Current Issue: March 2012

In this issue -

The March 2012 issue contains four randomised trials, an observational study, and a reliability study. These papers span a range of clinical areas of physiotherapy practice.

One of the randomised trials shows that aerobic exercise training during pregnancy reduces depressive symptoms in nulliparous women. This is an important addition to the other benefits of exercise during pregnancy. The second trial finds that stretching before sleep reduces the frequency and severity of nocturnal leg cramps in older adults. Another trial demonstrates that neural tissue management provides immediate clinically relevant benefits without harmful effects for patients with nerve-related neck and arm pain. The final trial finds that adults with cystic fibrosis prefer hypertonic saline before or during (as opposed to after) airway clearance techniques. The authors note that perceived efficacy and patient satisfaction are enhanced even though lung function may not be better with these timing regimens.

The observational study finds that half of the adults who present to hospital with a stroke develop at least one contracture within six months of stroke. The authors observe that muscle strength is a significant predictor of elbow, wrist, and ankle contractures but cannot be used to accurately predict contractures in these joints. The reliability study finds that the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) is a reliable measure of professional competence of physiotherapy students. It is a companion to the study in the December 2011 issue which found that the APP is a valid measure of the professional competence of physiotherapy students.

Mark Elkins

Editor