Content - Volume 47, Issue 5

Objective: Neurophysiological investigation has shown that patients with clinically complete spinal cord injury can have residual motor sparing (“motor discomplete”). In the current study somatosensory conduction was assessed in a patient with clinically complete spinal cord injury and a novel methodology for assessing such preservation is described, in this case indicating “sensory discompl ...

Objective: A literature review to evaluate quality of life and participation outcomes of individuals with earthquake-related physical injury. Data sources: A systematic review was performed using National Health Service (NHS) Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) guidelines. MEDLINE, Embase, PsychINFO, CINAHL and AMED electronic databases were searched from 1966 to January 2014. Study sel ...

Objective: To develop a system to guide interpretation of scores generated from 2 new instruments measuring work-related physical and behavioral health functioning (Work Disability – Physical Function (WD-PF) and WD – Behavioral Function (WD-BH)). Design: Cross-sectional, secondary data from 3 independent samples to develop and validate the functional levels for physical and behavioral healt ...

Objective: To estimate the potential improvement in acute and rehabilitation hospital length of stay for rehabilitation patients from hypothetical scenarios that address barriers to patient flow. Design: Data about the duration of key processes for patients (n = 360) admitted to acute hospitals and subsequently transferred to inpatient rehabilitation in 2 wards in Melbourne, Australi ...

Introduction: Assistive technology is often recommended with the aim of increasing user independence and reducing the burden on informal caregivers. However, until now, there has been no tool to measure the outcomes of this process for caregivers. Objectives: To describe the development of the Caregiver Assistive Technology Outcome Measure (CATOM), a tool developed to measure the impact of assis ...

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of gait training using a treadmill with and without visual biofeedback in patients in the late period after stroke, and to compare both training methods. Design: A randomized, controlled study. Subjects: Fifty people at least 6 months after stroke, randomly enrolled into groups with a rehabilitation programme of treadmill training with or without visual biof ...

Objective: Neurophysiological investigation has shown that patients with clinically complete spinal cord injury can have residual motor sparing (“motor discomplete”). In the current study somatosensory conduction was assessed in a patient with clinically complete spinal cord injury and a novel methodology for assessing such preservation is described, in this case indicating “sensory discompl ...

Objective: To determine the best test performance and feasibility using a Graded Arm Cranking Test vs a Graded Wheelchair Propulsion Test in young people with spina bifida who use a wheelchair, and to determine the reliability of the best test. Design: Validity and reliability study. Subjects: Young people with spina bifida who use a wheelchair. Methods: Physiological responses were measured ...

Objective: To identify the range of activities limited following adult traumatic brachial plexus injury and triangulate these with existing patient-reported outcome measures identified from the literature. Design: A qualitative cross-sectional design. Subjects: Adults with traumatic brachial plexus injury and expert clinicians. Methods: Using an International Classification of Functioning, D ...

Objectives: To develop a measure that is based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and reflects the prevalence and severity of disabilities related to neuromuscular disorders, and to evaluate the psychometric properties of this measure. Methods: A preliminary questionnaire was developed, based on the categories of the ICF Core Set for Neuromuscular Dis ...

Objective: To determine whether muscle strength in patients scheduled for total knee arthroplasty is: (i) strongly associated with both measured functional performance and patient-reported measures; (ii) more closely associated with functional performance when measured during concentric than during isometric contractions; and (iii) more strongly related to the 30-s chair stand test than to the tim ...

Objective: To create a new outcome measure of mobility in people with lower limb amputation, based on a pool of 14 items assessing prosthetic mobility, comprising the 12-item Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire (Mobility Section) plus 2 new items. Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects: A total of 100 subjects (median age 58 years; 46 males; median body mass index 23. 8) who had recently underg ...

Objectives: To examine the development and determinants of long-term outcomes for earthquake victims with amputations, including physical function, pain, quality of life and life satisfaction. Design: Prospective cohort study with 2–3 measurement points. Subjects: A total of 72 people who underwent amputations following the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake and resided in Mianzhu County, Sichuan Provi ...

Objective: During maximal incremental exercise, the ability to work in the anaerobic condition, expressed by the respiratory exchange ratio, is associated with physical performance. Further, peak respiratory exchange ratio is regarded as the best non-invasive measure of a patient’s actual exercise effort. This study examined whether ability to work in the anaerobic condition is also associated w ...