Driving rehabilitation

Hierarchical collagen fibers are the primary source of strength in tendons and ligaments, however these fibers do not regenerate after injury or with repair, resulting in limited treatment options. We previously developed a culture system that guides ACL fibroblasts to produce native-sized fibers and fascicles by 6 weeks. These constructs are promising ligament replacements, but further maturation is needed. Mechanical cues are critical for development in vivo and in engineered tissues; however, the effect on larger fiber and fascicle formation is largely unknown...

BACKGROUND: Care of older adults requires comprehensive management and control of systemic diseases, which can be effectively managed by family physicians. Complicated medical conditions in older patients admitted to orthopedic departments (orthopedic patients) necessitate interprofessional collaboration. Nutrition is one of the essential components of management involved in improving the systemic condition of older patients. Nutrition support teams play an important role in nutrition management and can be supported by family physicians...

PURPOSE: Motor evoked potential (MEP) characteristics are potential biomarkers of whether rehabilitation interventions drive motor recovery after stroke. The test-retest reliability of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) measurements in sub-acute stroke remains unclear. This study aims to determine the test-retest reliability of upper limb MEP measures elicited by non-neuronavigated transcranial magnetic stimulation in sub-acute-stroke. METHODS: In two identical data collection sessions, 1-3 days apart, TMS measures assessed: motor threshold (MT), amplitude, latency (MEP-L), silent period (SP), recruitment curve slope in the biceps brachii (BB), extensor carpi radialis (ECR), and abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscles of paretic and non-paretic upper limbs...

PURPOSE: Community neurorehabilitation enables people with progressive neurological conditions (PNCs) to manage their symptoms to live an active, fulfilling life; however, it is not accessible to all. This study explored the factors influencing access to community neurorehabilitation in Northern Ireland from the perspective of people with PNCs and their carers. METHODS: Eleven people living with a PNC and three carers took part in virtual focus groups. Data was thematically analysed using the framework method...

BACKGROUND: The incidence of stroke in children is low, and pediatric stroke rehabilitation services are less developed than adult ones. Survivors of pediatric stroke have a long poststroke life expectancy and therefore have the potential to experience impairments from their stroke for many years. However, there are relatively few studies characterizing these impairments and what factors facilitate or counteract recovery. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to characterize the main barriers to and facilitators of recovery from pediatric stroke...

PURPOSE: To investigate patients' perceptions of participating in self-directed activities, outside supervised occupational and physiotherapy, within rehabilitation settings. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 16 patients and in three instances, their carers, from three health services in Victoria, Australia, two offering inpatient and one offering home-based rehabilitation care. A thematic analysis was performed using a framework approach...

INTRODUCTION: The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was implemented at a state-wide burns service to ensure compliance with current best evidence as outlined by the Australian and New Zealand Burns Association 'burn trauma rehabilitation: allied health practice guidelines'- Chapter 7 Measuring Post-Burn Recovery, as a standard outcome measure for individuals with an admission time greater than 24 h. The primary aim of this study is to determine if individuals have a minimal important change in performance and satisfaction with activities that were identified as problematic on the COPM prior to their acute discharge...

The implementation of a progressive rehabilitation training model to promote patients' motivation efforts can greatly restore damaged central nervous system function in patients. Patients' active engagement can be effectively stimulated by assist-as-needed (AAN) robot rehabilitation training. However, its application in robotic therapy has been hindered by a simple determination method of robot-assisted torque which focuses on the evaluation of only the affected limb's movement ability. Moreover, the expected effect of assistance depends on the designer and deviates from the patient's expectations, and its applicability to different patients is deficient...

PURPOSE: To examine the lifespace of participants referred for occupational therapy driving assessment following acquired brain injury, to understand how, why, where and with whom access and participation in community-based occupations is occurring during the period of driving disruption. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The mixed methods, convergent research design utilised a travel diary and Lifespace Mobility Assessment-Composite quantitative elements and semi-structured interviews analysed qualitatively with an interpretive description lens...

The mining industry has historically served as a critical reservoir of essential raw materials driving global economic progress. Nevertheless, the consequential by-product known as mine tailings has consistently produced a substantial footprint of environmental contamination. With annual discharges of mine tailings surpassing 10 billion tons globally, the need for effective remediation strategies is more pressing than ever as traditional physical and chemical remediation techniques are hindered by their high costs and limited efficacy...

CONTEXT: Patients experiencing pain from femoral acetabular impingement and considering hip arthroscopy may be concerned about their timeline to resume activities they enjoy, such as golf. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to review current literature on return-to-play data after hip arthroscopy and to provide clinicians with data to set proper expectations with patients. DATA SOURCES: The following terms were used to search PubMed and Embase electronic databases on October 18, 2023: hip, arthroscopy, arthroscopic, golf...

BACKGROUND: Professional driving requires long hours of work, uncomfortable seats, negotiating rough terrain and highways, and possibly minor repairs and other auxiliary transportation duties. Heavy vehicle drivers driving vehicles such as trucks, bulldozers, etc. due to such working structures are more prone to various musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and pain, which is of great concern. OBJECTIVES: In the present study, it is planned to investigate possible ergonomic risk factors such as age, weight, driving exposure, seat suspension systems, lifting heavy weights causing MSDs in drivers of various heavy vehicles...

BACKGROUND: Driving represents a multifaceted cognitive endeavor, demanding heightened vigilance and swift responses. Considering the high statistics of driving accidents and heavy loads, as well as the effect of the driver's age on the occurrence of accidents, it is important to investigate these factors to reduce accidents. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the impact of mental workload on the performance of young and older drivers in a dynamic driving scenario to compare cognitive performance, workload perception, and driving outcomes between the two age groups...

BACKGROUND: The effects of traffic sign information volume (TSIV) on the visual characteristics and workload of novice and experienced drivers were investigated in this study. TSIV plays a crucial role in road traffic safety, and understanding its impact on drivers is essential for designing effective traffic sign systems. OBJECTIVE: This research aimed to compare the visual characteristics and workload of novice and experienced drivers under varying TSIV doses through simulated driving tests...

Decoding movement intentions from motor unit (MU) activities to represent neural drive information plays a central role in establishing neural interfaces, but there remains a great challenge for obtaining precise MU activities during sustained muscle contractions. In this paper, we presented an online muscle force prediction method driven by individual MU activities that were decomposed from prolonged surface electromyogram (SEMG) signals in real time. In the training stage of the proposed method, a set of separation vectors was initialized for decomposing MU activities...

INTRODUCTION: Dysphagia commonly occurs after stroke, yet the mechanisms of post-stroke corticobulbar plasticity are not well understood. While cortical activity associated with swallowing actions is bihemispheric, prior research has suggested that plasticity of the intact cortex may drive recovery of swallowing after unilateral stroke. Age may be an important factor as it is an independent predictor of dysphagia after stroke and neuroplasticity may be reduced with age. Based on previous clinical studies, we hypothesized that cranial muscle activating volumes may be expanded in the intact hemisphere and would contribute to swallowing function...

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effect of surgical approach on return to braking after total hip arthroplasty (THA), and few studies have investigated braking after THA with modern surgical techniques and rehabilitation protocols. METHODS: In a prospective comparative design, we enrolled 65 patients who received right-sided primary THA at our institution from April 2018 through March 2020, 34 with a direct anterior approach (DAA) and 31 with a posterior approach (PA)...

Background Persistent changes in sexuality often follow traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, health professionals remain reticent about discussing sexuality and have reported barriers including uncertainties around whose role it is and limited educational and institutional support. This study employed a co-design and implementation process, aiming to promote team-wide behavioural change, whereby health professionals at a TBI rehabilitation unit would attempt to address sexuality with patients routinely. Methods Focus group sessions with multidisciplinary health professionals were conducted to identify barriers and enablers to behavioural change, identify areas for development, and co-design intervention options...

Currently, a major pulmonary rehabilitation focus is on expanding access. At-home rehabilitation is being explored as an in-center pulmonary rehabilitation alternative. It has been asserted that in-home pulmonary rehabilitation confers similar benefits to in-center pulmonary rehabilitation. An extensive database documents that in-center pulmonary rehabilitation confers a range of patient-relevant benefits. Recently, evidence has been presented that in-center pulmonary rehabilitation improves survival, perhaps the most important benefit of all...

BACKGROUND: Age is associated with outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, there are mixed findings across outcome domains and most studies lack controls. OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study examined the association between age group (15-24 years, 25-34 years, 35-44 years, 45-54 years, 55-64 years, and 65 years or more) and outcomes 2 years after TBI in independence in daily activities, driving, public transportation use, employment, leisure activities, social integration, relationships and emotional functioning, relative to healthy controls...