Content - Volume 42, Issue 6

Objective: To evaluate the effect of body weight-supported gait training on restoration of walking, activities of daily living, and quality of life in persons with an incomplete spinal cord injury by a systematic review of the literature. Methods: Cochrane, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PEDro, DocOnline were searched and identified studies were assessed for eligibility and methodological quality and ...

Objective: To assess the quality of current evidence as to the effectiveness of robot-assisted gait training in spinal cord injured patients, focusing on walking ability and performance. Methods: A search was conducted in MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge, Cochrane Library, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and Digital Academic Repositories (DAREnet) (1990–2009). Key words included “spinal cor ...

Objective: To assess participation and health-related quality of life in adults with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy, and explore associations with self-efficacy. Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects: A sample of 56 adults with bilateral spastic cere­bral palsy (mean age 36. 4 (standard deviation 5. 8) years; 62% male). Methods: Daily activities and social participation (Life Habits 3. ...

Objective: To assess the prevalence of impairments and eva­luate the relationships between impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions in people affected by leprosy living in The Netherlands. Design: A cross-sectional study. Subjects: Eighty-two people affected by leprosy living in The Netherlands. Methods: A postal questionnaire was performed. Impairments were inventor ...

Objective: Chronic work disability generates high financial costs for society and causes personal suffering to patients and their families; however, crucial knowledge about the factors associated with long-term sick leave is still missing. This study provides insight, from the perspective of chronic work disabled patients, into the perpetuating factors for long-term sick leave and promoting factor ...

Objective: To study factors related to quality of life after a hypoxic period due to cardiac arrest. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Subjects: Eighty-eight survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, admitted to a Dutch academic hospital between 2001 and 2006. Methods: Patients received a set of questionnaires at home. The main outcome measures were physical and mental qua­lity of life ...

Objective: To describe and enhance our understanding of how persons with late effects of polio experience the influence of an interdisciplinary rehabilitation programme. Participants: Twelve persons with clinically verified late effects of polio who had participated in an individualized, goal-oriented, comprehensive interdisciplinary rehabilitation programme. Methods: Qualitative research inte ...

Objective: To explore which factors led to drop-out in patients of Turkish and Moroccan origin with chronic non-specific low back pain who participated in a rehabilitation programme. Subjects: Patients of Turkish or Moroccan origin with chronic non-specific low back pain (n = 23) from 2 rehabilitation centres and 4 rehabilitation departments of general hospitals in the Netherlands. Methods ...

Objective: To examine the measurement properties of the tele­phone administration of the Wheelchair Outcome Measure (WhOM). Subjects: Power mobility device users aged 50–89 years. Methods: Two independent cohorts were recruited: (i) a prospective cohort (n = 40) to estimate test-retest reliability and to determine the applicability of the telephone format, and (ii) a cross-sectional coh ...

Objective: Repetitive training of simple upper limb movements is effective in stroke rehabilitation. For the repetitive training of complex movements, however, results are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to determine whether repetitive training of complex upper limb movements, focussing on strength and velocity as shaping elements, is effective in stroke rehabilitation. Design: Longitudi ...

Objective: To assess the reliability of knee extensor and flexor muscle strength measurements in persons with late effects of polio. Design: A test-retest reliability study. Subjects: Thirty men and women (mean age 63 (standard deviation 6. 4) years) with verified late effects of polio. Methods: Knee extensor and flexor muscle strength in both lower limbs were measured twice 7 days apart usi ...

Objective: It is known that patients in the intensive care unit show an enormous loss of muscle mass. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation is effective in enhancing strength and endurance in immobilized patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on muscle layer thickness of knee extensor muscles in intensive care unit patients. Design: Ran ...

Objective: Shared decision-making and the use of decision aids are increasingly promoted in various healthcare settings. The extent of their current use and potential in rehabilitation medicine is unknown. The aim of the present study was to explore the barriers to and facilitators of shared decision-making and use of decision aids in daily practice, and to explore the perceptions of physical and ...

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether manoeuvrability varied between electric wheelchairs. Design: Randomized, prospective, repeated measures design. Subjects: Twelve wheelchair users. Methods: Three different electric powered indoor/outdoor wheelchairs (Invacare® Storm 3, Ottobock® B500, and Meyra® Champ) intended for use by patients with severe impairments were teste ...