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- Demmelmaier, Ingrid, 1960-
(författare)
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Behaviours, Beliefs and Back Pain : Prognostic Factors for Disability in the General Population and Implementation of Screening in Primary Care Physiotherapy
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aim: The overall aim of this thesis was to study prognostic factors for prolonged disability in back pain in the general population and physiotherapists’ screening for prolonged disability, applying a social cognitive learning perspective. Methods and results: Studies I and II were based on a survey in the general population in Sweden. Study I included 1024 individuals aged 20-50 years, reporting non-specific back pain. Four groups (n = 100, 215, 172 and 537) based on duration and recurrence of back pain were formed and compared. After controlling for pain intensity, catastrophising and expectations of future pain were positively correlated to pain duration. Perceived social support was negatively correlated to pain duration. Study II was longitudinal over 12 months and analysed one group reporting first-episode back pain (n = 77), and one group reporting long-term back pain (n = 302). Future pain intensity and disability were predicted by initial levels of pain and disability and pain-related cognitions in both groups. Study III examined the inter-rater reliability of a research protocol for assessment of physiotherapists’ telephone screening for prolonged disability. The results demonstrated sufficient inter-rater reliability. Study IV evaluated the effect of a tailored skills training intervention on physiotherapists’ screening for prolonged disability in back pain. Four physiotherapists in primary care participated in four quasi-experimental single-subject studies. Effects were seen in all participants, with increased screening of prognostic factors and less time spent on detailed discussions about back pain. Conclusions: The identification of mainly cognitive explanatory variables indicates the relevance of a social cognitive perspective of back pain-related disability (studies I and II). Physiotherapists’ telephone screening for prolonged disability in back can be reliably assessed (study III). It is suggested that interventions based on social cognitive theory are effective in producing change in specified clinical behaviours in physiotherapists (study IV).
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| 2. |
- Gustavsson, Catharina, 1961-
(författare)
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Self-management of Persistent Neck Pain : A Multi-component Group Intervention in Primary Health Care
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis was to evaluate effects of a multi-component pain and stress self-management group intervention (PASS) and to explore plausible predictors associated with short-term and long-term treatment effects among patients with persistent tension-type neck pain in primary health care (PHC). Study I was a pilot study in order to explore feasibility of the study design and methods. It included 37 participants randomly assigned to the intervention (n=18) or treatment-as-usual (n=19). Study II-III was a pragmatic randomized controlled trial that compared effects of the PASS and individually administered physiotherapy (IAPT) on patients with persistent tension-type neck pain in PHC. Study II evaluated short-term effects over a 20-week follow-up. Study III evaluated long-term effects on maintenance over a follow-up period of 2 years. Studies included 156 participants randomly assigned to PASS (n=77) or IAPT (n=79). Study IV explored predictive factors for favorable outcome in disability regarding participants assigned to PASS. The results showed that PASS had better effects than IAPT regarding coping with pain, in terms of patients’ ability to control pain, self-efficacy regarding activities interfered with by pain, disability and catastrophizing, over the 20-week follow-up, and treatment effects were largely maintained over a 2-year follow-up. Post-treatment scores in disability, self-efficacy and pain intensity were associated with long-term outcome in pain-related disability 2 years post-treatment following PASS. Pre-treatment characteristics explained only a minor proportion of variance in disability, and were assumed weakly associated with treatment success and long-term outcome. Key components for enhancement of long-term efficacy in pain self-management coping efforts were adequately targeted by PASS. It is suggested important to strengthen self-efficacy beliefs in regard to pain coping, to reduce disability and enhance pain self-management in the treatment of persistent neck pain, and to induce long-term maintenance of treatment gains on disability following a pain self-management intervention.
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| 3. |
- Eriksson, Lisbeth
(författare)
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Effects and patients' experiences of interactive video-based physiotherapy at home after shoulder joint replacement
- 2009
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Physiotherapy is essential to optimize the results of shoulder joint replacement, but requires a close monitoring and co-operation between patient and physiotherapist. The development of telerehabilitation brings opportunities for distance-spanning and home-based physiotherapy interventions. The aim of this thesis is to explore effects and to describe experiences among patients participating in interactive video-based physiotherapy at home after shoulder joint replacement. A series of 22 patients underwent shoulder joint replacement and initial physiotherapy at the hospital. After discharge, 12 patients were referred to conventional out-patient physiotherapy (control), while 10 patients participated in a telerehabilitation intervention in the form of interactive video-based physiotherapy at home. Shoulder function, activity limitations and health-related quality of life were assessed before surgery and two months after surgery. The experiences of participating in the telerehabilitation were described using open interviews and qualitative content analysis. Two months post surgery, members of the telerehabilitation group had participated in more physiotherapy sessions (p<.001) and showed significantly better recovery regarding shoulder pain (p<.001), shoulder joint external rotation (p=.002), shoulder function and activity limitations (p<.001) and in two dimensions of health-related quality of life (p=.004 and p=.001) compared to the control group. All telerehabilitation group participants expressed that they were satisfied with the rehabilitation and that they had experienced technique and exercise as safe. In the interviews seven categories of the participants' experiences were revealed: An odd reinforced communication; Pain-free exercising as an effective routine; The home as an exercising arena; Closeness at a distance; From a dependent patient to a strengthened person; Facilitated daily living; Continuous rehabilitation process. The identified theme was: Achieving prerequisites for recovery competence. In conclusion, interactive video-based physiotherapy at home after shoulder joint replacement was experienced positively by the participating patients and seemed more effective than conventional post-discharge rehabilitation procedures concerning short-time recovery. This could be explained by the fact that the telerehabilitation group participated in more patient-physiotherapy sessions compared to the control group, but the interviews also indicate that the modality might have promoted continuity and patient participation and competence.
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| 4. |
- Flank, Peter, 1972-
(författare)
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Spinal cord injuries in Sweden : studies on clinical follow-ups
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A spinal cord injury is a serious medical condition, often caused by a physical trauma. An injury to the spinal cord affects the neurotransmission between the brain and spinal cord segments below the level of injury. The SCI causes a loss of motor function, sensory function and autonomic regulation of the body, temporary or permanent. Significantly improved acute care, primary comprehensive rehabilitation and life-long structured follow-up has led to persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) living longer than ever before. However, increased long-time survival has allowed secondary conditions to emerge, like diabetes mellitus and where cardiovascular disease (CVD) now is the most common cause of death among SCI patients. Other possible CVD-related comorbidities in this patient group have been reported to be pain and mood disturbances. There is still lack of, and need for more knowledge in the field of CVD-related screening and prevention after SCI.The overall aim of this thesis was to contribute to a scientific ground regarding the need for CVD-related screening and prevention after SCI.In Paper I and Paper II, patients with wheelchair-dependent post-traumatic SCI (paraplegia) were assessed. The results in paper I showed that 80% of the examined patients had at least one cardiovascular disease risk marker irrespective of body mass index (BMI). Dyslipidemia was common for both men and women at all BMI categories. The study also showed a high prevalence of hypertension, especially in men. Paper II showed a low frequency of self-reported physical activity, where only one out of 5 persons reported undertaking physical activity >30 min/day. The physically active had lower diastolic blood pressure but no significant difference in blood lipids.In paper III and IV, patients with SCI (tetraplegia and paraplegia) participated in the studies. Eighty-one percent of the patients had dyslipidemia, where also a majority of the patients with normal abdominal clinical measures had dyslipidemia. Self-reported physical activity >30min/day was reported by one third of the patients. No differences were found between physically active and not physically active patients when it came to blood glucose, serum lipid values and clinical measures (paper III). Pain was common in the patient group, however, most often on a mild to moderate level. Anxiety and depression was less common than reported in other studies (paper IV).
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| 5. |
- Nilsagård, Ylva, 1964-
(författare)
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Walking ability, balance and accidental falls in persons with Multiple Sclerosis
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- By using a pragmatic paradigm, different research methodologies were employed in this thesis. MS-related symptoms may be exaggerated due to heatsensitivity and it is supposed that cooling garments relieve the symptoms. The effects of wearing a Rehband® vest were evaluated in a sample of 42 persons with MS in a randomised controlled crossover study. Both objective and subjective statistically significant improvements were found when a cooled Rehband® vest was worn compared to the wearing of a room-tempered vest. Using a repeated-measures design, 10m and 30m timed walks and Timed Up and Go were studied in 42 persons with MS. Reproducibility was investigated within and between test points. High reproducibility was found both within (r=0.97–0.98) and between measure points (r=0.91–0.93). The correlation between the three tests was high (r=0.85). Differences at –23% to +40% were established as being needed to detect genuine changes. Severity of MS infl uenced the size of the differences, especially for the 30m timed walk test. The 12-item MS Walking Scale was translated and used in a cross-sectional study. Out of 81 persons with MS, 89–96% perceived limitations in standing or walking. The internal consistency of the scale was acceptable for nine items (0.69–0.84). The concurrent validity between the 12-item MS Walking Scale and the investigated objective tests was low: Berg Balance Scale (r=–0.368**), Four Square Step Test (r=0.338**) and Timed Up and Gocognitive (r=0.319*). A prevalence of falling was found at 63% in a longitudinal cohort study with prospectively registered falls including 76 persons with MS. The odds of falling were fi ve fold when there was a reported need of using a walking aid indoors and outdoors and by 2.5 to 15.6 times while there was disturbed proprioception, depending on severity. The highest sensitivity was found for the Berg Balance Scale (94%) and the highest specifi city was found for the 12-item MS Walking Scale (82%). Positive predictive values at 70–83% were found for the Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Gocognitive, the Four Square Step Test and the 12-item MS Walking Scale. Finally, we explored and described factors that persons with MS perceive as related to accidental falls. A content analysis with a deductive approach was chosen. By conducting interviews, we found previously untargeted factors: divided attention, reduced muscular endurance, fatigue and heat-sensitivity. The content of the interviews also gave support to previously reported risk factors such as changes in gait pattern, walking disability, impaired proprioception and vision, and spasticity.
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