Biomedical subjects

G Kwakkel

Publications and source records attributed to G Kwakkel.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2001

The effects of physical therapy in Parkinson's disease: a research synthesis.

OBJECTIVE: To present a critical review and meta-analysis of studies evaluating the effects of physical therapy in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD), in terms of neurologic signs, activities of daily living (ADLs), and walking ability. DATA SOURCES: Articles published from 1966 to May 1999 were compiled by means of MEDLINE, Cochrane register of controlled trials, and CINAHL using combinations of the key words Parkinson's disease, exercise, exercise therapy, physical therapy, and group training. References presented in relevant publications were also examined. Articles written in English, German, or Dutch were included. STUDY SELECTION: Studies had to meet the following selection criteria: (1) patients with PD were included in the intervention study, (2) the effects of physical therapy (PT) were evaluated, (3) the study could be classified as true or quasi-experiment, and (4) the study was published in a journal or book. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers assessed independently the methodologic quality of the data of each included study. One reviewer extracted relevant meta-analysis data. DATA SYNTHESIS: For each outcome measure the estimated effect size and the summary effect size (SES) were calculated, using fixed (ie, Hedges's g) and random effects models. The meta-analysis resulted in a significant homogeneous SES with regard to ADLs (.40; confidence interval [CI] = .17-.64) and stride length (.46; CI = .12-.82). The SES with regard to walking speed showed a significant heterogeneous SES, which remained significant after applying a random effects model (.49; CI = .21-.77). The SES with regard to neurologic signs was not significant (.22; CI = -.08 to .52). The small number of studies included and the shortcomings of the methodologic quality of these studies, however, bias the results of the present study. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present research synthesis support the hypothesis that Parkinson patients benefit from PT added to their standard medication.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2000

Accuracy of physical and occupational therapists' early predictions of recovery after severe middle cerebral artery stroke.

INTRODUCTION: The ability of physical therapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs) to predict level of outcome accurately was investigated prospectively in 91 severely disabled stroke patients with a first-ever middle cerebral artery (MCA) stroke. METHODS: Within the second and fifth week after stroke onset, 364 predictions were made by 59 PTs and 47 OTs about walking ability, dexterity, activities of daily living (ADL), need for additional care in ADL, time required to achieve independent walking ability and maximal level of ADL, and destination of discharge at six months after stroke. The functional recovery patterns of stroke patients were assessed by an independent observer. The accuracy of the therapists' predictions was compared with that of derived prediction models. In addition, the influence of characteristics of patients and therapists on the accuracy of the predictions was investigated. RESULTS: Compared to observed outcomes at six months after stroke, therapists' lowest accuracies of prediction were found for the moment at which maximal ADL score was achieved (rs = 0.07; p = NS), and highest accuracy was for level of dexterity of the hemiplegic arm (rs = 0.78; p <0.01). Therapists' predictions of functional outcome at six months tended to be too pessimistic. No significant differences were observed for dexterity and walking ability when the predictions by PTs and OTs were compared with those of regression models, whereas significant differences were found for the accuracies of OTs' and PTs' first prediction of destination of discharge and second predictions of outcome in ADL and need for additional care in ADL. No significant differences were found between the accuracy of PTs' and OTs' predictions, and their ability to predict functional outcome was not significantly influenced by the characteristics of patient and therapists. CONCLUSIONS: At two and five weeks after stroke, OTs and PTs can accurately predict level of walking ability and dexterity at six months. The prediction of time required for achieving maximal level of recovery, destination of discharge, outcome of ADL as well as need for additional care in ADL leaves room for improvement.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1999

Intensity of leg and arm training after primary middle-cerebral-artery stroke: a randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the effects of different intensities of arm and leg rehabilitation training on the functional recovery of activities of daily living (ADL), walking ability, and dexterity of the paretic arm, in a single-blind randomised controlled trial. METHODS: Within 14 days after stroke onset, 101 severely disabled patients with a primary middle-cerebral-artery stroke were randomly assigned to: a rehabilitation programme with emphasis on arm training; a rehabilitation programme with emphasis on leg training; or a control programme in which the arm and leg were immobilised with an inflatable pressure splint. Each treatment regimen was applied for 30 min, 5 days a week during the first 20 weeks after stroke. In addition, all patients underwent a basic rehabilitation programme. The main outcome measures were ability in ADL (Barthel index), walking ability (functional ambulation categories), and dexterity of the paretic arm (Action Research arm test) at 6, 12, 20, and 26 weeks. Analyses were by intention to treat. FINDINGS: At week 20, the leg-training group (n=31) had higher scores than the control group (n=37) for ADL ability (median 19 [IQR 16-20] vs 16 [10-19], p<0.05), walking ability (4 [3-5] vs 3 [1-4], p<0.05), and dexterity (2 [0-56] vs 0 [0-2], p<0.01). The arm-training group (n=33) differed significantly from the control group only in dexterity (9 [0-39] vs 0 [0-2], p<0.01). There were no significant differences in these endpoints at 20 weeks between the arm-training and leg-training groups. INTERPRETATION: Greater intensity of leg rehabilitation improves functional recovery and health-related functional status, whereas greater intensity of arm rehabilitation results in small improvements in dexterity, providing further evidence that exercise therapy primarily induces treatment effects on the abilities at which training is specifically aimed.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1997

Effects of intensity of rehabilitation after stroke. A research synthesis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A research synthesis was performed to (1) critically review controlled studies evaluating effects of different intensities of stroke rehabilitation in terms of disabilities and impairments and (2) quantify patterns by calculating summary effect sizes. The influences of organizational setting of rehabilitation management, blind recording, and amount of rehabilitation on the summary effect sizes were calculated. METHODS: A Medline literature search was performed for a critical review of the literature. The internal and external validity of the studies was evaluated. In addition, a meta-analysis was performed by applying the fixed (Hedges's g) effects model. RESULTS: The effects of different intensities of rehabilitation were studied in nine controlled studies involving 1051 patients. Analysis of the methodological quality revealed scores varying from 14% to 47% of the maximum feasible score. Meta-analysis demonstrated a statistically significant summary effect size for activities of daily living (0.28 +/- 0.12). Lower summary effect sizes (0.19 +/- 0.17) were found for studies in which experimental and control groups were treated in the same setting compared with studies in which the two groups of patients were treated in different settings (0.40 +/- 0.19). Variables defined on a neuromuscular level (0.37 +/- 0.24) showed larger summary effect sizes than variables defined on a functional level (0.10 +/- 0.21). Weighting individual effect sizes for the difference in amount of rehabilitation between experimental and control groups resulted in larger summary effect sizes for activities of daily living and functional outcome parameters for studies that were not confounded by organizational setting. CONCLUSIONS: A small but statistically significant intensity-effect relationship in the rehabilitation of stroke patients was found. Insufficient contrast in the amount of rehabilitation between experimental and control conditions, organizational setting of rehabilitation management, lack of blinding procedures, and heterogeneity of patient characteristics were major confounding factors.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1996

Predicting disability in stroke--a critical review of the literature.

Research articles on the prognosis of stroke patients were analysed to identify studies that met sound methodological principles of prognostic research as well as to identify variables capable of predicting functional outcome (ADL) after stroke. Data sources comprised a computer-aided search of published prognostic studies and references to literature used in prognostic studies. Seventy-eight studies were tested for adherence to the following key methodological criteria: reliability and validity of measurement instruments used to assess dependent and independent variables; inclusion of an inception cohort; adequate and uniform end-point of observation; control for drop-outs during period of observation; statistical testing of presumed relationship between dependent and independent variables; sufficient sample size in relation to number of determinants; control for multicollinearity; specification of patient characteristics (i.e. age, type, recurrent stroke and localization of stroke); description of interfering treatment effects during the period of observation, and cross-validation of the prediction model in a second independent group of patients. Only three studies satisfied nine out 11 criteria and ten studies eight criteria for the determination of valid prognostic research. The results of these studies indicate that the following variables are valid predictors for functional recovery after stroke: age; previous stroke; urinary continence; consciousness at onset; disorientation in time and place; severity of paralysis; sitting balance; admission ADL score; level of social support and metabolic rate of glucose outside the infarct area in hypertensive patients. This study supports the general opinion that not only are differences in objectives and heterogeneity in stroke patients responsible for the lack of accuracy in predicting functional outcome, but also the methodological flaws in published prognostic research.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1993

Intranasal calcitonin suppresses increased bone resorption during short-term immobilization: a double-blind study of the effects of intranasal calcitonin on biochemical parameters of bone turnover.

Immobilization is associated with increased bone resorption and decreased bone formation. We evaluated in a double-blind trial the effect of intranasal administration of salmon calcitonin on biochemical parameters of bone turnover in 32 patients immobilized for a prolapsed intervertebral disk. Calcitonin in a dose of two times 200 IU/day partially inhibited the increase in the fasting 2 h urinary hydroxyproline/creatinine ratio (OHPr/Cr) and calcium/creatinine ratio (Ca/Cr). The increase in OHPr/Cr was 40% less in the calcitonin group compared to the placebo group (P = 0.01), and the increase in Ca/Cr was 80% less in the calcitonin group (P = 0.04). Calcitonin also partially inhibited the increase in serum cross-linked carboxyl-terminal telopeptide of collagen type I (P < 0.05). The decrease in serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D after 10 days of immobilization was significantly less in the calcitonin-treated group than in the placebo group (14 versus 29%, respectively; P < 0.05). Intranasal calcitonin did not influence the pain scores as measured with a visual analog scale (VAS). The tolerability of the nasal calcitonin preparation was excellent. We conclude that nasal salmon calcitonin counteracts the early increase in bone resorption induced by immobilization.

Administration, Intranasal↗