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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Exercise and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (23 March 2023) | Viewed by 9117

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Dr. Álvaro Campos Cavalcanti Maciel

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Guest Editor

Postgraduate Program in Physiotherapy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Avenue Senador Salgado Filho, Natal 59200-000, Brazil
Interests: geriatric physiotherapy; sarcopenia; musculoskeletal diseases

Dr. Ricardo Oliveira Guerra

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Co-Guest Editor

Grupo de Estudos em Epidemiologia e Fisioterapia Geriátrica (GEFEG), Departamento de Fisioterapia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal 59078-970, Brazil
Interests: gerontology; epidemiology; evidence-based practice

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The physiotherapist, as a member of the rehabilitation team, plays a fundamental role in restoring or optimizing movement and function after injury or illness. In this context, professionals involved with rehabilitation assess movement dysfunction, develop care plans, use therapeutic exercises and electro-physical resources, facilitate neuromuscular control of movement, and manage pain as part of their patients' treatment.

Currently, a wide range of patients benefit from rehabilitation treatment, such as patients with musculoskeletal and neurological diseases, older people, pregnant and postpartum women, and athletes, among others.

Despite this, the science of rehabilitation needs to advance in more robust and sensitive topics, such as evidence-based practice and interventions in patients with post-COVID functional limitations. Particularly in the context of the pandemic, many patients have physical disabilities related to “long COVID” or due to prolonged ICU stays.

Thus, considering the interdisciplinarity of IJERPH, we invite all interested parties to submit their papers for this Special Issue, with the aim of offering readers highly scientifically relevant information on new perspectives of evaluation and treatment of the main clinical conditions treated by physiotherapy in the context of rehabilitation.

Dr. Álvaro Campos Cavalcanti Maciel
Dr. Ricardo Oliveira Guerra
Guest Editors

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Keywords

musculoskeletal diseases
neurological diseases
cardiovascular and respiratory diseases
post-COVID disabilities
epidemiology
evidence-based practice
technologies in rehabilitation
human aging

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 907 KiB

Open AccessArticle

What Influences Proprioceptive Impairments in Patients with Rheumatic Diseases? Analysis of Different Factors

by Paweł Konarzewski, Urszula Konarzewska, Anna Kuryliszyn-Moskal, Robert Terlikowski, Jolanta Pauk, Kristina Daunoraviciene, Konrad Pauk, Agnieszka Dakowicz, Mariusz Wojciuk, Janusz Dzięcioł and Zofia Dziecioł-Anikiej

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3698; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043698 - 19 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1844

Abstract

Rheumatic diseases lead to postural problems, which increase the risk of falls and lead to greater disability. The aim of the present work is to evaluate posture disorders in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as well as to evaluate the influence of other factors. A total of 71 subjects were enrolled in this study. Joint position sense (JPS) and the functional assessment of proprioception on a balance platform for both lower limbs were examined. The Average Trace Error (ATE), test time (t), and Average Platform Force Variation (AFV) were calculated. Additionally, an equilibrium test was carried out in the one-legged standing position (Single Leg Stance—SLS). The results were compared in several ways and revealed the following: (1) A JPS of 10° plantar flexion in RA obtained significantly worse results when repeating the movement than OA; the ATEs were significantly lower in RA; and RA needed more support during SLS assessment. (2) RA patients with higher DAS28 had statistically significantly higher values in JPS, with 5° plantar flexion and 10° dorsal flexion, SLS assessment, and stabilometric rates. A statistically significant correlation between DAS28 and RA was found in a JPS of 10° plantar flexion. The VAS ruler demonstrated a significant moderate correlation with t. (3) Patients who experienced at least one fall demonstrated higher JPS and t. Our study shows that proprioception is the most influenced by the nature of the disease and the level of disease activity. We can see that the stability and balance functions are also greatly influenced by the patient’s falling experience and the level of pain. These findings may be useful in designing an optimal proprioception-enhancing movement training plan. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science)

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11 pages, 389 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gender-Specific Associations between Late-Life Disability and Socioeconomic Status: Findings from the International Mobility and Aging Study (IMIAS)

by Luana Caroline de Assunção Cortez Corrêa, Cristiano dos Santos Gomes, Saionara Maria Aires da Camara, Juliana Fernandes de Souza Barbosa, Ingrid Guerra Azevedo, Afshin Vafaei and Ricardo Oliveira Guerra

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 2789; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042789 - 4 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1263

Abstract

Disability is a dynamic process and can be influenced by a sociocultural environment. This study aimed to determine whether the associations between socioeconomic status and late-life disability differ by gender in a multi-sociocultural sample from different countries. A cross-sectional study was developed with 1362 older adults from The International Mobility in Aging Study. Late-life disability was measured through the disability component of the Late-Life Function Disability Instrument. Level of education, income sufficiency and lifelong occupation were used as indicators of SES. The results indicated that a low education level β = −3.11 [95% CI −4.70; −1.53] and manual occupation β = −1.79 [95% −3.40; −0.18] were associated with frequency decrease for men, while insufficient income β = −3.55 [95% CI −5.57; −1.52] and manual occupation β = −2.25 [95% CI −3.89; −0.61] played a negative role in frequency for women. For both men β = −2.39 [95% −4.68; −0.10] and women β = −3.39 [95% −5.77; −1.02], insufficient income was the only factor associated with greater perceived limitation during life tasks. This study suggested that men and women had different late-life disability experiences. For men, occupation and education were associated with a decrease in the frequency of participation, while for women this was associated with income and occupation. Income was associated with perceived limitation during daily life tasks for both genders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science)

11 pages, 773 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders among General and Technical Secondary School Students in Egypt

by Doaa Tammam Atia, Nader Ibrahim Elsayed, Asmaa Foad Abdelmonem, Sally Mohamed Sae’d Mahmoud, Marwa Mahmoud Mahfouz Mahmoud, Kamal Eldin S. Mohamed, Khalid Taha Yassin Turky, Usama M. Rashad and Amel E. Abdel Karim

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1465; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021465 - 13 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2527

Abstract

(1) Background: Children spend a lot of time within schools. The school setting generally has many ergonomic hazards and reinforced behavior patterns which put children at greater risk of environmental hazards than adults during their critical developmental stages. (2) Objective: The aim of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and detect spinal deformities amongst general and technical secondary school students. (3) Methods: A total of 418 students from the second grade of secondary school in Shaquira governorate, Egypt participated in this cross-sectional study. Each student in the study was screened via Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and had their upper limb posture measured via RULA (Rapid Upper Limb assessment), and the deviation in their thoracic curve was measured using a scoliometer. (4) Results: There was a prevalence of MSDs amongst students as there were 69.7% of general school students and 83.8% of the technical school students suffering from MSDs with a statistically significant difference between both technical and general school students in RULA score and musculoskeletal complaints, whereas there were non-statistical differences in the scoliometer scale in both general and technical education students. (5) Conclusions: Musculoskeletal problems are prevalent among Egyptian secondary school students, with higher prevalence between technical school students. Therefore, preventive measures and strategies are recommended to overcome the future complications of these musculoskeletal disorders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science)

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13 pages, 2201 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Reliability of Active and Passive Knee Joint Position Sense Assessment Using the Luna EMG Rehabilitation Robot

by Łukasz Oleksy, Aleksandra Królikowska, Anna Mika, Paweł Reichert, Monika Kentel, Maciej Kentel, Anna Poświata, Anna Roksela, Dominika Kozak, Katarzyna Bienias, Marcel Smoliński, Artur Stolarczyk and Michał Mikulski

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15885; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315885 - 29 Nov 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2812

Abstract

Joint position sense (JPS) is the awareness of joint location in space, indicating accuracy and precision of the movement. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to determine the reliability of active and passive JPS assessment regarding the knee joint. This was carried out using the Luna EMG rehabilitation robot. Further analysis assessed whether the examination of only the dominant site is justified and if there are differences between sites. The study comprised 24 healthy male participants aged 24.13 ± 2.82 years, performing sports at a recreational level. Using the Luna EMG rehabilitation robot, JPS tests were performed for the right and left knees during flexion and extension in active and passive mode, in two separate sessions with a 1-week interval. Both knee flexion and extension in active and passive modes demonstrated high reliability (ICC = 0.866–0.982; SEM = 0.63–0.31). The mean JPS angle error did not differ significantly between the right and left lower limbs (p < 0.05); however, no between-limb correlation was noted (r = 0.21–0.34; p > 0.05). The Bland–Altman plots showed that the between-limb bias was minimal, with relatively wide limits of agreement. Therefore, it was concluded that the Luna EMG rehabilitation robot is a reliable tool for active and passive knee JPS assessment. In our study, JPS angle error did not differ significantly between left and right sides; however, the slight asymmetry was observed (visible in broad level of agreement exceeding 5° in Bland–Altman plots), what may suggest that in healthy subjects, e.g., active athletes, proprioception should always be assessed on both sides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science)

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