Journal of Rehabilitation Sciences and Research
Volume:8 Issue: 1, Mar 2021

Mental exercise uses the same neuronal pathways involved in physical exercise to modify the pattern and function without the stress caused by physical exercise. This study investigated the effects of the three methods of kinesthetic imagery, active, and combined exercise (imagery and active) on the pattern of hip hyperextension and the strength of selected muscle of lumbo-pelvic in women with lumbar hyperlordosis.

In this semi-experimental study, 36 women with lumbar hyperlordosis (age: 34.47±3.79, height: 160.48±12.63, weight: 64.46±18.26) were sorted into three groups. The groups practiced three sessions per week for six weeks. The degree of lumbar lordosis using flexible ruler, electromyographic activity of the lumbo-pelvic muscles during hip hyperextension in the prone position using surface electromyogram, the strength of the gluteus maximus during hip hyperextention using dynamometer, the strength of abdominal muscles during lowering two legs test using goniometer, flexibility of hip flexor muscles during the Thomas test using goniometer, and flexibility of erector spine muscles during the Schober test using a meter were measured before and after the intervention. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used for normality of data, and the repeated measures variance test was used for the statistical analysis of data at a significance level of 0.05.

The results showed a significant difference between the three methods of kinesthetic imagery, active and combined (p-value = 0.001). There was a significant difference between the method of imagery exercise and the methods of active and combined exercise, but no significant difference was observed between the methods of active and combined exercise.

Imagery exercises were effective in modifying the electromyographic activity of some lumbo-pelvic muscles (gluteus maximus and rectus femoris muscles); however, they did not have a significant effect on the strength, flexibility, or degree of lumbar lordosis. Combined exercise was as effective as active exercise in modifying the electromyographic activity of the lumbo-pelvic muscles, the strength of the abdominal and gluteus maximus muscles, and the flexibility of erector spine and hip flexor muscles.

To compare the effect of Six-Minute Treadmill Walk Test (6MTWT) and Six-Minute Treadmill Walk-Talk Test (6MTWTT) on cardiopulmonary parameters.
A total of 35 Nigerian undergraduate students with stable cardiopulmonary parameters at baseline were recruited into this pre-test – post-test experimental study using convenient sampling. The participants performed a 6MTWT and 6MTWTT (after two hours interval between tests) on a powered treadmill using standard protocol. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP), heart rate (HR), rate pressure product (RPP), metabolic equivalents (METs), saturated partial pressure of oxygen (SPO2) and the rate of perceived exertion (RPE)were measured.  
The results showed that both the 6MTWT and 6MTWTT lead to significant increases in the values of SBP, HR, METs, RPE and RPP (p<0.05), except for DBP where the change was not significant (p>0.05). Comparatively,  post walk tests results revealed there was significantly higher RPE and SPO2 scores with 6MTWT compared to 6MTWTT (p<0.05), while other parameters were comparable (p<0.05). Furthermore, SBP, PR and RPP of both tests correlated moderately with each other (p<0.05).
6MTWT and 6MTWTT, similarly evoke cardiopulmonary changes among apparently healthy young individuals. However, 6MTWTT led to less oxygen consumption and myocardial oxygen demand compared with 6MTWT. This finding may be potentially beneficial for future cardiopulmonary exercise testing using 6MWT.

Background : 

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of increasing cognitive load of rhythmic games on theory of mind in children with developmental coordination disorder.

This is a quasi-experimental research. Participants in this study were 25 children (9 boys and 16 girls) aged 8 to 10 years old who were screened based on Parental Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCD- Q07) and confirmed for their impairment using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) Test. All participants underwent Raven's test in the same condition and students with normal intelligence entered the study. Participants were matched in two groups of experimental (n = 13) and control (n = 12). The experimental group performed rhythmic games with cognitive load for 8 weeks and 2 sessions of 45 minutes per week, but the control group received only rhythmic games intervention. Participants were assessed before and after the intervention by Steerneman theory of mind test. Statistical analysis was performed using univariate and multivariate covariance tests.

The results indicated that rhythmic games with cognitive load developed the theory of mind in children with developmental coordination disorder (P=0.01).

Since cognitive load rhythmic games have a positive effect on the theory of mind in children with developmental coordination disorder, it is recommended that these exercises be included in the daily activities of these children.

The effect of kinesiophobia (fear of movement) following an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) has recently received great attention. However, the relationship between kinesiophobia and peak vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) in ACL reconstructed (ACLR) and deficient (ACLD) individuals has not been investigated.
Forty male patients (20 ACLR and 20 ACLD), 24 months post-ACL injury, who had completed post-injury/operative rehabilitation, participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants completed a drop vertical landing task on force plate while the VGRF was recorded. Participants also completed the TSK-11 (kinesiophobia) questionnaire.
Associations between peak VGRF and the TSK scale were made with Pearson correlation coefficients; significant relationships were defined as p≤0.05. The average peak VGRF was 2.67 ± 0.28 and 2.68 ± 0.17 (mean±SD) %bodyweight and the TSK value was 33.45 ± 4.6 and 31.60 ± 3.40 (mean±SD) for ACLD and ACLR groups, respectively. There was a significant negative association between poorer responses on the TSK scale and peak VGRF in the ACLD group (r=-0.58, p=0.007) but not in the ACLR group (r=-0.31, p=0.17).
This study found greater kinesiophobia to be associated with a lower peak VGRF in the ACLD group during the landing task. It seems that ACLD individuals unload their injured limb because of fear of movement. These results suggest that in ACLD individuals with high kinesiophobia, cognitive training should be incorporated into their rehabilitation program to improve landing mechanics. Future studies are needed to assess whether these relationships play a role in developing osteoarthritis over time

  Sensory processing is an important factor in development and affects the function of the senses in daily living activities. Hearing impairment may lead to some difficulties in sensory processing in children with hearing impairment.

  In this cross-sectional study, the sensory processing of children with hearing impairment and that of their normal hearing peers who were between 3 to 6 years old were compared.

The study population consisted of 60 normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children with hearing aids in Shiraz who were between 3 and 6 years of age. Dunn’s Short Sensory Profile was utilized in both groups. The results were statistically analyzed by SPSS 21, and a p-level of < 0.05 was considered significant.

Independent t-test results showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups in total sensory processing (p-value = 0.097), touch sensitivity (p-value = 0.043), olfactory and taste sensitivity (p-value = 0.259), movement sensitivity (p-value = 0.079), sensory seeking (p-value = 0.229), hearing processing (p-value = 0.390), low energy and weakness (p-value = 0.916), or hearing and vision sensitivity (p-value = 0.429). The total mean score was 15.28 ± 4.8 for children with hearing aids and 15.28 ± 4.6 for normal-hearing children.

The results of this study showed that the impact of hearing impairment on sensory processing is unperceivable and needs to be addressed through more research However, it does seem that hearing impairment may affect one area of sensory processing.

Functional performance plays an important role in the independence and participation of people with severe psychiatric disorders. The Bay Area Functional Performance Evaluation-Task-Oriented Assessment (BaFPE-TOA) is a tool that evaluates functional performance. The present study aimed to assess the convergent validity and inter-rater reliability of the BaFPE-TOA tool using the classic test theory.

In this psychometric study, the population comprised people with severe psychiatric disorders. Participants were selected according to the inclusion criteria and convenience sampling. Consent to participate in the study was given by all participants. To examine the convergent validity, two tests, the BaFPE-TOA test and Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills (KELS) test, were performed for 55 patients. To assess the inter-rater reliability, two examiners (occupational therapists) performed the BaFPE-TOA test for 26 patients simultaneously. Then, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to examine convergent validity, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was used to assess inter-rater reliability.

Participants in this study comprised 44 men (81.8%) and 10 women (18.2%). The age of participants ranged from 22 to 69 years with a mean of 41.5 years (SD = 10.5). The Pearson correlation coefficient between the BaFPE-TOA and the KELS was good (r=0.74, p-value <.001). The Intraclass correlation coefficient and Pearson correlation coefficient between the two examiners showed a good relation (r= 0.75, p-value <0.001).

The results showed that the Persian version of the BaFPE-TOA has acceptable convergent validity with KELS and inter-rater reliability that represents the suitability of this tool for use in the healthcare environment.

This study has been conducted aimed to investigate effects of rhythmic exercise variability on auditory memory and visual attention of adolescents with diplegia cerebral palsy.
This study was a quasi-experimental intervention with an applied purpose, as a single-subject study with multiple baselines design across different subjects during a 1-month follow-up period. Three exceptional 14- to 16-year-old students of Taha Physical Motor Complex in Isfahan were purposefully selected according to the inclusion criteria. The research tools included Wechsler auditory memory and Toulouse-Pieron visual attention tests. The participants were trained in 16 sessions of 30 min of researcher-made rhythmic exercises in such a way that along with changes in rhythm speed, the speed of the exercises also changed. For data analysis, describing the scores of research variables before and after the intervention, increase in scores, Cohen variability, effect size and linear diagram of scores were used.
Evaluations showed that rhythmic exercise had a positive effect on improving auditory memory of all three subjects. Also, visual attention of the first subject had a large increase, visual attention of the second subject had a moderate to high increase, and visual attention of the third subject had a moderate increase.
According to the results of the present study, it can be concluded that variable rhythmic exercise can be used to improve auditory memory and visual attention in adolescents with cerebral palsy.

In this study, an active orthosis has been designed to rehabilitate patients with weak wrist flexor and extensor muscles.

First, the mechanical design of the actuating mechanism with a linear servo motor to provide the desired wrist rotation, is performed in SolidWorks software. Also, to determine the force created by the actuator during flexion and extension of the wrist, the movement of the mechanism is simulated in Visual Nastran software. After molding the patient's wrist, the main body of the orthosis is made by forming the thermoplastic sheets on the mold, and the components of the mechanical part of the mechanism are installed on it.  Then, the hardware part of the electronic circuits to drive the motor and to communicate between the control modules and the actuator is designed. For the programming of microcontrollers and synchronizing of deriver to the joystick, Bascom AVR software is used. The simulation of electrical circuit is performed in Proteus software and the printed board circuit is made in Altium Designer software.

The results of applying this orthosis on the wrist of a healthy subject indicate its proper performance in creating an acceptable angle range for the wrist extension and flexion.

The use of the designed active wrist orthosis can improve the rehabilitation process of the patients with weakness in their wrist muscles.