mean; SEM] years) men had one leg immobilized for 2 weeks...

Focal dystonia (FD) is a devastating neurological condition that can result in the loss of a musician’s playing ability. In pianists, involuntary muscle contractions can cause abnormal finger postures, making it impossible to play at concert level. It is a difficult condition to treat, and although some improvement has been reported with Botulinum toxin therapy, complete recovery is rare. Our s...

objectives: deterioration in postural control mechanisms is termed postural instability and results increased postural sway and many laboratory techniques and instruments are characterized by a wide range of neurological signs and symptoms to the medical management. thus the current study designed to assess the reliability of commonly used clinical measures of balance and determined normal valu...

It’s a truism that innovation has the power to create and destroy jobs. One question is whether more jobs are created than are destroyed by innovation. Historically, more new jobs are created partly as a consequence of a growing population (with its increased demands for products and services) and partly because of new demands. The market for mobile phones exploded especially after the inventio...