Authors: Boyle KL, Demske JR
This case report describes therapeutic exercise management for a female with a chief complaint of right sciatica and secondary low back pain (LBP). The patient was a 61-year old female with chronic right sciatica and LBP. At initial examination she reported pain at 9 on a scale of 10, with 10 being the most severe, demonstrated a straight leg raise (SLR) limited to 45 degrees , and a positive Ober’s test. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was 40%. The first six weeks (five visits) the patient was instructed in stabilization and spinal flexion exercises. After noting limited improvement, the intervention plan was revised for 13 additional weeks (10 visits) to include the following exercises to reposition and stabilize the pelvis: muscle activation of the l…

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Authors: Crane P
Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) dysfunction, a common source of low back and buttock pain, can occur from cumulative shear or torsional forces during activities such as walking that require weight to transfer from one extremity to the other. Individuals with lower extremity lymphedema may also experience SIJ dysfunction. The purpose of this article was to describe the examination, diagnosis, and intervention for a patient with lower extremity lymphedema and sacroiliac joint dysfunction. The patient was a 50-year-old female with increased left lower extremity lymphedema and left buttock and groin pain that was previously treated unsuccessfully with physical therapy. SIJ dysfunction was attributable to an alteration in gait pattern caused by increased limb volume associated with …

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This study aimed to assess the interobserver reliability of the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), which consists of 14 items that evaluate body balance during daily activities. The assessment was made by physiotherapists with extensive or little clinical experience in noninstitutionalized elderly individuals. Participants comprised 12 elderly subjects (10 women and 2 men) with mean ages of 75.8+/-8.4 years (range=63-87) and 18 physiotherapists with varying clinical experience. Interexaminer reliability obtained for each scale item yielded weighted kappa value >0.75 in 11 of the 14 items (varying from 0.37 to 1.0). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for the total sum of BBS scores between the two groups of physiotherapists was 0.996 (95% confidence i…

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This report examines the symptomatic and functional changes associated with subsensory threshold, pulsed electrical stimulation (PES) treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee in three patients. Two females and one male over age 60, with radiologically diagnosed osteoarthritis of the knee, were treated with PES. The intervention was delivered for eight hours daily at home using a portable, battery-operated unit over 16 weeks. Treatment outcome data were collected at three time points with results plotted for visual examination. Pain, function, patient global assessment, quality of life, global perceived effectiveness, and ambulatory activity levels were measured. The device was well tolerated with adherence levels of 63%, 83%, and 102% of target dose. Perceived global effectiveness of treat…

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This study compared the QoL of 84 SSV and 87 matched apparently healthy individuals (AH) in southwestern Nigeria. The effect of poststroke duration (PSD) on QoL and the relationship between QoL and motor performance (MP) were also investigated. SSV were recruited from all (7) tertiary health institutions in southwestern Nigeria. The fifth edition of Comprehensive Quality of Life Adult questionnaire and the Modified Motor Assessment Scale were used to assessed QoL and MP, respectively. Data were analyzed by using Mann-Whitney U-test, Spearman’s correlation test, independent t-test, and Kruskaal-Wallis test (alpha=0.05). The SSV and AH were aged 59.7+/-11.9 and 60.0+/-12.1, respectively. SSVs’ mean PSD and MP score were 17.8+/-15.4 months and 55.3%+/-18.9%, respectively. Objective QoL of SSV…

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Authors: Cochran TM, Mu K, Lohman H, Scheirton LS
While practice errors have been studied extensively in medicine and pharmacy, little research exists in physical therapy. The purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of physical therapy practice errors in geriatric, adult neurologic, and orthopedic clinical settings. Thirty physical therapists with three or more years of practice experience participated in the study, representing four geographically distinct regions of the United States. Four focus groups were conducted via guided discussion questions in four different states. Collected data were transcribed and analyzed by using constant comparative method. Data analysis yielded five major themes including: 1) taxonomy of error, 2) aversive outcomes, 3) individual and syste…

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HoMedics Therapist Select Shiatsu Back Massager (Health and Beauty)
By HoMedics

Buy new: $70.88
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Women who participated in weight-bearing sports during their teens, the formative years for bone growth, have stronger bones after menopause than women who participated in lighter activities during their youth.
Reuters Health Information

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Ergonomic design must meet expectations …

“Sales of netbooks have been one bright spot for the PC industry during the past year. So why are many users returning them?

It’s hard to pinpoint the rates at which netbooks are being returned to the stores and e-tailers where they’re purchased. But many industry observers agree: Many are seeing higher-than-usual rates of return. And many are blaming the retailers’ marketing.

Industry analyst Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie Associates, said retailers’ messaging have left netbook customers feeling like the product doesn’t live up to its promises. He said ads for netbooks make them look like low-cost notebooks, when that’s not what a netbook is supposed to be at all.

“The whole idea of a netbook is it’s your third computer,” Peddie told InternetNews.com. “The original idea of the netbook was this would be the ‘tweeny’ — in between a mobile phone and a laptop. This is the thing that would be better than the mobile phone because it would have a better screen and full keyboard and Internet access and do lightweight work with OpenOffice or something like that.”

Netbooks have made a big splash in the market recently with their low-cost price — as low as $299 for the Asus Eee PC – while offering at least some basic computing capabilities. With laptops growing larger, thanks to widescreen monitors and their increasing popularity as a desktop replacement, a netbook is meant to be something you can carry in a purse, briefcase or book bag.

A big hit from tiny PCs

The advent of the netbook came about thanks to some breakthroughs in x86 processor technology. The Centaur processor from VIA Technologies and Atom processor from Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) brought x86 to extremely small form factors while drawing less than 10 watts of power.

And they have been a huge hit. Intel can’t make and qualify Atom chips fast enough. By combining netbooks with notebooks, iSuppli said mobile computing surpassed desktop sales for the first time last quarter.

But these devices have a high boomerang rate, too: They go out, and come right back. If anyone did anything wrong, it was the retailers in the presentation of the device, Peddie said.

“People realized they didn’t have the range of apps, they have a small screen size and it led to a poor experience. But they were never meant as a replacement for low-cost, thin and light notebooks,” Peddie said.”    (Continued via InternetNews, Andy Patrizio)    [Ergonomics Resources]

Asus Eee Netbook

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US researchers examining how diseases in late life, such as stroke and diabetes, contribute to cognitive decline through their effect on the hippocampal region of the brain found that high blood sugar may contribute to the decline of memory and cognitive health in older people. They suggested exercising to improve blood sugar levels was a way some people might be able to delay the normal decline in memory and cognitive health that occurs in old age.

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