Mingming Zhang, T. C. Davies, Anoop Nandakumar, S. Xie
Robots have been developed for treatment and rehabilitation of ankle injuries. Two reviews have been conducted involving the effectiveness of robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation and ankle assessment techniques respectively to investigate what the optimal therapy is. This study proposes an assistance-as-needed (AAN) control paradigm for potential use in robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation based on the review results. This AAN control strategy will consider real-time ankle assessment and make rehabilitation more effective.
{"title":"Article Commentary: An Assistance-as-Needed Control Paradigm for Robot-Assisted Ankle Rehabilitation","authors":"Mingming Zhang, T. C. Davies, Anoop Nandakumar, S. Xie","doi":"10.4137/RPO.S12340","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4137/RPO.S12340","url":null,"abstract":"Robots have been developed for treatment and rehabilitation of ankle injuries. Two reviews have been conducted involving the effectiveness of robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation and ankle assessment techniques respectively to investigate what the optimal therapy is. This study proposes an assistance-as-needed (AAN) control paradigm for potential use in robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation based on the review results. This AAN control strategy will consider real-time ankle assessment and make rehabilitation more effective.","PeriodicalId":41347,"journal":{"name":"Rehabilitation Process and Outcome","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4137/RPO.S12340","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70714334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F. Amore, S. Fortini, V. Silvestri, M. Sulfaro, A. Pacifici, Simona Turco
Background The aim of this study was to investigate the rehabilitative process and visual rehabilitation outcomes in patients with central vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods Ninety-five subjects with AMD selected from the attendees of the National Centre of Services and Research for the Prevention of Blindness and Rehabilitation of Low Vision Patients—International Agency for Prevention of Blindness—IAPB Italia Onlus, were evaluated for this retrospective study. Low vision examination included psychological counseling, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), near visual acuity, Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity, and fixation stability analysis. Once the clinical assessment was completed, patients attended a low-vision rehabilitative pathway based on visual stimulation, devices training and, if needed, psychological support. Required magnification and reading speed were also evaluated. Results For the whole sample, the mean BCVA of the better eye was 0.7 (±0.2) LogMAR and of the worse eye was 1 (±0.2) LogMAR. Restoring reading ability was the most important focus for the patients examined as it was requested by 85% of the whole sample. Mean power of optical magnifying aids for near activities was 10.6 (±9.1) positive spherical diopters. Mean reading speed for the whole sample was 33.1 (±18.2) words per minute (wpm) before visual rehabilitation sessions and increased to 55.2 (±33.1) wpm after visual rehabilitation path. To cope with distance difficulties, 78 distance refractive correction, 10 Galilean telescopes, and 7 Keplerian telescopes were prescribed. For intermediate distance activities, 22 compensation lenses and 10 Galilean telescopes were suggested. Moreover, PC magnifier softwares were prescribed to nine patients. Sixty-five polarized medical filters were prescribed to reduce glare of sunlight. Because of unstable fixation in their better eye (32.3% (±19.7) within 2° circle and 54.8% (±22.9) within 4° circle) and visual acuity < 1.2 LogMAR in the fellow eye, 38 subjects, before starting the devices training sessions, attended a bio-feedback rehabilitation session with flickering pattern stimulus. In these subjects, fixation stability increased significantly to 75.6 (±14.9) within 2° and 89.4 (±19.5) within 4° (P < 0.05), respectively. Conclusions Attending a customized low-vision intervention based on a multidisciplinary approach seems to be effective for improving visual functions in AMD. Both optical/electronic magnifiers and specific visual stimulation program can enhance visual performances.
{"title":"Vision Rehabilitation in Patients with Age-related Macular Degeneration","authors":"F. Amore, S. Fortini, V. Silvestri, M. Sulfaro, A. Pacifici, Simona Turco","doi":"10.4137/RPO.S12364","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4137/RPO.S12364","url":null,"abstract":"Background The aim of this study was to investigate the rehabilitative process and visual rehabilitation outcomes in patients with central vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods Ninety-five subjects with AMD selected from the attendees of the National Centre of Services and Research for the Prevention of Blindness and Rehabilitation of Low Vision Patients—International Agency for Prevention of Blindness—IAPB Italia Onlus, were evaluated for this retrospective study. Low vision examination included psychological counseling, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), near visual acuity, Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity, and fixation stability analysis. Once the clinical assessment was completed, patients attended a low-vision rehabilitative pathway based on visual stimulation, devices training and, if needed, psychological support. Required magnification and reading speed were also evaluated. Results For the whole sample, the mean BCVA of the better eye was 0.7 (±0.2) LogMAR and of the worse eye was 1 (±0.2) LogMAR. Restoring reading ability was the most important focus for the patients examined as it was requested by 85% of the whole sample. Mean power of optical magnifying aids for near activities was 10.6 (±9.1) positive spherical diopters. Mean reading speed for the whole sample was 33.1 (±18.2) words per minute (wpm) before visual rehabilitation sessions and increased to 55.2 (±33.1) wpm after visual rehabilitation path. To cope with distance difficulties, 78 distance refractive correction, 10 Galilean telescopes, and 7 Keplerian telescopes were prescribed. For intermediate distance activities, 22 compensation lenses and 10 Galilean telescopes were suggested. Moreover, PC magnifier softwares were prescribed to nine patients. Sixty-five polarized medical filters were prescribed to reduce glare of sunlight. Because of unstable fixation in their better eye (32.3% (±19.7) within 2° circle and 54.8% (±22.9) within 4° circle) and visual acuity < 1.2 LogMAR in the fellow eye, 38 subjects, before starting the devices training sessions, attended a bio-feedback rehabilitation session with flickering pattern stimulus. In these subjects, fixation stability increased significantly to 75.6 (±14.9) within 2° and 89.4 (±19.5) within 4° (P < 0.05), respectively. Conclusions Attending a customized low-vision intervention based on a multidisciplinary approach seems to be effective for improving visual functions in AMD. Both optical/electronic magnifiers and specific visual stimulation program can enhance visual performances.","PeriodicalId":41347,"journal":{"name":"Rehabilitation Process and Outcome","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4137/RPO.S12364","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70714038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stuttering is a complex communication disorder that impedes the normal flow and pattern of speech, which is characterized by involuntary audible or inaudible pause, repetitions, prolongations, blocks, etc. Other than the core behaviors, people who stutter experience various other problems such as fear, anxiety, depression, shame, etc., which can in turn affect the quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this study is to develop a questionnaire in order to assess the QOL of people who stutter. A total of 30 participants aged between 18 and 30 years were enrolled for the study. Out of the stutterers included, 15 were employed and 15 were non-employed/students. The study was carried out in two phases. The first phase involved the development of a questionnaire based on literature search and available tests. The second phase involved administering the validated questionnaire on the participants. The questionnaire consisted of six domains targeting (1) speech-related fear and anxiety, (2) interpersonal and social relationships, (3) behavioral reaction to stuttering, (4) educational status, (5) employment and job opportunity, and (6) effect of speech therapy. For each item, response scales were organized (2—almost always, 1—sometime, 0—not at all). Developed questionnaire showed good content validity for all the domains and questions. The result of Cronbach's alpha for each domain indicates moderate internal consistency and excellent internal consistency for the overall questionnaire. Multiple domains were observed to be affected among adults who stutter, and the differences were not found to be significantly different as compared to the available QOL data from other cultural settings.
{"title":"Assessment of Quality of Life of People who Stutter: A Cross-sectional Study","authors":"Gagan Bajaj, A. Varghese, J. Bhat, J. Deepthi","doi":"10.4137/RPO.S19058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4137/RPO.S19058","url":null,"abstract":"Stuttering is a complex communication disorder that impedes the normal flow and pattern of speech, which is characterized by involuntary audible or inaudible pause, repetitions, prolongations, blocks, etc. Other than the core behaviors, people who stutter experience various other problems such as fear, anxiety, depression, shame, etc., which can in turn affect the quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this study is to develop a questionnaire in order to assess the QOL of people who stutter. A total of 30 participants aged between 18 and 30 years were enrolled for the study. Out of the stutterers included, 15 were employed and 15 were non-employed/students. The study was carried out in two phases. The first phase involved the development of a questionnaire based on literature search and available tests. The second phase involved administering the validated questionnaire on the participants. The questionnaire consisted of six domains targeting (1) speech-related fear and anxiety, (2) interpersonal and social relationships, (3) behavioral reaction to stuttering, (4) educational status, (5) employment and job opportunity, and (6) effect of speech therapy. For each item, response scales were organized (2—almost always, 1—sometime, 0—not at all). Developed questionnaire showed good content validity for all the domains and questions. The result of Cronbach's alpha for each domain indicates moderate internal consistency and excellent internal consistency for the overall questionnaire. Multiple domains were observed to be affected among adults who stutter, and the differences were not found to be significantly different as compared to the available QOL data from other cultural settings.","PeriodicalId":41347,"journal":{"name":"Rehabilitation Process and Outcome","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4137/RPO.S19058","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70714289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Individuals diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mild/non-disabling stroke are at high risk of cardiovascular or recurrent cerebrovascular (stroke, TIA) events. Pharmacological intervention (ie anti-platelet and anti-coagulant medication) is considered the cornerstone of secondary prevention care for this population group. However, recent research has explored the utility of non-pharmacological interventions (eg exercise, diet, education) in improving health outcomes and reducing the risk of secondary events in patients with TIA or mild/non-disabling stroke. This commentary discusses the efficacy of implementing exercise interventions as a part of the secondary care program for acute and non-acute TIA and stroke patients. Current perspectives and future research initiatives are also discussed.
{"title":"Physical Activity and Exercise Engagement in Patients Diagnosed with Transient Ischemic Attack and Mild/Non-disabling Stroke: A Commentary on Current Perspectives","authors":"J. Faulkner, Lee Stoner, D. Lambrick","doi":"10.4137/RPO.S12338","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4137/RPO.S12338","url":null,"abstract":"Individuals diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mild/non-disabling stroke are at high risk of cardiovascular or recurrent cerebrovascular (stroke, TIA) events. Pharmacological intervention (ie anti-platelet and anti-coagulant medication) is considered the cornerstone of secondary prevention care for this population group. However, recent research has explored the utility of non-pharmacological interventions (eg exercise, diet, education) in improving health outcomes and reducing the risk of secondary events in patients with TIA or mild/non-disabling stroke. This commentary discusses the efficacy of implementing exercise interventions as a part of the secondary care program for acute and non-acute TIA and stroke patients. Current perspectives and future research initiatives are also discussed.","PeriodicalId":41347,"journal":{"name":"Rehabilitation Process and Outcome","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4137/RPO.S12338","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70714191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The conceptions about stuttering vary amongst cultures. Culturally specific findings regarding stuttering help in understanding the peoples' views and conceptions about stuttering and devising awareness and counselling strategies. A total of 132 passengers on the Coromandal Express from Chennai to Howrah participated in this study. All of them belonged to the upper middle socio-economic class. Preliminary Stuttering Conception Questionnaire (PSCQ) was used to understand their conceptions of stuttering. 23% had no idea and 12% had myths about the etiology of stuttering. 11% assumed it was a genetic problem and 5—6% a physical-mental problem. 31% had no idea of treatment options. 25% preferred medicine, 23% rehabilitation for treatment of stuttering. For rehabilitation, only 45% precisely knew about the speech language pathologist; the remaining 55% were unaware of this profession. Steps need to be taken towards educating the common man about stuttering.
{"title":"A Survey on Conceptions of Stuttering","authors":"N. Rout, Suman Kumar, Navnit Kumar","doi":"10.4137/RPO.S12755","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4137/RPO.S12755","url":null,"abstract":"The conceptions about stuttering vary amongst cultures. Culturally specific findings regarding stuttering help in understanding the peoples' views and conceptions about stuttering and devising awareness and counselling strategies. A total of 132 passengers on the Coromandal Express from Chennai to Howrah participated in this study. All of them belonged to the upper middle socio-economic class. Preliminary Stuttering Conception Questionnaire (PSCQ) was used to understand their conceptions of stuttering. 23% had no idea and 12% had myths about the etiology of stuttering. 11% assumed it was a genetic problem and 5—6% a physical-mental problem. 31% had no idea of treatment options. 25% preferred medicine, 23% rehabilitation for treatment of stuttering. For rehabilitation, only 45% precisely knew about the speech language pathologist; the remaining 55% were unaware of this profession. Steps need to be taken towards educating the common man about stuttering.","PeriodicalId":41347,"journal":{"name":"Rehabilitation Process and Outcome","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4137/RPO.S12755","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70714059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Objective The effects of TENS before exercise (TBE) and TENS after exercise (TAE) in the management of knee osteoarthritis (OA) were compared. Methods Fifteen participants with knee OA were alternatively assigned to either TBE or TAE groups. Participants' pain, active knee flexibility, thigh girth, disability, and activity levels were assessed at baseline and at the end of eight-week study. Mixed design two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at P < 0.05 was used to compare the two groups. Results The mean age of the participants was 58.1 ± 10.9 years. Post-intervention comparison showed that TAE had significantly lower scores (1.9 ± 0.9) than TBE (4.3 ± 1.5) on Disability Index Questionnaire (DIQ) (F-ratio = 10.5; P = 0.006), and significantly lower scores (0.8 ± 0.3) than TBE (1.4 ± 0.6) on Patient Assessment Scale (PAS) (F-ratio = 8.3; P = 0.013). However, both groups did not significantly differ on the selected impairment measures. Conclusion TAE was found to be more effective on the primary outcome measures in patients with knee OA.
{"title":"Comparative Treatment Outcomes of Pre and Post-exercise TENS Application on Knee Osteoarthritis: A Preliminary Report","authors":"A. Bello, Shirley Crankson, B. Adegoke","doi":"10.4137/RPO.S13794","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4137/RPO.S13794","url":null,"abstract":"Objective The effects of TENS before exercise (TBE) and TENS after exercise (TAE) in the management of knee osteoarthritis (OA) were compared. Methods Fifteen participants with knee OA were alternatively assigned to either TBE or TAE groups. Participants' pain, active knee flexibility, thigh girth, disability, and activity levels were assessed at baseline and at the end of eight-week study. Mixed design two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at P < 0.05 was used to compare the two groups. Results The mean age of the participants was 58.1 ± 10.9 years. Post-intervention comparison showed that TAE had significantly lower scores (1.9 ± 0.9) than TBE (4.3 ± 1.5) on Disability Index Questionnaire (DIQ) (F-ratio = 10.5; P = 0.006), and significantly lower scores (0.8 ± 0.3) than TBE (1.4 ± 0.6) on Patient Assessment Scale (PAS) (F-ratio = 8.3; P = 0.013). However, both groups did not significantly differ on the selected impairment measures. Conclusion TAE was found to be more effective on the primary outcome measures in patients with knee OA.","PeriodicalId":41347,"journal":{"name":"Rehabilitation Process and Outcome","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4137/RPO.S13794","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70714146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A patient with a history of severe head injury 10 years ago regained ability to walk after years of being bound to a wheelchair. During the last psychiatric hospitalization, quetiapine was increased to therapeutic dose using a normal titration. As a result the patient developed dystonia of multiple muscle groups requiring 4 days of hospitalization for remittance of symptoms. In this paper, we take a close look at the literature concerning extrapiramidal symptoms (EPS) in this context, and we suggest that in patients with a history of head injury, it is warranted to consider a slower titration of antipsychotic medications, including ones that are considered having a lower risk of EPS such as quetiapine.
{"title":"Quetiapine Induced Acute Dystonia in a patient with History of severe Head Injury","authors":"R. Bota, J. Witkowski","doi":"10.4137/RPO.S3626","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4137/RPO.S3626","url":null,"abstract":"A patient with a history of severe head injury 10 years ago regained ability to walk after years of being bound to a wheelchair. During the last psychiatric hospitalization, quetiapine was increased to therapeutic dose using a normal titration. As a result the patient developed dystonia of multiple muscle groups requiring 4 days of hospitalization for remittance of symptoms. In this paper, we take a close look at the literature concerning extrapiramidal symptoms (EPS) in this context, and we suggest that in patients with a history of head injury, it is warranted to consider a slower titration of antipsychotic medications, including ones that are considered having a lower risk of EPS such as quetiapine.","PeriodicalId":41347,"journal":{"name":"Rehabilitation Process and Outcome","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4137/RPO.S3626","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70714252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2008-01-01DOI: 10.1177/11795727080010001
T. Kroll
{"title":"Introductory Editorial","authors":"T. Kroll","doi":"10.1177/11795727080010001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/11795727080010001","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":41347,"journal":{"name":"Rehabilitation Process and Outcome","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/11795727080010001","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65350367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}