Alessandro Schneebeli

University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland · Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care (DEASS)

Objective: To establish the test-retest reliability of sonoelastography (SE) on healthy Achilles tendons in contracted and relaxed states using an external reference system. Materials and methods: Forty-eight Achilles tendons from 24 healthy volunteers were assessed using ultrasound and real-time SE with an external reference material. Tendons w...

This study examined the validity of the twitch interpolation technique for evaluating side-to-side asymmetries in quadriceps neuromuscular function. Fifty-six subjects with a wide range of asymmetries (19 healthy, 24 with unilateral and 13 with bilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction) took part in the study. Supramaximal electrical pair...

Although elbow extensors (EE) have a great role in cross-country skiing (XC) propulsion, previous studies on neuromuscular fatigue in long-distance XC have investigated only knee extensor (KE) muscles. In order to investigate the origin and effects of fatigue induced by long-distance XC race, 16 well-trained XC skiers were tested before and after a...

An increased fatigability associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury may persist several months after surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate the behavior of muscle fiber conduction velocity (CV) as a descriptor of myoelectric fatigue, at different stages after rehabilitation, post-ACL reconstruction. Nineteen subjects ac...

To examine intra- and interrater reliability of thickness and cross-sectional area (CSA) measurements of the supraspinatus muscle using rehabilitative ultrasound imaging (RUSI). Two physical therapists acquired b-mode images of the supraspinatus muscles in twenty-five healthy subjects. Thickness and CSA were measured. Intra- and interrater reliabil...

Objectives: Changes in mechanical loading as well as pathology can modify the Achilles tendon mechanical properties and therefore detection of these changes is relevant for the diagnosis and management of Achilles tendinopathy. The aim of this study was to evaluate strain and shear wave sonoelastography for their ability to detect changes in the Ac...

Purpose The aim of this randomized placebo-controlled crossover study was to compare the acute effect on young athletes of a single session of roller massager (RM) with that obtained from passive static stretching (PSS) and a placebo intervention (PL) on hamstring flexibility and on strength. Methods Twenty-nine (23 male, 6 female) young athletes...

This study investigated the reliability of sonoelastography techniques in quantifying lower limb tendon elasticity. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science and CINAHL. The quality of the selected papers was evaluated using the Guidelines for Reporting Reliability and Agreement Studies and the Quality Appraisal Tool for Studie...

Dry needling (DN) is a minimally invasive treatment technique widely used by physical therapists to treat myofascial trigger points (MTrP). Even if its safety has been commonly declared and the majority of adverse events are considered mild, serious adverse events cannot be excluded and DN treatments of several trunk muscles can potentially result...

Background Ultrasound imaging techniques have been used to assess the characteristics of skeletal muscles and tendons. Such techniques (gray scale analysis) allow qualitative evaluation and have been used recently to assess the internal structure of muscles and tendons by computer-aided gray scale analysis. We hypothesized that changes in the inter...

Objective This study evaluates the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the MyotonPRO and its construct validity for the assessment of Achilles tendon stiffness. Design Reliability and construct validity study. Methods Forty healthy participants were assessed using the MyotonPRO by two raters on two different occasions. Tendon was evaluated...

Background: Tecar therapy (TT) is an endogenous thermotherapy used to generate warming up of superficial and deep tissues. TT capability to affect the blood flow is commonly considered to be the primary mechanism to promote tissue healing processes. Despite some preliminary evidence about its clinical efficacy, knowledge on the physiologic response...

Purpose of review: Myofascial pain syndrome is a chronic pain condition characterized by the presence of myofascial trigger point, a hyperirritable painful spot involving a limited number of muscle fibers. The literature suggest that myofascial trigger points should be considered peripheral pain generators and this critical review will summarize r...

Background: Mechanical and morphological properties of the Achilles tendon are altered in disease and in response to changes in mechanical loading. In the last few years different ultrasound based technologies have been used to detect tendon mechanical properties changes mainly in resting condition. Therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate i...

DOES TECAR THERAPY AFFECT THE PERFUSION OF THE MICROCIRCULATION? A PILOT FEASIBILITY STUDY ON HEALTHY PARTICIPANTS Clijsen, R.1,2,3, Leoni, D.1, Barbero, M.1, Schneebeli, A.1, Cescon, C.1, Soldini, E.1, Lihui L.1 1: Rehabilitation Research Laboratory (2rLab), Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences...

Objective. Our aims were 1) to investigate whether perceived pain extent, assessed from the pain drawing, relates to clinical, psychological, and psychophysical outcomes in women with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS); 2) to assess differences in pain extent depending on the presence of median or extramedian symptoms; and 3) to investigate differences i...

Results from an unpublished pilot study to test the possibility to measure cervical movements after manual mobilisation.

Objective To evaluate the test-retest reliability of the ultrasound echo intensity parameters on healthy Achilles tendon using a semi-automatic tracing procedure. Materials and methodsEighteen healthy volunteers participated. B-mode images were acquired in the transverse plane (mid-tendon; insertion) and used to analyze tendon echogenicity. Graysca...

Objective: People with migraine present with varying pain extent and an expanded distribution of perceived pain may reflect central sensitization. The relationship between pain extent and clinical features, psychological outcomes, related-disability and pressure pain sensitivity in migraine has been poorly investigated. Our aim was to investigate...

Background. Whiplash associated disorders (WAD) are a complex phenomenon associated with relevant social and economic burdens. Many people with chronic WAD show widespread pain which can be observed from the patient’s pain drawing. No studies have evaluated the relation of pain extent to perceived pain and disability, financial status, general heal...

Table of contents S1 Criteria for exercises selection in subjects with low back pain Alessandro Aina S2 Recent advances in pathophysiology and treatment of myofascial trigger points Marco Barbero S3 Rehabilitation of scapular dyskinesia Barbara Cagnie S4 Musculoskeletal rehabilitation in subjects affected by neurological disorders Elena Castelli S5...

Convex hull area (CHA) and mean angle (MA) have been proposed to describe the behaviour of the helical axis during joint kinematics. This study investigates the intra- and inter-session reliability of CHA and MA during active movements of the cervical spine. Twenty-seven healthy volunteers (19 women) aged 23 ± 2.8 years participated. Each volunteer...

Background: Completion of a pain drawing is a familiar task in those presenting with whiplash-associated disorders (WAD). Some people report pain almost over their entire body. Yet the reasons for larger pain extent have not been fully explored. Methods: A novel method was applied to quantify pain extent from the pain drawings of 205 individuals...

AIM: Real-time elastography is a recent ultrasound-based technique which allows a qualitative assessment of tissue elasticity. The aim of this study was to examine test-retest reliability of real-time elastography (RTE) using an external reference material. METHODS: Thirteen healthy subjects were recruited. Longitudinal RTE ultrasound (MyLab™ Cla...

AIM: The aim of this study was to describe elasticity pattern of normal Achilles tendon using RTE with an external reference material. METHODS: Thirteen healthy subjects were recruited. Longitudinal RTE ultrasound (MyLab™ ClassC) images of left and right Achilles tendon were acquired. An external reference material (Zerdine ® , CIRS, Inc., Norfol...

Die Morphologie des Muskels und seine Funktion darzustellen, dies macht die Technik des dyna-misch rehabilitativen Ultraschalls möglich. In der Physiotherapie kann die Sonografie des Bewe-gungsapparates sowohl für die Untersuchung als auch die Verlaufsmessung dienen, und der Patient erhält eine neue Feedbackfunktion. D ynamisch rehabilitativer Ultr...

BACKGROUND AND AIM Real-time elastography (RTE) is an ultrasound technique to obtain a qualitative assessment of tissue elasticity. It is performed by compressing tissue and then producing a coloured image that reflects the elasticity pattern of the tissue. The principle of RTE is that tissue compression produces displacement within the tissue, whi...