Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Aug 1998
Impairment level sumscore in reflex sympathetic dystrophy of one upper extremity.
To construct a set of instruments to measure the level of impairment in reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), to convert the scores for each instrument into one score and to derive a compounded impairment level sumscore (ISS), and to evaluate reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the ISS. ⋯ A multicomponent test was constructed to map alterations in the level of impairment in RSD patients. Each of the parameter scores could be translated into a uniform score. Adding the scores yielded the ISS.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Aug 1998
Comparative StudyChronic myofascial pain: knowledge of diagnosis and satisfaction with treatment.
To examine the relation between pain patients' knowledge of pain diagnosis and their satisfaction with pain treatment. It was hypothesized that myofascial pain (MP) patients would be less knowledgeable regarding their diagnosis and less satisfied with the results of pain treatment. ⋯ MP patients appear to have less accurate beliefs regarding their pain symptoms and express more dissatisfaction with physician efforts to treat their pain. These findings emphasize the importance of patient education as a component of chronic pain intervention, particularly for MP patients.
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To examine the effects of age on outcome in persons with traumatic brain injury. ⋯ Older adults clearly show less complete recovery 1 year after brain injury than younger adults, either because they have reduced reserves with which to tolerate brain injury or because their physiologic status creates a more destructive injury. Glasgow Coma Scale alone may underestimate the severity of brain injury in the aged as well as its associated consequences. Caution is advised in generalizing findings based principally on younger individuals to older adults with traumatic brain injuries.