Content - Volume 42, Issue 3

Objectives: To determine whether exercise is more effective than usual care to reduce work disability in patients with non-acute non-specific low back pain, and if so, to explore which type of exercise is most effective. Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials investigating the effectiveness of exercise in non-acute non-specific low back pain, and reporting o ...

As any patient may require rehabilitation and physical therapies, all physicians need to acquire at least a basic knowledge of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM). In 2005 PRM teaching was implemented in all phases of the curriculum for medical students in Germany. The curriculum includes, among others, the following topics: principles of rehabilitation; the model of the International Class ...

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate differences in muscle stiffness between subjects with stiff shoulders and controls, and to determine the correlation between posterior shoulder muscle stiffness and range of motion of rotation. Design: Prospective, cross-sectional study. Subjects: Twenty subjects with stiff shoulder and 20 healthy subjects. Methods: Range of motion of rotat ...

Background: Physical therapists often assess patient independence through observation; however, it is not known if therapists make these judgments reliably. We have deve­loped a standardized method to assess a patient’s ability to perform his or her treatment program independently. Objectives: To develop a standardized assessment of patient independence in performance of a treatment program a ...

Objective: To measure muscle strength in patients with spinal muscular atrophy using a handheld dynamometer as an objective tool to evaluate the progression of disease and the outcome of therapeutic trials. Design: Maximum voluntary isometric contraction was measured in a group of 24 patients aged 5–38 years with types II and III spinal muscular atrophy. Four muscle groups were examined. Data ...

Objective: To use the ratio of early mitral inflow peak velocity (E) to mitral flow propagation velocity (FPV) measured in the early phase of myocardial infarction (early phase E/FPV) to evaluate the training effects of 8 weeks’ cardiopulmonary rehabilitation in patients post-myocardial infarction. Design: Single-blinded, randomized control trial. Participants: Eighty-seven patients with acu ...

Rationale and objective: Patients with stroke should be screened for safety prior to starting a self-medication regime. An extensive literature review revealed no standardized self-medication tool tailored to the multi-faceted needs of the stroke population. The aim of this study was to create and validate a condition-specific tool to be used in screening for self-medication safety in individuals ...

Objective: To evaluate inpatient rehabilitation in public facilities in Australia against a utilization review tool used in the USA. Design: Prospective cohort study. Subjects: Patients identified in the acute wards of a regional referral hospital and subsequently transferred to a public inpatient rehabilitation facility. Methods: The InterQual utilization review criteria were app­lied to d ...

Objective: To examine the time to return to work after first stroke and identify determinants of early return to work in Japan. Design: A multicentre, prospective cohort study on the association between characteristics at admission and early return to work after first stroke. Subjects: Among 464 patients after first stroke, 325 were registered in this study. All participants were younger than ...

Objective: To explore the associations amongst the on-and-off kinetics time constants, ambulatory activity outcomes, and physical functional performance in stroke survivors. Design: Cross-sectional, case control study. Subjects: Ten stroke survivors (time since stroke: mean 7. 5 years (standard deviation 8. 3) ; gender: 4 males, 6 females) and 10 control subjects matched for age and physical a ...

Objective: To describe the course of social support in persons with recently acquired spinal cord injury, and to examine direct and indirect relationships between social support and life satisfaction over time. Design: A multi-centre prospective cohort study with mea­surements at the start of active rehabilitation, at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation and one year after discharge. Subje ...

Objective: To examine cardiovascular disease risk factors and risk clusters in Swedish persons with traumatic wheelchair-dependent paraplegia. Design: Prospective examination. Subjects: A total of 135 individuals aged 18–79 years with chronic (≥ 1 year) post-traumatic paraplegia. Methods: Cardiovascular disease risk factors; dyslipidemia, impaired fasting glucose, hypertension, overwei ...

Objective: To compare the effects on spasticity of 2 robot-mediated therapies in patients with chronic hemiparesis. Design: Groups comparison. Subjects: Thirty-four patients, divided into 2 homogeneous groups. Methods: Outcome measures were: motor status score, Modified Ashworth scale, and range of motion. A pattern of reaching exercises was implemented, in which the direction and length of ...