Content - Volume 44, Issue 2

Objective: To compare the effects of unilateral and bilateral training on upper limb function after stroke with regard to two key factors: severity of upper limb paresis and time of intervention post-stroke. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Methods: Two authors independently selected trials for inclusion, assessed the methodological quality and extra ...

The aim of this educational review is to provide an overview of the clinical application of transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the extremities in patients with upper motor neurone lesions. In general two methods of electrical stimulation can be distinguished: (i) therapeutic electrical stimulation, and (ii) functional electrical stimulation. Therapeutic electrical stimulation improves neurom ...

Objective: To compare the effects of unilateral and bilateral training on upper limb function after stroke with regard to two key factors: severity of upper limb paresis and time of intervention post-stroke. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Methods: Two authors independently selected trials for inclusion, assessed the methodological quality and extra ...

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate: (i) the feasibility of delivering a multi-modal knowledge translation intervention specific to the management of acute post-stroke unilateral spatial neglect; and (ii) the impact of the knowledge translation intervention on occupational therapists’ knowledge of evidence-based unilateral spatial neglect problem identification, assessment and tr ...

Objective: To investigate the predictors related to upper extremity functional recovery, with special emphasis on neuromuscular electrical stimulation dose-response in patients after stroke. Subjects: Ninety-five patients with stroke who received a 4-week neuromuscular electrical stimulation intervention. Design: Prospective predictive analysis. Methods: The change score of the Action Resear ...

Objective: To determine and compare haemodynamic responses at maximal arm-crank (ACE) and wheelchair exercise (WCE) in individuals with cervical spinal cord injury and pair-matched able-bodied individuals. Methods: Nine male, motor-complete cervical spinal cord injured and 9 able-bodied individuals performed graded, maximal ACE and WCE. Cardiac output, heart rate, and stroke volume were determin ...

Objective: To examine changes in mobility longitudinally following single-event multilevel surgery in ambulant children with cerebral palsy, focusing on those using assistive devices for functional mobility because they are most at risk of declining gross motor function. Participants: A consecutive sample of 156 ambulant children with cerebral palsy (99 males), 96 without devices (Gross Motor Fu ...

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of a home-based balance training programme using visual feedback (Nintendo Wii Fit game with balance board) on balance and functional abilities in subjects with Parkinson’s disease, and to compare the effects with a group of paired healthy subjects. Subjects: Ten subjects with moderate Parkinson’s disease and 8 healthy elderly subjects. Methods: Subjects ...

Objective: To evaluate cross-regional validity of the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) with a specific focus on valid use with Middle Europeans. Design: Descriptive cross-regional validation study. Participants: A total of 1346 participants from Middle Europe and 144,143 participants from North America, UK/Ireland, the Nordic Countries, other Europe, Australia/New Zealand and Asia ...

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the functional status of patients with low back pain and the perceived importance of pain-related everyday functions assessed in the Oswestry Disability Index. Design: The sample was based on 219 successive adult patients with low back pain referred to a tertiary clinic. Patients: A total of 168 patients (76. 6%) partici ...

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore, from a gender perspective, patients’ expectations prior to seeking healthcare for neck or back pain, and their subsequent experiences of the care and rehabilitation they received. Methods: Thematized interviews with 12 patients, 7 women and 5 men, using open-ended questions, were analysed according to grounded theory. Each patient was interviewe ...

Objective: Low admission Norton scale scores (ANSS) are usually associated with high risk of pressure ulcer. The aim of this study was to determine whether low ANSS are also associated with long-term mortality following rehabilitation in older adults. Design: A cross-sectional retrospective study. Subjects: Consecutive older adults admitted during 2009 for rehabilitation following stroke (n ...

Objective: To compare the responsiveness and predictive validity of the Balance Computerized Adaptive Test (Balance CAT) and the Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke patients (PASS) in inpatients with stroke receiving rehabilitation. Design: A pre-post test design. Subjects: Eighty-five inpatients after stroke. Methods: Effect size d and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to assess the inte ...

Objective: We report here a case of neoplastic brachial plexopathy detected by musculoskeletal ultrasonography in a patient with chronic cervicobrachialgia. Methods/results: A 71-year-old man presented at Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Turkish Armed Forces Rehabilitation Center, Ankara, Turkey with a one-year history of cervicobrachial pain radiating to the left arm and numbness in the media ...

Case report: A 43-year-old woman with cerebral palsy and disabling spasticity underwent a series of 4 implantations of intrathecal baclofen pumps, performed by two teams. A history of 3 aseptic local skin reactions over the site of insertion started 4 months after the first insertion, once with partial pump exposure. There were no clinical or biological signs of infection. Skin patch tests were ne ...

Case report: A 28-year-old woman, with incomplete spinal cord injury at the C2 level, classified as American Spinal Injury Impairment Scale C (AIS), participated in a robotic rehabilitation program 29 months after injury. Robotic training was provided to both upper extremities using the MAHI Exo-II, an exoskeleton device designed for rehabilitation of the upper limb, for 12 × 3-h sess ...