593652
research-article2015
CRE0010.1177/0269215515593652Clinical Rehabilitation
CLINICAL REHABILITATION Clinical Rehabilitation 2015, Vol. 29(7) 626 © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0269215515593652 cre.sagepub.com
Introductory paragraph
Giving care over prolonged periods can be exhausting. Most existing measures were developed from ‘common sense’ judgments (face validity). In this issue a measure derived from theory and evidence is described, measuring emotional vitality. Children with cerebral palsy often need care. A study in adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy shows that an intervention that combined psychological and physical components had quite remarkable beneficial effects; I suspect that similar benefits would apply to most people without any disabling illness. The symptoms of dementia can also be a cause of strain on carers, and therefore many people are cared for in residential homes. A study on 120 people in Spanish care homes found benefits from massage and ear acupressure; is this a specific or non-specific effect? Despite being a common problem, there are few studies of rehabilitation after trauma. A large (n = 184) study of people involved in road traffic accidents found no difference between a brief educational intervention and an early rehabilitation intervention. Most people had relatively mild injuries and most returned to work or normal other activities. Returning to work is also important to younger people experiencing stroke, especially if societal support is limited. Another large (n = 80) study, in South Africa, found that workplace-based intervention increased the likelihood of a successful
return to work. Hopefully countries such as the UK that dismantled specialist vocational rehabilitation services may now recognize their value. Work itself is often associated with illness that is attributed (fairly or otherwise) to work. Low back pain is one such problem. An intervention aimed at increasing abdominal muscle strength led to some benefits, but whether it was simply due to a general increase in exercise, or to the specific exercise is unclear. Persuading people to undertake exercise, part of the lifestyle intervention mentioned above, is helped if the exercise is fun. Videogames are fun, and a small pilot study of two games aimed at improving arm function after stroke is reported here. A study involving about 100 people would help show whether they are specifically helpful. Whole body vibration is another fashionable treatment modality, and the available evidence for its use in trying to improve balance and mobility after stroke has been reviewed systematically; there is insufficient evidence to draw any conclusion. This is hardly surprising as the total number of patients studied was 271. Finally a measure that has been in use since 1975, the Mini-Mental State Examination was included in a review of 16 tools used to screen for cognitive deficits after stroke. The freely available Montreal Cognitive Assessment was considered the best tool - but none are very good.
Downloaded from cre.sagepub.com by guest on June 5, 2016
research-article2015
CRE0010.1177/0269215515593652Clinical Rehabilitation
CLINICAL REHABILITATION Clinical Rehabilitation 2015, Vol. 29(7) 626 © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0269215515593652 cre.sagepub.com
Introductory paragraph
Giving care over prolonged periods can be exhausting. Most existing measures were developed from ‘common sense’ judgments (face validity). In this issue a measure derived from theory and evidence is described, measuring emotional vitality. Children with cerebral palsy often need care. A study in adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy shows that an intervention that combined psychological and physical components had quite remarkable beneficial effects; I suspect that similar benefits would apply to most people without any disabling illness. The symptoms of dementia can also be a cause of strain on carers, and therefore many people are cared for in residential homes. A study on 120 people in Spanish care homes found benefits from massage and ear acupressure; is this a specific or non-specific effect? Despite being a common problem, there are few studies of rehabilitation after trauma. A large (n = 184) study of people involved in road traffic accidents found no difference between a brief educational intervention and an early rehabilitation intervention. Most people had relatively mild injuries and most returned to work or normal other activities. Returning to work is also important to younger people experiencing stroke, especially if societal support is limited. Another large (n = 80) study, in South Africa, found that workplace-based intervention increased the likelihood of a successful
return to work. Hopefully countries such as the UK that dismantled specialist vocational rehabilitation services may now recognize their value. Work itself is often associated with illness that is attributed (fairly or otherwise) to work. Low back pain is one such problem. An intervention aimed at increasing abdominal muscle strength led to some benefits, but whether it was simply due to a general increase in exercise, or to the specific exercise is unclear. Persuading people to undertake exercise, part of the lifestyle intervention mentioned above, is helped if the exercise is fun. Videogames are fun, and a small pilot study of two games aimed at improving arm function after stroke is reported here. A study involving about 100 people would help show whether they are specifically helpful. Whole body vibration is another fashionable treatment modality, and the available evidence for its use in trying to improve balance and mobility after stroke has been reviewed systematically; there is insufficient evidence to draw any conclusion. This is hardly surprising as the total number of patients studied was 271. Finally a measure that has been in use since 1975, the Mini-Mental State Examination was included in a review of 16 tools used to screen for cognitive deficits after stroke. The freely available Montreal Cognitive Assessment was considered the best tool - but none are very good.
Downloaded from cre.sagepub.com by guest on June 5, 2016
