Occupational Therapy Interventions for Orthopedics

BACKGROUND: Although occupational therapy (OT) is frequently prescribed in clinical practice, there is still insufficient evidence regarding its efficacy to improve Parkinson's Disease (PD)-related activity limitations. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of OT and the validity of different outcome-parameters to reflect efficacy, including gold-standard clinical rating scales and quantitative motor assessments. METHODS: 40 patients were included in an exploratory, randomized-controlled, single-blinded trial, receiving either (I) ten weeks of OT, with a main focus on motor aspects of activity limitations and a ten-week follow-up assessment or (II) no intervention...

Ergotherapy is part of the multidisciplinary treatment concept in the field of orthopedics and trauma surgery. The occupational therapist treats patients together with doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists, social workers/pedagogues, speech therapists and other professional groups · with congenital malformations,. · with chronic diseases,. · with degenerative diseases,. · after accidental injuries or surgical interventions.. Therapy takes place in terms of client centricity and sees the patient as a full member of the team...

The Child and Family Hospital of Grenoble is one of the rare university hospitals in France to benefit from the presence of a physician specializing in rehabilitation medicine. This hospital includes both inpatient and outpatient units. During the temporary closure of one department, certain members of the rehabilitation unit were reassigned to the acute care wards of the pediatric department, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists. Over the course of one year, these therapists completed more than 150 interventions in this department, more than half of which were in the hematology and oncology ward...

PURPOSE: This case report documents limitations of body structures and function, activity, and participation for an infant with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita and reports frequency and timing of interventions for this child. SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS: The infant was followed from 11 days to 9 months of age while receiving occupational therapy and physical therapy on alternating weeks, with orthopedic visits for lower extremity serial casting. Passive range of motion improved and pain scores decreased during passive range of motion...

Pediatricians play an important role in diagnosing OI as a cause of fracture and may be asked to differentiate this uncommon genetic diagnosis from intentional trauma and other causes of fracture. Early referral to a pediatric endocrinologist, physical therapist, and orthopedic surgeon for the evaluation and treatment of low bone mass and recurrent fractures is important because early medical and surgical intervention may help to minimize the rate of future fractures, even within the first year of life. Continued follow-up with physical and occupational therapy, audiology testing, and regular evaluations of dental health are all essential for children with OI...

Polytrauma, including mild traumatic brain injury, posttraumatic stress disorder, and orthopedic conditions, is common among combat veterans (CVs) from Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Medical conditions, coupled with deployment-related training, may affect CVs' fitness to drive and contribute to post-deployment crash and injury risks. However, empirical interventions are lacking. Therefore, the study purpose was to examine the efficacy of an occupational therapy driving intervention (OT-DI) with pre and post testing of CVs...

BACKGROUND: There are substantial variations in medical services that are difficult to explain based on differences in pathophysiology alone. The scale of variation and the number of people affected suggest substantial potential to lower healthcare costs with the reduction of practice variation. Our study assessed practice variation across three affiliated urban sites in one city in the United States and related healthcare costs following the diagnosis of hand osteoarthritis (OA) in patients...

BACKGROUND: It is empirically well documented that psychotherapy is vital in the treatment of chronic back pain. OBJECTIVE: To test in this randomized controlled clinical trial whether cognitive behavior group therapy is effective in respect to pain tolerance and disability apart from the effects on somatization in general and additional to the effects of a multimodal inpatient orthopedic rehabilitation programme. METHODS: Fifty-three patients were randomly assigned to an intervention group, receiving six sessions of "cognitive behavior group therapy for back pain" (CBT-BP), and 50 to a control group who got unspecific occupational therapy sessions instead...

BACKGROUND: Human hands play an important role in overcoming routine daily life. As a consequence of limitations in the function of the hand due to rheumatic diseases, various manual activities can become an enormous challenge or even become absolutely impossible. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This review article discusses the possibilities of hand ergotherapy and explains the most important assist devices. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The main area of occupational and hand therapy interventions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is the postoperative or conservative treatment of wrist and finger joints...

Treatment of "subacromial impingement syndrome" of the shoulder has changed drastically in the past decade. The anatomical explanation as "impingement" of the rotator cuff is not sufficient to cover the pathology. "Subacromial pain syndrome", SAPS, describes the condition better. A working group formed from a number of Dutch specialist societies, joined by the Dutch Orthopedic Association, has produced a guideline based on the available scientific evidence. This resulted in a new outlook for the treatment of subacromial pain syndrome...

In a Danish Interprofessional Training Unit (ITU), the clinical tutors have succeeded in developing a safe learning environment combined with challenging the students by giving them responsibility for the patient's care and rehabilitation. In the ITU, students improved their uniprofessional and interprofessional knowledge and capability while strengthening their professional identity. It was, therefore, decided to make an attempt to transfer these interprofessional learning and teaching methods to another setting...

BACKGROUND: Many inpatients receive little or no rehabilitation on weekends. Our aim was to determine what effect providing additional Saturday rehabilitation during inpatient rehabilitation had on functional independence, quality of life and length of stay compared to 5 days per week of rehabilitation. METHODS: This was a multicenter, single-blind (assessors) randomized controlled trial with concealed allocation and 12-month follow-up conducted in two publically funded metropolitan inpatient rehabilitation facilities in Melbourne, Australia...

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders are the main reasons for rising proportions of premature pension in most high-income countries. Although inpatient medical rehabilitation has increasingly targeted work-related stress, there is still a lack of studies on the transfer of work-specific interventions into work contexts. Therefore, we plan to evaluate an online aftercare program aiming to improve vocational reintegration after medical rehabilitation. METHODS: Vocationally strained patients (n = 800) aged between 18 and 59 years with private internet access are recruited in psychosomatic, orthopedic and cardiovascular rehabilitation clinics in Germany...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to report the responsiveness and minimal clinically important difference of the Edinburgh Visual Gait Score (EVGS), used to measure gait deviations in children with cerebral palsy. DESIGN: Fifty ambulant children with spastic diplegia (Gross Motor Function Classification System levels II and III) aged between 6 and 19 yrs were recruited for this longitudinal study. The participants were evaluated before surgery and at 6 and 12 mos after surgery...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether myofascial release (MFR) reduces the pain and functional disability of lateral epicondylitis (LE) in comparison with a control group receiving sham ultrasound therapy in computer professionals. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, single blinded trial. SETTING: Nonprofit research foundation clinic in Kerala, India. PARTICIPANTS: Computer professionals (N=68) with LE. INTERVENTIONS: MFR group or control group...

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has undergone a remarkable evolution over the past 25 years. Initially, the procedure was limited to relatively straightforward lesions and was associated with significant risk and unpredictable long-term efficacy. With the incorporation of new technologies such as stents, the safety and efficacy of the procedure has improved dramatically. However, the fundamental way in which the procedure is performed has changed little since the time of Gruntzig's first successful case...

STUDY DESIGN: Internet survey. PURPOSE: To describe current practice patterns in hand therapy to 1) gain insights into beliefs of certified hand therapists (CHTs) related to initiating a hand dominance transfer, 2) describe CHTs' clinical decision-making strategies, and 3) describe research priorities related to hand dominance transfer in hand therapy. PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred sixty-three members of the American Society of Hand Therapists...

BACKGROUND: Remaining at home is a high priority for many older adults, but the capacity to "age in place" often is threatened by environmental barriers. PURPOSE: To describe a client-centred occupational therapy home modification intervention program and examine the impact of the intervention on daily activity performance over time. METHODS: Using a competence-environmental press framework, a client-centred home modification program for older adults was implemented...

BACKGROUND: Rheumatic diseases commonly affect joints and other structures in the hand. Surgery is a traditional way to treat hand problems in inflammatory rheumatic diseases with the purposes of pain relief, restore function and prevent progression. There are numerous measures to choose from, and a combination of outcome measures is recommended. This study evaluated if instruments commonly used in rheumatologic clinical practice are suitable to measure outcome of hand surgery and to identify time points relevant for follow-up...

The Achilles tendon (AT) is the most frequently ruptured tendon in the human body, but the etiology of AT ruptures is still not completely understood. Percutaneous repair and conservative management are viable alternatives to open surgery, which carries higher complication rates and is the most costly of the 3 management options. Individual patients will have different needs due to their age, occupation, or level of sporting activity. If the studies reporting a rising incidence of AT rupture are accurate, the field of AT surgery will become an increasingly important one for orthopedic surgeons...