Translation, reliability and validity of the Turkish version of Scoliosis Japanese Questionnaire-27 in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

PURPOSE: Disease-specific scales which evaluate QoL are needed to evaluate treatment outcomes, and to compare the effects of different treatments. The outcome measures evaluating quality of life in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis are limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Scoliosis Japanese Questionnaire-27 (SJ-27) in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. METHODS: The SJ-27 questionnaire was translated into Turkish and 61 female patients filled out the translated version (TRv.SJ-27) twice to measure the test-retest reliability of the scale. Internal reliability of the questionnaire was estimated using Cronbach's α coefficient. The intraclass correlation coefficient was analysed for each item. Discriminant validity and convergent validity were determined by correlations with Cobb angle, ATR and the SRS-22r scale. RESULTS: The mean Cobb angle was 25.8° and the ATR angle was 8.8°. Cronbach's α value was estimated as 0.935. The test-retest correlation coefficient for the item-total score was 0.877 (p = 0.000). Validity analysis showed a significantly positive correlation between the TRv.SJ-27 total score and Cobb and ATR angles, and a significantly negative relationship was found between the TRv.SJ-27 and SRS-22r scores. CONCLUSIONS: It would be useful to use different outcome measures to assess the scoliosis-specific quality of life in clinical practice and research. The findings suggest that the Turkish version of Scoliosis Japanese Questionnaire-27 is a valid and reliable measure to assess Turkish patients with AIS.

The effects of Mulligan's mobilization with movement technique in patients with lateral epicondylitis.

BACKGROUND: Lateral epicondylitis (LE) is a common problem of the arm. Mulligan has proposed the use of mobilization with movement for LE. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of Mulligan's mobilization with movement (MWM) in LE. METHODS: Forty patients were included in the study and randomly assigned to group 1 (n= 20), who received MWM, exercise and cold therapy, or group 2 (n= 20), who received exercise and cold therapy. The sessions were conducted five times a week for two weeks. All measures were conducted at baseline, after treatment, at 1st and 3rd months follow-ups. Mann-Whitney U test, a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain intensity, Patient-rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) Questionnaire for pain intensity and functional disability and a dynamometer for hand grip strength were applied. RESULTS: VAS activity pain significantly decreased in group 1 after treatment (p= 0.001), at the 1st (p< 0.001) and 3rd months (p= 0.040). There was a significant decrease in VAS night pain in group 1 (p= 0.024), and a significant increase in pain-free grip strength (p= 0.002) after treatment. PRTEE-Pain scores decreased in group 1 after treatment (p< 0.001), 1st (p< 0.001) and 3rd months (p= 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: MWM plus exercise and cold therapy is a safe and effective alternative with positive effects on elbow pain, functional capacity, and pain-free, maximum grip strength.

Low back pain during pregnancy and Kinesio tape application.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Low back pain is a common problem during pregnancy. Although the pain usually occurs in the third trimester, it might be seen in the first trimester, too. There are various types of applications for the treatment of low back pain during pregnancy. However, there is a lack of evidence for the effectiveness of each method. If there is not an obvious deficit, bed rest, exercise, conventional physiotherapy, using protective principles for the lumbar area are recommended, since the main and the only complaint is low back pain. It is aimed in the current review to investigate the use of Kinesio tape in the low back pain seen during pregnancy and to review the literature related to this subject. CONCLUSION: There are only a few studies investigating the effect of Kinesio tape during pregnancy in the literature and they mostly did not aim to study the low back pain, further evidence and studies are needed to investigate the use of Kinesio tape for the low back pain seen during pregnancy as there is not evidence strong enough. Kinesiotape application aims to increase circulation and mobility, and regarding these gains decreased pain and increased performance are expected.

Health related quality of life and perception of deformity in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

BACKGROUND: Quality of life and cosmethic appearance have gained importance as outcomes in AIS treatment. Improving aesthetic appearance and quality of life are defined as the primary aims of scoliosis treatment by health professionals. Studies that assess and compare the different treatment results in the field of quality of life and cosmethics are some what limited. OBJECTIVE: A cross-sectional study was designed to compare quality of life and deformity perception in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) received conservative (exercise or exercise + brace) or surgical treatment. METHODS: A total of 68 (58 females) patients aged 10-18 years with AIS received conservative (exercise or exercise+brace) or surgical treatment were invited to participate in the study. Quality of life (Scoliosis Research Society-23 (SRS-23)) and perception of deformity (Walter Reed Visual Assessment (WRVAS)) were assessed. RESULTS: Conservatively treated patients had significantly superior scores in function domain of SRS-23 than surgically treated patients (exercise/surgery, exercise+brace/surgery; p= 0.009, 0.004). Otherwise, surgically treated patients had significantly superior scores in self-image (p= 0.000, 0.000), and satisfaction with management (p= 0.001, 0.006) domains of SRS-23, and WRVAS (p= 0.000, 0.000) than conservative groups. CONCLUSION: In addition to radiographic assessments, quality of life, aesthetic perception, functionality, satisfaction with management, psycho-social status should carefully be taken into consideration by health professionals in the teratment of AIS.

Turkish Version Study of "Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire" (PDQL).

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate Turkish transcultural adaptation, reliability, and validity of "Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire" (PDQL), which has been developed to assess the quality of life of patients with Parkinson's disease. METHODS: Eighty-nine patients who were included in the study were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. They were presented to the outpatient clinic of the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department between July 2005 and April 2008. The Turkish translated version of PDQL (PDQL-TR), "Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale" (UPDRS), and Hoehn & Yahr (HY) were used as the main outcome measures. RESULTS: The calculated Pearson correlation coefficient for PDQL, H&Y, and UPDRS ranged between -0.36 and -0.80. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the PDQL-TR complete questionnaire and subdomains were higher than 0.80. The absolute value of item-total score correlation coefficients by Pearson fluctuated between 0.40 (question 4-total score) and 0.88 (question 26-total score), whereas the subdomain-total score correlation coefficients ranged between 0.81 and 0.96. PDQL-TR showed high stability according to the ICC results, ranging between 0.75 (Emotional Function) and 0.88 (Parkinsonian Symptoms). CONCLUSION: The psychometric features of PDQL-TR are satisfactory, and our results are consistent with the previous literature findings. PDQL-TR is a valid and reliable tool to measure health-related quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Validity of the Turkish version of the Kujala patellofemoral score in patellofemoral pain syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: Patellofemoral pain syndrome is one of the most common knee problems, with major effects on quality of life and function. The Kujala patellofemoral score is a functional evaluation instrument to evaluate knee problems related to the patellofemoral system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of the Turkish version of the Kujala patellofemoral score in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome. METHODS: After obtaining permission from Kujala et al., the Kujala patellofemoral score was translated into Turkish. The translated version was administered to 40 patients (32 women, 8 men; mean age 33+/-12 years; range 17 to 54 years) twice at a two-week interval to test internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the scale. All the patients had patellofemoral pain syndrome and did not receive any treatment before administration of the scale. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to assess internal consistency and Spearman's correlation analysis was used to assess test-retest reliability. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha calculated for internal consistency of the Kujala patellofemoral score was 0.84. Correlation coefficients of the items to estimate test-retest reliability ranged from 0.613 (p=0.004) to 1.000 (p=0.000), with the mean correlation coefficient of 0.944 (p=0.000). CONCLUSION: There has been no functional assessment scale validated for Turkish patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome. Internal consistency of the Turkish version of the Kujala patellofemoral score showed good reliability and test-retest results showed high reliability, suggesting that it is an appropriate functional instrument for Turkish patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome.