Feasibility of Blood Flow Restriction Exercise in Adults with a Non-surgically Treated Achilles Tendon Rupture; a Case Series.

Blood flow restriction exercise (BFRE) appears to provide a unique opportunity to preserve lower limb muscle and function in patients with an Achilles tendon rupture. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of BFRE in patients with an Achilles tendon rupture. Additionally, to evaluate muscle volume and patient-reported ankle function, symptoms, complications, and physical activity following 12 weeks of BFRE. Feasibility was measured by adherence to training sessions, drop-out rate, intervention acceptability, ankle pain exacerbation (NRS), and adverse events. At baseline and 12-weeks follow-up, patients completed the Achilles Tendon Total Rupture Score questionnaire and had their thigh and calf circumference measured. At follow-up, patients' ability to perform a single-leg heel rise was tested. Sixteen of 18 patients completed the intervention and for those, adherence to training sessions was 88% ±16%. The mean NRS following BFRE sessions was 1.1 (95%CI: 1; 1.2). Three adverse events occurred during the 12 weeks. Two re-ruptures after completion of the BFRE program and one deep venous thrombosis following cast removal. BFRE was found to be feasible in a subset of patients with an Achilles tendon rupture. However, with three adverse events in a population of 18 patients, the effectiveness and safety of BFRE warrants further investigation.

Progressive Resistance Training or Neuromuscular Exercise for Hip Osteoarthritis : A Multicenter Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Exercise is recommended as first-line treatment for patients with hip osteoarthritis (OA). However, randomized controlled trials providing evidence for the optimal exercise type are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether progressive resistance training (PRT) is superior to neuromuscular exercise (NEMEX) for improving functional performance in patients with hip OA. DESIGN: Multicenter, cluster-randomized, controlled, parallel-group, assessor-blinded, superiority trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04714047). SETTING: Hospitals and physiotherapy clinics. PARTICIPANTS: 160 participants with clinically diagnosed hip OA were enrolled from 18 January 2021 to 28 April 2023 and randomly assigned to PRT (n = 82) or NEMEX (n = 78). INTERVENTION: Twelve weeks of PRT or NEMEX with 2 supervised 60-minute group sessions each week. The PRT intervention consisted of 5 high-intensity resistance training exercises targeting muscles at the hip and knee joints. The NEMEX intervention included 10 exercises and emphasized sensorimotor control and functional stability. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was change in the 30-second chair stand test (30s-CST). Key secondary outcomes were changes in scores on the pain and hip-related quality of life (QoL) subscales of the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS). RESULTS: The mean changes from baseline to 12-week follow-up in the 30s-CST were 1.5 (95% CI, 0.9 to 2.1) chair stands with PRT and 1.5 (CI, 0.9 to 2.1) chair stands with NEMEX (difference, 0.0 [CI, -0.8 to 0.8] chair stands). For the HOOS pain subscale, mean changes were 8.6 (CI, 5.3 to 11.8) points with PRT and 9.3 (CI, 5.9 to 12.6) points with NEMEX (difference, -0.7 [CI, -5.3 to 4.0] points). For the HOOS QoL subscale, mean changes were 8.0 (CI, 4.3 to 11.7) points with PRT and 5.7 (CI, 1.9 to 9.5) points with NEMEX (difference, 2.3 [CI, -3.0 to 7.6] points). LIMITATION: Participants and physiotherapists were not blinded. CONCLUSION: In patients with hip OA, PRT is not superior to NEMEX for improving functional performance, hip pain, or hip-related QoL. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: Independent Research Fund Denmark.

The use of digital technologies to support home-based prehabilitation prior to major surgery: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Prehabilitation is a multidimensional and multidisciplinary approach, to prepare patients for surgery, with the aim of improving postoperative outcomes. Worldwide, healthcare systems are facing challenges with a gap between demand and supply of healthcare services. Telehealth is seen as a solution for delivering sustainable and efficient treatments. The effect of providing prehabilitation using telehealth solutions is unclear. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review investigated the existing literature regarding the effects and feasibility of technologies for remotely supporting home-based prehabilitation compared to standard care on pre- and postoperative outcomes in adults undergoing elective major surgery. METHODS: A literature search identified relevant studies published between 1 January 2012 and December 2022 in PubMed, PsychInfo, Cinahl and the Cochrane Library. We included RCTs, feasibility and pilot studies. The quality of studies was evaluated using Cochrane's Risk of bias assessment and by narratively rating the certainty of evidence. RESULTS: Six randomized controlled trials and 20 pilot/feasibility studies were included. The number and content of the interventions varied, depending on context and resources. Multiple approaches in the use of digital healthcare solutions were applied and the results highlight the potential of providing health services remotely. CONCLUSION: The use of technologies to support remote home-based prehabilitation in patients undergoing elective major surgery is feasible and has high acceptability, though telehealth is a broad term and wide-ranging strategies are used. Digital technologies for supporting home-based prehabilitation are likely to play an essential role in future health care as resources are scarce and innovative solutions are needed.

No effect of cognitive behavioral patient education for patients with pain catastrophizing before total knee arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial.

Background and purpose - Pain catastrophizing contributes to acute and long-term pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) but currently there are only limited treatment options. This study investigates the effectiveness of patient education in pain coping among patients with moderate to high pain catastrophizing score before TKA. Secondary outcomes were physical function, quality of life, self-efficacy, and pain catastrophizing.Patients and methods - The study was a parallel-group randomized controlled trial including patients with moderate to high levels of pain catastrophizing. 60 patients were recruited from December 2015 to June 2018. The mean age of the patients was 66 (47-82) years and 40 were women. The patients were randomized to either cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) based pain education or usual care. The primary outcome measure was pain under activity measured with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). All outcomes were measured preoperatively, at 3 months, and at 1 year after surgery.Results - We found no difference in the primary outcome measure, VAS during activity, between the 2 groups but both groups had large reductions over time. The CBT-based pain education group reduced their VAS score by 37 mm (95% CI 27-46) and the control group by 40 mm (CI 31-49). We found no statistically significantly differences between the 2 groups in any of the secondary outcomes.Interpretation - Future research is warranted to identify predictors of persistent pain and interventions for the approximately 20% of patients with persisting pain after a TKA.

Association between pain catastrophizing, physical function and pain at first visit in the outpatient knee clinic.

BACKGROUND: Pain catastrophizing has been associated with pain severity and disability in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, the literature is not consistent and other studies have failed to find this association. We examined the preoperative association between pain catastrophizing and physical function and pain, as well as the correlation between radiographic OA and physical symptoms and knee arthroplasty (KA). METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional study of all patients referred to the orthopaedic outpatient Knee Clinic from March to October 2013 with clinical symptoms of knee OA. Prior to clinical examination, the patients completed EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), The Short Form-36 (SF-36 (PF)), The Oxford Knee Score (OKS) and The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). The severity of radiographic OA was graded with the Kellgren-Lawrence Scale (KLS). RESULTS: Of the 325 patients, 158 (48.6%) patients received a knee arthroplasty, 130 (40%) were treated conservatively, and 37 (11.4%) were scheduled for a knee arthroscopy. Mean age was 64.3 (SD 11.1) years and 53.9% were females. We found a strong correlation between PCS and OKS (r = -0.60, P = 0.000). Furthermore, the regression analysis showed statistically significant associations between PCS and both physical function and pain. We found no correlation between radiographic OA and physical function or pain. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal that PCS is an important psychological factor when dealing with patients with OA. Furthermore, our results confirm the importance of a combined evaluation of symptoms, clinical examination, and radiographs when deciding on the right treatment for individual knee patients.

The association between pain catastrophizing, physical function and pain in a cohort of patients undergoing knee arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Pain catastrophizing contributes to acute and long-term pain after knee arthroplasty (KA), but the association between pain catastrophizing and physical function is not clear. We examined the association between preoperative pain catastrophizing and physical function one year after surgery, as well as differences in physical function, pain and general health in two groups of patients with high and low preoperative pain catastrophizing score. METHODS: We included 615 patients scheduled for KA between March 2011 and December 2013. Patients completed The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) prior to surgery. The Oxford Knee Score (OKS), Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) were completed prior to surgery, and 4 and 12 months after the surgery. RESULTS: Of the 615 patients, 442 underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and 173 unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). Mean age was 67.3 (SD: 9.7) and 53.2% were females. Patients with PCS > 21 had statistically significantly larger improvement in mean OKS for both TKA and UKA than patients with PCS < 11; 3.2 (95% CI: 1.0, 5.4) and 5.4 (95% CI: 2.2, 8.6), respectively. Furthermore, patients with preoperative PCS > 21 had statistically significantly lower OKS, SF-36 and EQ-5D and higher pain score than patients with PCS < 11 both preoperatively and 4 and 12 months postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with high levels of preoperative pain catastrophizing have lower physical function, more pain and poorer general health both before and after KA than patients without elevated pain catastrophizing.

Effectiveness of a physiotherapist delivered cognitive-behavioral patient education for patients who undergoes operation for total knee arthroplasty: a protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is a common and generally effective procedure performed mainly due to advanced osteoarthritis, pain, physical disability and reduced quality of life. However, approximately 20% of the patients respond poorly to the surgery and chronic pain and disability following TKA remains a major health burden for many patients. Among the most well documented and powerful psychological predictors of poor outcome following TKA is pain catastrophizing. Recent research has shown that patients with these thoughts are at higher risk of having persistent pain and lower physical function after the operation than patients with low levels of pain catastrophizing before TKA. There is high need of developing treatments aimed at improving self-management for this group of patients and the aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a patient education in pain coping on physical function and pain among patients with high pain catastrophizing score before a TKA. METHODS: This study is a two-arm parallel group trial design including 56 patients with high levels of pain catastrophizing referred for total knee arthroplasty due to osteoarthritis. Patients eligible for participation will be randomized into the two arms, usual care or usual care and patient education. Usual care consists of operation and standard rehabilitation. The patient education consists of 7 individual sessions focusing on pain behavior and pain coping managed by a physiotherapist. Three before the operation and four after. Measurements will be taken at baseline before the operation and 3 and 12 months after the operation. Primary outcome will be pain after 12 months measured with VAS (Visual Analogue Scale). Secondary outcomes include physical function and activity, quality of life, pain management and psychological factors. DISCUSSION: Only few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of psychological interventions on patients with high levels of pain catastrophizing before the operation. This trial will provide evidence for the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral patient education delivered by physiotherapists and may provide better functional outcome and less pain for a vulnerable group of TKA patients. We expect that the results can provide important new knowledge to the current care recommendations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials ( NCT02587429 ). Registered 23 October 2015.

No correlations between radiological angles and self-assessed quality of life in patients with hip dysplasia at 2-13 years of follow-up after periacetabular osteotomy.

BACKGROUND: Only few studies have described patients' health-related quality of life (QoL) after periacetabular osteotomy (PAO). Thus, there is a lack of data on the self-assessed outcome of patients operated with PAO, and none of the existing studies correlate the results from Medical Outcomes Short Form-36 questionnaire (SF-36) with the radiological parameters. PURPOSE: To investigate the health-related QoL for patients with hip dysplasia operated with PAO and to investigate whether QoL is associated with the acetabular angles or hypermobility. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Out of 388 patients, 228 patients (mean age, 40.5 years; mean follow-up, 7.1 years) returned the SF-36 and Beighton questionnaires. The patient's QoL was compared to reference data from a Danish population. Center-edge (CE) and acetabular index (AI) angles were measured before and after PAO and the association with the patients' QoL was tested with logistic regression. RESULTS: For both men and women the postoperative SF-36 score was significantly lower than for the reference data for a Danish population, especially for those dimensions concerning physical health. No association was found between the patients' CE or AI angles before or after PAO and their subsequent QoL. Significant associations were found between both Physical Component Score (PCS) and physical function (PF) and follow-up time after the operation. The adjusted OR for a PCS ≥ 50 was 0.87 (95% CI 0.76-0.99) and for a PF ≥ 85 0.81 (95% CI 0.71-0.91). No association between hyper mobility and PCS, PF, or bodily pain (BP) was found. CONCLUSION: The physical components of QoL in patients undergoing PAO are significantly lower than the Danish population used as reference. Furthermore, the results suggest that physical function after PAO decreases with longer follow-up time. Neither the acetabular angles nor hypermobility is associated with the physical components of QoL.

Impact of pediatric nurses' uniforms on perceptions of nurse professionalism.

This study examined the impact of nursing pants uniform color and style on perceptions of professionalism. Pediatric patients 7 to 17 years of age and their adult visitors were surveyed at two midwestern health care centers. Participants viewed eight photographs of the same RN in different uniforms. Adult participants rated each photograph for 10 image traits using a modified nurse image scale (MNIS). Pediatric participants rated each photograph for five image traits using the nurse image scale for children (NISC). Pediatric participant median sum scores for the eight uniforms were similar, despite clear preferences for boldly printed top and pressed blue or white-pant uniforms (22% each). Adult participant median sum scores were similar for six of the eight uniforms, but two had significantly lower scores (p < 0.001). Pediatric patients' and visitors' uniform preferences are not related to perceptions of professionalism.