Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Reliability and responsiveness of the shuttle walking test in patients with chronic low back pain.
Walking is an important functional activity and the shuttle walking test has been shown to be a useful test for patients with chronic airways obstruction and heart failure. The test has been used in low back pain research over recent years and has increasingly been used as an outcome measure to investigate treatment efficacy in patients with low back pain. The aim of the present study was to determine the reliability and responsiveness of the shuttle walking test within a group of patients with low back pain (with or without sciatica). ⋯ The present study has shown that the shuttle walking test is a reliable and responsive test within a group of patients with low back pain, with or without sciatica. It is simple to administer and provides a quick method of measuring one aspect of a patient's physical function.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A randomized controlled trial comparing periodic mask CPAP with physiotherapy after abdominal surgery.
Physiotherapists use a variety of techniques aimed at improving lung volumes and secretion clearance in patients after surgery. Periodic continuous positive airway pressure (PCPAP) is used to treat patients following elective upper abdominal surgery. However, the optimal method of application has not been identified, more specifically, the dosage of application of PCPAP. The present randomized controlled trial compared the effects of two dosages of PCPAP application and 'traditional' physiotherapy upon functional residual capacity (FRC), vital capacity (VC), oxyhaemoglobin saturation (SpO2), incidence of post-operative pulmonary complications and length of stay with a control group receiving 'traditional' physiotherapy only. ⋯ The addition of PCPAP to a traditional physiotherapy post-operative treatment regimen after upper abdominal surgery did not significantly affect physiological or clinical outcomes.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Manual hyperinflation: consistency and modification of the technique by physiotherapists.
The present study aimed to evaluate the consistency with which physiotherapists apply manual hyperinflation to a test lung using the Air-Viva-2 or Mapleson-B resuscitation circuit, and their ability to modify the technique as pulmonary characteristics change. ⋯ Subjects demonstrated good consistency in the application of manual hyperinflation for all three simulations and modified their technique appropriately as simulated pulmonary characteristics changed.