Allodynia in cervical polyradiculopathy due to low-voltage electrical burn injury: A case report

@#Neuropathic pain has been described following an electrical injury, whether as an immediate response or a late-onset sequela. There is much information on high-voltage injuries in literature due to its dramatic presentation, but limited studies on low-voltage injuries. However, low-voltage injuries can be as diverse and may have symptoms varying from minimal cutaneous involvement to full-thickness injury. Significant injuries may result from multiple factors, including prolonged duration of exposure and a higher amount of current transmitted. We illustrate an atypical presentation of a low-voltage injury in a 17-year-old female. The patient had a low voltage electrical injury with no cutaneous burn noted on the affected extremity. She initially presented with allodynia, which seemed disproportionate to the clinical findings expected in a low-voltage injury. The patient underwent an electrodiagnostic study, which showed cervical polyradiculopathy (C5, C6, C7 polyradiculopathy) and neuromusculoskeletal ultrasonology, which showed enlarged right C5 nerve root. Medical management, daily physical and occupational therapies, and psychological management, were instituted, which resulted in significant improvement of the patient’s pain level and functional status. We describe the importance of the multimodal approach (medical and rehabilitation) in managing this atypical case.

Development of the fellowship program in musculoskeletal rehabilitation medicine at Philippine General Hospital in the University of the Philippines Manila

@#Musculoskeletal conditions are among the leading causes of consultations in Rehabilitation Medicine. A fellowship program in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Medicine was proposed to enrich physiatrists’ knowledge and skills in evaluating and managing musculoskeletal conditions. In this paper, we shared the process of developing the curriculum of the fellowship program, which was proposed to and eventually approved by the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila. A core group of consultants, considered as experienced clinicians and educators in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Medicine in the study institution, designed the program from the scope of training to learning competencies, outcomes, and assessment methods. To our knowledge, developing the fellowship program in this constantly evolving area in Rehabilitation Medicine is the first of its kind in the Philippines and a milestone in the history of postgraduate education in the longest-running training program for aspiring physiatrists.

Functional outcomes among geriatric fragility hip fracture patients in a developing country: A comparative study between complete and incomplete post-operative rehabilitation

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objective.</strong> The study compared functional outcomes among post-operative geriatric fragility hip fracture patients who received complete and incomplete rehabilitation.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods.</strong> This is an ambispective cohort study of 50 acute fragility hip fractures over a 40-month period (October 2017 to November 2020) treated with either arthroplasty or internal fixation under the UP-PGH Orthogeriatric Fracture Liaison Service (FLS). Patients were contacted and interviewed through Telemedicine. They were asked to answer two questionnaires - the Modified Harris Hip Score (MHHS) and the EuroQol-5D-5L (EQ-5D-5L). The scores were tallied and used to describe and compare the post-operative functional outcomes between the two rehabilitation pathways.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Results.</strong> Among the 50 patients included in this study, twenty-three (46%) patients underwent complete rehabilitation, while 27 (54%) underwent incomplete rehabilitation. The average corrected MHHS was at 82.5 suggesting good outcomes among all patients, with a higher-than-average outcome of 83.6 among patients who underwent complete rehabilitation, and an outcome of 75.9 among patients who underwent incomplete rehabilitation. Results to the EQ-5D--5L survey showed that a majority of patients who underwent complete rehabilitation reported having 'no problems' in terms of self-care, and anxiety or depression. However, the same group had more patients reporting 'any problems' in terms of mobility. On the other hand, a bigger proportion of patients from the incomplete rehabilitation group presented with 'any problems' in terms of usual activities. Proportions were similar for both groups in terms of pain or discomfort, with neither group having patients who reported extreme pain or discomfort.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusion.</strong> In spite of the heterogenous nature of the hip fracture population, functional outcome measures show generally good outcomes of patients under the UP-PGH Orthogeriatric FLS, with no significant difference among patients who receive complete rehabilitation from those who undergo incomplete rehabilitation. Continuing this study may better describe and differentiate the functional outcomes in order to pave the way for evidence-based protocols dedicated to providing the highest quality of care for acute fragility fracture patients.</p>