Task-oriented exercises and early full weight-bearing contribute to improving disability after total hip replacement: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of an in-hospital programme based on task-oriented exercises associated with early full weight-bearing in patients with multiple comorbidities undergoing total hip replacement. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Specialised rehabilitation centre. SUBJECTS: A total of 100 patients (mean age of 69 (8) years; 40 males, 60 females). INTERVENTIONS: The experimental group underwent task-oriented exercises and was encouraged to abandon any walking aids by the end of their in-hospital stay. The control group underwent open chain kinetic exercises, and was recommended to use partial weight-bearing and walking aids until three months after surgery. Both groups individually followed programmes of 90-minute sessions five times a week for three weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES: Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, Pain Numerical Rating Scale, Functional Independence Measure, and Short-Form Health Survey. The participants were evaluated before, after training, and after a further 12 months. RESULTS: There were no significant between-group differences at baseline. After training, a between-group difference of 12 points was found for the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index - functional subscale, indicating a clinically tangible treatment effect on disability. The Functional Independence Measure increased by 31 and 15 points in the experimental and control group, respectively. A linear mixed model revealed significant effects of time, group, and time by group interaction on disability, pain, activities of daily living, and most of the physical quality of life domains. CONCLUSION: Task-oriented exercises associated with early full weight-bearing improve disability, pain, activities of daily living, and quality of life after total hip replacement.

Efficiency in stroke management from acute care to rehabilitation: bedside versus telemedicine consultation.

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine has changed over the last years, becoming an integrated service used in various clinical settings such as stroke units or radiological departments, but also as an important tool for home rehabilitation. Assessment of usefulness and efficiency of performing teleconsultations to manage stroke from acute care hospital to tertiary care rehabilitation hospital has not been referred by scientific literature. AIM: This article analyzes the process of discharging stroke patients from acute care to intensive rehabilitation, based on the comparison between conventional bedside patient evaluations and teleconsultation patient evaluations, to assess efficiency and efficacy of two different discharging workflows. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Consultations were carried out between the Acute Care Stroke Unit and the Stroke Rehabilitation Unit of Valduce Hospital System. POPULATION: The study included 257 stroke patients who underwent physiatric consultation during 2 years considered in this study and 101 patients were considered eligible for intensive rehabilitation treatment after a physiatric consultation. METHODS: We compared the efficiency and efficacy of the dismission workflow of bedside medical consultation and teleconsultation over a 12 months period. We considered the following outcome measures: time elapsed between consultation and Rehabilitation Unit admission, number of re-admissions to acute care hospital, complications occurred during rehabilitation, length of stay in the rehabilitation hospital and clinical outcomes of rehabilitation process. RESULTS: We observed a significant reduction in waiting time from the acute event to the admission in rehabilitation department, an improvement in efficiency of the admission process itself in the Rehabilitation Unit and a reduction of clinical complications occurred during rehabilitation period, without changes in rehabilitative outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: It has been highlighted that the use of telemedicine to perform medical consultation as a tool to evaluate patients eligible for tertiary care rehabilitation hospital admission from Stroke Care Unit is feasible and more efficient when compared with conventional bedside consultations. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: This study reveals teleconsultations as a useful tool to improve efficiency of the stroke management workflow.

Wearable robotic exoskeleton for overground gait training in sub-acute and chronic hemiparetic stroke patients: preliminary results.

BACKGROUND: Recovery of therapeutic or functional ambulatory capacity in post-stroke patients is a primary goal of rehabilitation. Wearable powered exoskeletons allow patients with gait dysfunctions to perform over-ground gait training, even immediately after the acute event. AIM: To investigate the feasibility and the clinical effects of an over-ground walking training with a wearable powered exoskeleton in sub-acute and chronic stroke patients. DESIGN: Prospective, pilot pre-post, open label, non-randomized experimental study. SETTING: A single neurological rehabilitation center for inpatients and outpatients. POPULATION: Twenty-three post-stroke patients were enrolled: 12 sub-acute (mean age: 43.8±13.3 years, 5 male and 7 female, 7 right hemiparesis and 5 left hemiparesis) and 11 chronic (mean age: 55.5±15.9 years, 7 male and 4 female, 4 right hemiparesis and 7 left hemiparesis) patients. METHODS: Patients underwent 12 sessions (60 min/session, 3 times/week) of walking rehabilitation training using Ekso™, a wearable bionic suit that enables individuals with lower extremity disabilities and minimal forearm strength to stand up, sit down and walk over a flat hard surface with a full weight-bearing reciprocal gait. Clinical evaluations were performed at the beginning of the training period (t0), after 6 sessions (t1) and after 12 sessions (t2) and were based on the Ashworth scale, Motricity Index, Trunk Control Test, Functional Ambulation Scale, 10-Meter Walking Test, 6-Minute Walking Test, and Walking Handicap Scale. Wilcoxon's test (P<0.05) was used to detect significant changes. RESULTS: Statistically significant improvements were observed at the three assessment periods for both groups in Motricity Index, Functional Ambulation Scale, 10-meter walking test, and 6-minute walking test. Sub-acute patients achieved statistically significant improvement in Trunk Control Test and Walking Handicap Scale at t0-t2. Sub-acute and chronic patient did not achieve significant improvement in Ashworth scale at t0-t2. CONCLUSIONS: Twelve sessions of over-ground gait training using a powered wearable robotic exoskeleton improved ambulatory functions in sub-acute and chronic post-stroke patients. Large, randomized multicenter studies are needed to confirm these preliminary data. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: To plan a completely new individual tailored robotic rehabilitation strategy after stroke, including task-oriented over-ground gait training.