Examining the impact of Buerger-Allen exercises on alleviating muscle cramps in extubated patients

Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Buerger-Allen exercise(BAE)in reducing muscle cramps among recently extubated patients in the intensive care unit(ICU).Materials and Methods:A quantitative,quasi-experimental design was employed,involving 92 recently extubated ICU patients randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group.The experimental group underwent BAE,a three-step intervention targeting lower extremity circulation and muscle cramp reduction.The exercises included the elevation of lower extremities,foot and leg exercises,and a rest and recovery phase,administered twice daily for 10 days.The control group received standard nursing care without any specific exercise regimen.Muscle cramp severity was assessed using the modified Penn Spasm Frequency Scale before and after the intervention.Results:The experimental group showed a significant reduction in muscle cramp severity score postintervention,with the mean scores decreasing from 6.83±1.66 to 4.22±1.45(t=10.21,P=0.001).The control group experienced a smaller reduction,with scores decreasing from 6.98±1.57 to 6.43±1.37(t=2.810,P=0.007).Between-group analysis confirmed a significant difference postintervention,with the experimental group improving more(t=8.242,P=0.001).The Mann–Whitney U test also highlighted a significant difference between groups after the intervention(U=494.5,P=0.001),validating the effectiveness of BAE.Conclusion:BAE significantly reduces muscle cramp severity in recently extubated ICU patients,suggesting that this nonpharmacological intervention can effectively improve patient outcomes and aid in postextubation recovery.

Evaluation of the Efficiency of the Magicramp® Device for Reducing Cramps Resulting from Oncological Treatments: “Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial”

We identified that oncological treatments in general (chemotherapies, immunotherapies and radiotherapies) frequently cause peripheral neuropathy, including cramps, characterized by excess protons due to metabolic and neuronal factors, such as sudden changes in pH, uremia and aspects that affect neuromotor functions. Such situations and others like them are often neglected in treatment, which naturally concerns itself with the main problem: Cancer. Sometimes toxic solutions are implemented that have comorbid side effects, such as duloxetine (standard treatment). Based on monitoring of cancer patients who used the non-toxic product, called “Magicramp® Electrostatic Charge Reduction Cushion” (MECRC), approved in Europe more than 10 years ago, we carried out a controlled test in Brazil. In this clinical trial, we hypothesized that reducing excessive ionic charges (electrostatic charge), which is one of the side effects often described in the literature as “Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy” (CIPN), would decrease or eliminate cramping, under the hypothesis that such elimination would prevent or attenuate muscular vulnerability to action impulses, and increase the power of relaxation through the same mechanism. In this double-blind and randomized clinical trial, 40 (forty) adult patients with muscle cramps caused by oncological treatments were tested, evaluating the degree of efficiency of the product that aims to reduce muscle cramps, by eliminating and/or reducing excess loads electrostatic ionic. Data from the clinical research conducted in this study are available online at https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/QUS94U.