Physical Therapy Treatment In Patients Research Articles

The Effectiveness of Postoperative Physical Therapy Treatment in Patients Who Have Undergone Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy: Systematic Review With Meta-analysis

Systematic review with meta-analysis. To evaluate the effectiveness of postoperative physical therapy treatment for patients who have undergone arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. There is no consensus on which treatment is best for patients post meniscectomy. A search for articles published from 1950 to March 2013 was conducted in the MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, LILACS, SciELO, IBECS, Scopus, Web of Science, PEDro, Academic Search Premier, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases. The key words were physiotherapy, physical therapy modalities, exercise therapy, rehabilitation, knee, placebo, groups, tibial meniscus, meniscus, arthroscopy, meniscectomy, partial meniscectomy, randomized controlled trial, controlled clinical trial, randomized, systematic review, and meta-analysis. Eighteen randomized controlled trials were included in the review, 6 of which were included in the meta-analysis. Outpatient physical therapy plus a home exercise program, compared to a home program alone, improved function compared to a home program alone (mean difference, 10.3; 95% confidence interval: 1.3, 19.3; P = .02) and knee flexion range of motion (mean difference, 9.1; 95% confidence interval: 3.7, 14.5; P = .0009). Inpatient physical therapy alone compared to inpatient plus outpatient physical therapy reduced the likelihood of effusion (odds ratio = 0.25; 95% confidence interval: 0.10, 0.61; P = .003). Physical therapy associated with home exercises seems to be effective in improving patient-reported knee function and range of motion in patients post-arthroscopic meniscectomy, although the included randomized controlled trials were classified from moderate to high risk of bias and should be interpreted with caution. Therapy, level 1a-.

Blood flow velocity and vascular resistance during passive leg exercise in the critically ill patient

Passive range of motion exercise is a very common physical therapy treatment for patients admitted to an intensive care unit. However is the knowledge scarce regarding its impact on blood circulation in the extremities. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the effect of passive range of motion on arterial peripheral leg blood flow velocity (BFV) and vascular resistance. A cross-sectional consecutive study of twelve patients admitted to an intensive care unit and twelve healthy age- and gender-matched controls was conducted. Passive range of motion was performed in one leg by a physical therapist. Blood flow velocities and resistance index in the common femoral artery (CFA), blood pressure and heart rate were measured before, directly after and at rest after passive range of motion. No changes were seen in BFV or resistance index in the patient group or the control group. No changes were found in blood pressure or heart rate in the patient group. In the control group, changes were found in systolic and mean blood pressure, with a higher pressure before passive range of motion. The controls had lower BFV and higher resistance index than the patients when comparing the groups. The conclusion of this study including twelve patients is that passive range of motion does not alter BFV or resistance index in the CFA in comatose and/or sedated critically ill patients.

Early Access to Physical Therapy Treatment for Subacute Low Back Pain in Primary Health Care

To evaluate the effects of early access (EA) to physical therapy treatment for patients with subacute low back pain compared to access with a 4-week waiting list. A prospective, randomized clinical trial. Primary health care. Sixty consecutive patients with subacute low back pain. Patients were randomized either to EA within 2 days for physical examination and individualized physical therapy treatment (n=32) or a control group with a 4-week waiting list (n=28). Self-administrated questionnaires were used for assessment at inclusion, at discharge, and at 6 months. Primary outcome measure was pain intensity assessed by Borg category scale for ratings of perceived pain. Secondary outcomes included the Orebro musculoskeletal pain screening questionnaire, the Roland and Morris disability questionnaire, sick-leave, visits to health care, and physical therapy. The results showed no significant differences in pain between the groups at discharge. At 6 months, the reduction of pain was significantly greater in the EA group compared to the control group (P=0.025). Changes in secondary outcome measures were not significantly different between groups. This study indicated that EA to physical therapy resulted in greater improvement in perceived pain at 6 months compared to later access. In this study, EA to physical therapy could be introduced by reorganization without additional resources.