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Background: One of the most common inappropriate postures is forward head posture (FHP), which the head is placed in front of the trunk in sagittal plane. Due to head and neck joints and muscles’ impairments, it seems this postural disorder might affect neck proprioception. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate cervical proprioception in FHP subjects with and without neck pain and healthy subjects.
   Methods: 31 subjects with FHP, 31 subjects with FHP and 31 healthy subjects were participated in this study. Craniovertebral (CV) angle was determined by photography. Cervical range of motion (CROM) device was used to measure active range of motion (AROM), joint reposition error of target angle (50 percent of the total AROM) and neutral angle in neck flexion, extension, left and right rotation and lateral flexion.
   Results: The results of ANOVA test showed there was a significant difference between AROM of extension, right rotation, and left lateral flexion between groups (p<0.05). Furthermore, there was a significant difference between target and neutral angle reposition error in all directions in FHP groups and healthy group (p<0.05). Also, the result of Pearson correlation test showed a significant and inverse correlation between CV angle and repositioning error (p<0.05).
   Conclusion: The results of our study showed that FHP, regardless of pain, increases the amount of joint reposition error. As a result, mechanical stability and normal kinematics are reduced.

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Background and Objectives: Chronic functional constipation is a prevalent and symptom-based disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Constipation takes several different forms among patients. The Wexner Constipation Scoring System (WCSS) was developed to present a uniform tool for the assessment of chronic functional constipation. The purpose of this study was to provide the Persian version of WCSS and assess its validity and reliability.
Methods: WCSS was translated into Farsi. After being linguistically validated, the Persian version of the WCSS was administered to a sample of 76 patients with chronic functional constipation. Reliability tests were used to evaluate the internal consistency (the Cronbach alpha) and reproducibility (Intraclass Coefficient Correlation [ICC]) of the tool. The validation studies were conducted to assess the convergent validity (Correlated with the Patient Assessment of Constipation Symptom [PAC-SYM]) and Concurrent Validity (Correlated with Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life [PAC-QOL]) of the tool, too.
Results: The Cronbach alpha for total scores was 0.66 and the ICC was 0.85 (0.77-0.90, 95% CI). The total score of WCSS was significantly correlated with the total scores of PAC-SYM (r=0.67) and PAC-QOL (r=0.61). 
Conclusion: The linguistic and psychometric evaluation demonstrated good validity and reproducibility of the Persian version of WCSS.

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Background & Objectives: Myofascial Trigger Point (MTrP) is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders. The MTrP includes highly sensitive points within a taut band, is painful to palpation, and causes pain in a specific pattern. The MTrP is more prevalent in the upper trapezius muscle because this muscle plays an important role in maintaining the posture of the head and neck. 
This study aimed to compare the effects of dry needling and high-intensity laser therapy on the clinical signs of females with active trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle.
Methods: Thirty females with the active MTrP of the upper trapezius muscle were randomly assigned into two groups: high-intensity laser therapy group (n=15) and dry needling group (n=15); they received the interventions in five sessions for three weeks. The outcome measures included pain intensity and pain pressure threshold, which were assessed before and two days after the interventions. 
Results: In both study groups, the scores of the visual analogue scale of pain were significantly decreased, also, the pain pressure threshold was significantly increased (P=0.001), after the treatment. However, the two groups did not significantly differ in any of the outcome measures (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Both high-intensity laser therapy and dry needling can be employed to treat the MTrP of the upper trapezius muscle. Considering the effectiveness of the two treatments, each of the methods can be alternatively selected for these patients.

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Background and Objectives: Tecar therapy as a modality has been considered due to its reported effects on reducing pain and swelling and finally increasing range of motion and improving function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of tecar therapy on acute symptoms of athletes following lateral ankle ligament sprain in the treatment and control groups between pre-treatment periods, after 6 sessions, and after 12 sessions of treatment.
Methods: In this study, 23 patients in each group including athletes with an acute lateral ankle ligament sprain in the acute stage in Tehran. The participant of this study were divided into 2 groups of control with normal treatment and the second group with normal treatment + tecar treatment. Participants were homogenized in terms of age, height, weight, and level of exercise. To evaluate the pain intensity of patients in the two groups and to measure the swelling of the ankle joint, a tape measure (mm) was used. A goniometer was used to measure the degree of ankle motions. The Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) questionnaire was also used to collect data.
Results: Statistical analyzes showed that the mean numerical visual criterion of pain in both groups was significantly lower after 6 and 12 sessions of treatment (P<0.001). The results of the analysis of variance showed that the mean swelling in the treatment group and in the control group after 6 and 12 sessions of treatment (P<0.001) was significantly lower than the mean swelling before treatment. Also, the mean swelling after 12 sessions of treatment was significantly lower than after 6 sessions of treatment (P<0.001). Regarding daily life activities and the percentage of athlete satisfaction in performing the activity, the test results showed that the athlete’s scores after 6 and 12 sessions of treatment (P<0.001) were significantly higher than before treatment. Also, their scores after 12 sessions of treatment were significantly higher than 6 sessions (P<0.001). The performance scores in both groups after 6 and 12 sessions of treatment (P<0.001) were significantly higher than performance scores before treatment. Also, the performance scores after 12 sessions of treatment were significantly higher than 6 sessions of treatment (P<0.001).
Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that tecar therapy in patients with lateral ligament sprain of the ankle joint improves the condition of symptoms after an injury, including swelling, pain, daily life activities, percentage of athlete satisfaction with daily activities, and finally his performance and it can be used as a complementary treatment along with common therapies.