Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Aug 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyComparison of 3 needle sizes for trigger point injection in myofascial pain syndrome of upper- and middle-trapezius muscle: a randomized controlled trial.
To investigate (1) the relation between needle diameter and treatment efficacy of myofascial pain syndrome and (2) the relation between needle diameter and pain intensity during injection. ⋯ No difference between the needle types was observed in terms of VAS or NDI, or in terms of pain intensity felt by patients during injection. In terms of SF-36 scores, injections with 21- or 23-gauge needles were found to be more effective. However, a well-controlled investigation is needed to explore the effect of needle thickness on health-related quality of life.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Aug 2009
Multicenter StudyCharacterizing rehabilitation services for patients with knee and hip replacement in skilled nursing facilities and inpatient rehabilitation facilities.
To characterize rehabilitation services for patients with knee and hip replacement in 3 types of postacute facilities in the U.S. ⋯ Both freestanding SNFs and IRFs provided similar amounts of PT with a similar emphasis on exercise and gait activities. IRFs, however, provided more OT than freestanding SNFs. IRFs had shorter LOSs and more intensive therapy services than freestanding SNFs. Study freestanding SNFs exhibited greater variation in LOS and intensity of therapy than IRFs.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Aug 2009
External control of exhalation for cough assistance: a method for patients with glottis dysfunction and/or tracheostomy.
To investigate the effectiveness of our method of assisting a cough by mimicking the functions of the glottis in patients with bulbar muscle weakness or paralysis and/or those who had a tracheostomy tube. ⋯ We showed the effectiveness of our method of assisting a cough by external control of the glottis in patients with bulbar muscle weakness or paralysis and/or those who had a tracheostomy tube who cannot effectively cough with the help of existing cough assistance methods.