A New Fork in the Road: Lymphedema Bypass.

A New Fork in the Road: Lymphedema Bypass.

Adv Skin Wound Care. 2013 Mar 8;
Salcido RS

HubMed – rehab

 

The clinical spectrum of sport-related traumatic brain injury.

Nat Rev Neurol. 2013 Mar 12;
Jordan BD

Acute and chronic sports-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a substantial public health concern. Various types of acute TBI can occur in sport, but detection and management of cerebral concussion is of greatest importance as mismanagement of this syndrome can lead to persistent or chronic postconcussion syndrome (CPCS) or diffuse cerebral swelling. Chronic TBI encompasses a spectrum of disorders that are associated with long-term consequences of brain injury, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), dementia pugilistica, post-traumatic parkinsonism, post-traumatic dementia and CPCS. CTE is the prototype of chronic TBI, but can only be definitively diagnosed at autopsy as no reliable biomarkers of this disorder are available. Whether CTE shares neuropathological features with CPCS is unknown. Evidence suggests that participation in contact-collision sports may increase the risk of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer disease, but the data are conflicting. In this Review, the spectrum of acute and chronic sport-related TBI is discussed, highlighting how examination of athletes involved in high-impact sports has advanced our understanding of pathology of brain injury and enabled improvements in detection and diagnosis of sport-related TBI. HubMed – rehab

 

Does Postural Stability Affect the Performance of Eye-Hand Coordination in Stroke Survivors?

Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2013 Mar 8;
Tsang WW, Ng SS, Lee MW, Tse SP, Yip EW, Yuen JK

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate eye-hand coordination in stroke survivors while sitting and standing and its relationship with sensorimotor performance. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at university-based rehabilitation center. Fifteen stroke survivors performed a fast finger-pointing task toward a visual target moving at 10 cm/sec from the contralateral side toward the moving arm in sitting and standing positions. Reaction time, movement time, and pointing accuracy were measured. Anteroposterior, medial-lateral, and total sway were also measured during the standing trials. Several sensorimotor impairments were also measured to correlate with the eye-hand coordination performance. RESULTS: A significantly shorter reaction time was found in the nonparetic than the paretic side when standing, but not when sitting. The movement time of the paretic side was significantly faster when standing when compared with sitting. Fast pointing with the paretic arm significantly increased the total sway path and anteroposterior displacement while standing compared with pointing with the nonparetic arm. Movement time of the paretic arm was negatively correlated with handgrip strength and the strength of the elbow flexors and wrist extensors. CONCLUSIONS: The movement time of eye-hand coordination of stroke survivors was affected by postural stability. Correlations were found between pointing performance and several sensorimotor impairments. HubMed – rehab

 

Development of a Preoperative Neuroscience Educational Program for Patients with Lumbar Radiculopathy.

Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2013 Mar 8;
Louw A, Butler DS, Diener I, Puentedura EJ

Postoperative rehabilitation for lumbar radiculopathy has shown little effect on reducing pain and disability. Current preoperative education programs with a focus on a biomedical approach feature procedural and anatomical information, and these too have shown little effect on postoperative outcomes. This report describes the development of an evidence-based educational program and booklet for patients undergoing lumbar surgery for radiculopathy using a recently conducted systematic review of neuroscience education for musculoskeletal pain. The previous systematic review produced evidence for neuroscience education as well as best-evidence synthesis of the content and delivery methods for neuroscience education for musculoskeletal pain. These evidence statements were extracted and developed into patient-centered messages and a booklet, which was then evaluated by peer and patient review. The neuroscience educational booklet and preoperative program convey key messages from the previous systematic review aimed at reducing fear and anxiety before surgery and assist in developing realistic expectations regarding pain after surgery. Key topics include the decision to undergo surgery, pain processing, peripheral nerve sensitization, effect of anxiety and stress on pain, surgery and the nervous system, and decreasing nerve sensitization. Feedback from the evaluations of the booklet and preoperative program was favorable from all review groups, suggesting that this proposed evidence-based neuroscience educational program may be ready for clinical application. HubMed – rehab