Disability and rehabilitation
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Basic body awareness therapy or exercise therapy for the treatment of chronic whiplash associated disorders: a randomized comparative clinical trial.
Chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) incur both costs and suffering. Treatments that can relieve chronic WAD are therefore needed. Exercise therapy (ET) has been shown to provide pain relief. Another often used treatment for chronic pain in Scandinavia is basic body awareness therapy (BAT). We compared the effectiveness of 10 weeks of twice-weekly, 90-min sessions of either ET or BAT in a randomized comparative trial. ⋯ The present trial indicates that BAT led to greater improvements than ET for the patients with chronic WAD. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILATION: Chronic whiplash-associated disorders are disabling and incur great costs to society often through inability to work. Exercise therapy (ET) may alleviate symptoms of chronic WAD. Basic body awareness therapy (BAT) is often a component of multimodal pain rehabilitation programs. In this randomized comparative trial, BAT increased physical functioning and led to greater pain reduction and social functioning 3 months after the end of treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Evaluation of the effectiveness of a home-based inspiratory muscle training programme in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using multiple inspiratory muscle tests.
To evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based inspiratory muscle training (IMT) programme using multiple inspiratory muscle tests. ⋯ A seven-week, home-based inspiratory muscle training programme improves maximal inspiratory pressure and perception of well-being in patients with moderate to severe COPD but not sniff nasal inspiratory pressure or diaphragm contractility, respiratory muscle endurance and exercise capacity. Multiple tests are recommended for a more comprehensive assessment of changes in muscle function following inspiratory muscle training programmes. Therapists need to explore different community-based inspiratory muscle training regimes for COPD patients and identify the optimal exercise protocol that is likely to lead to improvements in diaphragm contractility and exercise capacity.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Short- and long-term effects of a six-week clinical Pilates program in addition to physical therapy on postmenopausal women with chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.
To determine the short- and long-term effectiveness of the application of Clinical Pilates in addition to physical therapy versus a physical therapy treatment alone in a population of postmenopausal women with chronic low back pain (CLBP). ⋯ Chronic Low Back Pain could benefit from the Pilates practice in postmenopausal women. Improvement in pain and disability derived from CLBP seem to be maintained over time due to Pilates practice. Pilates constitutes a safe tool to be applied in older population with CLBP due to its ability to be adapted to every performance and physical level.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The impact of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with modified constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT) on upper limb function in chronic stroke: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.
This pilot double-blind sham-controlled randomized trial aimed to determine if the addition of anodal tDCS on the affected hemisphere or cathodal tDCS on unaffected hemisphere to modified constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT) would be superior to constraints therapy alone in improving upper limb function in chronic stroke patients. ⋯ The association of mCIMT with brain stimulation improves clinical gains in rehabilitation after stroke. The improvement in motor recovery (assessed by Fugl-Meyer scale) was only observed after anodal tDCS. The modulation of damaged hemisphere demonstrated greater improvements than the modulation of unaffected hemispheres.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Combined transcranial direct current stimulation and home-based occupational therapy for upper limb motor impairment following intracerebral hemorrhage: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.
To investigate the combined effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and home-based occupational therapy on activities of daily living (ADL) and grip strength, in patients with upper limb motor impairment following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). ⋯ Five consecutive days of tDCS combined with occupational therapy provided greater improvements in grip strength compared with occupational therapy alone. tDCS is well tolerated by patients and can easily be applied for home-based rehabilitation.