Background and Aim: Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease in adults around the world and plays a great role in inducing disability in elderly. Patients suffering from severe knee osteoarthritis usually complain of pain and severe functional disability. For these patients, conservative treatments are often induces least remedy for pain and improvement of functional ability. This study evaluates the effects of knee mechanical traction on pain, edema, range of movement and functional ability in patients with severe knee osteoarthritis.

Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, forty women with severe knee OA (grade 3 & 4 on the Kellgren-Lawrence grading scale) were recruited and randomly divided into two groups with different treatment protocols (common physiotherapy treatment and common physiotherapy treatment accompanied by knee traction). Functional capacity and level of pain were assessed by 6-minute walking test and visual analog scale respectively. A goniometer was used to measure knee range of movement and edema was also evaluated by use of measuring tape.

 Results: Common physiotherapy treatment accompanied by knee traction compared to common physiotherapy treatment leads to significant decrease in pain (P<0.01) and increase in functional capacity (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Common physiotherapy treatment accompanied by knee traction is a more effective treatment than common physiotherapy procedure in patients with severe knee osteoarthritis.

  Background and Aim: Speech in noise test (SINT) surveys the ability of person in extracting speech from ambient noise. Temporal resolution (TR) is ability of person to understand changes of stimulus over time that has important role in speech perception. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of age and sex on SINT and TR in individuals with normal hearing.

  Materials and Methods: SINT was done in the most comfortable level in 3 SNRs 0,-10 and -20 dB and Gap detection test (GDT) in 4 intensity levels in two age groups 25-40 yrs old (included 14 persons) and 41 -55 yrs old ( included 15 persons).

  Results: There was a significant difference between word recognition scores (WRSs) in quiet and in the presence of noise in each age group (P<0.0001). Significant difference was shown between two age groups in WRS s in two SINs of - 10 and- 20 dB (P≤0.02). WRS difference between silence and 3 SINs in two sexes was significant (P≤0.04). Significant difference was the revealed between GDT thresholds in 4 intensity levels (P<0.0001). Sex and age had no effects on GDT thresholds .

  Conclusions: According to our results, despite of normal hearing thresholds with increasing age WRS and GDT are reduced. It seems that, WRS and speech perception in female are better than male.

  Key words: Speech in Noise Test, Temporal Resolution, Age, Sex

Background and Aim: The main cause of Myofascial pain syndrome is trigger point. The purpose of this study was to compare muscle energy technique (MET) with dry needling (DN) on latent trigger point of upper trapezius.

Materials and Methods: Fourty females, with diagnosis of latent trigger point of upper trapezius after adopting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were equally and randomly allocated into either the muscle energy technique or dry needling groups. Each patient received one treatment to the upper trapezius muscle. Outcome measures (visual analogue scale (VAS), pressure pain threshold (PPT), and range of active contra lateral flexion (CLF) measured before and 48 hours after treatment.

Results: Two techniques which used in this study were effective for treating latent trigger point of upper trapezius (P<0/001) but no significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of the above variables (p>0/05).

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that muscle energy technique was as effective as dry needling in improvement of VAS, PPT and ROM in subjects with latent trigger point of upper trapezius muscle. But since muscle energy technique is safe and non-invasive method, therefore, if you want to select one of these two techniques, muscle energy technique is recommended.

Keywords: Dry needling, Muscle energy technique, Trigger points