Effects of work demands on physical therapists in the KSA

Objectives: Job stress has been associated with poor outcomes. Physical therapists have reported high levels of job stress and musculoskeletal disorders as a result of the nature of their profession. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of physical and psychological stress on physical therapists working in the KSA

Methods: A validated questionnaire was distributed to 850 physical therapists for the assessment of physical and psychological work demands that could possibly lead to musculoskeletal disorders. The data were statistically analysed using the SPSS statistical package

Results: A response rate of 64.7% [54.0% males and 46.0% females] was recorded. The clinical experience of the majority of participants was 12.5 +/- 6.5 years. The mean values of physical and psychological work demands were 37.8 +/- 8.1 and 18.6 +/- 5.1, respectively. There were significant correlations between physical demands, work setting, BMI and gender [p < 0.05]. The mean values for decision authority, skill discretion, co-worker support and supervisor support were 36.01 +/- 3.6, 21.2 +/- 2.3, 24.3 +/- 2.5, and 24.6 +/- 2.0, respectively

Conclusions: Physical therapists have moderate physical and psychological work demands and moderate to high levels of job control. They think that their work situations are very positive and they may require exerting maximal levels of control to perform their jobs properly and adequately. Therefore health organizations should save the different strategies, facilities and ergonomic measures for physical therapists to avoid or minimize excessive stresses and work demands

impact of adding weight-bearing exercise versus nonweight bearing programs to the medical treatment of elderly patients with osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem affecting the elderly population, particularly women. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of adding weight-bearing exercise as opposed to nonweight-bearing programs to the medical treatment of bone mineral density [BMD] and health-related quality of life [HRQoL] of elderly patients with osteoporosis. Participating in the study were 40 elderly osteoporotic patients [27 females and 13 males], with ages ranging from 60 to 67 years, who were receiving medical treatment for osteoporosis. They were assigned randomly into two groups: Group-I: Twenty patients practiced weight-bearing exercises. Group-II: Twenty patients did nonweight-bearing exercises. All patients trained for 45-60 min/session, two sessions/week for 6 months. BMD of the lumbar spine, right neck of femur, and right distal radial head of all patients were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry before and after both treatment programs. In addition, the QoL was measured by means of the HRQoL "ECOS-16" questionnaire. T-tests proved that mean values of BMD of the lumbar spine, right neck of femur and right distal radial head were significantly increased in both groups with greater improvement in the weight-bearing group. The QoL was significantly improved in both groups, but the difference between them was not significant. Addition of weight-bearing exercise program to medical treatment increases BMD more than nonweight-bearing exercise in elderly subjects with osteoporosis. Furthermore, both weight-bearing and nonweight-bearing exercise programs significantly improved the QoL of patients with osteoporosis

Postural changes in elderly hemiplegic patients and age matched normal subjects

The purpose of this study was to assess the age-related postural changes in elderly hemiplegic patients and age matched normal subjects. One hundred and twenty subjects were randomly selected for this study. Group-I included 60 elderly stroke hemiplegic patients [39 males and 21 females], with the mean age of 63.7 +/- 3.4 years. Group-II included 60 age matched elderly normal subjects [44 males and 16 females], with the mean age of 64.6 +/- 3.2 years. Hanon Formeteric System was used for assessing the postural changes in stroke hemiplegic patients and elderly normal subjects. The trunk inclination, trunk imbalance, lateral deviation, pelvic tilting, and pelvic inclination were measured in both groups. Evaluation of the spine was done for both groups when standing in their usual relaxed posture. The statistical analysis using independent t-test revealed that there were significant differences in the assessment of the postural changes in the elderly hemiplegic patients in comparison with elderly normal subjects. Hypokinesia or decreased activity can be a functional cause of loss of flexibility. Older individuals who remain sitting or immobile for long periods of time may develop tightness in those muscles that are shortened in that particular position and may form collagenous adhesions. Loss of flexibility in the aging adult with disability may be even more dramatic. The aging process is associated with significant postural changes. These postural changes are aggravated in the elderly hemiplegic patients with significant increases in trunk inclination, trunk imbalance, lateral deviation, and pelvic tilting