Physiotherapy - Research Publications
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Item"Sounds a Bit Crazy, But It Was Almost More Personal:" A Qualitative Study of Patient and Clinician Experiences of Physical Therapist-Prescribed Exercise For Knee Osteoarthritis Via Skype(WILEY, 2017-12-01)OBJECTIVE: To explore the experience of patients and physical therapists with Skype for exercise management of knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: This was a qualitative study. The Donabedian model for quality assessment in health care (structure, process, and outcomes) informed semistructured individual interview questions. The study involved 12 purposively sampled patients with knee OA who received physical therapist-prescribed exercise over Skype, and all therapists (n = 8) who delivered the intervention in a clinical trial were interviewed about their experiences. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Two investigators undertook coding and analysis using a thematic approach. RESULTS: Six themes arose from both patients and therapists. The themes were Structure: technology (easy to use, variable quality, set-up assistance helpful) and patient convenience (time efficient, flexible, increased access); Process: empowerment to self-manage (facilitated by home environment and therapists focusing on effective treatment) and positive therapeutic relationships (personal undivided attention from therapists, supportive friendly interactions); and Outcomes: satisfaction with care (satisfying, enjoyable, patients would recommend, therapists felt Skype more useful as adjunct to usual practice) and patient benefits (reduced pain, improved function, improved confidence and self-efficacy). A seventh theme arose from therapists regarding process: adjusting routine treatment (need to modify habits, discomfort without hands-on, supported by research environment). CONCLUSION: Patients and physical therapists described mostly positive experiences using Skype as a service delivery model for physical therapist-supervised exercise management of moderate knee OA. Such a model is feasible and acceptable and has the potential to increase access to supervised exercise management for people with knee OA, either individually or in combination with traditional in-clinic visits.
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ItemScreening and referral for children with physical disabilities(WILEY, 2017-11-01)The clinical care of children with physical disabilities is a major priority for paediatricians and paediatric orthopaedic surgeons. Cerebral palsy (CP) is the prototypical condition and remains the most common cause of physical disability in developed countries. The incidence is approximately 2 per 1000 live births, translating to between 600 and 700 new children per annum in Australia, with approximately 34 000 children and adults currently living with CP. This figure is predicted to rise inexorably over the next 20 years. The care of children with physical disabilities, including those with CP, is usually coordinated by paediatricians, general practitioners and allied health teams including physiotherapists, with input from paediatric orthopaedic surgeons when appropriate. The emphasis in care for children with CP has moved from 'reactive' to 'proactive'. In the past, children are often referred when symptomatic, for example when a hip dislocation had occurred and became painful. The emphasis now is on coordinated, multidisciplinary care in which musculoskeletal manifestations of disability are identified by screening programmes. Systematic screening, especially when population-based and linked to a register, avoids children getting 'lost in the system'. Early and more effective interventions may be offered for the prevention of contractures, dislocation of the hip and spinal deformities. In this review, we will focus on the assessment of gait in children with physical disabilities, and monitoring for hip and spine deformity.
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ItemHallux Valgus, By Nature or Nurture? A Twin Study(WILEY, 2017-09-01)OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the contributions of shared but unmeasured genetic and environmental factors to hallux valgus (HV). METHODS: Between 2011 and 2012, 74 monozygotic (MZ) and 56 dizygotic (DZ) female twin pairs self-reported HV and putative risk factors, including footwear use across their lifespan. Estimates of casewise concordance (PC ), correlation (ρ), and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated, adjusting for age and other risk factors, and compared between MZ and DZ pairs using logistic regression, generalized estimating equations, and a maximum likelihood-based method, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 70 participants (27%) reported HV, with 12 MZ and 7 DZ pairs being concordant. After adjusting for age, twins were correlated (ρ = 0.27 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.08, 0.46]) and concordant (PC = 0.45 [95% CI 0.29, 0.61]; mean age 58 years), with no difference between MZ and DZ pairs (P = 0.7). HV was associated with regularly wearing footwear with a constrictive toe-box during the fourth decade (adjusted OR 2.73 [95% CI 1.12, 6.67]). This risk factor was correlated in MZ (ρ = 0.38 [95% CI 0.15, 0.60]) but not DZ (ρ = -0.20 [95% CI -0.43, 0.03]) pairs. These correlations were significantly different (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Twins are correlated for HV, but we found no evidence that correlation was due to shared genetic factors. We identified an environmental risk factor, footwear with a constrictive toe-box, that is not shared to the same extent by MZ and DZ pairs, contrary to the assumption of the classic twin model. Footwear, and possibly genetic factors and unknown shared environmental factors, could contribute to developing HV.
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ItemConsumer Perceptions of and Willingness to Use Remotely Delivered Service Models For Exercise Management of Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis: A Cross-Sectional Survey(WILEY, 2017-05-01)OBJECTIVE: To investigate the perceptions of people with hip and/or knee osteoarthritis (OA) about the remote delivery of exercise therapy by a physical therapist. METHODS: A survey of people age ≥45 years with a clinical diagnosis of hip and/or knee OA was conducted. The survey comprised 3 sections, including 1) demographic information, 2) statements about receiving exercise via the telephone, and 3) statements about receiving exercise via video over the internet. Data were analyzed by calculating response proportions and evaluating levels of agreement with each statement. Exploratory binomial regression analyses were performed to determine whether participant characteristics influenced perceptions of tele-rehabilitation. RESULTS: A total of 330 people spanning metropolitan, regional, and rural Australia completed the survey. Respondents were in majority (≥50%) agreement with 13 of 17 statements, with most agreement about tele-rehabilitation saving time (telephone versus video: 78% versus 81%), being easy to use (79% versus 78%), and maintaining privacy (86% versus 82%). There was no consensus agreement with liking the lack of physical contact (telephone versus video: 20% agreement versus 22%), willingness to pay (32% versus 46%), belief that telephone-delivered exercise would be effective (45%), and belief that a physical therapist could adequately monitor OA over the telephone (42%). CONCLUSION: People with knee and/or hip OA hold mostly positive perceptions about tele-rehabilitation, delivered via the telephone or by video over the internet, for provision of physical therapist-prescribed exercise services. There was concern about the lack of physical contact with the therapist when using tele-rehabilitation.
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ItemLower limb muscle function and exercise performance in lung cancer(WILEY, 2017-08-01)
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ItemA framework for the etiology of running-related injuries.(Wiley, 2017-11)The etiology of running-related injury is important to consider as the effectiveness of a given running-related injury prevention intervention is dependent on whether etiologic factors are readily modifiable and consistent with a biologically plausible causal mechanism. Therefore, the purpose of the present article was to present an evidence-informed conceptual framework outlining the multifactorial nature of running-related injury etiology. In the framework, four mutually exclusive parts are presented: (a) Structure-specific capacity when entering a running session; (b) structure-specific cumulative load per running session; (c) reduction in the structure-specific capacity during a running session; and (d) exceeding the structure-specific capacity. The framework can then be used to inform the design of future running-related injury prevention studies, including the formation of research questions and hypotheses, as well as the monitoring of participation-related and non-participation-related exposures. In addition, future research applications should focus on addressing how changes in one or more exposures influence the risk of running-related injury. This necessitates the investigation of how different factors affect the structure-specific load and/or the load capacity, and the dose-response relationship between running participation and injury risk. Ultimately, this direction allows researchers to move beyond traditional risk factor identification to produce research findings that are not only reliably reported in terms of the observed cause-effect association, but also translatable in practice.
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ItemSurvey of neurodevelopmental allied health teams in Australian and New Zealand neonatal nurseries: Staff profile and standardised neurobehavioural/neurological assessment(WILEY, 2017-06-01)AIMS: The primary aim of this study was to establish how many neonatal nurseries in Australia and New Zealand had a neurodevelopmental allied health team, to ascertain the disciplines involved, their qualifications and experience. The secondary aim was to evaluate which standardised neurobehavioural/neurological assessments were currently being implemented, and the existing practice in relation to their use. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional survey, sampling 179 eligible public and private hospital neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and special care nurseries (SCNs) throughout Australia and New Zealand, was purpose-developed and administered electronically from the 5th April to 23rd July 2013. RESULTS: A total of 117 units (65%) overall, and 26 of 26 (100%) NICUs responded to the survey. NICUs had more neurodevelopmental allied health staff than SCNs, with physiotherapists and speech pathologists the most common disciplines. Physiotherapists were more likely to administer standardised neurobehavioural/neurological assessments in NICUs, while medical staff were more likely to do so in SCNs. A wide variety of standardised neurobehavioural/neurological assessment tools were used, with Prechtl's General Movements Assessment the most common in the NICUs (50%) and the Hammersmith Neonatal Neurological Examination the most common in the special care units (25%). Standardised neurobehavioural assessments were not administered in 22% of SCNs. CONCLUSIONS: Although neurodevelopmental allied health teams and standardised neurobehavioural/neurological assessments are valued by many, there was little consistency across Australian and New Zealand neonatal nurseries.
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ItemOutcomes after scoliosis surgery for children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review(WILEY, 2017-07-01)AIM: This study aims (1) to evaluate and synthesize the evidence for the postoperative outcomes after scoliosis surgery for children with cerebral palsy (CP), and (2) to identify preoperative risk factors for adverse outcomes after surgery. METHOD: Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PubMed were searched for relevant literature. Included studies were assessed for risk of bias using the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care tool. Quality of evidence for overall function, quality of life (QoL), gross motor function, caregiver outcomes, deformity correction, and postoperative complications were assessed using GRADE (Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation). RESULTS: Fifty-one studies met inclusion criteria, including 35 case series designs. Risk of bias was high across all studies. On average good deformity correction was achieved, the trend appears positive for caregiver and QoL outcomes, but there was minimal to no change for gross motor or overall function. Inconsistent measurement limited synthesis. A mean overall complication rate of 38.1% (95% confidence interval 27.3-53.3) was found. The quality of evidence was very low across all functional outcomes. INTERPRETATION: Limited high-quality evidence exists for outcomes after scoliosis surgery in children with CP, a procedure associated with a moderately high complication rate. The intervention appears indicated for deformity correction, but currently there is insufficient evidence to make recommendations for this surgery as a way to also improve functional outcomes, caregiver outcomes, and quality of life.