Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy
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Comparative Study
Neuromuscular stimulation of quadriceps in patients hospitalised during an exacerbation of COPD: a comparison of low (35 Hz) and high (50 Hz) frequencies.
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has shown to improve skeletal muscle strength and exercise capacity in stable patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Variations in NMES protocols are considerable. We aimed to compare changes in muscle strength after high-frequency and low-frequency NMES in patients admitted to hospital with an acute exacerbation of COPD. ⋯ NMES is a feasible intervention to improve muscle strength in a cohort of patients admitted with an exacerbation of COPD. The response appears to be independent of the frequency used and both were well-tolerated.
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Activation of transversus abdominis and fear avoidance beliefs have both been related to low back pain (LBP). This exploratory study aims to investigate associations between fear avoidance beliefs at baseline and deep abdominal muscle activation after an 8-week period of supervised exercises for chronic LBP. ⋯ This study suggests that there is some negative association between fear avoidance beliefs for physical activity before intervention and transversus abdominis recruitment measured by lateral slide after intervention. No other significant associations between fear avoidance beliefs and abdominal muscle activation were found. We cannot exclude random findings, meaning that the results should be considered hypothesis generating for further investigations.
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Comparative Study
Physiotherapy services provided outside of business hours in Australian hospitals: a national survey.
Physiotherapy services provided outside of business hours may improve patient and hospital outcomes, but there is limited understanding of what services are provided. This study described current services provided outside of business hours across Australian hospitals. ⋯ There is limited availability of physiotherapy services in Australian hospitals outside of business hours. There are inequalities in physiotherapy services provided outside of business hours, with public, rural/regional and sub-acute facilities receiving fewer services outside of business hours than private, metropolitan and highly acute facilities.
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The aim of this study was to determine the criterion validity of patient rate of recovery with the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). ⋯ Patients reporting greater than or equal to 82.5% on rate of recovery are likely to have met a 50% change on the ODI. The moderate correlation between rate of recovery and ODI suggests that rate of recovery may capture a dimension of recovery in addition to the self-reported function in patients with low back pain. Both outcomes measures can be used to capture a more comprehensive evaluation of recovery from low back pain.
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Comparative Study
Feasibility and effectiveness of pre-operative inspiratory muscle training in patients undergoing oesophagectomy: a pilot study.
Patients undergoing oesophageal surgery have a high risk for post-operative complications including pulmonary infections. Recently, physical therapy has shifted from the post-operative to the pre-operative phase to diminish post-operative complications and to shorten hospital stay. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the feasibility and initial effectiveness of pre-operative inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on the incidence of pneumonia in patients undergoing oesophagectomy. ⋯ Pre-operative IMT is feasible in patients with oesophageal carcinoma and significantly improves respiratory muscle function. This, however, did not result in a reduction of post-operative pneumonia in patients undergoing oesophagectomy.