Content - Volume 41, Issue 1

Background: In 2001 the World Health Organization adopted the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and it has since been utilized extensively. Aim: A literature survey was undertaken to document reported use of the ICF, with regard to type of use, aims and implementation issues. Methods: A convenience sample of 243 papers was analysed. Results: There were fe ...

A group of clinicians from across Europe experienced in the use of botulinum toxin type A for the treatment of spasticity following acquired brain injury gathered to develop a consensus statement on best practice in managing adults with spasticity. This consensus table summarizes the current published data, which was collated following extensive literature searches, their assessment for level of e ...

Objective: To investigate the electrophysiological prevalence and associated risk factors of upper extremity entrapment neuropathies in a cohort of Taiwanese patients with prior paralytic poliomyelitis. Design: Cross-sectional study involving a consecutive series of patients. Subjects: Ninety-seven polio survivors. Methods: Demographic factors, medical and work history were recorded. Symptoms ...

Objective: It has been reported that the non-dominant hand of patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is stronger than the dominant hand as a result of overwork weakness. The objective of this study was to determine if this hypo¬thesis could be verified in our population. Design: Survey. Subjects: Twenty-eight patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type I or II from a rehabilitation depart ...

Objective: To assess the relationship between the severity of neurogenic bowel and health-related quality of life in persons with various degrees of spinal cord injury. Design: Cross-sectional. Subjects: A total of 128 people with spinal cord injury. Methods: Two questionnaires were sent out by post. One included demographic characteristics and a neurogenic bowel dysfunction score to evaluate ...

Objective: The aims of this study were to assess the usefulness of functional magnetic stimulation in controlling neurogenic bowel dysfunction in spinal cord injured patients with supraconal and conal/caudal lesions, and to investigate the efficacy of this regimen with a 3-month follow-up. Design: A longitudinal, prospective before-after trial. Subjects: A total of 22 patients with chronic spina ...

Objective: Few studies have evaluated the scale assumptions of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form (SF-36) with stroke survivors. The aims of this study were to evaluate the scale assumptions of SF-36 using Swedish patients after stroke and to compare patients' quality of life with that of a healthy population. Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects: SF-36 was tested in 188 patients ( ...

Objective: To estimate the efficiency of inpatient rehabilitation for patients after stroke in Thailand. Design: Multi-centre, prospective study. Subjects: Patients after stroke, aged ≥ 18 years, with stable medical signs, able to follow 1-step commands and to sit for at least 30 min. Methods: Main outcomes included Barthel Index (BI) scores, BI effectiveness, BI efficiency, length of stay ...

Objective: To quantify the long-term use of various types of healthcare services in patients with traumatic brain injury and to estimate the relative contribution of predisposing characteristics, enabling factors and health-related needs to determine whether there is equity in healthcare utilization. Design: Cross-sectional study. Patients: Seventy-nine non-institutionalized moderate to severe p ...

Background: Patients with fibromyalgia have a high risk of temporary and permanent work disability. Little is known about the effects of fibromyalgia rehabilitation on work disability. Objective: To determine whether a specific fibromyalgia rehabilitation programme is superior to a non-specific musculo¬skeletal rehabilitation of patients with fibromyalgia in terms of work disability. Methods: A ...

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of thermal mineral water, compared with tap water in the treatment of low back pain. Methods: This randomized, double-blind, controlled, follow-up study included 71 patients who underwent 20-minute daily treatment sessions with medicinal water or with tap water, both at a temperature of 34°C, on 21 occasions. Both groups underwe ...

Objective: To evaluate the effects of stretching on hamstring muscle compliance indirectly and directly. Methods: Twelve healthy men were instructed to perform passive stretching of one leg daily over 4 weeks, while the other leg served as a control. An instrumental straight leg raise was used to measure stretching force and muscle compliance indirectly with surface electromyography to measure m ...

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of physiotherapy as part of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation. Design: Prospective uncontrolled intervention study. Subjects: Fifty patients with late effects of polio, first time referred to physiotherapy at the Danish Society of Polio and Accident Victims (PTU) Rehabilitation Centre. Methods: The intervention was physiotherapy as ...

Objective: To describe the rehabilitation outcome of a case of spinal decompression sickness presenting as partial Brown-Sequard syndrome treated with robotic-assisted body-weight support treadmill training. Study Design: Case report. Background: Type II decompression sickness patients commonly suffer from myelopathy with gait disturbances necessitating rehabilitation. Robotic-assisted body-weig ...

Introduction: Intrathecal baclofen, administered via a Baclofen pump, is used for patients with spasticity. We report here a case of intrathecal catheter retraction following surgery. Case report: A male patient with adrenoleukodystrophy and a baclofen pump implant was admitted to the urology department with bladder stones. A transurethral cystolitho¬tripsy and a suprapubic cystotomy were perfo ...

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