Michael Masaracchio

Background: Impaired lumbopelvic control and inefficient bending mechanics are associated with low back pain and functional limitations. The Founder Exercise is a movement retraining strategy intended to promote hip-dominant movement, trunk control, and postural awareness during forward bending. However, empirical evidence examining movement performance following Founder Exercise instruction is limited. This study examined immediate pre-to-post differences in hip hinge kinematics and movement confidence surrounding a standardized Founder Exercise instructional session in healthy adults. Methods: A within-subject pretest-posttest design was used. Thirty-three healthy adults (72.7% female; mean age, 25.1 ± 2.9 years) completed assessments of foot orientation, sagittal-plane joint kinematics, and movement confidence before and after a single Founder Exercise instructional session. Joint kinematics were assessed using two-dimensional video analysis. Paired-samples t-tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, as appropriate based on the distributions of the paired differences, were used to evaluate the kinematic outcomes. The exploratory summed confidence score and individual ordinal confidence items were evaluated using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Holm adjustments were applied separately to the 11 kinematic comparisons and the 10 individual-item comparisons. Results: Statistically significant immediate pre-to-post differences were observed in several kinematic variables. Hip flexion increased from 80.7° ± 18.1° at pretest to 104.6° ± 14.3° at posttest, shoulder flexion increased from 62.8° ± 23.9° to 145.3° ± 13.9°, and craniovertebral angle decreased from 25.7° ± 12.9° to 11.2° ± 10.0° (all p < 0.001). The summed score from the unvalidated, study-specific confidence scale was higher at posttest (median = 49.0, IQR = 40.0–50.0) than at pretest (median = 40.0, IQR = 36.0–50.0; p < 0.001). After Holm adjustment of the individual ordinal-item analyses, statistically significant differences remained for five of the 10 items; all confidence findings were considered exploratory. No statistically significant differences were observed in knee flexion or ankle motion after Holm adjustment. Conclusions: A brief Founder Exercise instructional session was followed by immediate differences in selected two-dimensional hip hinge angles and higher exploratory movement-confidence scores in healthy adults. These findings do not establish changes in lumbopelvic control, muscle activation, spinal loading, movement efficiency, or clinical outcomes. Controlled studies incorporating direct measures of lumbar and pelvic motion, muscle activity, external forces, and clinically relevant outcomes are needed before biomechanical or clinical conclusions can be drawn.

Background/Objectives: The purpose of this umbrella review was to assess the risk of bias and the methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews that evaluated the effects of thoracic spine manipulation (TSM) on individuals with mechanical neck pain. Methods: To be included, publications needed to be systematic reviews including studies with participants with neck pain >18 years old; at least two groups where the experimental intervention was TSM; assessed pain and/or function; and were published in English. Reviews limited to narrative, scoping, or retrospective studies, or those with cervical radiculopathy, were excluded. An electronic search was conducted in May 2025 using PubMed, CINAHL (EBSCO Host), and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant articles from inception to May 2025. Quality and risk of bias were assessed using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2), Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020), and Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews (ROBIS). Findings were summarized narratively and graphically. Results: Seven reviews (27 unique studies; 1394 participants, aged 18–62 years) met the inclusion criteria. Some evidence supported TSM for short-term improvement in neck pain, but confidence in results was low to critically low based on the AMSTAR 2 results. Four reviews had a high overall risk of bias, and three had a low risk. Reporting compliance varied widely (0–100%). Conclusions: While all the included systematic reviews suggested that TSM is a viable short-term option for individuals with neck pain, the overall confidence in these results ranged from low to critically low, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the true benefit of TSM in clinical practice. Registered prospectively in PROSPERO (CRD420251034330).

BackgroundTelehealth direct access physical therapy is becoming more prevalent in the management of outpatient musculoskeletal pain. This innovative model affords more opportunity to reach potential patients who otherwise would not be able to access services due to geographical isolation, travel barriers, and timely access to quality care.ObjectiveThe purpose of the study was to investigate if pain, function, and ability to perform jobs improved after direct access telehealth physical therapy in patients with musculoskeletal pain.MethodsA single cohort retrospective design was implemented to offer telehealth physical therapy to patients with musculoskeletal pain from March to November 2021. Eligible patients were at least 18 years old, located in California, and had a history of peripartum pelvic dysfunction, muscle pain, joint pain, or neural symptoms. Paired-samples t-tests and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to analyze normally distributed and non-parametric data (a = 0.05), respectively, to compare pretest and post scores.ResultsBased on 89 participants, paired-samples t-tests showed statistically significant differences in function [t(87) = 20.71, p < .0001] and pain [t(82) = -8.15, p < .0001]. Wilcoxon's signed-rank test showed statistically significant differences in ability to perform job (Z = -7.345, p < .0001).ConclusionThis study demonstrated that in a cohort of individuals with multiregional musculoskeletal pain, there was a decrease in pain and improvements in function and ability to perform job after direct access telehealth physical therapy.

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been considered for its role in facilitating the body’s own healing processes, with the potential to complement rehabilitation in the management of lower extremity musculoskeletal pathologies. Methods: Eligible studies were randomized clinical trials and quasi-experimental trials with completed data analysis; published in English; recruited participants aged >18 years; had at least two groups, with one intervention group receiving PRP injection alone or PRP injection and rehabilitation, and the comparison group receiving either rehabilitation alone or a control group receiving saline and rehabilitation; included at least one outcome measure of pain, disability, quality of life, or return to play. An electronic search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Pedro, and clinicaltrials.gov. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias (RoB) tool. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach was used to assess the quality of evidence. Meta-analyses were conducted across outcomes in each pathology when possible. Results: Twenty-one studies assessed Achilles rupture, Achilles tendinopathy, lateral ankle sprain, high ankle sprain, hamstring injury, knee osteoarthritis, acute muscle injury, patellar tendinopathy, and plantar fasciitis, with an average RoB score of 9.9 out of 12. Meta-analyses for Achilles rupture (n = 270) revealed a nonsignificant effect on disability in the short and long term (high level of evidence) when comparing PRP, immobilization, and exercise/physical therapy to placebo, immobilization, and exercise/physical therapy. Meta-analyses for Achilles tendinopathy revealed a nonsignificant effect on pain (n = 64) in the short term, and disability in the short (n = 138) as well as long term (n = 192) (very low to low level of evidence) when comparing PRP and exercise to placebo and exercise. Conclusions: While individual studies demonstrated significant findings across outcomes, the non-significant pooled results and inability to perform further meta-analyses made it difficult to provide definitive recommendations for the addition of PRP to exercise for lower extremity musculoskeletal pathologies. Future studies should standardized PRP exercise rehabilitation protocols with better dosage parameters, consider larger sample sizes, and have short and long term follow-up periods consistent with the Cochrane Collaboration.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of tibiofemoral (TF) osteoarthritis (OA) following arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) with a minimum follow‐up of 5 years, to explore the prevalence of symptomatic TF OA, and to identify potential risk factors for the development of TF OA following APM. Methods: An electronic search was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, Pedro, AMED, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov . Prospective/retrospective studies including participants with a mean age ≥18 years old, undergoing isolated APM, reported radiographic assessment of knee OA as an outcome, had at least 5‐year follow‐up, and were written in English were included. Two authors extracted relevant data. Four authors assessed methodologic quality using the Center of Reviews and Dissemination and the Downs and Black checklist. The prevalence of TF OA after APM was reported for each study, with the range provided across studies for each time period (5 years to <10 years, 10 years to <15 years, ≥15 years). Results: Twenty‐two studies were included. Radiologic TF OA prevalence following APM ranged from 35% to 90%, 23% to 100%, and 52% to 57.7% at an average follow‐up of 5 years to <10 years, 10 years to <15 years, and ≥15 years, respectively. Prevalence of symptomatic TF OA ranged from 24.1% to 67% according to individual operational definitions, with 2 studies reporting correlations between function and radiological findings. Conclusions: APM results in a prevalence of radiographic TF OA ranging from 23% to 100% across follow‐up periods of 5 or more years with the lowest prevalence reported between 5 and <10 years and the highest prevalence reported between 10 and <15 years follow‐up. Considerably less data was available to assess symptomatic TF OA or risk factors associated with TF OA. Level of Evidence: Level III, systematic review of Level II and III studies.

Osteoarthritis (OA) has been identified as 1 of the 4 most prevalent chronic musculoskeletal conditions, with both prevalence and health care spending rising as the population continues to age. The current US health care system incorporates a model that is driven by individualized one-on-one treatment, which has been successful in the management of certain medical diseases; however, chronic musculoskeletal diseases, such as OA, may be better managed from a population health perspective for more cost-efficient and effective utilization of resources. Although the benefits of resistance training are indisputable, a wide variety of factors (social determinants of health, access to quality care, contextual factors, and comorbidities) may hinder the successful implementation of resistance training programs in older individuals with OA. Considering the complexity and flaws of the health care system, health care professionals involved in movement and exercise should consider innovative models of care that incorporate population health, psychosocial factors, and social determinants of health, in conjunction with individualized treatment of disease, injuries, and pathologies to enhance independence and quality of life in individuals with OA. Therefore, this commentary will discuss innovative strategies to overcome the inherent challenges associated with the implementation of resistance training programs for individuals with hip and knee OA.

To investigate the role of thoracic spine manipulation (TSM) on pain and disability in the management of mechanical neck pain (MNP). Electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, Pedro, Embase, AMED, the Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov were searched in January 2018. Eligible studies were completed RCTs, written in English, had at least 2 groups with one group receiving TSM, had at least one measure of pain or disability, and included patients with MNP of any duration. The search identified 1717 potential articles, with 14 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Methodological quality was evaluated independently by two authors using the guidelines published by the Cochrane Collaboration. Pooled analyses were analyzed using a random-effects model with inverse variance methods to calculate mean differences (MD) and 95% confidence intervals for pain (VAS 0-100mm, NPRS 0-10pts; 0 = no pain) and disability (NDI and NPQ 0–100%; 0 = no disability). Across the included studies, there was increased risk of bias for inadequate provider and participant blinding. The GRADE approach demonstrated an overall level of evidence ranging from very low to moderate. Meta-analysis that compared TSM to thoracic or cervical mobilization revealed a significant effect favoring the TSM group for pain (MD -13.63; 95% CI: -21.79, -5.46) and disability (MD -9.93; 95% CI: -14.38, -5.48). Meta-analysis that compared TSM to standard care revealed a significant effect favoring the TSM group for pain (MD -13.21; 95% CI: -21.87, -4.55) and disability (MD -11.36; 95% CI: -18.93, -3.78) at short-term follow-up, and a significant effect for disability (MD -4.75; 95% CI: -6.54, -2.95) at long-term follow-up. Meta-analysis that compared TSM to cervical spine manipulation revealed a non-significant effect (MD 3.43; 95% CI: -7.26, 14.11) for pain without a distinction between immediate and short-term follow-up. The greatest limitation in this systematic review was the heterogeneity among the studies making it difficult to assess the true clinical benefit, as well as the overall level of quality of evidence. TSM has been shown to be more beneficial than thoracic mobilization, cervical mobilization, and standard care in the short-term, but no better than cervical manipulation or placebo thoracic spine manipulation to improve pain and disability. PROSPERO CRD42017068287

Aim: Currently there is a large and perhaps unwarranted variation regarding physical therapy utilization for individuals with low back pain (LBP). The purpose of this systematic review was to compare the effects of minimal physical therapy utilization/education (two visits or less) versus typical physical therapy utilization (three visits or more) on patient-important outcomes for patients with LBP. Methods: Two independent reviewers searched Cochrane, Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, and PEDro from database inception until March 2017. Eligible studies used a randomized design, included subjects with LBP, and compared minimal versus higher utilization. The GRADE approach was used to provide an overall level of evidence regarding utilization. Eight articles (1153 individual subjects) met the inclusion criteria. Effect sizes for each outcome measure were calculated using Hedge's g and were adjusted for baseline values at each time period. Findings: When compared with minimal utilization, higher utilization demonstrated no significant differences on pain, disability, or quality of life at the 1-year follow-up. However, two of the three studies that analyzed cost-effectiveness found higher utilization to be more cost-effective at 1-year follow-up. Moreover, there was insufficient evidence available to investigate patient subgroups (acuity, risk for chronicity), multiple levels of utilization dosage (low, typical, and high), or intervention type. Conclusions: This review identifies the need for further research on the dosage of physical therapy among various subgroups of patients with LBP. While higher utilization may not result in significant improvements in patient-important outcomes, it may be more cost-effective for patients with chronic or complex LBP conditions when compared to minimal utilization.

ROTATOR CUFF TENDINOPATHY IS A PREVALENT CONDITION AMONG BOTH THE GENERAL AND ATHLETIC POPULATIONS, WITH MANY OF THESE INDIVIDUALS SEEKING CONSERVATIVE CARE AT SOME POINT. THE UNDERSTANDING OF TENDINOPATHIES HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY OVER THE PAST DECADE, AS HAVE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS. THIS ARTICLE PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF CURRENT TRENDS IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF ROTATOR CUFF TENDINOPATHY INCLUDING THE UNDERLYING PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, RISK FACTORS, AS WELL AS THE EVIDENCE UNDERSCORING PHARMACOLOGICAL AND EXERCISE-BASED INTERVENTIONS.

THE SQUAT IS A FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENT FOR WEIGHTLIFTING AND SPORT PERFORMANCE AND MAY BE USED FOR ASSESSING INJURY RISK AND FUNCTIONAL INDEPENDENCE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS COLUMN IS TO PRESENT AN EVIDENCE-BASED DISCUSSION OF THE INFLUENCE THAT FEMORAL ACETABULAR IMPINGEMENT MAY HAVE ON SQUAT PERFORMANCE.