Effect of participating in fitness classes on postural stability of young women

Study aim: the aim of the study was to compare the postural stability and ability to control balance in active women who attend fitness classes versus inactive women

Three-dimensional analysis of gait in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

The paper aimed to assess the gait pattern in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) treated at the rehabilitation center and to assess changes in this pattern after the end of treatment and 9 months later. Methods: 50 children with JIA were enrolled into the study. 35 healthy volunteers were enrolled into the study for a comparison. Spatiotemporal and kinematic gait parameters were obtained using a movement analysis system. The Gait Deviation Index (GDI) was calculated. The assessment was performed three times: on the day of admission to the rehabilitation center, after the end of a 4-week treatment period and 9 months later. Results: With regard to the majority of spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters, differences in their distribution were highly statistically significant between the study group and the control group ( p < 0.001). In two subsequent tests, differences were less significant when compared to the control group ( p < 0.01). In the study group, ranges of motion in the sagittal plane in the hip ( p < 0.01), knee ( p < 0.001) and ankle joints ( p < 0.01) increased significantly between tests 1 and 2, and 1 and 3. A significantly lower value of GDI was observed in the study group (right limb; p = 0.036). Conclusions: The gait pattern of children with JIA is significantly different from the one observed in healthy children. A rehabilitation program significantly improved gait in children with JIA, but differences compared to healthy children were still observed, and it indicates that the abnormal gait pattern became permanent in this group of subjects

Functional assessment of patients before and 6 months after total knee replacement

Wstęp. Endoprotezoplastyka jest obecnie najbardziej rozpowszechnioną metodą leczenia zaawansowanych zmian zwyrodnieniowych stawów, w tym stawu kolanowego. Jej głównym celem jest przywrócenie funkcjonalnej niezależności pacjentów w czynnościach dnia codziennego poprzez zmniejszenie natężenia bólu i niepełnosprawności. Cel pracy. Ocena funkcjonalna pacjentów po całkowitej endoprotezoplastyce stawu kolanowego z uwzględnieniem płci, wieku, BMI oraz czasu trwania choroby. Materiał i metoda. W badaniu udział wzięło 70 pacjentów (59 kobiet, 11 mężczyzn), którzy zostali zakwalifikowani do zabiegu całkowitej endoprotezoplastyki stawu kolanowego w wyniku pierwotnych zmian zwyrodnieniowych. Średni wiek pacjentów w badanej grupie wynosił 66,5 roku. Do oceny funkcjonalnej pacjentów posłużono się skalą VAS, skalą Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, Global Rating Scale, testem Up&Go, testem Five Time Sit to Stand oraz 10-metrowym testem chodu. Dodatkowo wykonano pomiary zakresów ruchu stawu kolanowego w kończynie operowanej i nieoperowanej. Badanie wykonano dwukrotnie; badanie I - tydzień przed zabiegiem operacyjnym i badanie II - 6 miesięcy po nim. Do prezentacji uzyskanych wyników badań posłużono się wartościami średniej, mediany, odchylenia standardowego oraz współczynnikiem korelacji rang Spearmana. W celu analizy statystycznej wykorzystano testy nieparametryczne Wilcoxona i Manna-Whitneya. Poziom istotności statystycznej został określony jako p < 0,05. Wyniki. W okresie 6 miesięcy po zabiegu endoprotezoplastyki stwierdzono poprawę we wszystkich testach i skalach oceny.Introduction. Endoprosthetics is currently most common method of the treatment of advanced osteoarthritis, including knee joint osteoarthritis. Its main goal is to restore patients functional independence in activities of daily living through reducing pain and disability. Objective. The aim of this study was functional assessment of the patients after total knee replacement (TKR) considering subjects age and gender, BMI and mean duration of the disease. Material and methods. 70 patients (59 females and 11 males), qualified for total knee replacement surgery due to the primary knee osteoarthritis (KO), participated in this study. Mean age of the patients in the study group was 66,5 years. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Global Rating Scale, Up&Go Test, Five Time Sit to Stand Test and 10-meters walking test were used for the functional assessment of the patients. Additionally, the measurement of the range of motion of the operated and non-operated knee joint were performed. The study was performed twice; the first study was conducted one week before the surgery and the second study-six months after. For the purpose of the presentation of the results of this study mean value, median, standard deviation and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient were used. Non-parametric Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney test were used for the statistical analysis. The level of statistical significance was assumed at α < 0.05. Results. Within six months after total knee replacement surgery (TKR) statistically significant improvement of the results of all functional tests and scales used in this study were observed