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AIM OF THE STUDY: To assess whether combined therapy with botulinum toxin injections (BoNT) and KinesioTaping could be helpful in managing non-motor symptoms (NMS) of cervical dystonia (CD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventeen patients with CD were enrolled in this single-centre, prospective, evaluator-blinded, randomised, crossover trial. We compared three forms of treatment: BoNT treatment alone, or combined with KinesioTaping, or combined with ShamTaping. NMS were assessed using the 14-item self-reported questionnaire proposed by Klingelhoefer, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the groups concerning mean results of HADS and PSQI scales, or mean total number of NMS after the procedures. The mean change from baseline HADS and PSQI scores, and total number of NMS after the procedure, also did not differ significantly between groups. ShamTaping combined with BoNT significantly increased the prevalence of pain. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Our study did not confirm the effectiveness of combined therapy of BoNT and KinesioTaping in the management of NMS in patients with CD. Due to a potential negative effect of improper taping on pain in CD, patients with CD should only experience KinesioTaping as an adjunctive therapy, and if it is performed by a trained, experienced physiotherapist.

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INTRODUCTION: Studies explored physiotherapeutic approaches in cervical dystonia (CD) patients with or without botulinum toxin (BoNT) injections, however the results are varying. There are no clinical trials investigating the effects of kinesiology taping in CD patients. The objective of this study is to investigate the efficacy of kinesiology taping as an adjunct to the BoNT injections in patients with CD. METHODS: Twenty-five patients were enrolled to the study. Patients were randomly assigned to the experimental 1 (BoNT + KinesioTaping), experimental 2 (BoNT + ShamTaping) or control (BoNT) treatment. After 12 weeks they were moved to the next experimental group and finally every patient received all 3 proposed treatment options. The severity of CD was quantified with the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) including Torticollis severity, Disability, and Pain scales. Quality of life was evaluated using Craniocervical dystonia questionnaire (CDQ4). RESULTS: In all treatment groups, there was a significant improvement in dystonia symptoms measured with TWSTRS (total score) after BoNT injection regardless of the allocation to the experimental treatment (p < .05). ANOVA analysis revealed no differences in any of the TWSTRS variables after the intervention. Quality of life was significantly improved after application of taping (p < .05, p = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Application of KinesioTaping after BoNT injection provided no additional effect on the severity of dystonia, although the quality of life was improved in patients with CD. Further research investigating the effect of KinesioTaping prior to BoNT injection is required.

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PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was the assessment of the effect of cervical spine rotation on the activity of the upper (UT) and lower (LT) trapezius and serratus anterior (SA) muscles during selected shoulder movements. METHODS: The investigation included 33 healthy individuals (mean age ± SD: 22 ± 1.73 years). Bioelectrical activity of the right (R) and left (L) UT, LT, SA muscles was assessed during the following movements: elevation, flexion, abduction in the scapular and right coronal planes of the dominant (right) arm accompanied by three cervical spine positions (neutral, right rotation, left rotation). RESULTS: RLT EMG activity was higher during right shoulder abduction with right spine rotation vs. that registered during abduction without cervical spine rotation ( p < 0.001). RUT EMG activity during right shoulder abduction was higher when abduction was associated with left cervical spine rotation ( p < 0.01) and lower during right shoulder flexing with right cervical spine rotation, compared to shoulder movements with neutral spine position ( p < 0.001). A higher RSA EMG activity was seen during shoulder flexing ( p < 0.001) and abducting ( p < 0.05) (both in the frontal and scapular plane) when the movement was performed with right cervical spine rotation, compared to RSA activity during shoulder movements without spinal rotation. CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest that inclusion of appropriate cervical spine rotation during shoulder movements may result in improved activity of the trapezius and serratus anterior.

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PURPOSE: The aim of this work was to evaluate postural stability on the balance platform averagely 2 years following meniscal repair. METHODS: This is a retrospective, case-control comparative analysis of patients who underwent surgical repair for the isolated longitudinal traumatic meniscal tear versus matched healthy controls. The study group consisted of 30 patients (mean age 29.93 years; averagely 2.3 years after surgery) and the control group - of 30 people. Following physical examination and completion of the IKDC, and the Lysholm questionnaires, the evaluation of the postural stability using two single-leg stabilometry tests was performed. In the static test, the analyzed variables included deviations from the horizontal, vertical axes and the length of the balance path travelled. In the dynamic test, the length of the path travelled and the time to complete task were recorded. Between-limb and between-groups comparison of collected stabilometry tests were performed. Additionally, the IKDC and the Lysholm questionnaires scores were compared between the study and heathy groups. RESULTS: No abnormalities were found on clinical examination in the study group nor any differences between the operated and contralateral knee ( p > 0.05). In stabilometry: (1) in the study group, the operated extremity scored worse than the contralateral limb (length of path traveled in: A) static test x = 56.7 cm SD = 37.91 cm vs. x = 21.6 cm SD = 9.06 cm; p = 0.002 and B) dynamic test x = 82.57 cm, SD = 50.43 cm vs. x = 53.32 cm, SD = 13.82 cm; p = 0.003); (2) In the control group, no leg-related differences were noted ( p > 0.05); (3) Between-group comparison revealed that the study group scored worse than the control group (length of path traveled in: A) static test x = 56.7 cm, SD = 37.91 cm vs. x = 17.23 cm, SD = 3.39 cm; p = 0.001 and B) dynamic test x = 82.57 cm, SD = 50.43 cm vs. x = 32.13 cm, SD = 9.41 cm; p < 0.001). Study group scored worse on IKDC scores ( p < 0.001) but not on Lysholm score ( p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Postural stability deficit persists despite a successful meniscal repair.