Content - Volume 47, Issue 8

Objective: To perform a meta-analysis of studies investigating the effects of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on post-stroke aphasia. Data sources: Studies were identified by performing a search of electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Web of Knowledge) for articles published until June 2014. Study select ...

No abstract available.

Objective: To perform a meta-analysis of studies investigating the effects of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on post-stroke aphasia. Data sources: Studies were identified by performing a search of electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Web of Knowledge) for articles published until June 2014. Study select ...

We describe here the development of a mid-level training programme for doctors in Madagascar to direct regional and national rehabilitation services. Eight doctors enrolled and all gained their diplomas and have gone on to form the Association of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine of Madagascar, which is leading further training and service developments. The course was specific to Madagascar’s ...

Objective: To provide an update on rehabilitation in Madagascar by using local knowledge to outline the potential barriers and facilitators for implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Disability Action Plan (DAP). Methods: A 14-day extensive workshop programme (September–October 2014) was held at the University Hospital Antananarivo and Antsirabe, with the Department of Health Ma ...

Objective: To investigate the reliability (test-retest and inter-rater) and criterion-related validity of the modified sphygmomanometer test (MST) for the assessment of upper limb muscle strength in subjects with chronic stroke, and to determine whether the results are affected by the number of trials. Patients and methods: The strength of 11 upper limb muscle groups of 57 subjects with stroke w ...

Objective: To evaluate the test-retest reliability of isometric and isokinetic muscle strength measurements in the upper extremity after stroke. Design: A test-retest design. Subjects: Forty-five persons with mild to moderate paresis in the upper extremity > 6 months post-stroke. Methods: Isometric arm strength (shoulder abduction, elbow flexion), isokinetic arm strength (elbow extensi ...

Objectives: To describe the course of walking behaviour over a period of 1 year after stroke, using accelerometry, and to compare 1-year data with those from a healthy group. Design: One-year follow-up cohort study. Subjects: Twenty-three stroke patients and 20 age-matched healthy subjects. Methods: Accelerometer assessments were made in the participants’ daily environment for 8 h/day duri ...

Objective: To assess the longitudinal association between respiratory muscle strength and cough capacity in persons with recent spinal cord injury. Design: Longitudinal analyses. Subjects: Forty persons with recent spinal cord injury and impaired pulmonary function. Methods: Measurements were performed 4 weeks after the start of rehabilitation, 9 and 17 weeks after the first measurement, and ...

Objective: To define and characterize responders and non-responders in a group of 124 patients with post-polio syndrome who received a single treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin. Design: Open trial, prospective follow-up study. Methods: Clinical examination and data from medical records. Short Form 36 (SF-36), Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) and visual analogue scale (VAS) ...

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary ambulatory rehabilitation programme for persons with spina bifida in an Australian community cohort. Methods: Fifty-four participants randomized to a treatment group (n = 27) for a high-intensity rehabilitation programme (with cognitive behavioural therapy) or a control group (n = 27) comprising usual care. Ou ...

Study design: Phenomenological, qualitative investigation. The discord between commonly used outcome measures and patients’ self-perceived recovery is problematic in the investigation and rehabilitation of low-back pain-related disorders. To better understand the course and development of this costly and disabling condition, the complex process of patient recovery requires further elucidation. ...

Objective: Breathing exercises after cardiac surgery are often performed in a sitting position. It is unknown whether oxygenation would be better in the standing position. The aim of this study was to evaluate oxygenation and subjective breathing ability during sitting vs standing performance of deep breathing exercises on the second day after cardiac surgery. Methods: Patients undergoing corona ...

Objective: To assess the ability of a newly developed portable instrument (the Electric Spastic Ankle Measure (E-SAM)) to quantitatively measure ankle plantar flexor muscle tone and spasticity. Design: Comparison of quantitative measurements of the E-SAM with those obtained manually with the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). Participants: Seven adult men with stroke of more than 8 months’ durat ...