Physiotherapy in Postinfection Injury to Cranial Nerves III, IV, and VI: A Case Study.

The patient with bacterial infection sequelae in the form of damage to cranial nerves III, IV, and VI was followed up. He had exhibited clinical and radiographic signs of paranasal sinusitis. Before his physiotherapy, the patient received standard treatment with natural and synthetic antibiotics and steroids. After acute signs of infection resolved without any functional improvement, the patient was referred to a rehabilitation unit to undergo neuromuscular re-education of the paralyzed extraocular muscles. Periorbital hydrocortisone iontophoresis and visuomotor exercises with intense ideomotor stimulation led to complete and rapid resolution of extraocular muscle paralysis and diplopia. Physiotherapy can be an effective treatment of choice after failed pharmacological treatment in patients with damage to cranial nerves III and VI. It has many theoretical advantages, including noninvasiveness and avoidance of first-pass metabolism of drugs administered systemically.

Assessment of postural stability in women with hip osteoarthritis: A case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assessment the impact of hip osteoarthritis on postural stability. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-five randomly selected women 20-85 years old (mean age of 49 ± 24.4 years) were assigned to three groups based on age, health status and activity level. Group 1 (cases) - elderly women with diagnosed hip osteoarthritis, group 2 (control) - women without hip osteoarthritis, and group 3 (control) - healthy young women. Assessment of postural stability were measured using a WIN-POD Pel 38 electronic podometer. Statistica 10 software was used to perform t-test resulting in significance level of p < 0.05. RESULTS: Significant differences in pedobarographic balance measurements were observed between the study groups with eyes opened or closed (deviation length eyes open: group 1-3 and 2-3 p < 0.0001; eyes closed group 1-2 p = 0.19; 1-3 and 2-3 p < 0.0001; deviation area eyes open: group 1-3 and 2-3 p < 0.0001; eyes closed group 1-3 and 2-3 p < 0.0001; deviation velocity eyes open: group1-3 and 2-3 p < 0.0001; eyes closed group 1-2 p < 0.010, 1-3 and 2-3 p < 0.0001). The poorest postural stability was observed in patients with hip osteoarthritis (deviation length eyes open vs eyes closed 180.8/201.7 p = 0.028, deviation area 128.7/145.7 p = 0.771, deviation velocity 5.1/6.1 p < 0.0001), and the best postural stability was observed in young women (deviation length 111.3/137.5 p < 0.0001, deviation area 57/76.9 p = 0.003, deviation velocity 3.4/4.2 p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: (1) Osteoarthritic degeneration of the hip joint results in a significant disturbance in proprioception. This finding was reflected by the inferior stability parameters collected from subjects with hip osteoarthritis when asked to stand with their eyes closed. These finding were not observed in the other groups. (2) The disorder of the body stability of people with osteoarthritis may be a relative indication for the implantation of hip arthroplasty.

The Role of Posturography in Assessing the Process of Rehabilitation in Poststroke Patients-A Case Study.

Stroke is one of the most common causes of death and disability both in Poland and around the world. Each year, 250 out of 100,000 people in Europe are diagnosed with a disruption of cerebral perfusion in the form of stroke. In Poland, approximately 65,000-70,000 people are affected each year, with the incidence steadily increasing. Stroke survivors suffer from impaired cognitive and motor functions. Moreover, they exhibit severe gait pattern abnormalities, which together with balance disorders, constitute the main factors increasing the risk of falls in this patient group. Therefore, postural stability and gait assessments in these patients should be an important part of every examination instead of being conducted only for the purposes of physical rehabilitation. Currently, the most common method of postural stability assessment both in the healthy and those affected with a disorder is posturography. The aim of the study was to evaluate selected posturographic parameters in poststroke patients before and after rehabilitation treatment.

Physical activity long-term after liver transplantation yields better quality of life.

BACKGROUND: Transplantation is the only effective method of treatment for end-stage and acute liver failure. Increased average survival time has been observed, and results from improved surgical technique and amended immunosuppression protocols. However, longer survival of patients after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) results in higher rate of various complications and ailments (eg, chronic fatigue, anxiousness, social isolation). Hence, gradual deterioration of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is likely. The goal of this study was to examine the relation between physical activity and quality of life in patients 5 years after OLT. MATERIAL/METHODS: Twenty-six randomly selected patients who survived more than 5 years after orthotopic liver transplantation were included into the study. An SF-36 questionnaire was used for assessment of quality of life. Physical activity was measured subjectively by characterizing its type, duration and frequency per week during the previous 12 months. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the results of physical activity assessment. Group A consisted of patients who had indicated they had a sedentary life style, and group B of those regularly engaging in physical exercise. RESULTS: Results of the SF-36 questionnaire in 10 categories were compared between the 2 groups. The majority of aspects of health-related quality of life (physical function, body problems, general health, social function, and emotional reaction) were significantly improved in patients who indicated they regularly engaged in physical exercise. CONCLUSIONS: Better quality of life was observed in patients who were physically active after OLT. Improving life quality with regular physical activity could be a valuable supplementation of complex management of OLT recipients.

A trial of the use of pedobarography in the assessment of the effectiveness of rehabilitation in patients with coxarthrosis.

BACKGROUND: Pedobarography is an evidence-based diagnostic method that allows quantitative, qualitative and repeatable measurement of pressures on every square centimetre of the sole area of the foot as well as centre of gravity sway, with graphic and numerical recording of results. The aim of the study was to assess the progress of a selected model of rehabilitation on the basis of subpedal pressure distribution and centre of gravity sway in pedobarographic examination as well as to evaluate changes in pain intensity in patients with a history of coxarthrosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 21 patients with Altman grade 2 coxarthrosis. A postural pedobarographic examination was performed immediately before and after a 15-day course of rehabilitation with a PEL 38 electronic pedobarograph and computer image analyser with TWINN 99 software, version 2.08. RESULTS: Following the rehabilitation, the study group displayed a statistically significant reduction in pain intensity, improved balance between the average and maximum subpedal pressures of both feet as well as a decrease in the velocity of centre of gravity sway. CONCLUSIONS: 1. A correlation between reduced pain intensity and improved balance of loads on both feet, as well as decreased velocity of centre of gravity sway were observed in the study group after the rehabilitation. 2. The pedobarographic examination may become a new method of diagnosis and follow-up in rehabilitation. 3. Pedobarography, owing to its ease of repeatability and non-invasiveness, may constitute a valuable attempt at objective monitoring of the progress of rehabilitation and its results. 4. The study results encourage further research based on a larger cohort of patients and a control group with a multi-stage prospective design.

An attempt to assess the influence of primary disease on the results of therapeutic rehabilitation in an early post-operative period in orthotopic liver transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: A retrospective analysis of the effects of early postoperative rehabilitation in patients undergoing orthotropic liver transplantation in correlation to the primary liver disease leading to transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In between 2000 and 2003 in the Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery of the Medical University of Warsaw Central Teaching Hospital, 213 orthotropic liver transplants (OLT) were performed. Full rehabilitation records were available for 136 patients. For statistical analysis, patients were divided into 5 different groups representing different causes of primary liver insufficiency. RESULTS: Achieved early rehabilitation results show that there was a strong correlation between the time at which physiotherapy was introduced and the ability to achieve a fully upright position in correlation to the primary cause of liver disease necessitating transplantation. The shown relationship is probably a direct effect of the time of disease progression before transplantation is required. The worst results were observed in group no. 4 where patients with acute and subacute liver insufficiencies were included, even though these patients had the lowest mean age. CONCLUSIONS: 1. The achieved results confirm the general compensation rule which states that the process of healing strongly depends on the time of disease development. 2. An analysis of the time, when rehabilitation was initiated and the ability of the patient to achieve a fully upright position in relation to the cause of liver insufficiency suggests that the reason for most delays is the inability to develop adequate compensational mechanisms as a result of rapid disease progression in cases of acute liver insufficiency.