Purpose: There is no consensus on how age and expectations influence planning for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This study developed and evaluated a new expectation questionnaire and assessed the relationship between preoperative expectations and patient characteristics.
Method: The questionnaire evaluated expectations for mobility, pain, participation, and rate of recovery after surgery. Fifty-five participants completed a 6-minute walk test and expectation questionnaire prior to TKA; 17 participants repeated the questionnaire one week later for reliability testing. Analysis of the questionnaire included intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), homoscedasticity, skewness, kurtosis, multicollinearity, and descriptive measures. A four-step hierarchical linear regression was completed to determine the relationship of patient age, BMI, previous contralateral TKA, and 6-minute walk test scores to expectations.
Results: The questionnaire showed good/high test-retest reliability (ICC 0.84; 95% CI: 0.57, 0.94; p > 0.001). The final model was significant in predicting expectation scores R2 = 0.19 (p = 0.017).
Conclusions: This questionnaire reliably measures patient expectations before TKA; however, further research is needed. Although we anticipated younger age to be related to higher expectations, higher function prior to TKA appears to be more strongly associated with higher expectations.
Purpose: A person with post-stroke lateropulsion pushes their body toward their hemiparetic side and/or resists accepting weight onto their nonparetic side. Research findings regarding long-term persistence of lateropulsion and its association with function are lacking. This study reports associations between lateropulsion severity (Four Point Pusher Score - 4PPS) and functional outcome (Functional Independence Measure - FIM) at three months after discharge.
Methods: This prospective cohort study included 41 consecutive admissions to a stroke rehabilitation unit. Lateropulsion severity and FIM were measured at admission, discharge and three-month follow-up. Lateropulsion status at discharge, stroke laterality, ongoing physiotherapy after discharge, and demographic variables (age and sex) were tested for association with FIM change over the follow-up period.
Results: Complete data were available for 38 participants. Among these, 17 (44.7%) showed lateropulsion (4PPS ≥ 1) on admission, 9 (23.7%) showed persistent lateropulsion on discharge, and 7 (18.4%) showed persistent lateropulsion at three month follow-up. Improved functional status (FIM score) was seen at follow-up in those discharged with lateropulsion who had right-sided lesions but not in those with left-sided lesions.
Conclusions: Lateropulsion can continue to resolve after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation. Larger cohort studies are needed to further explore associations between persistent lateropulsion and long-term outcomes.
Purpose: Research role-emerging placements (RREPs) have been integrated into placement offerings in Canadian physiotherapy programmes. The purpose of the present study is to describe the experiences and impacts of RREPs completed by graduates of Canadian physiotherapy programmes.
Methods: Participants were recruited by purposive sampling and completed semi-structured interviews to explore their RREP experiences. Themes were identified using thematic analysis and collaboratively analyzed using the DEPICT model.
Results: Eleven participants who completed RREPs during their Canadian physiotherapy programmes (three men, eight women; aged 26.9 [SD 2.7] years) took part in this study. The participants expressed the RREP was a valuable experience. Four themes emerged from the data: (1) Motivators for selecting an RREP included interest in research or a medical injury, (2) The RREP experience involved benefits and challenges, (3) Impacts of completing an RREP, and (4) RREP participant suggestions.
Conclusions: RREPs are valuable placement opportunities for learners in Canadian physiotherapy programmes facilitating the development of essential competencies in a non-traditional setting. RREPs could be considered as a placement opportunity for other allied health programmes, as the skills gained are beneficial for all health care professionals.
Purpose: While current rehabilitation practice for improving arm and hand function relies on physical/occupational therapy, a growing body of research evaluates the effects of technology-enhanced rehabilitation. We review interventions that combine a brain-computer interface (BCI) with electrical stimulation (ES) for upper limb movement rehabilitation to summarize the evidence on (1) populations of study participants, (2) BCI-ES interventions, and (3) the BCI-ES systems.
Method: After searching seven databases, two reviewers identified 23 eligible studies. We consolidated information on the study participants, interventions, and approaches used to develop integrated BCI-ES systems. The included studies investigated the use of BCI-ES interventions with stroke and spinal cord injury (SCI) populations. All studies used electroencephalography to collect brain signals for the BCI, and functional electrical stimulation was the most common type of ES. The BCI-ES interventions were typically conducted without a therapist, with sessions varying in both frequency and duration.
Results: Of the 23 eligible studies, only 3 studies involved the SCI population, compared to 20 involving individuals with stroke.
Conclusions: Future BCI-ES interventional studies could address this gap. Additionally, standardization of device and rehabilitation modalities, and study-appropriate involvement with therapists, can be considered to advance this intervention towards clinical implementation.

