Kinetic Factors of Vertical Jumping for Heading a Ball in Flexible Flatfooted Amateur Soccer Players With and Without Insole Adoption.

Kinetic factors of vertical jumping for heading a ball in flexible flatfooted amateur soccer players with and without insole adoption.

Prosthet Orthot Int. 2013 Jul 4;
Arastoo AA, Aghdam EM, Habibi AH, Zahednejad S

Background:According to literature, little is known regarding the effects of orthotic management of flatfoot on kinetics of vertical jump.Objectives:To compare the kinetic and temporal events of two-legged vertical jumping take-off from a force plate for heading a ball in normal and flexible flatfoot subjects with and without insole.Study design:A functional based interventional controlled study.Methods:Random sampling method was employed to draw a control group of 15 normal foot subjects to a group of 15 flatfoot subjects. A force platform was used to record kinetics of two-legged vertical jump shots.Results:Results indicate that insole did not lead to a significant effect on kinetics regarding anterior-posterior and mediolateral directions (p > 0.05). Results of kinetics related to vertical direction for maximum force due to take-off and stance duration revealed significant differences between the normal and flexible flatfoot subjects without insole (p < 0.05) and no significant differences between the normal foot and flexible flatfoot subjects with insole adoption (p > 0.05).Conclusions:These results suggest that the use of an insole in the flexible flatfoot subjects led to improved stance time and decrease of magnitude of kinetics regarding vertical direction at take-off as the main feature of two-legged vertical jumping function.Clinical relevanceAdoption of the insole improved the design of the shoe-foot interface support for the flexible flatfoot athletes, enabling them to develop more effective take-off kinetics for vertical jumping in terms of ground reaction force and stance duration similar to that of normal foot subjects without insole. HubMed – rehab

Constraint-induced aphasia therapy following sub-acute stroke: a single-blind, randomised clinical trial of a modified therapy schedule.

J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2013 Jul 4;
Sickert A, Anders LC, Münte TF, Sailer M

The trend towards a shorter stay in rehabilitation clinic has implications for future language therapy. Constraint-induced aphasia therapy (CIAT) is administered 3 h per day for a total of 30 h of treatment. It was evaluated for patients with chronic aphasia. In the present study we investigated the efficacy of a modified CIAT schedule and included patients with sub-acute stroke. We conducted a randomised, single-blind, parallel-group study. The results were compared to those of patients who received identically intensive treatment focusing on conventional aphasia therapy.Fifty patients were treated with our modified version of CIAT and 50 received a standard aphasia therapy at the same intensity and duration. Inclusion criteria were clinical diagnosis of first-ever stroke, aphasia in the sub-acute stage and German speakers. Language function was evaluated using the Aachen Aphasia Test and the Communicative Activity Log directly before therapy onset, after the training period and at 8-week and 1-year follow-ups.Patients of both groups improved significantly in all sub-tests of the Aachen Aphasia Test Battery. The improvements remained stable over a 1-year follow-up period. Patients and relatives of both groups rated daily communication as significantly improved after therapy.Both CIAT and conventional therapy performed with equal intensity are efficacious methods for patients with sub-acute aphasia. The modified CIAT schedule is practical in an everyday therapeutic setting. Our results indicate that a short-term intensive therapy schedule in the early aphasia stage leads to substantial improvements in language functions.Clinical Trial Registration-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01625676. HubMed – rehab

The Influence of Active Exercise in Low Positions on the Functional Condition of the Lumbar-Sacral Segment in Patients with Discopathy.

Adv Clin Exp Med. 2013 May-Jun; 22(3): 421-430
Dzier?anowski M, Dzier?anowski M, Ma?kowiak P, S?omko W, Radzimi?ska A, Ka?mierczak U, Strojek K, Srokowski G, Zukow W

Pain in the lower segments of the spine is among the most frequent symptoms in industrialized countries. Injuries to intervertebral discs are the cause of this kind of discomfort in 90% of cases. The factors promoting the disease are: physical activity limitation, prolonged sitting position, overweight and bad movement stereotypes. New methods of treating sacral pain ignore the aspect of weakening the muscle force and do not introduce active exercise to the program of rehabilitation.The aim of the work was to describe the influence of active exercise in low positions on the functional condition of patients with L-S segment discopathy.The examination group consisted of 20 patients, including 17 women and 3 men. The examination was conducted twice, before and after a two-week long series of rehabilitation. The examined patients practiced a 20-minute exercise program for 10 days. The subjective part of the examination referred to pain discomfort felt by the patients and existing difficulties in performing everyday activities. The objective part included the measurement of movement range of the lumbar segment with the use of Schober’s test, finger-to-floor test and spine rotation in the sitting position.It was shown that intervertebral disc disease may lead to spine flexibility limitation and to pain occurrence.Practicing active exercise in low positions significantly improves the movement range and body posture and it reduces pain in the lower segments of the spine. Moreover, the patient’s functional abilities are improved while performing everyday activities. HubMed – rehab

Nurse-led follow-up care for cancer patients: what is known and what is needed.

Support Care Cancer. 2013 Jul 5;
de Leeuw J, Larsson M

Traditionally, cancer patient follow-up has focused on disease surveillance and detecting recurrence. However, an increasing number of patients who have survived cancer acknowledge the importance of cancer rehabilitation issues and the need for more patient-oriented models of care by reporting their unmet physical, emotional, and social needs. Nurse-led follow-up care for cancer patients fulfills this need and has been developing gradually for various cancer diagnoses and prognoses. A growing body of evidence suggests that these services provide high-quality care that is both safe and efficient. Furthermore, patients benefit from the continuity of care and easy access to support for their multitude of needs, provided by such organized care. In this paper, we review the literature published in the past 5 years regarding nurse-led follow-up care for cancer patients in order to provide input and opinion for future research, clinical practice development, and nursing leadership. We pay special attention to head and neck cancer patients, a group that has been largely understudied and hence underreported in the literature. These patients have specific needs with respect to information and education regarding their cancer and potential treatment side-effects as well as a particular need for long-term psychosocial support and practical advice. HubMed – rehab

Physical fitness before and after weight restoration in anorexia nervosa.

J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2013 Aug; 53(4): 396-402
Alberti M, Galvani C, Capelli C, Lanza M, El Ghoch M, Calugi S, Dalle Grave R

Aim: The aims of this paper were: 1) to evaluate the feasibility of test for evaluating physical fitness (PF) in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN); 2) to investigate the effects of nutritional rehabilitation in this population of patients; and 3) to compare their level of fitness scores (at baseline and after weight restoration) with an age-matched healthy control group. Methods: PF was assessed with an adapted version of the Eurofit Physical Fitness Test Battery (EPFTB) administered to 37 consecutive female AN patients, at baseline and after weight restoration, and to 57 healthy age-matched females. Results: The inpatient treatment, based on cognitive behavior therapy, was associated with a significant improvement in BMI (from 14.5±1.5 to 18.8±1.1, P<0.001) and in 5 out of 6 EPFTB tests (P<0.05) in the AN group. However, both in pre and post, AN patients showed significant lower EPFTB than the control group (all P<0.001) with the exception of the Sit-Up score. Conclusion: Results indicated that PF is lower in AN patients than in controls both at baseline and after weight restoration. Future studies should evaluate if the inclusion of an individualized health-enhancing physical activity program might improve the restoration of physical fitness. HubMed – rehab