Content - Volume 46, Issue 8

Objective: To evaluate effectiveness of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program for persons following definitive primary brain tumour treatment in a community cohort. Methods: The brain tumour (glioma) survivors (n = 106) were allocated either to the treatment group (n = 53) (intensive ambulatory multidisciplinary rehabilitation), or the waitlist control group (n  ...

Scientific congresses are an important tool to support communication among scientists, enabling exchange of knowledge and discussion of research results. They can also provide specialist education and allow a forum in which to develop the goals and policies of scientific societies. The World Congresses of the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) aims at continuous ...

Objective: To examine the benefits of high intensity ambulatory rehabilitation programmes over usual care following botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) for post-stroke spasticity in Australian adults. Design: Prospective single centre, controlled clinical trial. Participants: Fifty-nine adults, median 61 years old and 2. 5 years following stroke. Methods: Participants were dichotomised into high intensi ...

Objective: To examine the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) at the item level after stroke. Design: An intra-rater and inter-rater reliability study. Subjects: Thirty-five participants (median age 62 years, median time post-stroke 22 months) with impaired upper extremity function after stroke were included in the study. Methods: Two physiotherapists si ...

Objectives: To evaluate the reliability of a new scale, the Triple Spasticity Scale (TSS), for assessing spasticity in stroke, through measurement of affected elbow flexors and ankle plantar flexors of hemiplegic patients with stroke, and to compare the new scale with commonly used scales. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Inpatients at a rehabilitation hospital. Patients: Seventy-one ...

Objective: To evaluate effectiveness of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program for persons following definitive primary brain tumour treatment in a community cohort. Methods: The brain tumour (glioma) survivors (n = 106) were allocated either to the treatment group (n = 53) (intensive ambulatory multidisciplinary rehabilitation), or the waitlist control group (n  ...

Objectives: To compare the content of the Fatigue Severity Scale and the subscale “subjective experience of fatigue” of the Checklist Individual Strength, and (ii) to assess the reliability of both questionnaires in polio survivors. Design: Repeated-measures at a 3-week interval. Subjects: Consecutive series of 61 polio survivors. Methods: Concepts contained in the questionnaire items we ...

Objective: To compare walking energy cost between an anterior and a posterior ankle-foot orthosis in people with foot drop. Design: Within-group comparisons. Participants: Twenty-three adults (14 women, 9 men; mean age 56. 8 years (standard deviation 15. 4)) with foot drop. Methods: Participants were asked to walk for 5 min at their self-selected walking speed under 3 conditions: (i) with sh ...

Objective: To investigate perceived exertion at work in women with fibromyalgia. Design: A controlled cross-sectional multi-centre study. Subjects and methods: Seventy-three women with fibromyalgia and 73 healthy women matched by occupation and physical workload were compared in terms of perceived exertion at work (0–14), muscle strength, 6-min walk test, symptoms rated by Fibromyalgia Imp ...

Objective: To evaluate the reliability and validity of the improved version of the Patient Generated Index (PGI) in patients with low back pain. Methods: The PGI was administered to 90 patients attending care in 1 of 6 institutions in Norway and evaluated for reliability and validity. The questionnaire was given out to 61 patients for re-test purposes. Results: The PGI was completed correctly ...

Objective: The Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP) evaluates the functionality of normal, injured or prosthetic hands. The aim was to evaluate the learning effects of SHAP tasks and the appropriateness of the time limits applied per task in novice prosthetic users. Methods: Right-handed unimpaired volunteers (n = 24, mean age 21. 8 years) completed 8 SHAP sessions over 5 con ...

Objective: To describe the frequency of reported sleeping, depression and pain problems, the severity of these problems and the degree of self-estimated difficulties in mental functions and activities in relation to the sleep disturbance and pain category group in patients on long-term sick-leave. Design: Cross-sectional study. Patients: A total of 1206 patients experiencing difficulty in resu ...

Objective: To determine which environmental factors are associated with performance when controlling for capacity, using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Methods: A psychometric study using a sample of 296 persons with musculoskeletal health conditions as a case in point. The following steps were carried out: (i) Rasch analyses created 2 interval meas ...

Objective: To determine the prevalence of, and risk factors for, highly resistant microorganisms (HRMO) in urinary isolates from newly admitted patients in a rehabilitation hospital. Subjects: A total of 906 patients transferred to a rehabilitation hospital from other hospitals. Methods: A screening study was performed from June 2012 through May 2013. Urine samples were collected from transfer ...

Objective: To determine whether kinematic algorithms can distinguish subjects with chronic non-specific low back pain from asymptomatic subjects and subjects simulating low back pain, during trunk motion tasks. Design: Comparative cohort study. Subjects: A total of 90 subjects composed 3 groups; 45 chronic non-specific low back pain patients in the CLBP group; 45 asymptomatic controls people i ...

Objective: To study perceived independence in rising and perceived limitations in rising and sitting down in persons after a lower-limb amputation and the relationship of these perceptions with personal and clinical characteristics. Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects/patients: Persons with a lower-limb amputation wearing a prosthesis (n = 172). Methods: Perceived independenc ...

Objective: To increase awareness of the incidence of delayed leukoencephalopathy in rehabilitation medicine. Subject: A 34-year-old male patient in an inpatient neuro-rehabilitation clinic who developed cognitive, psychological and physical deterioration 33 days after methadone intake. Methods: Clinical follow-up for 7 months, brain imaging with magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomograp ...