Disability and rehabilitation
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Psychological determinants of quality of life in patients with whiplash associated disorders-a prospective study.
To evaluate whether psychological factors and personality traits influence recovery in terms of quality of life in patients with subacute whiplash associated disorders (WAD). ⋯ In order to improve health-related quality of life in patients with WAD, the present study stresses the importance of targeting self-efficacy. A special effort should be made to enhance these beliefs in the rehabilitation process.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Continuous passive motion as an adjunct to active exercises in early rehabilitation following total knee arthroplasty - a randomized controlled trial.
Continuous passive motion is frequently used post-operatively to increase knee range of motion after total knee arthroplasty in spite of little conclusive evidence. The aim of this study was to examine whether continuous passive motion (CPM) as an adjunct to active exercises had any short time effects (after one week and three months) on pain, range of motion, timed walking and stair climbing. ⋯ CPM was not found to have an additional short-time effect compared with active physiotherapy. After three months considerable pain relief was obtained for the whole group, the patients preoperative ROM was not restored and the number of patients able to climb stairs had decreased.
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The present study aimed to measure the internal consistency, inter-rater-reliability and validity of the World Health Organisation Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II) for its application to stroke patients and their closest others. ⋯ The WHODAS II is a valid, generally reliable and useful instrument for the assessment of stroke patients over the first year after stroke.
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Phantom limb pain is chronic and intractable. Recently, virtual reality (VR) and motion capture technology has replicated the mirror box device of Ramachandran (Ramachandran et al. Nature 1995, 377, 489-490; Ramachandran and Rogers-Ramachandran Proc R Soc Biol Sci 1996, 263, 377-386) and led to reductions in this pain. We present results from a novel variation on this method which captures motion data directly from a patient's stump (rather than using the opposite remaining limb) and then transforms it into goal directed, virtual action enacted by an avatar in a VR environment. ⋯ This technique, which has shown similar success rates to trials of a virtual mirror box, is relatively cheap and portable, and will allow further trials in a home environment.
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To alert health professionals on presence and extent of phantom pain and sensation following bilateral upper limb amputation. ⋯ At this time there is no healing for phantom pain; medical and surgical modalities only bring temporary relief, and less than 1% of the respondents achieve permanent relief through different treatment methods.