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2024 JAN 27 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week -- Investigators discuss new findings in joint instability. According to news reporting originating [...]

2023 JUN 17 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week -- New study results on geriatrics and gerontology have been published. According to [...]

2023 APR 29 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week -- New research on Heart Disorders and Diseases - Heart Failure is the [...]

Trunk control and sitting balance, 2 of the key predictors for functional outcome and hospital stay, (1-4) are often impaired after stroke. (5,6) Patients who are able to sit independently [...], Objective. Trunk training after stroke is an effective method for improving mobility, yet underlying associations leading to the observed mobility carryover effects are unknown. The purposes of this study were to investigate the effectiveness of trunk training for gait and trunk kinematics and to find explanatory variables for the mobility carryover effects. Methods. This study was an assessor-masked, randomized controlled trial. Participants received either additional trunk training (n = 19) or cognitive training (n = 20) after subacute stroke. Outcome measures were the Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA), the Trunk Impairment Scale, spatiotemporal gait parameters, center-of-mass excursions, and trunk and lower limb kinematics during walking. Multivariate analysis with post hoc analysis was performed to observe treatment effects. Correlation and an exploratory regression analysis were used to examine associations with the mobility carryover effects. Results. Significant improvements after trunk training, compared with the findings for the control group, were found for the Trunk Impairment Scale, Tinetti POMA, walking speed, step length, step width, horizontal/vertical center-of-mass excursions, and trunk kinematics. No significant differences were observed in lower limb kinematics. Anteroposterior excursions of the trunk were associated with 30% of the variability in the mobility carryover effects. Conclusions. Carryover effects of trunk control were present during ambulation. Decreased anteroposterior movements of the thorax were the main variable explaining higher scores on the Tinetti POMA Gait subscale. However, the implementation and generalizability of this treatment approach in a clinical setting are laborious and limited, necessitating further research. Impact. Trunk training is an effective strategy for improving mobility after stroke. Regaining trunk control should be considered an important treatment goal early after stroke to adequately prepare patients for walking.

2022 DEC 3 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week -- Current study results on Musculoskeletal Diseases and Conditions - Knee Osteoarthritis have [...]

2022 JUN 4 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week -- Investigators discuss new findings in Aging Research - Geriatrics and Gerontology. According [...]

2022 FEB 19 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week -- A new study on Disease Attributes - Chronic Disease is now available. [...]

2022 FEB 12 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week -- New study results on osteoarthritis have been published. According to news reporting [...]

MCID of the FGA Measurement of change is the cornerstone of assessing patient progress and outcome. Change scores on outcome measures presumably reflect improvement or decline in the patient's status [...], Background. The Functional Gait Assessment (FGA) is commonly used to measure walking balance. The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) has yet to be determined for the FGA. Objective. The purposes of this study were to determine: (1) the MCID in the FGA for older community-dwelling adults relative to patients' and physical therapists' estimates of change and (2) the extent of agreement between patients' and physical therapists' estimates of change. Design. This study was a prospective case series. Methods. Patients and physical therapists rated the amount of change in balance while walking after an episode of physical therapy for balance retraining on a 15-point global rating of change (GROC) scale. Weighted kappa statistics were calculated to express agreement between patients' and physical therapists' GROC ratings. Functional Gait Assessment change scores were plotted on receiver operating characteristic curves. A cutoff of +3 on the GROC was the criterion used for important change. The optimal FGA change cutoff score for MCID was determined, and sensitivity (SN), specificity (SP), and likelihood ratios (LRs) were calculated. Results. One hundred thirty-five community-dwelling older adults (average age = 78.8 years) and 14 physical therapists participated. There was poor agreement between the patients' and therapists' ratings of change (weighted kappa = .163). The estimated MCID value for the FGA using physical therapists' ratings of change as an anchor was 4 points (SN=0.66, SP=0.84, LR+ =4.07, LR- =0.40). No accurate value for the FGA MCID could be determined based on the patients' ratings of change. Limitations. The small sample size was a limitation. Conclusion. Poor agreement between therapists' and patients' ratings indicate the need for further communication relative to patient goals. The 4-point MCID value for the FGA can be used for goal setting, tracking patient progress, and program evaluation.