Physiotherapy - Research Publications

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    Knowledge, confidence, attitudes and beliefs of physiotherapists and physiotherapy students working with people with dementia: A mixed-methods systematic review
    Quick, S ; Snowdon, DA ; Lawler, K ; McGinley, J ; Soh, SE ; Callisaya, ML (Wiley, 2021-12-01)
    BACKGROUND: Clinical care for people with dementia as a primary diagnosis, or as a co-morbidity, can be complex. Physiotherapists play a key role in the care of people living with dementia in multiple settings. The aim of this systematic review is to understand the attitudes, beliefs, knowledge and confidence of physiotherapists and physiotherapy students when working with people with dementia. METHOD: This was a mixed-methods systematic review that included qualitative and quantitative studies. Participants were physiotherapists working in any clinical specialty (e.g. gerontology, orthopaedic, neurological, cardio-respiratory), and physiotherapy students who had completed at least one clinical placement. If studies investigated physiotherapist and physiotherapy students' knowledge, confidence, attitudes or beliefs on working with a general population of older adults, they were excluded. The phenomena of interest and context were attitudes, beliefs, knowledge and confidence when working with people with dementia in any setting. Eleven databases were searched. Data synthesis followed a convergent integrated approach according to Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for mixed methods systematic reviews. RESULT: 15 studies were eligible for inclusion (9 quantitative and 6 qualitative studies). There were 5 key themes: rehabilitation potential (variable outcomes, poor potential), challenges in dementia care (communication, behaviour, cognition, risk, stress and burnout), education in dementia practice (inadequate training and knowledge, importance of experience), specialised area of practice (complexity of presentation, nuance of care, importance of time, holistic approach) and unsupportive systems (environment, time, risk aversion). One code, lack of desire to provide dementia care, did not contribute to any themes. CONCLUSION: Physiotherapists and physiotherapy students have low levels of knowledge and confidence in several areas important to working with people with dementia. With higher levels of knowledge and confidence associated with more positive attitudes and beliefs, dementia education needs of physiotherapists at all levels needs to be addressed.
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    Changes in the kinetics and kinematics of a reactive cut maneuver after successful athletic groin pain rehabilitation
    Daniels, KAJ ; King, E ; Richter, C ; Falvey, E ; Franklyn-Miller, A (WILEY, 2021-04)
    Athletic groin pain (AGP) is a chronic, painful condition which is prevalent in players of field sports that require rapid changes of direction. Following successful rehabilitation, systematic changes have been observed in the kinetics and kinematics of pre-planned change of direction maneuvers, providing insight into potential foci for rehabilitation monitoring and for the assessment of interventions. However, changing direction in field sports is often reactive rather than pre-planned, and it is not known whether such post-rehabilitation changes are seen in reactive maneuvers. We analyzed the stance phase kinetics and kinematics of a 90° reactive cutting maneuver in 35 AGP patients before and after a successful exercise intervention program. Following the intervention, transverse plane rotation of the pelvis toward the intended direction of travel increased, and the body center of mass was positioned more anteriorly relative to the center of pressure. Ankle dorsiflexion also increased, and participants demonstrated greater ankle plantar flexor internal moment and power during the second half of stance. These findings provide insight into mechanical variables of potential importance in AGP, as identified during a maneuver based on a common sporting task.
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    Towards better management of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) in tetraplegia
    Graco, M ; Cross, S ; Thiyagarajan, C ; Shafazand, S ; Ayas, M ; Schembri, R ; Booker, L ; Nicholls, C ; Burns, P ; Nash, M ; Green, S ; Berlowitz, D (Taylor & Francis, 2017)
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    Nasal Resistance Is Elevated in People with Tetraplegia and Is Reduced by Topical Sympathomimetic Administration
    Gainche, L ; Berlowitz, DJ ; LeGuen, M ; Ruehland, WR ; O'Donoghue, FJ ; Trinder, J ; Graco, M ; Schembri, R ; Eckert, DJ ; Rochford, PD ; Jordan, AS (AMER ACAD SLEEP MEDICINE, 2016)
    STUDY OBJECTIVES: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in individuals with tetraplegia and associated with adverse health outcomes. The causes of the high prevalence of OSA in this population are unknown, but it is important to understand as standard treatments are poorly tolerated in tetraplegia. Nasal congestion is common in tetraplegia, possibly because of unopposed parasympathetic activity. Further, nasal obstruction can induce OSA in healthy individuals. We therefore aimed to compare nasal resistance before and after topical administration of a sympathomimetic between 10 individuals with tetraplegia (T) and 9 able-bodied (AB) controls matched for OSA severity, gender, and age. METHODS: Nasal, pharyngeal, and total upper airway resistance were calculated before and every 2 minutes following delivery of ≈0.05 mL of 0.5% atomized phenylephrine to the nostrils and pharyngeal airway. The surface tension of the upper airway lining liquid was also assessed. RESULTS: At baseline, individuals with tetraplegia had elevated nasal resistance (T = 7.0 ± 1.9, AB = 3.0 ± 0.6 cm H2O/L/s), that rapidly fell after phenylephrine (T = 2.3 ± 0.4, p = 0.03 at 2 min) whereas the able-bodied did not change (AB = 2.5 ± 0.5 cm H2O/L/s, p = 0.06 at 2 min). Pharyngeal resistance was non-significantly higher in individuals with tetraplegia than controls at baseline (T = 2.6 ± 0.9, AB = 1.2 ± 0.4 cm H2O/L/s) and was not altered by phenylephrine in either group. The surface tension of the upper airway lining liquid did not differ between groups (T = 64.3 ± 1.0, AB = 62.7 ± 0.6 mN/m). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the unopposed parasympathetic activity in tetraplegia increases nasal resistance, potentially contributing to the high occurrence of OSA in this population.
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    Prolonged Eyelid Closure Episodes during Sleep Deprivation in Professional Drivers
    Alvaro, PK ; Jackson, ML ; Berlowitz, DJ ; Swann, P ; Howard, ME (AMER ACAD SLEEP MEDICINE, 2016)
    STUDY OBJECTIVES: Real life ocular measures of drowsiness use average blink duration, amplitude and velocity of eyelid movements to reflect drowsiness in drivers. However, averaged data may conceal the variability in duration of eyelid closure episodes, and more prolonged episodes that indicate higher levels of drowsiness. The current study aimed to describe the frequency and duration of prolonged eyelid closure episodes during acute sleep deprivation. METHODS: Twenty male professional drivers (mean age ± standard deviation = 41.9 ± 8.3 years) were recruited from the Transport Workers Union newsletter and newspaper advertisements in Melbourne, Australia. Each participant underwent 24 hours of sleep deprivation and completed a simulated driving task (AusEd), the Psychomotor Vigilance Task, and the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale. Eyelid closure episodes during the driving task were recorded and analyzed manually from digital video recordings. RESULTS: Eyelid closure episodes increased in frequency and duration with a median of zero s/h of eyelid closure after 3 h increasing to 34 s/h after 23 h awake. Eyelid closure episodes were short and infrequent from 3 to 14 h of wakefulness. After 17 h of sleep deprivation, longer and more frequent eyelid closure episodes began to occur. Episodes lasting from 7 seconds up to 18 seconds developed after 20 h of wakefulness. Length of eyelid closure episodes was moderately to highly correlated with the standard deviation of lateral lane position, braking reaction time, crashes, impaired vigilance, and subjective sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency and duration of episodes of prolonged eyelid closure increases during acute sleep deprivation, with very prolonged episodes after 17 hours awake. Automated devices that assess drowsiness using averaged measures of eyelid closure episodes need to be able to detect prolonged eyelid closure episodes that occur during more severe sleep deprivation.
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    Periodic limb movements in tetraplegia
    Peters, AEJ ; van Silfhout, L ; Graco, M ; Schembri, R ; Thijssen, D ; Berlowitz, DJ (TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2018)
    OBJECTIVE: To establish the prevalence of Periodic Limb Movements during Sleep (PLMS) in patients with tetraplegia, controlling for obstructive sleep apnea. To explore whether demographic and injury characteristics affect PLMS. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohorts. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: One hundred seventy-three participants with acute (<12 months) and 92 with chronic (>12 months) tetraplegia who underwent full overnight diagnostic sleep studies. INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOME MEASURES: Two hundred sixty-two sleep study recordings were included. A randomly selected subgroup of 21 studies was assessed for PLM during wakefulness. Data were analysed according to the current American Academy of Sleep Medicine guidelines. RESULTS: Of the participants, 41.6% (43(15.7) years and 14.9% female) had a motor and sensory complete lesion. Sleep was poor with both OSA (87.8% with apnea hypopnoea index ≥ 5) and PLMS (58.4% with PLMS per hour PLMSI > 15) highly prevalent. There was no difference in the PLMSI between those with OSA (36.3(39.8)) or without (42.2(37.7), P = 0.42). PLMS were evident during REM and NREM sleep in all of the 153 patients with PLMSI > 15. All 21 participants in the subgroup of studies analysed for the PLM during quiet wakefulness, exhibited limb movements. None of the modelled variables (injury completeness, gender, OSA severity or time since injury) significantly predicted a PLMSI > 15 (P = 0.343). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this study confirms the high prevalence of PLM in tetraplegia and the presence of leg movements in NREM and REM sleep along with wakefulness after controlling for OSA. No associations between the presence of PLMS and patient characteristics or injury specific aspects were found.
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    Relationship between autonomic cardiovascular control and obstructive sleep apnoea in persons with spinal cord injury: a retrospective study.
    Fang, X ; Goh, MY ; O'Callaghan, C ; Berlowitz, D (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2018)
    STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. OBJECTIVE: To determine if there is an association between obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and blood pressure (BP) pattern or heart rate variability (HRV) in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING: A state-based spinal cord service in Victoria, Australia. METHODS: We identified 42 subjects who had ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) within 6 months of a diagnostic sleep study at Austin Hospital between 2009 and 2014. Markers for autonomic function, including circadian BP pattern and HRV were extracted from the ABPM study database. Apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI), arousals/hour and oxygen desaturation index were extracted from the sleep study database. Subjects with a nocturnal systolic BP dipping more than 10% of daytime value were defined as dippers, between 10 and 0% were non-dippers and those with a higher night than day systolic BP were reverse dippers. Severity of OSA is classified as non-OSA (AHI < 5), mild (AHI 5-15), moderate (AHI 15-30) and severe (AHI > 30). RESULTS: Subjects (n = 42) were predominantly male (85.7%), aged 44 ± 15.4 (mean ± SD), with a BMI of 24.4 ± 5.7 (mean ± SD) and mainly tetraplegic (92.9%). There was no difference in AHI, oxygen desaturation index or arousals/hour between dippers, non-dippers and reverse dippers. None of the HRV parameters differed between dippers, non-dippers and reverse dippers. No differences were found in 24 h, night-time, daytime or nocturnal dip in BP between subjects with non-OSA, mild, moderate and severe OSA. CONCLUSION: We found no relationship between BP pattern or HRV and the severity of OSA in persons with SCI.
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    Perceived sleep problems after spinal cord injury: Results from a community-based survey in Switzerland
    Buzzell, A ; Chamberlain, JD ; Schubert, M ; Mueller, G ; Berlowitz, DJ ; Brinkhof, MWG ; Jordan, X ; Reynard, F ; Baumberger, M ; Gmuender, HP ; Curt, A ; Hund-Georgiadis, M ; Hug, K ; Freitag, C ; Joggi, D ; Landolt, H ; Muenzel, N ; Brach, M ; Stucki, G ; Fekete, C (TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2021-11-02)
    Objective: To investigate the burden of sleep problems within the Spinal Cord injured (SCI) community with respect to the general population (GP) in Switzerland. The study further explored potential predictors for receiving treatment for sleep problems after SCI.Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting: SCI community in Switzerland.Participants: Individuals diagnosed with an SCI, aged 16 years or older that permanently reside in Switzerland (N = 1549).Interventions: Not applicable.Outcome measures: Perceived sleep problems within the SCI community and GP. For those with sleep problems and SCI, an indicator for having received treatment was measured.Results: 58.8% of survey participants indicated having a sleep problem; 69.4% of those with a sleep problem did not indicate receiving treatment. Amongst people living with an SCI, individuals between the ages of 46-60 years (adjusted Odds Ratio, OR = 3.07; 95% CI 1.54-6.16), participants reporting severe financial hardship (OR = 2.90; 95% CI) 1.69-4.96, and those that indicated having pain (OR = 5.62; 95% CI 3.52-8.98) were more likely to have a chronic sleep problem. In comparison to the Swiss GP, the prevalence of having a sleep problem was 18% higher among persons with SCI, with the largest discrepancy for males with paraplegia between the ages of 46-60 years (Prevalence ratio, PR = 1.28; 95% CI, 1.21-1.36).Conclusion: Individuals with SCI experience more sleep problems compared to the Swiss GP. Findings from this study suggest that clinical screening for sleep issues targeting high risk groups is needed to reduce the large prevalence of non-treatment in individuals with SCI.
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    Cam morphology is associated with MRI-defined cartilage defects and labral tears: a case-control study of 237 young adult football players with and without hip and groin pain
    Heerey, J ; Kemp, J ; Agricola, R ; Srinivasan, R ; Smith, A ; Pizzari, T ; King, M ; Lawrenson, P ; Scholes, M ; Link, T ; Souza, R ; Majumdar, S ; Crossley, K (BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP, 2021-12)
    OBJECTIVE: Football players are at risk of developing hip osteoarthritis (OA). Cam morphology (present in almost two of every three football players) may explain this heightened risk, but there is limited research on its role in hip OA development in younger athletes. Knowledge of this relationship will advance our understanding of the aetiology of hip OA in football players. We aimed to study the relationship between cam morphology size and MRI-defined cartilage defects and labral tears, and if this relationship differs by symptomatic state in young adult football players. METHODS: For this case-control study, 182 (288 hips) symptomatic (hip and/or groin pain >6 months and positive flexion-adduction-internal-rotation (FADIR) test) and 55 (110 hips) pain-free football players (soccer or Australian football) underwent anteroposterior and Dunn 45° radiographs, and 3-Tesla MRI. Cam morphology size was defined using alpha angle, and cartilage defects and labral tears were scored semiquantitatively. Presence, location and score (severity) of cartilage defects and labral tears were determined. Each participant completed the International Hip Outcome Tool 33 and Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score. RESULTS: Greater alpha angle was associated with cartilage defects (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.04) and labral tears (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.04). Greater alpha angle was associated with superolateral cartilage defects (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.05) and superior labral tears (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.05). The association of alpha angle with MRI-defined cartilage defects and labral tears was no greater in football players with symptoms than in those without (p=0.189-0.937). CONCLUSION: Cam morphology size was associated with cartilage defects and labral tears in young adult football players with and without pain. This study provides evidence that cam morphology may contribute to the high prevalence of hip OA in football players. Prospective studies of football players are now needed to establish if cam morphology causes progression of cartilage defects and labral tears and development of hip OA.
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    Assessment of Breathing Patterns and Respiratory Muscle Recruitment During Singing and Speech in Quadriplegia
    Tamplin, J ; Brazzale, DJ ; Pretto, JJ ; Ruehland, WR ; Buttifant, M ; Brown, DJ ; Berlowitz, DJ (Elsevier, 2011-02-01)
    OBJECTIVES: To explore how respiratory impairment after cervical spinal cord injury affects vocal function, and to explore muscle recruitment strategies used during vocal tasks after quadriplegia. It was hypothesized that to achieve the increased respiratory support required for singing and loud speech, people with quadriplegia use different patterns of muscle recruitment and control strategies compared with control subjects without spinal cord injury. DESIGN: Matched, parallel-group design. SETTING: Large university-affiliated public hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Consenting participants with motor-complete C5-7 quadriplegia (n=6) and able-bodied age-matched controls (n=6) were assessed on physiologic and voice measures during vocal tasks. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Standard respiratory function testing, surface electromyographic activity from accessory respiratory muscles, sound pressure levels during vocal tasks, the Voice Handicap Index, and the Perceptual Voice Profile. RESULTS: The group with quadriplegia had a reduced lung capacity (vital capacity, 71% vs 102% of predicted; P=.028), more perceived voice problems (Voice Handicap Index score, 22.5 vs 6.5; P=.046), and greater recruitment of accessory respiratory muscles during both loud and soft volumes (P=.028) than the able-bodied controls. The group with quadriplegia also demonstrated higher accessory muscle activation in changing from soft to loud speech (P=.028). CONCLUSIONS: People with quadriplegia have impaired vocal ability and use different muscle recruitment strategies during speech than the able-bodied. These findings will enable us to target specific measurements of respiratory physiology for assessing functional improvements in response to formal therapeutic singing training.