A Comparison of Objective Physical Activity, Muscle Strength, and Depression among Community-dwelling Older Women Living in Sloped Versus Non-sloped Environments.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between the living location and outcomes of physical activity level and physical and psychological functioning in older women. The specific aim was to understand the association between living in a sloped versus non-sloped environment and these outcomes. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 108 older women aged 65 years or older who resided in Nagasaki prefecture participated. MEASUREMENTS: Physical activity, lung function, muscle strength (hand grip and quadriceps force) and depressive symptoms were assessed objectively. RESULTS: In logistic regression, activity counts per day (OR 0.779, 95%CI 0.715-0.841, p<0.01), activity times per day (OR 0.821, 95%CI 0.801-0.913, p<0.01), hand grip force (OR 0.666, 95%CI 0.558-0.796, p<0.001), and depressed (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale score ≥16) (OR 1.093, 95%CI 1.019-1.427, p<0.05) showed statistically significant inverse associations with living in a sloped ground. CONCLUSIONS: Since dwelling on sloped ground was associated with negative (lower physical activity levels, lower grip strength, and more depression) outcomes, a comprehensive geriatric assessment, related to all aspects of older women, is recommended. Planning of home exercise programs for the elderly should take such environmental factors into consideration.

The effect of postoperative ataralgesia by manual therapy after pulmonary resection.

Muscle therapy, a form of manual therapy, was applied to control pain persisting for more than 1 week following posterolateral thoracotomy, and its efficacy for the alleviation of pain was investigated. Eight patients who underwent posterolateral thoracotomy and lung resection for cancer (n=7) or emphysema (n=1) received manual therapy to incised muscles and the muscles inserting into the ribs in the affected area for an average of 17 days postoperatively. Pressure-friction and stretching techniques were used. Treatment was continued until the intensity of the pressure-friction technique reached a level at which the patient complained of pain and a decrease in muscle tone was detected. Treatment was performed once a week for 3 weeks. Pain severity was measured using a visual analog scale (VAS) (0-10). Before the first treatment, the VAS was set at 10, and changes of the score were observed before and after the treatment as well as over time. After three sessions, all patients showed a decrease in pain from 10 to an average of 1.9 (range 1.3-2.6).