Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Apr 1991
Time of rehabilitation admission and severity of trauma: effect on brain injury outcome.
Outcome after traumatic brain injury, defined by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) and length of stay in acute rehabilitation, was measured in 59 patients admitted to an intensive rehabilitation program to examine the effects of severity of the initial brain injury, severity of multiple trauma, and length of stay in the acute care hospital. Severity of initial brain injury, best measured by length of coma, was the most significant predictor of GOS outcome. ⋯ Severity of initial brain injury, length of acute hospitalization, and gender emerged as predictors of length of rehabilitation hospital stay. Although length of acute hospitalization is apparently affected by severity of brain injury, it adds significantly--more than severity of brain injury--to the prediction of length of rehabilitation.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Apr 1990
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialHospital supervised vs home exercise in cardiac rehabilitation: effects on aerobic fitness, anxiety, and depression.
This study focused on the effects of hospital supervision and type of prescribed home exercise in cardiac rehabilitation programs on aerobic fitness, anxiety, and depression. Men who had a myocardial infarction were randomly assigned to four exercise programs: The first program consisted of purely hospital-based exercise. The second and third programs combined hospital and home exercise, including either bicycling or walking at home. ⋯ No effects of the different exercise programs on patients' depression could be found. In general, a close relationship between aerobic fitness and anxiety or depression could not be demonstrated. Implications of these findings for the design of cardiac rehabilitation exercise programs are discussed.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Feb 1990
Case ReportsReflex sympathetic dystrophy in an amputee: case study.
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) has been described primarily in the upper extremity and is infrequently considered part of the differential diagnosis of postamputation pain. The manifestations of autonomic dysfunction may mimic other potential diagnoses of postoperative stump pain. ⋯ The diagnosis was made by clinical examination, radiography, and scintigraphy without the need for any invasive studies. The characteristic diagnostic findings for the knee during the acute phase are emphasized and the therapy described.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Nov 1989
Case ReportsRegression of herniated nucleus pulposus: two patients with lumbar radiculopathy.
Thirty percent to 95% of patients with lumbar radiculopathy secondary to a bulging or herniated disc improve to a pain-free and functional level with nonsurgical treatment. What happens to the herniated disc material as this improvement occurs is unclear. We present two patients with lumbar radiculopathy documented by physical examination and electrodiagnostic testing. ⋯ CT scans were repeated in three months on one patient and four months on the other. The scans showed major resolution of the herniated disc material in both patients. These two cases demonstrate that in some patients with proven radiculopathy secondary to herniated nucleus pulposus, the herniated disc material will no longer be visible on CT scan and is presumed to resorb as the symptoms abate.