Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.2
2.9
Journals
JCM
Special Issues
Neuromuscular Diseases and Musculoskeletal Disorders
jcm-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for JCM Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Neuromuscular Diseases and Musculoskeletal Disorders

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Neurology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 1398

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Anna Christakou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physiotherapy, University of the Peloponnese, Efstathiou & Stamatikis Valioti and Plataion, 23100 Sparta, Greece
Interests: motor learning/control in rehabilitation; psychology sport injury; mind–body therapeutic techniques; return to sport; geriatric physiotherapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) are inherited or acquired conditions that affect skeletal muscles, motor nerves, or neuromuscular junctions. Even if muscle weakness is a typical finding in several NMDs, these conditions are characterized as involving different organs and systems due to their heterogeneous clinical presentation. Most are characterized by progressive damage to muscle fibers with reduced muscle strength, disability, and poor health-related quality of life. Musculoskeletal disorders as a symptom of NMDs can lead to pain, stiffness, and limited mobility, and severe functional implications can also occur. Although muscle impairment represents the main determinant, bone damage could also play a role in the functional prognosis and consequently the quality of life of affected patients.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in musculoskeletal disorders due to NMDs, emphasizing current insights and exploring future directions for effective diagnosis, treatment, and management. This Special Issue will provide a platform for health scientists to present important breakthroughs in new prevention and therapeutics approaches in this field.

We seek to gather cutting-edge research and expert opinions that can deepen our understanding of musculoskeletal disorders in NMDs and pave the way for novel prevention and therapeutic approaches to enhance the quality of life of patients, including non-pharmacological therapies such as exercise, mind–body techniques, diet counseling, and neuropsychological treatments.

Research articles, review articles, and short communications are welcome. Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers).

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Brain Sciences.

Dr. Anna Christakou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • neuromuscular diseases
  • osteoporosis
  • fractures
  • muscle weakness
  • muscle intolerance
  • shoulder dysfunction
  • myopathy
  • physiotherapy
  • rehabilitation

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 277 KB  
Article
Gender Differences Between Disability, Quality of Life, and Sedentary Behavior in Individuals with Chronic Non-Specific Neck Pain
by Anna Christakou, Alexandra Loizou and Dimitrios Chytas
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(22), 8155; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14228155 - 17 Nov 2025
Viewed by 465
Abstract
Introduction: Chronic non-specific neck pain is a musculoskeletal disorder which may affect psychological well-being and work performance. Depression, anxiety, and limitations in daily and work activities may occur differently between genders in individuals with chronic non-specific pain. The main purpose of the [...] Read more.
Introduction: Chronic non-specific neck pain is a musculoskeletal disorder which may affect psychological well-being and work performance. Depression, anxiety, and limitations in daily and work activities may occur differently between genders in individuals with chronic non-specific pain. The main purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the differences between men and women with chronic non-specific neck pain in disability due to pain, quality of life, and sedentary behavior. Secondly, we investigated the intercorrelations between the three above measured variables in the total sample. Methods: Eighty patients (44 men and 36 women), aged 20–55 years (Μ = 33.55, SD = 11.16) with chronic non-specific neck pain in the last 3 years participated. They completed three validated questionnaires which measured neck disability pain, quality of life, and sedentary behavior with (a) the Neck Disability Index (NDI), (b) the quality-of-life EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), and (c) the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), respectively. Gender comparisons with Kruskal–Wallis H tests and correlation analysis with Spearman r tests were performed between the above variables using SPSS 29.00. Results: Men reported (a) better quality of life (H = 16.14, p < 0.001), (b) lower pain-related disability (H = 13.96, p < 0.001), (c) more time spending in vigorous physical activity (H = 3.37, p < 0.05), (d) more time spending in moderate physical activity (H = 5.17, p < 0.05), and (e) more time spending in walking (H = 11.24, p < 0.001). A strong positive correlation was found between the NDI and the EQ-5D Index (r = 0.74, p = 0.002) and a negative correlation was found between NDI and the EQ-5D VAS (r = −0.65, p = 0.003). Discussion: The present findings reported that men have more time walking, and have lower disability due to neck pain than women, thus they have better quality of life than women with chronic non-specific neck pain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuromuscular Diseases and Musculoskeletal Disorders)
27 pages, 2915 KB  
Article
Insights into Vascular Changes in Hip Degenerative Disorders: An Observational Study
by Riana Maria Huzum, Bogdan Huzum, Marius Valeriu Hinganu, Ludmila Lozneanu, Fabian Cezar Lupu and Delia Hinganu
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(16), 5845; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14165845 - 18 Aug 2025
Viewed by 648
Abstract
Background: The epiphyseal vascularization of long bones generates a particular flow pattern that is important for adequate angiogenesis to be achieved. Imaging reveals that vessel development in murine long bone involves the expansion and anastomotic fusion of endothelial buds. Impaired blood flow [...] Read more.
Background: The epiphyseal vascularization of long bones generates a particular flow pattern that is important for adequate angiogenesis to be achieved. Imaging reveals that vessel development in murine long bone involves the expansion and anastomotic fusion of endothelial buds. Impaired blood flow leads to defective angiogenesis and osteogenesis and downregulation of Notch signaling in endothelial cells. We examined whether altered blood flow and endothelial signaling via the Notch pathway—a highly conserved cell–cell communication mechanism that regulates angiogenesis and vascular remodeling—contributes to hip joint degeneration. Material and Methods: In our study, we used two groups of patients. The first is a control group of 15 patients without degenerative joint pathology. The second group consists of 51 patients diagnosed with an advanced form of degenerative joint pathology. On both study groups, we used immunohistochemical markers that highlight the endothelium of epiphyseal capillaries, the collagen matrix, and the presence of joint lubricant-secreting cells. Ultrastructural analysis was performed on hematoxylin-eosin slides that were exposed to a surface electron microscope, following a previously tested protocol. Results: The results of our study show that there are numerous anastomoses between epiphyseal vessels and that these capillaries persist even after pathological bone resorption, for a certain period of time. Discussions: Our results are complementary to recent studies on this research topic that emphasize the possibility that the main cause of joint degeneration is vascular. Revascularization of an area of bone demineralization after bone infarction has become a reality. Conclusions: This study opens new perspectives regarding the research on epiphyseal capillary vascularization and the modern concept of morpho functional rehabilitation of the hip joint. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuromuscular Diseases and Musculoskeletal Disorders)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop