| 1. |
- Aasa, Ulrika, et al.
(författare)
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The impact of object size and precision demands on fatigue during computer mouse use
- 2011
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Ingår i: Advances in Physiotherapy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1403-8196 .- 1651-1948. ; 13:3, s. 118-127
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Prolonged computer use, especially if fatigue ensues, is associated with visual and musculoskeletal symptoms. The aim was to determine the time-course of perceived fatigue in the wrist, forearm, shoulder and eyes during a 60-min mouse task (painting rectangles), and whether object size and/or mouse use demands were of infl uence. Also, we investigated performance (number of rectangles painted), and whether perceived fatigue was paralleled by local muscle fatigue or tissue oxygenation.Ten women performed the task for three conditions (crossover design). At condition 1, rectangles were 45 25 mm, square paint cursor size 1.3 1.3 mm, and mouse – pointer movement ratio 1:26. At condition 2, the same cursor size and mouse – pointer movement ratio was used, but rectangles were smaller. At condition 3, the smaller rectangles were used, but the cursor size was also smaller and mouse – pointer movement ratio was 1:8. The results showed increased self-reported fatigue over time, with the observed increase greater for the eyes, but no change in physiological responses. Condition 2 resulted in higher performance and increased eye fatigue. Perceived fatigue in the muscles or physiological responses did not differ between conditions. In conclusion, computer work tasks imposing high visual and motor demands, and with high performance, seemed to have an infl uence on eye fatigue.
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| 2. |
- Arenhall, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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The female partners' experiences of intimate relationship after a first myocardial infarction
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Nursing. - : Wiley. - 0962-1067 .- 1365-2702. ; 20:11-12, s. 1677-1684
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim.This study aimed to explore and describe women’s experience of intimate relationships in connection to and after their partner’s first myocardial infarction. Background.Support from partners is important for recovery, but little is known about partners’ experience of intimate relationships after myocardial infarction. Design. The study used an explorative, qualitative design. Methods. The first author interviewed 20 women having a partner who had suffered a first myocardial infarction during the preceding year. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings. Three themes emerged: ‘limited life space’, ‘sense of life lost’ and ‘another dimension of life’. The women described how their self-assumed responsibility led to a more stifling and limited life. Their sense of life lost was described in terms of deficits and feeling the loss. The women also described experiencing another dimension of life characterised by three subthemes: ‘uncertainty of life’, ‘certain of relationship’ and ‘share life more’. Conclusions.The partners’ myocardial infarction had an impact on the interviewees’ intimate relationships; they suffered a major loss and missed their ‘former’ partner, both emotionally and sexually. They struggled with the new asymmetry in their intimate relationship and felt compelled to adapt to their partners’ lack of sexual desire or function. Also, their partner controlled them, which lead towards a stifling, more limited life space. Relevance to clinical practice. Caregivers in hospital and primary care settings could apply the findings in their efforts to help couples recover or maintain intimate relationships following myocardial infarction.
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| 3. |
- Arenhall, Eva, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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The male partners' experiences of the intimate relationships after a first myocardial infarction
- 2011
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Ingår i: European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1474-5151 .- 1873-1953. ; 10:2, s. 108-114
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Stress in the intimate relationship is found to worsen the prognosis in women suffering from myocardial infarction (MI). Little is known about how male spouses experience the intimate relationship.Aim: This study aimed to explore and describe the experience of men's intimate relationships in connection to and after their female partner's first MI.Methods: An explorative and qualitative design was used. Interviews were conducted with 16 men having a partner who the year before had suffered a first MI. The data were analysed with qualitative content analysis. Results: Three themes emerged: masculine image challenged; life takes another direction; and life remains unchanged. The men were forced to deal with an altered image of themselves as men, and as sexual beings. They were hesitant to approach their spouse in the same way as before the MI because they viewed her to be more fragile. The event also caused them to consider their own lifestyle, changing towards healthier dietary and exercise habits.Conclusions: After their spouse's MI, men experienced a challenge to their masculine image. They viewed their spouse as being more fragile, which led the men to be gentler in sexual intimacy and more hesitant to invite sexual activity. This knowledge about how male spouses experience the intimate relationship could be helpful for health personnel in hospitals and primary care when they interact with couples where the woman suffers from cardiac disease or other chronic disorders. (C) 2010 European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 4. |
- Bergström, Sten Sture, et al.
(författare)
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Concave and convex phases in ambiguous figures showing colour shifts : Mach's figure and the AMBEGUJAS phenomenon
- 2011
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Ingår i: Perception. - : SAGE Publications. - 0301-0066 .- 1468-4233. ; 40:1, s. 30-38
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two ambiguous figures (Mach's book-figure and the AMBEGUJAS phenomenon) have been studied. They show colour shifts synchronised with the shifts of their alternative phases. The perceived concave phase appeared to have chromatic surface colour, but the perceived convex phase can appear to be in coloured illumination and shadow (film colour). The two perceived reversible shapes of the Mach figure (the book and the tent) and the three perceived alternative shapes of the Mondrians used in the AMBEGUJAS phenomenon (a roof, a ceiling, and a tile) all can appear to have chromatic surface colours in their concave phases but appear to have coloured illumination and shadow in their convex phases
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| 5. |
- Björklund, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of tailored neck-shoulder pain treatment based on a decision model guided by clinical assessments and standardized functional tests : a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial
- 2012
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Ingår i: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2474. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: A major problem with rehabilitation interventions for neck pain is that the condition may have multiple causes, thus a single treatment approach is seldom efficient. The present study protocol outlines a single blinded randomised controlled trial evaluating the effect of tailored treatment for neck-shoulder pain. The treatment is based on a decision model guided by standardized clinical assessment and functional tests with cut-off values. Our main hypothesis is that the tailored treatment has better short, intermediate and long-term effects than either non-tailored treatment or treatment-as-usual (TAU) on pain and function. We sub-sequentially hypothesize that tailored and non-tailored treatment both have better effect than TAU.METHODS: 120 working women with minimum six weeks of nonspecific neck-shoulder pain aged 20-65, are allocated by minimisation with the factors age, duration of pain, pain intensity and disability in to the groups tailored treatment (T), non-tailored treatment (NT) or treatment-as-usual (TAU). Treatment is given to the groups T and NT for 11 weeks (27 sessions evenly distributed). An extensive presentation of the tests and treatment decision model is provided. The main treatment components are manual therapy, cranio-cervical flexion exercise and strength training, EMG-biofeedback training, treatment for cervicogenic headache, neck motor control training. A decision algorithm based on the baseline assessment determines the treatment components given to the each participant of T- and NT-groups. Primary outcome measures are physical functioning (Neck Disability Index) and average pain intensity last week (Numeric Rating Scale). Secondary outcomes are general improvement (Patient Global Impression of Change scale), symptoms (Profile Fitness Mapping neck questionnaire), capacity to work in the last 6 weeks (quality and quantity) and pressure pain threshold of m. trapezius. Primary and secondary outcomes will be reported for each group with effect size and its precision.DISCUSSION: We have chosen not to include women with psychological ill-health and focus on biomedical aspects of neck pain. Future studies should aim at including psychosocial aspects in a widened treatment decision model. No important adverse events or side-effects are expected.Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials registration ISRCTN49348025.
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| 6. |
- Björklund, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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The ProFitMap-neck - reliability and validity of a questionnaire for measuring symptoms and functional limitations in neck pain
- 2012
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Ingår i: Disability and Rehabilitation. - London : Informa Healthcare. - 0963-8288 .- 1464-5165. ; 34:13, s. 1096-1107
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: To assess overall reliability and validity of a neck-specific questionnaire, the Profile Fitness Mapping neck questionnaire (ProFitMap-neck), on three chronic neck pain groups. Method: Participating groups were as follows: whiplash associated disorders, inpatient care (IP-WAD, n = 127); nonspecific neck pain, inpatient care (IP-NS, n = 83) and nonspecific neck pain subjects (non-IP-NS, n = 104). All groups answered the ProFitMap-neck and the SF-36, whereas non-IP-NS also answered the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and the Functional Self-Efficacy Scale (SES). Internal consistency, test-retest reliability and components of convergent construct, face and content validity were determined for the ProFitMap-neck. Results: The ProFitMap-neck showed good internal consistency in all three groups, and ICC test-retest reliability (0.80-0.91). Good correlation (0.66-0.78) and highest agreement was reached with NDI. According to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, the symptom scale of the ProFitMap-neck was mainly classified to the domain of impairments-body functions, and the functional limitation scale to the activity limitation domain. Conclusion: The results indicate that the ProFitMap-neck is valid for measuring symptoms and functional limitations in people with chronic neck pain. The combination of a composite total score of symptoms and function as well as separate scores of each domain makes ProFitMap-neck suitable for research as well as in clinical practice.
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| 7. |
- Blomqvist, Sven, et al.
(författare)
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Adolescents with intellectual disability have reduced postural balance and muscle performance in trunk and lower limbs compared to peers without intellectual disability
- 2013
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Ingår i: Research in Developmental Disabilities. - : Elsevier BV. - 0891-4222 .- 1873-3379. ; 34:1, s. 198-206
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For adolescent people with ID, falls are more common compared to peers without ID. However, postural balance among this group is not thoroughly investigated. The aim of this study was to compare balance and muscle performance among adolescents aged between 16 and 20 years with a mild to moderate intellectual disability (ID) to age-matched adolescents without ID. A secondary purpose was to investigate the influence of vision, strength, height and Body Mass Index (BMI) on balance. A group of 100 adolescents with ID and a control group of 155 adolescents without ID were investigated with five balance tests and three strength tests: timed up and go test, one leg stance, dynamic one leg stance, modified functional reach test, force platform test, counter movement jump, sit-ups, and Biering-Sorensen trunk extensor endurance test. The results showed that adolescents with an ID in general had significantly lower scores in the balance and muscle performance tests. The group with ID did not have a more visually dominated postural control compared to the group without ID. Height, BMI or muscle performance had no strong correlations with balance performance. It appears as if measures to improve balance and strength are required already at a young age for people with an ID.
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| 8. |
- Blomqvist, Sven
(författare)
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Postural balance, physical activity and capacity among young people with intellectual disability
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate postural balance, physical activity, physical capacity and their associations in young people (16-20 years) with intellectual disability (ID), mild to moderate. The aim was also to study the reliability and concurrent validity of postural balance tests.To evaluate postural balance, one assessor used five common postural balance tests and one new test. The tests were performed twice for 89 young people with ID (one to twelve days apart). Intraclass correlation coefficients greater than 0.80 were achieved for four of the common balance tests: Extended Timed Up and Go Test (ETUGT), Modified Forward Reach Test (MFRT), One-Leg Stance Test (OLS), and a Force Platform Test (FPT). The smallest real difference ranged from 12% to 40%; less than 20% is considered to be low. For the six balance tests, the concurrent validity varied between none to low.Falls are more common for young people with ID compared to young people without ID. One reason could be impaired postural balance. The postural balance for young people with ID has not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, five balance tests and three muscle strength tests were used to compare young people with ID with an age-matched control group without ID (n=255). The young people with ID had significantly lower scores on most of the postural balance tests and muscle strength tests of the trunk and lower limbs. Muscle strength, height, and body mass index had no strong association with postural balance. The results also illustrated that young people with ID did not rely more on vision for their balance ability compared to peers without ID.It seems that postural balance is impaired for young people with ID when evaluated with common tests. An everyday situation is to react to unexpected balance disturbances to avoid falls by using different postural responses. Since young people with ID seem to fall more often than peers without ID, it is valuable to investigate if those postural responses are different between the groups. Therefore, young people with and without ID (n=99) were exposed to six backward surface translations and several postural muscle responses were evaluated: muscle synergies and strategies, muscle onset latency, time-to-peak amplitude, and adaptation. The responses of the investigated muscles – the gastrocnemius, the biceps femoris, and the erector spinae L4 level – were measured using electromyography. The results showed that there were no differences between the two groups with respect to synergies or strategies, muscle onset latency, and time-to-peak amplitude. An overall pattern was seen, that young people with ID adapted their muscle response slower in all three muscles than peers without ID, but this pattern was not statistically significant.Studies have shown that people with ID have impaired postural balance, a lower level of physical activity, and lower aerobic capacity compared to people without ID. The association is however not investigated. Therefore, postural balance (postural sway indirectly measured with the subjects standing on a force platform), physical activity (measured with a pedometer), and aerobic capacity (measured with a sub-maximal ergometer cycle test) were used to assess young people with and without ID (n=106). To investigate the subjects’ view of their own health, the subjects completed an adapted questionnaire that addressed their perceived health. The analysis showed no significant associations between postural balance, level of physical activity, and aerobic capacity. The subjects in the ID group, both men and women, had significantly lower aerobic capacity compared to subjects without ID. The answers from the health questionnaire did not correspond to the measured outcomes from the physical tests for young people with ID.In conclusion, ETUGT and MFRT can be used to evaluate change in postural balance over time in young people with mild to moderate ID. The low concurrent validity suggests that the postural balance tests probably challenge various subsystems. Young people with ID have impaired postural balance and perform lower on muscle strength tests than age-matched controls. Postural muscle responses after external perturbations seem to be similar for young people with and without ID, but the ability to adapt muscle responses after repeated perturbations appears to be slower for young people with ID. The studies in the thesis also indicate that young people with ID have reduced level of physical activity and lower aerobic capacity. The lack of association between the different physical functions indicates that they should be evaluated and exercised separately. Young persons with ID might have more difficulty realising the health advantage of being physically active, as they do not seem to make this connection. Because of this, it is important that parents/guardians, school staff, physiotherapists, and others encourage them to participate in physical activity.
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| 9. |
- Blomqvist, Sven, et al.
(författare)
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Test-retest reliability, smallest real difference and concurrent validity of six different balance tests on young people with mild to moderate intellectual disability
- 2012
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Ingår i: Physiotherapy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0031-9406 .- 1873-1465. ; 98:4, s. 313-319
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives Some studies have reported that people with intellectual disability may have reduced balance ability compared with the population in general. However, none of these studies involved adolescents, and the reliability and validity of balance tests in this population are not known. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of six different balance tests and to investigate their concurrent validity.Design Test-retest reliability assessment.Settings All subjects were recruited from a special school for people with intellectual disability in Bollnas, Sweden.Participants Eighty-nine adolescents (35 females and 54 males) with mild to moderate intellectual disability with a mean age of 18 years (range 16 to 20 years).Interventions All subjects followed the same test protocol on two occasions within an 11-day period.Main outcomes Balance test performances.Results Intraclass correlation coefficients greater than 0.80 were achieved for four of the balance tests: Extended Timed Up and Go Test, Modified Functional Reach Test, One-leg Stance Test and Force Platform Test. The smallest real differences ranged from 12% to 40%; less than 20% is considered to be low. Concurrent validity among these balance tests varied between no and low correlation.Conclusion The results indicate that these tests could be used to evaluate changes in balance ability over time in people with mild to moderate intellectual disability. The low concurrent validity illustrates the importance of knowing more about the influence of various sensory subsystems that are significant for balance among adolescents with intellectual disability.(C) 2011 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 10. |
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