[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a forced-use training program on gait, mobility and quality of life of post-acute stroke patients. [Subjects] Twenty-one individuals with unilateral stroke participated in this study. All participants had suffered from first-ever stroke with time since onset of at least 3 months. [Methods] A single-blinded, non-equivalent, pr...

[Purpose] This study examined low back pain patients' decrease in pain and improvement in functionality after performance of a lumbar stabilization exercise using an oral assistive device, which can replace a lumbar assistive device. [Subjects and Methods] The experimental group (n=12) conducted a stabilization exercise using an oral assistive device after conventional physical therapy. The con...

Ninety seven patients with stroke who had participated in a randomised trial of conventional physical therapy nu an enhanced therapy for arm function were followed up at one year. Despite the emphasis of the enhanced therapy approach on continued use of the arm in everyday life, the advantage seen for some patients with enhanced therapy at six months after stroke had diminished to a non-signifi...

BACKGROUND Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second-most-common chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disease. The long-term use of levodopa leads to a loss of efficacy and to complications. Therefore, many patients with PD have turned to complementary therapies to help relieve their symptoms. Acupuncture is most commonly used as a complementary therapy in patients with PD. This paper present...

Background There is an association among postural instability, gait dysfunction, and cognitive impairment in subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD). Difficulty in dividing attention, response inhibition, and visuospatial attention deficiencies may contribute to the impairment of motor performance during daily activities. There are strong evidences that physical therapy can prevent physical and ...

OBJECTIVE To compare anthroposophic treatment (eurythmy, rhythmical massage or art therapy; counselling, anthroposophic medication) and conventional treatment for low back pain (LBP) under routine conditions. METHODS 62 consecutive outpatients from 38 medical practices in Germany, consulting an anthroposophic (A-) or conventional (C-) physician with LBP of >or= 6 weeks duration participated i...

Background and Objective: Hope therapy is an efficient and positive psychology intervention used to treat chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of hope therapy on anxiety and depression using an Islamic approach and compare this approach with conventional hope therapy in coronary heart disease (CAD) patients. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in...