Errata.

Physiother Theory Pract. 2007 Sep-Oct;23(5):299

Authors:

PMID: 17934970 [PubMed - in process]

(Source: Physiotherapy Theory and Practice)

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Knee extension strength and body weight determine sit-to-stand independence after stroke.

Physiother Theory Pract. 2007 Sep-Oct;23(5):291-7

Authors: Bohannon RW

The sit-to-stand (STS) maneuver is important to everyday function, but independence in the activity is often lost after stroke. This study sought to determine the importance of knee extension force and body weight to independence in STS. Sixty-one primarily elderly individuals admitted for acute rehabilitation after stroke participated. Isometric knee extension force was measured bilaterally by using handheld dynamometry. Body weight and height were obtained from the medical record. The ability of subjects to rise from an armless chair without assistance was observed. Independence in the maneuver was demonstrated by 40 (65.6%) subjects when hand use was allowed and 32 (52.5%) subjects when hand use was not allowed. Univariate analysis showed that knee extension forces of the weaker and stronger sides and both sides together explained STS independence, whether hand use was allowed (R(2) = 0.513-0.607) or not allowed (R(2) = 0.336-0.551). Univariate analysis did not show body weight, height, gender, or age to be important; but when considered in conjunction with bilateral knee extension forces, body weight contributed to the explanation of STS independence, whether the hands were (R(2) = 0.688) or were not (R(2) = 0.693) used. A value of 32.1% for the combined knee extension forces of the weaker and stronger sides normalized against body weight was sensitive (87.5%) and specific (85.7%) for predicting independence in STS performed with hands. A value of 40.0% for the combined force of knee extension of the weaker and stronger sides normalized against body weight was sensitive (90.3%) and specific (86.7%) for predicting independence in STS performed without hands. Although the findings of this study do not prove cause, they suggest that efforts to foster independence in STS after stroke should focus on strengthening both lower limbs. For individuals who are overweight or obese, weight loss may also help.

PMID: 17934969 [PubMed - in process]

(Source: Physiotherapy Theory and Practice)

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Knowledge, attitude, and willingness of Nigerian physiotherapy students to provide care for patients living with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Physiother Theory Pract. 2007 Sep-Oct;23(5):281-90

Authors: Oyeyemi A, Utti V, Oyeyemi L, Onigbinde T

In the current AIDS pandemics, equipping health professional students with adequate knowledge and positive attitude is necessary to produce graduates who can deliver appropriate intervention to patients infected with HIV or who have developed AIDS. The purpose of this study was 1) to investigate the Nigerian physiotherapy students’ knowledge, attitude, and their willingness to provide care for patients living with AIDS (PWA) and to 2) determine the sociodemographic variables that could influence the students’ attitude and willingness to provide care for PWA. Physiotherapy students (N = 104) in four training programs in Nigeria were surveyed using a two-part questionnaire. Part I elicited sociodemographic and previous AIDS encounter information, and Part II assessed knowledge, attitude, and willingness to provide care to PWA. Nigerian students showed unsatisfactory knowledge, harbored negative attitude, and many of them were unwilling to render care for PWA. Religious affiliation, training programs, long-term career goals, and previous instructions on AIDS influenced the students’ attitude. The study identified the need for a comprehensive AIDS curriculum and recommend that all programs in Nigeria include clinical clerkship, small group discussions, and seminars on ethical and medico-legal issues on AIDS in their curriculum.

PMID: 17934968 [PubMed - in process]

(Source: Physiotherapy Theory and Practice)

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Relationship between pain and upper limb movement in patients with chronic sternal instability following cardiac surgery.

Physiother Theory Pract. 2007 Sep-Oct;23(5):273-80

Authors: El-Ansary D, Waddington G, Adams R

Physiotherapists routinely prescribe upper limb exercises for patients who have undergone a median sternotomy during cardiac surgery. It is not currently known whether upper limb exercises should be unilateral or bilateral and conducted with or without additional loading to minimise pain and further sternal separation in patients with sternal instability. Eight patients who had chronic sternal instability after cardiac surgery were included in this study. During a selected regimen of upper limb exercises, the amount of sternal separation at different vertical points on the sternum was measured by ultrasound. The amount of sternal separation was not related to type of upper limb activity, but both unilateral and unilateral loaded positions were found to be significantly associated with sternal pain (p = 0.009). In this group of patients with chronic sternal instability, bilateral upper limb movements were significantly less associated with sternal pain than unilateral movements.

PMID: 17934967 [PubMed - in process]

(Source: Physiotherapy Theory and Practice)

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Development of a model of patient satisfaction with physiotherapy.

Physiother Theory Pract. 2007 Sep-Oct;23(5):255-71

Authors: Hills R, Kitchen S

The purpose of the study was to build a model to describe patient satisfaction with outpatient physiotherapy, basing this on need theory and theories from marketing research. The model was developed following interviews and focus groups with patients who had recently completed a course of outpatient physiotherapy for musculoskeletal conditions. It describes the patients’ overall evaluation of their physiotherapy care in terms of satisfaction with 1) the Therapeutic Encounter and 2) Clinical Outcome. It identifies possible factors leading to satisfaction and provides an explanation for the relationship between expectations and satisfaction as a basis for patients’ evaluation of their physiotherapy care. The theoretical basis of the concept of satisfaction in relation to physiotherapy practice and implications of the model for evaluating physiotherapy service provision are discussed together with the limitations of the model. Finally, further work to test the model is proposed.

PMID: 17934966 [PubMed - in process]

(Source: Physiotherapy Theory and Practice)

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Toward a theory of patient satisfaction with physiotherapy: Exploring the concept of satisfaction.

Physiother Theory Pract. 2007 Sep-Oct;23(5):243-54

Authors: Hills R, Kitchen S

Patient satisfaction is increasingly seen as an important area of research because it has been found that satisfied patients are more likely to benefit from their health care. However, there has been comparatively little work in this field within physiotherapy. Eliciting patients’ expectations and needs of their care and addressing these during treatment could not only influence their subsequent health-related behaviour but could also contribute to a more favourable evaluation of the whole therapeutic experience. While various determinants of satisfaction have been identified and examined in the literature, there has been little work to develop a theory to underpin the concept of satisfaction. Such a theory is important in physiotherapy because it can inform current practice and its evaluation and have implications for future patient care. In this article satisfaction with physiotherapy is defined on the basis of a review of the satisfaction literature in health care. A theory of patient satisfaction with physiotherapy is then developed by exploring the concepts of need and expectations that are proposed as being important determinants of the construct in relation to the physiotherapeutic approach to care, drawing on need theory and relevant social science and marketing theories.

PMID: 17934965 [PubMed - in process]

(Source: Physiotherapy Theory and Practice)

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Conclusion: This novel weight-bearing strengthening program was feasible and safe in an inpatient rehabilitation setting and had some additional benefits over a traditional non-weight-bearing strengthening program.
PMID: 17725471 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Aust J Physiother)

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Authors: Brauer SG, Haines TP, Bew PG

PMID: 17725470 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Aust J Physiother)

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Loss of proprioception or motor control is not related to functional ankle instability: an observational study.

Aust J Physiother. 2007;53(3):193-8

Authors: de Noronha M, Refshauge K, Kilbreath SL, Crosbie J

Questions: Is loss of proprioception or loss of motor control related to functional ankle instability? Are proprioception and motor control related? Is there any difference in proprioception or motor control between ankles with different severity of functional ankle instability? Design: Cross-sectional, observational study. Participants: Twenty people aged between 18 and 40 years with functional ankle instability associated with a history of ankle sprain more than one month prior. Twenty age-matched controls with no functional ankle instability or history of ankle sprain. Outcome measures: Functional ankle instability was classified using the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool, proprioception at the ankle was measured as movement detection at three velocities, and motor control was measured using the Landing Test and the Hopping Test. Results: There was little if any relation between proprioception (r = 0.14 to 0.03, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.25) or motor control (r = 0.08 to 0.07, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.20) and functional ankle instability. There was also little if any relation between proprioception and motor control except for a low correlation between movement detection at 0.1 deg/s and the Landing Test (r = 0.35, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.58). Furthermore, there was no difference between the ankles with or without functional ankle instability in proprioception or motor control. Conclusion: By greater than one month after ankle sprain, loss of proprioception does not make a major contribution to functional ankle instability.

PMID: 17725477 [PubMed - in process]

(Source: Aust J Physiother)

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Healthy adults can more easily elevate the pelvic floor in standing than in crook-lying: an experimental study.

Aust J Physiother. 2007;53(3):187-91

Authors: Kelly M, Tan BK, Thompson J, Carroll S, Follington M, Arndt A, Seet M

Questions: Are there any differences in the displacement and endurance of an elevating voluntary pelvic floor muscle contraction in standing and in crook-lying? Are there any differences in these variables between males and females in either test position? Design: An experimental study. Participants: Forty-five nulliparous female and 20 male participants aged 23 years (SD 3) with no symptoms of urinary incontinence or low back pain. Intervention: Voluntary pelvic floor muscle contraction was measured in both standing and crook-lying. Outcome measures: Transabdominal ultrasound was used to measure the displacement (mm) and endurance (s) of pelvic floor elevation. Results: Displacement was greater in standing than in crook-lying (mean difference 2.6 mm, 95% CI 1.5 to 3.7). There was no difference between males and females (mean difference 1.3 mm, 95% CI 0.5 to 3.2). Similarly, endurance of pelvic floor elevation was longer in standing than in crook-lying (mean difference 17.3 s, 95% CI 12.2 to 22.4). Again there was no difference between males and females (mean difference 0.5 s, 95% CI 9.3 to 8.3). Conclusion: Standing was found to be a more effective position for achieving and sustaining an elevation of the pelvic floor compared to crook-lying, regardless of sex, and this should be taken into account when assessing and training pelvic floor muscle contraction.

PMID: 17725476 [PubMed - in process]

(Source: Aust J Physiother)

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