Rehabilitation
Treating Brain Injuries With Stem Cell Transplants - Promising Results - The February edition of Neurosurgery reports that animal experiments in brain-injured rats have shown that stem cells injected via the carotid artery travel directly to the brain, greatly enhancing functional recovery…
Massages Scientifically Proven To Help Reduce Pain - According to a study published online in Science Translational Medicine by researchers from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario, massages aid the growth of new mitochondria in skeletal muscle, and help to reduce inflammation…
Muscle Endurance Tests Can Detect Abormalities In The Early Stages Of Multiple Sclerosis - Multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurodegenerative disease, causes periodic attacks of neurologic symptoms such as limb weakness and mobility defects. And while MS patients’ walking abilities and muscle strength are examined on a regular basis, doctors have yet to determine when the lower limb muscles begin to deteriorate…
Most Heart, Stroke Patients Can Safely Engage In Sexual Activity - If you have stable cardiovascular disease, it is more than likely that you can safely engage in sexual activity, according to an American Heart Association scientific statement. The statement, published online in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, contains recommendations by experts from various fields, including heart disease, exercise physiology and sexual counseling…
A New Angle On Tennis Injuries Offered By Markerless Motion Capture - Researchers studied three types of tennis serves, and identified one in particular, called a “kick” serve, which creates the highest potential for shoulder injury. The results, published in a recent issue of Annals of Biomedical Engineering, could aid sports training and rehab, said Alison Sheets, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio State University…
Anatomically Designed Seat Developed For Wheelchairs Encourages User Movement - Empa engineers, together with the firm ‘r going’, have succeeded in developing an ergonomic seat for electric wheelchairs which encourages the user to move around frequently. True to the motto ‘life is movement’ the aim is to enhance the freedom of movement of wheelchair users with a range of disabilities. Today’s office workplaces are designed to be as ergonomic as possible…
Knee Replacements Soar Among The Under-60s, Finland - A new study published online on 17 January in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism reports that rates of knee replacement surgery in Finland’s 30 to 59-year-olds soared between 1980 and 2006, with women being the more common recipients throughout. Lead author Dr…
Expert Guidance On Hip Fracture Covers Areas Where Evidence Is Controversial Or Incomplete - All patients with hip fractures should be fast-tracked through hospital emergency departments and operated on within 48 hours of admission, according to new consensus guidelines developed by UK experts in anaesthesia, orthopaedics, geriatrics and emergency medicine and published in the January issue of Anaesthesia…
Increasing Need For Rehabilitation For Eye Disease - Visual rehabilitation will continue to increase in importance in the near future, particularly because the number of older patients is rising. Susanne Trauzettel-Klosinski summarizes the present state of knowledge in the current issue of the Deutsches Arzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2011; 108[51/52]: 871-8)…
Silk Spun By Hybrid Silkworms Could Improve Sutures, Artificial Limbs And More - Research has just been published showing that silk produced by transgenically-engineered silkworms in the laboratory of Malcolm Fraser, Jr., professor of biological sciences at University of Notre Dame, exhibits the highly sought-after strength and elasticity of spider silk. This stronger silk could possibly be used to make sutures, artificial limbs and parachutes…
Significant Cost Savings Associated With Emergence Of Prospective Surveillance Model As Standard Of Care For Breast Cancer Treatment - Early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer-related lymphedema by a physical therapist can significantly reduce costs and the need for intensive rehabilitation, according to an article published in the January issue of Physical Therapy (PTJ), the scientific journal of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)…
Revised International Standards For Neurological Classification Of Spinal Cord Injury - The 2011 revision of the International Standards for the Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) was published in the November 2011 issue of the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. The accompanying reference article by Steven Kirshblum et al clarifies the modifications to this newest revision. Both are available for free download…
Advances In Early Diagnosis Of Spatial Neglect Following Stroke - Collaborative stroke research study in January 2012 Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation shows bedside clinical evaluation can detect spatial neglect, a common disabling cognitive disorder that impedes recovery for 30 to 50% of stroke survivors. West Orange, NJ. January 3, 2012…
Aquatic Therapy Soon After Total Knee Arthroplasty Improves Outcomes - Despite increased use of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), there is a notable lack of consensus about optimal postoperative treatment. Aquatic therapy has been shown to have a beneficial effect, and it is typically begun two weeks after surgery, after the wound has healed…
Ekso Exoskeletal Device Tested In 6 Patients With Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury - Monitored by scientists at Kessler Foundation, six people with traumatic spinal cord injuries tested Ekso, the robotic exoskeleton from Ekso Bionics that enables wheelchair users to stand and walk. The six participated in one week of preliminary testing in October 2011…
Immobilized Stroke Survivors Benefit From Robotic Therapy - Severely impaired stroke survivors could walk better when a robotic assist system was added to conventional rehabilitation, according to a study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. Italian researchers evaluated two-year mobility outcomes in 48 stroke survivors who had been discharged from a hospital and were unable to walk at the study’s start…
Physical Function Following Hip Replacement Surgery Improved By Walking Skills Program - Researchers in Norway report that patients who receive walking skills training following total hip arthroplasty for osteoarthritis show improved physical function. The physical therapy program displayed a positive effect on walking distance and stair climbing which continued 12 months following hip replacement surgery…
Study To See If Walking And/Or Memory Training May Prevent Memory Problems In People With Parkinson’s Disease - Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Baltimore VA Medical Center have launched a study of exercise and computerized memory training to see if those activities may help people with Parkinson’s disease prevent memory changes. The type of memory that will be examined is known as “executive function;” it allows people to take in information and use it in a new way…
Horticulture Improves Heart Rate, Stress Levels Of Mentally Challenged Adults - Participation in horticultural activities can improve confidence and social skills, cultivate a positive attitude, and rejuvenate the mind and body…
Potential To Learn High-Performance Tasks With Little Or No Conscious Effort - New research published in the journal Science suggests it may be possible to use brain technology to learn to play a piano, reduce mental stress or hit a curve ball with little or no conscious effort. It’s the kind of thing seen in Hollywood’s “Matrix” franchise…
Racial, Ethnic And Insurance Disparities Revealed In Post-Hospital Care After Trauma - According to the results of a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, African-Americans, Hispanics and uninsured patients use fewer post-hospitalization services after traumatic injury, including home health care, skilled nursing care, and rehabilitation…
Surprises Drive Learning In Same Neural Circuits - Primates learn from feedback that surprises them, and in a recent investigation of how that happens, neurosurgeons have learned something new. The insight they gleaned from examining the response of specific brain tissues during a learning task may inform future rehabilitative therapies after stroke or traumatic brain injury…
Patients With Balance Disorders Benefit From Integrative Therapy - Over the last 25 years, intensive efforts by physicians, physical therapists, and occupational therapists have developed integrative rehabilitation regimens that can alleviate balance disorders associated with neurological disease, trauma or weightlessness…
XEOMIN® (incobotulinumtoxinA) Data To Be Presented At The 72nd Annual Assembly Of The American Academy Of Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation - Merz Pharmaceuticals announced that results from five studies examining XEOMIN® (incobotulinumtoxinA), a botulinum neurotoxin type A preparation free from accessory proteins, will be presented at the 72nd Annual Assembly of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) in Orlando, Fla…
PAD Patients May Respond Better To Exercise Than Stents - Supervised exercise was shown to be more effective than stenting or medication for improved walking ability in patients with peripheral artery disease. The findings from a national study were reported at the 2011 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions meeting. Rhode Island Hospital is one of hospitals participating in the national CLEVER study…
