Effect of Virtual Reality Therapy on Quality of Life and Self-Sufficiency in Post-Stroke Patients.

Background and Objectives: The consequences of stroke have a significant impact on self-sufficiency and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Virtual reality (VR)-based rehabilitation has the potential to impact these modalities, but information on timing, volume, and intensity is not yet available. The aim of this randomized controlled trial (1:1) was to evaluate the impact of conventional rehabilitation combined with VR on self-care and domains of HRQoL in patients ≤6 months post-stroke. Materials and Methods: The intervention group completed a total of 270 min of conventional VR + rehabilitation sessions. The control group underwent conventional rehabilitation only. Primary assessments with the WHO disability assessment schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2) questionnaire were conducted before rehabilitation (T0), after completion of the intervention (T1), and at the 4-week follow-up (T2); secondary outcomes included self-sufficiency and balance assessments. Results: Fifty patients completed the study (mean age 61.2 ± 9.0 years, time since stroke 114.3 ± 39.4 days). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in WHODAS 2, self-sufficiency, and balance scores (p > 0.05). Conclusions: In the experimental group, there was a statistically significant difference in WHODAS 2, assessment of self-sufficiency, and balance scores before and after therapy (p < 0.05). VR appears to be a suitable tool to supplement and modify rehabilitation in patients after stroke.

The Role of Acute Rehabilitation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Study in the Czech Republic.

In this retrospective study, we used data from the hospital information system (HIS) to evaluate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on rehabilitation care at the University Hospital of Ostrava (UHO). From March 2020 to December 2021, 5173 COVID-19 cases were hospitalized at UHO. Cases within individual groups and categories are shown in a flowchart. The average patient age was 64.9 ± 16.9 years. The mean BMI value was 30.6 ± 6.8 in the rehabilitated group, which was significantly higher compared to that among the non-rehabilitated cases 29.1 ± 6.9 (p < 0.001). Among the admitted patients, 16.6% required artificial pulmonary ventilation (APV), 1.8% extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and 11.9% high-flow oxygenation (HF). The days of rehabilitation ranged from 1-102 days. Among all rehabilitated patients, 92.0% (n = 1302) had a hospitalization duration ranging from 1-15 days and 8.0% (n = 114) longer than 15 days. Overall, rehabilitation care plays an important role in providing exercise, mobilization, and rehabilitation interventions to survivors of critical illness associated with COVID-19, enabling the early and functional return to home, and it must, therefore, be integrated into the clinical care of patients with COVID-19.

Kinematic gait analysis in children with valgus deformity of the hindfoot.

Deformities of the feet in children can influence not only optimal foot development but also the development of other body segments. The aim of the study was to compare the hip and pelvis kinematics in groups of children with and without valgus deformity of the hindfoot. Three groups of children participated in the study: bilateral hindfoot valgosity (11 children, age 5.4 ± 1.4 years), unilateral hindfoot valgosity (14 children, age 5.6 ± 1.6 years) and the control group (8 children, 4.8 ± 1.2). Hindfoot valgus angle was measured clinically during standing. Hindfoot valgosity was considered in the range of 6 to 20 degrees. Kinematic data from five trials for each child was obtained using the Vicon MX system (six infrared cameras, frequency 200 Hz, Vicon Motion Systems, Oxford, UK). The results of our study showed significantly higher pelvic anteversion during the whole gait cycle for both unilateral and bilateral hindfoot valgosity children and significantly higher hip external rotation during the first half of the stance phase in bilateral deformity. The differences in the hip and pelvis kinematics, when compared to the control group, are higher for the group with bilateral deformity than in the group with unilateral deformity.