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Objective: Brain-machine interface training was developed for upper-extremity rehabilitation for patients with severe hemiparesis. Its clinical application, however, has been limited because of its lack of feasibility in real-world rehabilitation settings. We developed a new compact task-specific brain-machine interface system that enables task-specific training, including reach-and-grasp tasks, a ...

Objective: Despite the widespread use of botulinum toxin in ambulatory children with spastic cerebral palsy, its value prior to intensive physiotherapy with adjunctive casting/orthoses remains unclear. Design: A pragmatically designed, multi-centre trial, comparing the effectiveness of botulinum toxin + intensive physiotherapy with intensive physiotherapy alone, including economic evaluation. ...

Objective: This retrospective cohort study identified inpatient rehabilitation admission variables that predict walking ability at discharge and established Berg Balance Scale cut-off scores to predict the extent of improvement in walking. Methods: Participants (n=123) were assessed for various cognitive and physical outcomes at admission to inpatient stroke rehabilitation. Multivariate logistic ...

Objective: To determine the cut-off values for knee extensor strength on the paretic and non-paretic sides and both sides combined for identifying independence in gait in chronic stroke survivors. Design: Cross-sectional study. Patients: Sixty chronic stroke survivors. Methods: Functional Independence Measure (FIM) gait scores were measured, and the participants were allocated to the independen ...

Objective: To investigate the measurement properties of the Timed Up and Go Assessment of Biomechanical Strategies (TUG-ABS) to determine its adequacy for use with individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Subjects: Fifty individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Design: Diagnostic accuracy. Methods: The study investigated the following properties: reliability (inter-examiner, intra-examiner, test- ...

Introduction: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is a possible adjunctive therapy to pharmacological treatment for controlling pain after total knee arthroplasty. However, the results are controversial. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to explore the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on patients with total knee arthroplasty. Methods: PubMed, Embase, ...

Objective: To determine the frequency of venous thromboembolism, possible predictors, and the association between venous thromboembolism and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores and length of stay among cancer patients admitted to the inpatient rehabilitation unit at a cancer centre. Design: Retrospective analysis of patients admitted to acute inpatient rehabilitation from September 2011 ...

Objectives: To determine whether systemic inflammation is associated with poor proprioception; to confirm that systemic inflammation is associated with muscle weakness; and to determine whether poor proprioception mediates the association between systemic inflammation and muscle weakness in knee osteoarthritis. Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects: A total of 689 participants with knee oste ...

Objective: To identify potential barriers and facilitators for implementation of the World Health Organization Global Disability Action Plan (GDAP) in Nigeria and compare these with other low- and middle-income countries. Methods: A rehabilitation team from the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Australia, conducted intensive workshops at medical/academic institutions in Nigeria for healthcare ...

Objective: To compare walking dynamics and test-retest reliability for 2 frequently applied walk tests in polio survivors: the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) to walk as far as possible; and the 6-minute walking energy cost test (WECT) at comfortable speed. Design: Observational study. Participants: Thirty-three polio survivors, able to walk ≥ 150 m. Methods: On the same day participants ...

Objective: To study the effectiveness of a 12-month exercise therapy on kinesiophobia and physical activity in patients with spondylolisthesis after lumbar spine fusion. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Subjects: Patients (n = 98) with spondylolisthesis who had undergone lumbar spine fusion. Methods: All patients (mean age 59 years) had received lumbar spine fusion surgery and i ...

Objectives: To investigate: (i) the intra-rater, inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities of completion times and step counts on the Standardized Walking Obstacle Course test (SWOC); (ii) correlations between SWOC scores and stroke-specific impairments; (iii) the cut-off SWOC completion times and step counts for distinguishing differences in obstacle negotiation ability in people with chronic str ...

Objective: Subarachnoid haemorrhage can lead to long-term disabilities. It is a major health issue for the patient and can affect work capacity. The aim of this study was to investigate working capacity after subarachnoid haemorrhage from a long-term perspective, using data from national sick leave records. In addition, factors associated with working capacity were analysed. Design: A retrospect ...

Objective: To evaluate the influence of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in patients with stroke through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Cochrane Library databases were searched systematically. Randomized controlled trials assessing the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation vs placebo transcutaneous electrical n ...

Objective: To systematically review and critically appraise the literature on measurement properties of cardiopulmonary exercise test protocols for measuring aerobic capacity, VO2max, in persons after stroke. Data sources: PubMed, Embase and Cinahl were searched from inception up to 15 June 2016. A total of 9 studies were identified reporting on 9 different cardiopulmonary exercise test protocols ...

Objective: Strengthening of health-related rehabilitation services must start from the needs of persons with health conditions experiencing disability and should be implemented within health systems. The implementation of rehabilitation services in health systems should be planned and realized according to the World Health Organization’s 6 constituents of health systems (i.e. health service deli ...

Objective: One of the aims of the World Health Organization’s Global Disability Action Plan is to strengthen rehabilitation services. Some countries have requested support to develop (scale-up) rehabilitation services. This paper describes the measures required and how (advisory) missions can support this purpose, with the aim of developing National Disability, Health and Rehabilitation Plans. ...

Objective: To provide an update on disability and rehabilitation in Mongolia, and to identify potential barriers and facilitators for implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Disability Action Plan (GDAP). Methods: A 4-member rehabilitation team from the Royal Melbourne Hospital conducted an intensive 6-day workshop at the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, for ...

There is strong evidence that population ageing and the epidemiological transition to a higher incidence of chronic, non-communicable diseases will continue to profoundly impact societies worldwide, putting more pressure on healthcare systems to respond to the needs of the people they serve. These trends argue for the need to address what matters to people about their health: limitations in their ...