Disability and rehabilitation
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Anecdotal evidence suggests that General Practitioners (GPs) vary in their understanding of phantom pain and associated factors in amputees. This has implications in that the GP's conception of the problem will determine what treatment or referral is offered. ⋯ These findings have serious implications for the management of phantom limb pain, disability and psychological distress in amputees in that GPs not only provide first line treatment, but are also the gatekeepers for referral to other services. Given this, the role of other professionals within the primary health care team may prove an additional resource for providing both support and accurate information to amputees in the community.
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This study compared the neuromuscular efficiency (NME) of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and anterior scalene (AS) muscles between 20 chronic neck pain patients and 20 asymptomatic controls. ⋯ Reduced NME in the superficial cervical flexor muscles in patients with neck pain may be a measurable altered muscle strategy for dysfunction in other muscles. This aberrant pattern of muscle activation appears to be most evident under conditions of low load. NME, when measured at 25% MVC, may be a useful objective measure for future investigation of muscle dysfunction in patients with neck pain.
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To explore the efficacy of an exercise programme (EP) in primary care on work performance and pain intensity in young immigrants having pain. ⋯ A good efficacy regarding work performance and pain intensity was seen only in the highly educated group.
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The purpose of this study was to determine if independent raters would arrive at similar decisions about which codes from the Activities and Participation component of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) to assign to children with disabilities based on the results of standard paediatric functional assessment measures. ⋯ Independent raters reached high rates of agreement when assessment test items were structured developmentally and corresponded to a single ICF code. For domains other than Self care, alternative assessment strategies may be necessary to improve assigning ICF codes to children with disabilities.
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Comparative Study
The health-related quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS.
The prevalence of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA) in South Africa is estimated to be approximately 14.2% of the total population. In the absence of anti-retroviral therapy, PLWA are likely to experience a steady decline in function, as their immune systems become increasingly compromised. However, there is limited information available to determine the potential role of rehabilitation interventions in the management of PLWA in a resource-poor community. ⋯ Self-reporting indicates that Health Related Quality of Life is severely comprised in PLWA in Stages 3 and 4 and limitations in the four domains of mobility, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression constitute major problems for PLWA. There is an obvious need to provide a continuum of care, encompassing not only medical but also physical and mental rehabilitation services as well. In an area of high HIV prevalence, the provision of appropriate, multi-disciplinary health care services to PLWA presents a major challenge to the health services.