Scandinavian journal of rehabilitation medicine
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Scand J Rehabil Med · Jan 1990
Chronic low-back pain: intercorrelation of repeated measures for pain and disability.
Subjective experience of pain and disability was assessed for 4-5 weeks on a weekly basis in 14 consecutive out-patients complaining of low-back pain and/or leg pain that had lasted for at least 6 months. The following measures were used for assessment: a visual analogue scale (VAS) (present pain and worst pain during preceding 2 weeks), a short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), the Pain Disability Index (PDI) and the pain drawing. ⋯ The Spearman correlation showed statistically significant intercorrelation for present pain assessed with the VAS score, for the sensory word score of the SF-MPQ and for the PDI. Especially the PDI, which represents a global score for disability, showed very little test-retest variability and a high intercorrelation with the other methods of assessment, i.e. the pain drawing, the VAS scale for pain and the SF-MPQ.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Scand J Rehabil Med · Jan 1990
Phrenic nerve stimulation in tetraplegia. A new regimen to condition the diaphragm for full-time respiration.
Unipolar phrenic nerve stimulation (diaphragm pacing) has been used for ventilation of patients with C2 tetraplegia. Four-pole sequential nerve stimulation delays muscle fatigue when compared with unipolar stimulation. This may help to achieve more frequently long-term full-time bilateral electroventilation. ⋯ The new conditioning regimen was tested successfully in two patients with C2 tetraplegia. The new stimulation method and conditioning regimen remarkably shorten the time after injury during which mechanical ventilation is needed. This will give the patients earlier access to rehabilitation centres for spinal cord injuries and will diminish the work load of the personnel.
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Scand J Rehabil Med · Jan 1989
Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialA controlled study on the outcome of inpatient and outpatient treatment of low back pain. Part I. Pain, disability, compliance, and reported treatment benefits three months after treatment.
Outcome of inpatient and outpatient treatment of low back pain was studied in 459 patients (aged 35-54 years, 63% men); 156 inpatients, 150 outpatients and 153 controls. Changes in low back pain and in disability caused by it, and adherence and accomplishment of back exercises were used as short-term outcome criteria. ⋯ There was also a significant difference in treatment gains between the inpatients and outpatients; i.e. the decrease in pain was greater and the frequency of back exercises higher in the inpatients. The inpatients also estimated their treatment benefits more positively than the outpatients.
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The aim of this 12-month follow-up study was to evaluate the effect of the Swedish-type back school in chronic low back pain. 188 subjects completed the study (95 in the treatment group and 93 in the control group). The following were assessed: 1) subjective scores of pain and disability; 2) clinical measurement and evaluation including spinal mobility and strength measurement; 3) number and length of sick-leaves. ⋯ It was concluded that patients with chronic or recurrent low back pain may get relief of subjective symptoms of low back pain from the back school. In addition to chronicity, there may be other factors affecting the outcome of treatment.
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Scand J Rehabil Med · Jan 1989
The Swedish back school in chronic low back pain. Part II. Factors predicting the outcome.
The aim of the study was to analyse the factors predicting the outcome of the Swedish back school and spontaneous recovery in chronic low back pain. The predicting variables describing the treatment group (n = 95) and the control group (n = 93) at the initiation of study included sociodemographic factors, variables related to work, severity of low back pain, and a number of clinical measurements and evaluations. The Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire was used for judging recovery factors. It was found that the best predictor for the outcome of the treatment and for spontaneous recovery was work satisfaction.