Posture and gait abilities in patients with myotonic dystrophy (Steinert disease). Evaluation on the short-term of a rehabilitation program.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of a rehabilitation program in terms of balance, gait and muscle strength in a population of patients with myotonic dystrophy. PATIENTS: Twenty patients benefited, as outpatients in a hospital setting, from a rehabilitation program with clinical and instrumental evaluations. The evaluation focused on quantitative balance measurement by clinical and stabilometer tests, gait assessed by Locometre and extensors and flexors knee muscle strength measured in isokinetic concentric mode at 60°/s. RESULTS: After the rehabilitation program, we observed a significant improvement in the patients' balance capacities measured with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), fast gait speed and muscle strength. However, the instrumental evaluation did not report any gains for static balance and spontaneous gait speed after the training program. No correlation was found between the various improvements. CONCLUSION: A rehabilitation program focused on strength, gait and balance allowed for significant improvements in some parameters of myotonic dystrophy. These results attest to the relevance of a short-term rehabilitation protocol for these patients in the framework of a multidisciplinary therapeutic care. The disparity observed in the results measured for these patients suggest the contribution of cognitive involvement in the limitations felt by patients with myotonic dystrophy in the areas of gait and balance.

How far do patients with sensory ataxia benefit from so-called "proprioceptive rehabilitation"?

A rehabilitation program including foot sensory stimulation, balance and gait training with limited vision was performed in 24 patients with clinically defined sensory ataxia. There were 15 patients with bilateral somatosensory loss related to chronic neuropathy and nine patients with unilateral loss-related to multiple sclerosis. After training, balance control assessed using the Berg Balance Test improved similarly in both groups, and Romberg's sign disappeared in some patients, suggesting an improvement in dynamic balance and in the proprioceptive contribution. Conversely, balance assessed on a static force platform remained similar in the open-eyes condition and improved in the closed-eyes condition only in patients with unilateral sensory loss. These results show that ataxic patients can improve their balance with better results in dynamic conditions and that the relative contribution of proprioceptive and visual inputs may depend on the extent of somatosensory loss.

Posture and equilibrium in orthopedic and rheumatologic diseases.

Posture and balance may be affected in many spine or lower-limb disorders. An extensive evaluation including clinical tests and movement analysis techniques may be necessary to characterize how rheumatologic or orthopedic diseases are related to static or dynamic changes in postural control. In lower limbs, unbalance may be related to a decreased stability following arthrosis or ligament injuries at knee or ankle levels, while hip lesions appear less associated with such troubles. Spinal diseases at cervical level are frequently associated with postural changes and impaired balance control, related to the major role of sensory inputs during stance and gait. At lower levels, changes are noticed in major scoliosis and may be related to pain intensity in patients with chronic low-back pain. Whatever the initial lesion and the affected level, improvement in clinical or instrumental tests following rehabilitation or brace wearing provides argument for a close relationship between rheumatologic or orthopedic diseases and related impairments in posture and balance control.

Continuous passive motion compared with intermittent mobilization after total knee arthroplasty. Elaboration of French clinical practice guidelines.

OBJECTIVE: To develop clinical practice guidelines concerning the use of continuous passive motion (CPM) compared with intermittent mobilization after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHOD: We used the SOFMER (French Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Society) methodology, combining systematic literature review and collection of everyday clinical practice concerning postoperative rehabilitation techniques and external review by a multidisciplinary expert panel, to develop the guidelines. RESULTS: The literature contains no evidence of the advantages of CPM over other techniques of mobilization, although CPM could be adjuvant therapy used to accelerate short-term recovery. However, in France, CPM remains widely used after TKA, both in orthopedic surgery units and in physical medicine and rehabilitation services. CONCLUSION: Good methodological quality studies are needed to assess different CPM modalities and compare them to alternative intermittent mobilization techniques, particularly those with therapy starting from a flexed position.

Fatigue in ankylosing spondylitis.

OBJECTIVE: To review the literature on fatigue in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), the tools of its measurement, relation with the other parameters of the disease, treatment and its relation with exercises. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medline, Embase, Pascal and Cochrane library databases were searched with the keywords fatigue, spondyloarthropathy, ankylosing spondylitis, evaluation, assessment, outcome, exercise, and rehabilitation. A total of 21 papers were reviewed. RESULTS: Fatigue is a frequent complaint of patients with AS. It is assessed mainly on a visual analog scale and is one of the parameters of the disease activity index Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index BASDAI. Fatigue has a strong relation with the other symptoms of AS (stiffness and pain). It is negatively influenced by sleep disorders. Quality of life of these patients is considerably reduced. Anti-TNF therapy seem to ameliorate fatigue more than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug therapy. Regular physical activity is recommended to help alleviate the fatigue. DISCUSSION: No valid, relevant composite tool of multidimensional and multifactorial characters exists to assess fatigue in AS. Treatment such as anti-TNF therapy may facilitate rehabilitation. Regular physical activity helps alleviate fatigue and improves quality of life.

[Role of the Neurocom Balance Master in assessment of gait problems and risk of falling in elderly people]. / Rôle du Neurocom Balance Master dans l'évaluation des troubles de l'équilibre et du risque de chute chez le sujet âgé.

INTRODUCTION: Falls in elderly people is currently a health service problem because of the multiple consequences. Numerous teams have been interested in predicting the risk of falling with clinical and instrumental tests. Our study investigated instrumental evaluation by use of the Neurocom Balance Master in the global assessment of gait problems and risk of falling in elderly people. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Transverse study concerning 60 subjects older than 65 years distributed in 2 groups of 30 subjects each according to the existence or not of falling incidents during the past year. Evaluation by the Balance Master involved the following items: 1) the modified Clinical Test for the Sensory Interaction on Balance (CTSIB), which estimates balance by measuring the speed of oscillation of the center of pressure (CP) with open then closed eyes and firm then mossy ground; 2) support monopodal 5" to the left then to the right, eyes open then closed in moderated speeds of oscillation of the CP; 3) passage from standing to sitting, in moderated speeds of oscillation of the CP; 4) limits of stability: the possibilities of moving the CP towards a predetermined target without moving the feet in moderated time and speed; 5) study of the step: determine length and width of the step as well as speed; 6) most about-turn: measure of speed of oscillation of the CP during the right then left about-turn; 7) clearing: the force of the impact and the oscillations of the CP during the clearing of an obstacle 10 cm high to measure leverage. RESULTS: The oscillation speed of the CP in the 2 groups during modified CTSIB, support monopodal 5", passage from standing to sitting, about-turn and clearing were significantly improved the group of the patients with falls (P < 0.05). The step, length and speed of these patients were significantly reduced, with no difference in width of the step between the 2 groups. In the evaluation of the limits of stability, only time necessary to reach the target was significantly increased in the group with falls. Finally, the indication of leverage and the force of impact on the ground measured by the test of clearing were more important in the group of fallers than in non-fallers. CONCLUSION: The Neurocom Balance Master estimates not only postural balance, but also the vestibulary system and reproduces the physiological conditions of daily life. It has a certain role in the early assessment of gait problems and the risk of falling. This system also allows for rehabilitation of the impaired balance and offers a profit with the biofeedback.