162 research outputs found

    Reliability, measurement error and construct validity of four proprioceptive tests in patients with chronic idiopathic neck pain

    Get PDF
    Background: There are different neck proprioceptive tests that are believed to be targeting different sources of proprioceptive information. Objective: To assess the reliability, measurement error, discriminative validity and convergent validity of four proprioceptive tests (head repositioning to neutral – HRNT, torsion test - TT, head repositioning to 30° rotation – HR30T and figure of eight relocation test – F8T) in individuals with chronic idiopathic neck pain and asymp- tomatic individuals. A secondary aim was to assess the divergent validity of these tests by correlating them against measures of disability, pain catastrophizing and fear of movement. Design: – Reliability and validity study. Methods: – 66 participants (33 with chronic neck pain and 33 asymptomatic) were assessed using four pro- prioceptive tests, pain catastrophizing scale, neck disability index, tampa scale of kinesiophobia and visual analogue scale. Results: Proprioceptive tests showed moderate to good reliability (ICC: 0.55 to 0.85), but high measurement error. All tests but the HR30T were significantly different between participants with and without neck pain (p < 0.05). Only the HRNT showed an area under the curve above 0.5 (AUC95% CI = 0.51; 0.78, p ≤ 0.042). Between test correlations ranged between 0.35 and 0.61 and correlations between proprioceptive tests and catastrophizing, fear of movement and disability were, in general, lower than 0.3. Conclusion: The four proprioceptive tests showed reliability and measurement errors good enough for group comparisons but of limited utility for individual comparisons. They seem to measure related but dissimilar constructs and the HRNT seemed better at discriminating individuals with and without NP and easier to perform in clinical practice.publishe

    Tipo e quantidade de atividade física e uso de dispositivos eletrónicos de estudantes do 7.◦ ao 12.◦ ano: caracterização e associação

    Get PDF
    ABSTRACT - Aim: To examine the association between self-reported physical activity and self-reported screen based time. Materials and methods: 969 high school students filled in a questionnaire on physical activity and screen based activities. Correlation analysis between time spent in moderate/vigorous physical activities and time spent in screen based activities were performed. Results: No association was found between physical activity and time spent watching TV, playing or using computers. A low correlation was found between time using mobile phones and time spent performing moderate physical activities (r = 0.09, p < 0.05), and vigorous physical activities (r = 0.13, p < 0.05). Conclusions: These findings suggest that screen time is not displacing physical activity.RESUMO - Objetivos: Explorar a associação entre o nível de atividade física e o uso de dispositivos eletrónicos. Materiais e métodos: Novecentos e sessenta e nove alunos do secundário preencheram um questionário sobre atividade física e uso de dispositivos eletrónicos. Foi realizada uma análise de correlação entre o tempo despendido em atividade física moderada e intensa e o uso de dispositivos eletrónicos. Resultados: Não há correlação entre a atividade física e ver televisão, jogar ou usar computadores. Há uma correlação baixa entre o uso de telemóveis e a atividade física moderada (r = 0,09, p < 0,05) e vigorosa (r = 0,13, p < 0,05). Conclusões: Estes resultados sugerem que o uso de dispositivos eletrónicos não interfere com a prática da atividade física.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Effectiveness of neural mobilization on pain intensity, disability, and physical performance in adults with musculoskeletal pain: a protocol for a systematic review of randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials and planned meta-analysis

    Get PDF
    Recent studies show that musculoskeletal conditions contribute significantly to years lived with disability considering the entire global population. Pain and functional disability are the main problems that people with these conditions suffer. Neural mobilization has been shown to be an effective intervention in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain within individual trials, also contributing to improved functionality. Some systematic reviews have been carried out during the last years with the aim of synthesizing the scientific evidence on the use of neural mobilization techniques in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. However, they varied a lot in the methodological approaches and, consequently, in the findings and conclusions. Thus, this document is a planned protocol of a comprehensive systematic review with meta-analysis that we intend to carry out to review the scientific literature regarding up-to-date evidence on the use of neural mobilization in the management of people suffering from musculoskeletal pain disorders. The study designs that we will consider as inclusion criteria will be randomized and quasi-randomized clinical trials. The target population will be adults and older adults with musculoskeletal pain. Any controlled trial using any neural mobilization technique as an intervention in one of the trial groups will be included. The main outcomes of interest will be pain, functional status, and physical performance tests (muscle strength, flexibility, and balance). There will be no restrictions on follow-up time or type of setting. The risk of bias of the included studies will be assessed by the RoB 2 tool and the certainty of the evidence will be evaluated using the comprehensive Assessment, Development and Assessment of Assessment Recommendation (GRADE) approach. We intend to present the findings through narrative descriptions and, if possible, through meta-analytic statistics. Trial registration: PROSPERO registration number. CRD42021288387.publishe

    Neural gliding versus neural tensioning: effects on heat and cold thresholds, pain thresholds and hand grip strength in asymptomatic individuals

    Get PDF
    Introduction: Neural mobilization can be performed in a way that facilitates movement through a stretching technique (tensioning) or in a way that maximizes the gliding of peripheral nerves in relation to adjacent structures (gliding). Evidence on how these techniques compare in terms of effects are scarce. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of neural gliding and neural tensioning targeting the median nerve on heat and cold temperature threshold, heat pain threshold, pressure pain thresholds and hand grip strength in asymptomatic participants. Methods: Participants received 4 series of 10 repetitions of either neural gliding (n = 30) or neural tensioning (n = 30) and were assessed for heat and cold temperature threshold, heat pain threshold, pressure pain threshold, and hand grip strength at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 30 min post-intervention. Results: A significant main interaction between time and intervention was found for the PPT at the forearm (F(2,55) = 5.98; p = 0.004), favouring the tensioning neural mobilization. No significant differences were found for the other variables. Conclusions: Four series of 10 repetitions of neural tensioning targeting the median nerve in asymptomatic subjects seem to be enough to induce hypoalgesia and have no negative effects on A-delta and C mediated sensory function and on hand grip strength production.publishe

    Procedures of user-centered usability assessment for digital solutions: scoping review of reviews reporting on digital solutions relevant for older adults

    Get PDF
    The assessment of usability is a complex process that involves several steps and procedures. It is important to standardize the evaluation and reporting of usability procedures across studies to guide researchers, facilitate comparisons across studies, and promote high-quality usability studies. The first step to standardizing is to have an overview of how usability study procedures are reported across the literature.publishe

    Experts evaluation of usability for digital solutions directed at older adults: a scoping review of reviews

    Get PDF
    Background: it is important to standardize the evaluation and reporting procedures across usability studies to guide researchers, facilitate comparisons, and promote high-quality studies. A first step to standardizing is to have an overview of how experts-based usability evaluation studies are reported across the literature. Objectives: to describe and synthesize the procedures of usability evaluation by experts that are being reported to conduct inspection usability assessments of digital solutions relevant for older adults. Methods: a scoping review of reviews was performed using a five-stage methodology to identify and describe relevant literature published between 2009 and 2020 as follows: i) identification of the research question; ii) identification of relevant studies; iii) select studies for review; iv) charting of data from selected literature; and v) collation, summary, and report of results. The research was conducted on five electronic databases: PubMed, ACM Digital Library, IEEE, Scopus, and Web of Science. The articles that met the inclusion criteria were identified, and data extracted for further analysis, including evaluators, current usability inspection methods, and instruments to support usability inspection methods. Results: a total of 3958 articles were identified. After a detailed screening, 12 reviews matched the eligibility criteria. Conclusion: overall, we found a variety of unstandardized procedures and a lack of detail on some important aspects of the assessment, including a thorough description of the evaluators and of the instruments used to facilitate the inspection evaluation such as heuristics checklists. These findings suggest the need for a consensus framework on the experts’ assessment of usability that informs researchers and allows standardization of procedures.in publicatio

    Applying the nominal group technique for the conceptual validation of ehealth solutions

    Get PDF
    The development of ehealth applications is a complex task, not only in technological terms, but also in the understanding of both the users' needs, expectations and contexts, and the business models. Therefore, initial conceptual validations might be essential to verify whether the proposed solutions are adequate, sustainable, and worth to be developed. The study reported by this paper applied the nominal group technique to verify the potential suitability and sustainability of a diverse set of ehealth applications to support older adults. The study identified a set of transversal advantages (i.e., promotion of active and healthy, integrated care, and healthcare equity) and barriers (i.e., contextual, personal, and development and deployment barriers. As a conclusion, the nominal group technique was adequate for the conceptual validation of the proposed ehealth solutions and provided comprehensive information about issues that must be carefully considered during the development of these solutions to assure their viability and to reduce research waste.publishe

    Neural gliding and neural tensioning differently impact flexibility, heat and pressure pain thresholds in asymptomatic subjects: a randomized, parallel and double-blind study

    Get PDF
    Objective: To compare the effect of neural gliding and tensioning on hamstring flexibility, nerve function (heat and cold thresholds) and pain sensitivity (pain intensity and pressure pain threshold) of the mobilized and non-mobilized lower limbs at post-intervention and 24 h follow up. Design: Randomized, parallel and double blinded trial. Setting/participants: Forty-eight asymptomatic participants. Intervention(s): Participants received neural gliding (n ¼ 23) or tensioning (n ¼ 25). Main Outcome Measures e Straight leg raising (SLR; in degrees), heat and cold threshold (ºC), pressure pain threshold (PPT; in Kgf) and pain intensity (visual analogue scale), taken at baseline, post- intervention and at 24 h follow up. Results: There was a significant interaction between time, intervention and limb for SLR (F2,45 ¼ 3.83; p ¼ 0.029). A significant interaction between time and intervention for PPT (F2,45 ¼ 3.59; p ¼ 0.036) and heat threshold (F2,45 ¼ 5.10; p ¼ 0.01). A significant effect of time (F2,45 ¼ 9.42; p < 0.001) and of limb (F1,46 ¼ 4.78; p ¼ 0.035) for pain intensity during SLR, and a significant effect of time (F2,45 ¼ 3.65; p ¼ 0.034) for pain intensity during PPT. Conclusion: Gliding and tensioning had similar and positive effects for flexibility in the mobilized limb, but tensioning was superior for the non-mobilized limb. Gliding was superior to tensioning for pressure pain and heat thresholds.publishe

    Reconfiguration of assembly lines using lean thinking in an electronics components' manufacturer for the automotive industry

    Get PDF
    This article discusses the reconfiguration and improvement of electronics components assembly lines through the use of Lean Thinking principles. This reconfiguration was undertaken in a project that followed the action-research methodology. There were three main distinct problems related with the outdated assembly lines. The first came from a diagnosis of the assembly line itself, where quality problems and difficulties with compliance with the takt-time were identified, as well as activities that do not added value. The second happened due to an adjustment in demand that requires a reconfiguration of the line and, the third problem, related to the integration in an existing assembly line of a new process for a product pertaining to the same family, forcing the exploitation of synergies in production of these two products. Regarding the improvement proposals, some managed to be implemented in a timely manner, others, despite not having been implemented, their impacts has been predicted. Overall, the level of scrap was reduced by 57% through the implementation of the Lean Six Sigma methodology, and the cycle time of an operation was reduced by 12,5% by eliminating non-value adding operations. Also, gains were obtained by reducing the previous occupation with the project of an assembly line segment dedicated to the new product. With this, a reduction of one employee with the integration of two workstations was achieved.I would like to thank all the company's employees who made this project possible, and for the support given. This work has been supported by FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020

    Validation of a Portuguese version of WHODAS 2.0: 12 items in people aged 55 or more

    Get PDF
    RESUMO - Para avaliar a fiabilidade e validade, em pessoas com 55 ou mais anos, o WHODAS 2.0 de 12 itens foi traduzido e adaptado ao português e foi aplicado por 2 vezes, com um intervalo de 7 dias, em 144 participantes de serviços de apoio comunitário. Os resultados obtidos indicam boa consistência interna ( = 0,86) e excelente reprodutibilidade CCI = 0,77 (IC95% = 0,69-0,83]. Os resultados desta versão do instrumento associam-se com o Índice de Barthel, com a rede de suporte social e discriminam a funcionalidade dos participantes em função da existência duma condição clínica. Esta versão é equivalente à original, é fiável e válida.ABSTRACT - To evaluate the reliability and validity in people aged 55 or more, WHODAS 2.0 - 12 items was translated and adapted into Portuguese. With an interval of seven days, 144 participants from community support services fulfilled WHODAS 2.0 twice. The results show good internal consistency ( = 0.86) and excellent reproducibility ICC = 0.77 [95% CI = 0.69- 0.83]. The results show an association between the Barthel Index and the Lubben Social Network Scale and discriminate the overall functioning of the participants according to the presence or absence of a medical condition. This version is equivalent to the original version, is reliable and valid.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
    corecore