Disability and rehabilitation
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To assess the effectiveness of a hinged ankle-foot orthoses on gait impairments and energy expenditure in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) whom orthoses were indicated to control equines. ⋯ The hinged AFO is useful in controlling dynamic equinus deformity and reducing the energy expenditure of gait in children with hemiplegic spastic cerebral palsy.
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To assess the reliability and validity of the Neck Pain and Disability Scale (NPAD) translated into Hindi. ⋯ Based on the results of this study, the Hindi version of the NPAD is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of pain and disability in cervical radiculopathy patients.
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Little is known about the long-term consequences of severe injuries in terms of return to productivity and quality of life. ⋯ Although the results were obtained in a relatively small sample size, the return to work rate in the surviving severely injured patients appears to be excellent. The quality of life is good; the majority of patients are not disabled. Age (and not the ISS) seems to be a significant predictor of disablement.
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To describe communication and eating proficiency and related factors in Swedish females with Rett syndrome, from a parental/caregiver view. ⋯ Results from this study have confirmed that verbal communication in Rett syndrome is limited. Despite a lack of verbal communication the females in this study were reported to need and enjoy social interplay. Outcomes concerning eating were generally good. For optimal intervention, it is recommended that family and professionals work together to evaluate eating situations and communication ability for females with Rett syndrome.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Material handling performance of patients with chronic low back pain during functional capacity evaluation: a comparison between three countries.
Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs) are batteries of tests designed to measure patients' ability to perform work-related activities. Although FCEs are used worldwide, it is unknown how patients' performances compare between countries or settings. This study was performed to explore similarities and differences in FCE performance of patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) between three international settings that utilize the same FCE protocol. ⋯ Considerable differences were observed between settings in maximum weight handled on the various FCE items. Future FCE research should examine the effects of a number of potentially influential factors, including variability in evaluator judgements across settings, the evaluator-patient interaction and patients' expectations of the influence of FCE results on disability compensation.