| 1. |
- Engstrand, Christina
(författare)
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Hand function in patients with Dupuytren’s disease : Assessment, results & patients’ perspectives
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Dupuytren’s Disease (DD) is a soft tissue disorder that leads to finger joint contractures affecting hand function. DD can be treated with surgery or injection and hand therapy to improve finger joint extension and thereby improve hand function. However, this does not cure the disease and recurrence is common. Previous research on DD has shown improvement in finger joint extension and in self-reported disability of the upper extremity after surgery and hand therapy for DD. However, this provides only a limited perspective on hand function, and multiple dimensions of changes in hand function (i.e. physical, psychosocial aspects and including the patients’ views of results) have not been reported as a whole.Aim: The overall aim of the thesis was to explore hand function before and after surgery and hand therapy in patients with DD, including assessment, results and patients’ perspectives.Methods: The thesis comprises three studies: Study A was a methodological study of interrater reliability in goniometry of the finger joints. Study B was a prospective cohort study with a repeated measures design. Study C was a qualitative interview study, using the model of Patient Evaluation Process and content analysis.Results: Interrater reliability was high or very high for goniometer measurement of finger joint range of motion (ROM) in patients with DD when experienced raters follow our standardized guidelines developed for the study. Changes in hand function consisted of improvement of finger joint extension while active finger flexion was significantly impaired during the first year after surgery and hand therapy. No patient reached a normal ROM, but the majority reached a functional ROM. Sensibility remained unaffected. Patients with surgery on multiple fingers had worse scar pliability than patients with surgery on a single finger. Most patients had their expectations met and were pleased or delighted with their hand function at 12 months after surgery and hand therapy. Safety issues of hand function were of greater concern than social issues. Patients reported less disability and improved health-related quality of life after surgery and hand therapy. The three variables “need to take special precautions”, “avoid using the hand in social context”, and health-related quality of life had significant importance for patients’ rating of functional recovery. Together, these variables explained 62% of the variance in functional recovery. Patients’ perspectives of undergoing a surgical intervention process were described through five categories. Previous experiences of care influenced participants’ expectations of results and the care they were about to receive. Previous experiences and expectations were used as references for appraisal of results, which concerned perceived changes in hand function, the care process, competency, and organization. Appraisal of results could also vary in relation to patient character. Appraisal of results of the intervention process influenced participants’ expectations of future hand function, health and care.Conclusions: Surgery and hand therapy for DD improve hand function and patients regain a functional ROM needed for performance of common daily activities. Despite the negative effect on finger flexion present during the first year after surgery, patients’ regards their hand function as recovered six to eight months after surgery and hand therapy. Measuring digital ROM in the finger joints with a goniometer is a reliable assessment method. However, from the patient’s perspective, it is not enough to evaluate results only in terms of digital extension or ROM. From their view, results of treatment concern consequences on daily use of the hand, what happens during the care process in terms of interaction between patient and health care provider, as well as their view of the competence and logistics of the organization providing the care.
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| 2. |
- Fältström, Anne, 1970-
(författare)
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One Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury is enough! : Focus on female football players
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a severe and common injury, and females have 2-4 times higher injury risk compared to men. Return to sport (RTS) is a common goal after an ACL reconstruction (ACLR), but only about two thirds of patients RTS. Young patients who RTS may have a 30-40 times increased risk of sustaining an additional ACL injury to the ipsi- or contralateral knee compared with an uninjured person.Aims: The overall aim of this thesis was to increase the knowledge about female football players with ACLR, and patients with bilateral ACL injuries, and to identify predictors for additional ipsi- and/or contralateral ACLR.Methods: This thesis comprises four studies. Study I and II were cross-sectional, including females who sustained a primary ACL rupture while playing football and underwent ACLR 6–36 months prior to study inclusion. In study I, 182 females were included at a median of 18 months (IQR 13) after ACLR. All players completed a battery of questionnaires. Ninety-four players (52%) returned to football and were playing at the time of completing the questionnaires, and 88 (48%) had not returned. In study II, 77 of the 94 active female football players (from study I) with an ACLR and 77 kneehealthy female football players were included. A battery of tests was used to assess postural control (the Star excursion balance test) and hop performance (the one-leg hop for distance, the five jump test and the side hop). Movement asymmetries in the lower limbs and trunk were assessed with the drop vertical jump and the tuck jump using two-dimensional analyses. Study III, was a cohort study including all patients with a primary ACLR (n=22,429) registered in the Swedish national ACL register between January 2005 and February 2013. Data extracted from the register to identify predictors for additional ACLR were: patient age at primary ACLR, sex, activity performed at the time of ACL injury, primary injury to the right- or left knee, time between injury and primary ACLR, presence of any concomitant injuries, graft type, Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and Euroqol Index Five Dimensions measured pre-operatively. Study IV was cross-sectional. In this study, patient-reported knee function, quality of life and activity level in 66 patients with bilateral ACL injuries was investigated and outcomes were compared with 182 patients with unilateral ACLR.Results: Factors associated with returning to football in females were; short time between injury and ACLR (0–3 months, OR 5.6; 3–12 months OR 4.7 vs. reference group >12 months) and high motivation (study I). In all functional tests, the reconstructed and uninvolved limbs did not differ, and players with ACLR and controls differed only minimally. Nine to 49% of the players with ACLR and controls had side-to-side differences and movement asymmetries and only one fifth had results that met the recommended guidelines for successful outcome on all the different tests (study II). Main predictors for revision and contralateral ACLR were younger age (fourfold increased rate for <16 vs. >35-year-old patients), having ACLR early after the primary injury (two to threefold increased rate for ACLR within 3 months vs. >12 months), and incurring the primary injury while playing football (study III). Patients with bilateral ACL injuries reported poorer knee function and quality of life compared to those who had undergone unilateral ACLR. They had a high activity level before their first and second ACL injuries but an impaired activity level at follow-up after their second injury (study IV).Conclusions: Female football players who returned to football after an ACLR had high motivation and had undergone ACLR within one year after injury. Players with ACLR had similar functional performance to healthy controls. Movement asymmetries, which in previous studies have been associated with increased risk for primary and secondary ACL injury, occurred to a high degree in both groups. The rate of additional ACLR seemed to be increased in a selected group of young patients who desire to return to strenuous sports like football quickly after primary ACLR. Sustaining a contralateral ACL injury led to impaired knee function and activity level.
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| 3. |
- Gustafsson, Kristin, 1976-
(författare)
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Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis : Who Are the Patients Referred to First-Line Intervention and What Happens to Them?
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: First-line intervention to address osteoarthritis (OA) should include patient education, exercise therapy, and weight control if needed. Replacement surgery may be appropriate for patients who do not receive sufficient relief from non-surgical interventions. However, predicting the course of OA can be challenging. Some patients experience stable symptoms over time, while others may have a rapid increase in pain and functional impairment. This thesis aims to improve understanding of which patients are referred to first-line intervention for hip and knee OA and to identify factors that affect long-term outcomes in these patients.Methods: The thesis includes studies of patients with hip and knee OA referred to a standardized first-line intervention programme. Study A (papers I, II, IV, V) is a register-based observational study that uses the Swedish Osteoarthritis Register (SOAR) to identify an OA population (n = 72 069). Data from the SOAR was merged with data from the Swedish Arthroplasty Register, Statistics Sweden and the National Board of Health and Welfare. The study also includes a matched reference cohort (n = 216 207) from the general Swedish population for comparison. Papers I and II compare socioeconomic status (SES) and comorbidities of the OA population in the SOAR with the reference cohort. Study B (paper III) is a qualitative study involving 16 patients with hip and knee OA who expressed a desire for surgery at referral to first-line intervention. The study includes interviews regarding the patients’ perspectives on healthcare and self-management of OA. Paper IV examines the time to replacement surgery and prognostic factors for surgery in the OA population. Paper V identifies factors associated with poorer patient-reported outcomes 1 year after hip replacement surgery.Results: The OA population had higher SES and higher odds of having comorbidities than the reference cohort. The differences in comorbidities were greater in younger individuals and those with knee OA. Patients who expressed a desire for surgery before participating in first-line intervention described their perspectives on healthcare and self-management as a multifaceted picture of needs, expectations, and individual choices. Findings range from a passive approach towards managing the OA, described as a lack of control, a sense of being left alone by healthcare, having doubts and mistrusting the care provided, to a more active attitude manifested as a will to take control over the OA, instead of the OA taking control over the patient’s life. Of the patients registered in the SOAR, 46% with hip OA and 20% with knee OA were estimated to progress to replacement surgery within 5 years. The strongest prognostic factors were expressing a desire for surgery and having more severe OA symptoms. In addition, higher SES and the presence of comorbidities had an impact on the risk of progression to surgery. Among those who had undergone a hip replacement, 5%–11% showed poor patient-reported outcomes regarding pain, health-related quality of life, and satisfaction 1 year after surgery. Factors associated with poor outcomes were being older, classified as Charnley C (musculoskeletal comorbidities), or having several comorbidities, particularly depression.Conclusions: Higher SES in the OA population referred to first-line intervention than in the general population indicates that OA care in Sweden may not be equal. The higher prevalence of comorbidities in the OA population suggests that OA care should include improving overall health. Furthermore, first-line OA intervention should be tailored to each patient’s perspectives to achieve the lifestyle changes that the interventions strive to accomplish, especially in patients expressing a desire for surgery at referral. Patients with hip and knee OA differ in their progression to surgery. Those with hip OA tend to progress faster and undergo replacement surgery more often than those with knee OA. Expressing a desire for surgery and having severe OA symptoms are prognostic factors, but other non-OA-related factors play a significant role. However, a large proportion of patients with OA do not require surgery within 5 years after referral to first-line intervention, especially those with knee OA. Identifying depression at the stage of referral to first-line OA intervention would allow increased time to optimize treatments and may help improve patient-reported outcomes after surgery.
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| 4. |
- Kvist, Joanna, 1967-
(författare)
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Sagittal plane knee motion during activity in the anterior cruciate ligament deficient knee
- 2000
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) results in static and often in functional instability. After an ACL-injury, most patients have to decrease their activity level, while some can cope with their injury and manage to keep a high activity level. A better tmderstanding of the influence of muscle activation and external load on the non-injured and injured knee, but also of the adaptive motion strategies employed by the patients with an unstable knee, is of importance for the construction of rehabilitation programs.The general purpose of this thesis was to study certain knee motions during activities focused on rehabilitation, in individuals with anterior cmciate ligament injury and uninjured controls. The sagittal tibial translation and knee flexion angle were registered during motion with the CA-4000 computerized electrogoniometer and EMG was used for analysis of muscle activity. The injured knee had increased static laxity compared to the contralateral non-injured knee and the non-impaired group.The amount of tibial translation increased with increased quadriceps torque during nonweight bearing activities (isokinetic and isotonic contractions). In the non-injured knees, the restraining mechanism was engaged above 50% of isokinetic concentric quadriceps torque and during the eccentric contractions already at low quadriceps torques (<10% of maximum). The motion pattern was similar in the injured knees and the amount of individual translation was larger during the eccentric contractions, compared to the non-injured knees.During weight bearing, tibia translated anteriorly and remained in that position. In the non-injured knee, different loads and performance of weight bearing activities produced different amount of translation. Level walking and squat with the center of gravity behind the feet produced somewhat smaller amount of translations, while other weight bearing activities produced similar amount of translation compared to the non-weight bearing isotonic knee extension. In the injured knee, all weight bearing activities produced similar amount of translation, smaller compared to the non-weight bearing isotonic knee extension.Quadriceps - hamstrings co-activation was not present during non-weight bearing quadriceps dominant activities and therefore, it was not shown to be a factor limiting anterior tibial translation. Also, during the weight bearing activities, hamstrings eo-contraction could not limit the anterior tibial translation. Quadriceps and gastrocnemius seems to work synergistically to stabilize the knee by maintaining an anterior position of tibia.In the injured knee, isokinetic concentric quadriceps contraction below 50% of maximum torque produced the smallest amount of tibial translation. Weight bearing exercises produced similar ammmt of translation despite of load and performance, indicating that when level walking is allowed after an injury, other weight bearing activities can be performed without increasing the amount of translation. Eccentric isokinetic quadriceps contractions above 50% of maximum torque and isotonic quadriceps exercise with and without weights at flexion angles less that 40°, should be avoided in order protect the knee joint.
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| 5. |
- Sjödahl, Jenny, 1979-
(författare)
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Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain and its relation to muscle function
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain affects approximately 50% of all pregnant women. For the majority the pain disappears during the first months after delivery; however, for a significant number of women, the pain is persistent, with little improvement for more than three months after delivery. Moreover, women who experience persistent lumbopelvic pain three months postpartum are at substantial risk for new episodes or for chronic lumbopelvic pain later in life. Hence, pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain should be considered a major public health issue. In order to develop and offer specific treatment strategies, it is important to identify different subgroups of lumbopelvic pain based on different clinical presentations. Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is one of the major subgroups of pain related to pregnancy. There is no consensus regarding the underlying mechanisms although instability in the pelvis has been proposed as one of the possible mechanism; thus, further studies are necessary to determine how to treat these women. The local lumbopelvic muscle system, including the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) is thought to contribute to the stabilization of the pelvis and they are also the target for many treatment strategies for lumbopelvic pain.The overall aim of this thesis was to improve rehabilitation for women with persistent postpartum PGP by investigating three areas, including: 1) the postural response of the PFM, 2) the effect of home-based specific stabilizing exercises (SSE) that target the local lumbopelvic muscle system and, 3) predictors for disability at 15 months postpartum.The thesis comprises three studies: A) a methodological study, B) an experimental study, and C) a clinical randomized controlled trial (RCT). The data is mainly based on muscle function, including recordings of electromyographic (EMG) activation, muscle endurance, and muscle strength. We also collected subjective ratings of disability, healthrelated quality of life, and pain.The methodological study showed that the designed protocol, which included limb movements performed at a comfortable speed in both standing and supine positions, was useful for detecting a postural response in the PFM. The experimental study demonstrated that women with persistent postpartum PGP and those free of pain exhibited a feed-forward mechanism in the PFM that responded in anticipation to leg lifts performed in a supine position. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that women with difficulties in transferring load between the trunk and legs (i.e., those with functional pelvic instability) might have a different postural response in the PFM. In the present study, one woman with persistent postpartum PGP failed to present a feed-forward mechanism in the PFM, in agreement with previous studies on other parameters of the PFM from other similar groups.The clinical RCT demonstrated that the concept of home-based SSE with visits every second week with the treating physiotherapist was not more effective than the clinical natural course for improving subjective ratings or muscle function in women with persistent postpartum PGP.A linear regression analysis revealed a complex picture that suggests that disability 15 months postpartum in women with persistent PGP could be partially predicted by two interaction effects comprising factors from different dimensions: biological, physical functioning, and self-rated function. The proposed association between muscle function and PGP was strengthen. New approaches are most likely needed to further identify subgroups of patients with persistent postpartum PGP that can be considered homogeneous for treatment.
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| 6. |
- Tagesson (Sonesson), Sofi, 1977-
(författare)
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Dynamic knee stability after anterior cruciate ligament injury : Emphasis on rehabilitation
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Anterior cruciate ligament injury leads to increased sagittal tibial translation, and perceptions of instability and low confidence in the knee joint are common. Many patients have remaining problems despite treatment and are forced to lower their activity level and prematurely end their career in sports. The effect of ACL reconstruction and/or rehabilitation on dynamic knee stability is not completely understood. The overall aim of this thesis was to study the dynamic knee stability during and after rehabilitation in individuals with ACL injury. More specific aims were 1) to elaborate an evaluation method for muscle strength, 2) to evaluate the effect of exercises in closed and open kinetic chain, and 3) to evaluate dynamic knee stability in patients with ACL deficiency or ACL reconstruction.Sagittal tibial translation and knee flexion angle were measured using the CA‐4000 computerised goniometer linkage. Muscle activation was registered with electromyography.The intra‐ and inter‐rater reliability of 1 repetition maximum (RM) of seated knee extension was clinically acceptable. The inter‐rater reliability of 1RM of squat was also acceptable, but the intra‐rater reliability was lower. The systematic procedure for the establishment of 1RM that was developed can be recommended for use in the clinic.One specific exercise session including cycling and a maximum number of knee extensions and heel raises did not influence static or dynamic sagittal tibial translation in uninjured individuals. A comprehensive rehabilitation program with isolated quadriceps training in OKC led to significantly greater isokinetic quadriceps strength compared to CKC rehabilitation in patients with ACL deficiency. Hamstring strength, static and dynamic translation, and functional outcome were similar between groups. Five weeks after ACL reconstruction, seated knee extension produced more anterior tibial translation compared to the straight leg raise and standing on one leg. All exercises produced less or equal amount of anterior tibial translation as the 90N Lachman test.Five weeks after the ACL reconstruction the static and dynamic tibial translation in the ACL reconstructed knee did not differ from the tibial translation on the uninjured leg. Patients in the early phase after ACL injury or ACL reconstruction used a joint stiffening strategy including a reduced peak knee extension angle during gait and increased hamstring activation during activity, which reduces the dynamic tibial translation. Patients with ACL deficiency that completed a four months rehabilitation program used a movement pattern that was more close to normal.
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| 7. |
- Tigerstrand Grevnerts, Hanna, 1981-
(författare)
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Treatment Decision after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury, and Evaluation of Measurement Properties of a Patient Reported Outcome Measure
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: After an ACL injury, treatment aims to restore knee function. Evaluation of treatment progress is important, and adequate measurement methods are necessary. The International Knee Documentation Committee- Subjective Knee Form (IKDC-SKF) is a common patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) used after ACL injury. It evaluates symptoms, function and physical activity. The IKDC-SKF had not been translated to Swedish language for use in Swedish clinical and research settings. The measurement properties of the IKDC-SKF had been tested, but no assessment of methodological quality of the studies investigating it, nor compiling of results, was published.Sooner or later after an ACL injury, a treatment decision must be made. Treatment options are either ACL reconstruction (ACLR) plus rehabilitation, or rehabilitation alone. There are guidelines stating that a decision for ACLR should be made if the patient has high activity demands and/or knee instability. It is unclear which factors orthopaedic surgeons and physiotherapists prioritise when recommending ACLR. It is also unclear when the decision for treatment is taken, on what grounds, and how treatment decision correlates to patients reported symptoms and function.Aims: The overall aim of this thesis was to evaluate the measurement properties of a patient-reported measure for evaluation of function after ACL injury and treatment, and to overview the treatment decision process after an ACL injury.Methods: A systematic review was conducted to assess the measurement properties of the IKDC-SKF. The IKDC-SKF was translated from English to Swedish, and the Swedish version was tested for reliability, validity, responsiveness and interpretability.A survey study was conducted, where 98 orthopaedic surgeons and 391 physiotherapists rated 21 predefined factors based on importance to the decision for ACLR. Orthopadic surgeons and physiotherapists rated how important they considered their own, their counterparts’ and patient’s wishes for treatment decision making.In a prospective cohort study, patients with an ACL injury were followed from within 6 weeks up to 12 months after injury. Data regarding treatment chosen, when and why, 11were described and compared to patient-reported pre-injury activity level, instability and function.Results: The English and Swedish version of the IKDC-SKF had good measurement properties and interpretability.Swedish orthopaedic surgeons and physiotherapists considered young age, high activity demands, knee-demanding occupation, and knee instability despite adequate rehabilitation indications to recommend ACLR.An early decision for ACLR was primarily based on high activity demands. A later decision was mainly due to instability and high activity demands. A decision taken later than five months after injury was based mainly on instability.A decision for non-operative treatment taken and maintained during the first 12 months after injury was mainly due to sufficient function or no instability problems, and patients were older than other groups.Conclusions: The patient-reported outcome measurement IKDC-SKF was suitable for evaluation and assessment in patients with ACL injury.ACLR as treatment after an ACL injury was recommended for young patients and/or those with high activity demands (i.e. knee demanding occupation and/or instability despite adequate rehabilitation).An early decision for ACLR was more often based on high activity demands, while later decisions were more often based upon perceived instability. Non-operative treatment decisions were often based upon lack of instability problems or sufficient knee function.Self-reported instability and function during the first three months after ACL injury were no different in patients who chose ACLR treatment or who chose non-operative treatment.
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