[Randomised pilot study for quantification of benefit from the patient's point of view of deep oscillation treatment in primary wound healing]

Conservative treatment of lymphedema: the state of the art

This article aims to discuss the possibilities of conservative and non-pharmacological treatments for lymphedema. A non-systematic review of the literature was carried out, including studies involving human subjects with different types of lymphedema. Several approaches to lymphedema treatment have been reported and Complex Decongestive Therapy (CDT) has been considered the most effective treatment for limb lymphedema. Other conservative treatments have been proposed such as Taping, Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy, Acupuncture, Photobiomodulation Therapy, Endermologie, Intermittent Pneumatic Compression, and Low-frequency, Low-intensity Electrotherapy. The choice of the therapeutic approach to be employed should consider lymphedema characteristics, the therapist's experience, and the patient's wishes. In addition, since this is a chronic condition, the patient must adhere to the treatment. To this end, the therapeutic proposal may be the key to better control of limb volume.

Effect of deep oscillation as a recovery method after fatiguing soccer training: A randomized cross-over study

Background/Objective

In soccer the recovery time between matches is often not long enough for complete restoration. Insufficient recovery can result in reduced performance and a higher risk of injuries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of Deep Oscillation (DO) as a recovery method.

Methods

In a randomized crossover study including 8 male soccer players (22 ± 3.3 years) the following parameters were evaluated directly before and 48 h after a fatiguing soccer-specific exercise: Maximum isokinetic strength of the leg and hip extensors and flexors (Con-Trex^® Leg Press, Physiomed, Germany), rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during isokinetic testing (Borg scale 6–20), creatine kinase (CK) serum levels and Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS; visual analogue scale 1–10). By random allocation, half of the group performed a DO self-treatment twice daily (4 applications of 15min each), whilst the other half received no intervention. 4 weeks later a cross-over was conducted. Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare treatment versus control.

Results

A significant treatment effect was observed for maximum leg flexion strength (p = 0.03; DO: 125 ± 206 N vs. CG: −115 ± 194; p = 0.03) and for RPE (DO: −0.13 ± 0.64; vs. CG: +1.13 ± 1.36; p = 0.03). There was a trend to better recovery for maximum leg extension strength (DO: −31 ± 165 N vs. CG: −138 ± 212; p = 0.028), CK values (DO: 72 ± 331 U/ml vs. CG: 535 ± 797 U/ml; p = 0.15) and DOMS (DO: 3.4 ± 1.5 vs. CG: 4.1 ± 2.6; p = 0.49).

Conclusion

In the present study we found significant effects of DO on maximum leg flexion strength and perceived rate of exertion. Other variables showed a consistent trend in favour of DO compared with the control without significance. DO seems to be a promising method to accelerate the time-course of peripheral recovery of muscle which should be addressed in larger studies in future.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT03411278, 18.01.2018 (during the study).