PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Roger D Adams

Publications and source records attributed to Roger D Adams.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Initial development of a device for controlling manually applied forces.

UNLABELLED: In both simulation and manual therapy studies, substantial variability has been shown when therapists attempt to replicate an applied force. Knowledge about the forces employed during treatment could reduce this variability. In the current project, a prototype for a mobilizing device incorporating a dynamometer was constructed. The prototype device was built around a conventional "hand-grip" dynamometer to give dial visibility during application of mobilizing forces and a moulded handle was used to increase the hand contact surface during force application. The variability of the mobilization forces produced was measured, and ratings of comfort during a simulated spinal mobilization technique were obtained from therapists. METHOD: Thirty physiotherapists were randomly allocated to apply either: (i) their own estimate of a grade III mobilization force using their hands in a pisiform grip or (ii) a 100N force with the manual therapy dynamometer, and to rate comfort during the performance of both techniques on a 100mm visual analogue scale. RESULTS: Variance in dynamometer-dial-guided force application was always significantly less than the variance in therapist-concept-guided force application. Repeated-measures tests showed that the mean force produced at grade III was not significantly different from 100N, but physiotherapist comfort ratings were found to be significantly greater (P<0.01) when the manual therapy dynamometer was used. CONCLUSION: Manually applied force variability was significantly less and therapist comfort greater when using a device with visual access to a dial giving immediate force readout.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Foot morphology and foot/ankle injury in indoor football.

While the pronated foot is implicated as a risk factor for sports injury in some studies, others suggest that a supinated foot posture increases the risk of overuse lower limb injuries. Athletes in a given sports discipline may tend to have a similar foot morphology, which varies from that observed elsewhere. Further, the foot morphology that is beneficial for performance in a sport may be detrimental with regard to injury. Intra- and inter-rater reliability of the Foot Posture Index (FPI-6) as a measure of foot morphology was determined (ICC (2,1) 0.88 and 0.69 respectively). Thereafter, in a prospective cohort study using the FPI-6, 76 adolescent male indoor football (Futsal) players were measured and followed monthly over one competition season. Coach-rated ability and reports of any overuse injuries at the ankle and/or foot over this period were obtained. A significant negative linear relationship was found between the mean FPI-6 scores and coach-rated ability (p=0.008), with supinated and under-pronated postures related to higher ability level. Overall, 33% of injuries at the ankle and/or foot were classified as overuse. Foot Posture Index scores of less than 2, indicating the supinated and under-pronated feet, were found to be associated with a significant increase in the risk of overuse injury (p=0.008). The greater rigidity of these foot types may assist adolescent, male, indoor football players to perform at a higher level in their sport. Unfortunately, these players are also more likely to sustain ankle and/or foot overuse injuries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Development and psychometric testing of Korean language versions of 4 neck pain and disability questionnaires.

STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study. OBJECTIVES: To develop and establish the psychometric properties of Korean versions of 4 neck pain and disability questionnaires: the Neck Disability Index, Neck Pain and Disability Scale, Functional Rating Index, and Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SFMPQ). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: To our knowledge, there are no published Korean language neck pain and disability measures. METHODS: Versions of each questionnaire in idiomatic modern Korean were developed with a process involving initial independent translation, synthesis of the translations, independent back translation, and review by an expert committee to achieve equivalence with the original English. Psychometric testing of the questionnaires with 261 subjects was undertaken to examine test-retest reliability, internal consistency, discriminative validity, and longitudinal construct validity. RESULTS: Test-retest reliability of the translated versions of the 3 disability questionnaires was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient[2,1] = 0.86-0.90). High internal consistency was found in the 3 disability questionnaires (Cronbach-alpha ranged from alpha = 0.88 for the Functional Rating Index to alpha = 0.96 for the Neck Pain and Disability Scale, and 0.82 for the SFMPQ). The visual analog scale subscale of the SFMPQ was the most responsive of the subscales (effect size = 1.44, standardized response mean = 1.37). The visual analog scale was also the most responsive pain and disability index in internal responsiveness analysis, although disability indexes showed marginally better responsiveness when compared with external standards. No floor or ceiling effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the questionnaires were successfully translated and show acceptable measurement properties, and, as such, are suitable for use in clinical and research applications.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Bilateral conjugacy of movement initiation is retained at the eye but not at the mouth following long-term unilateral facial nerve palsy.

Voluntary eyelid closure and smiling were studied in 11 normal subjects and 11 patients with long-term unilateral facial nerve palsy (FNP). The conjugacy of eyelid movements shown previously for blinks was maintained for voluntary eye closures in normal subjects, with movement onset being synchronous in both eyes. Bilateral onset synchrony of the sides of the mouth was also observed in smiling movements in normal subjects. In FNP patients, initiation of movement of the paretic and non-paretic eyelids was also synchronous, but markedly delayed relative to normal (by 136 ms = 32%). The initiation of bilateral movements at the mouth was similarly delayed, but in contrast to the eyes, it was not synchronous. Central neural processing in the FNP subjects was normal, however, since unilateral movements at the mouth were not delayed. The delays therefore point to considerable additional information processing needed for initiating bilateral facial movements after FNP. The maintenance of bilateral onset synchrony in eyelid closure and its loss in smiling following FNP is an important difference in the neural control of these facial regions. Bilateral conjugacy of eyelid movements is probably crucial for coordinating visual input and was achieved apparently without conscious effort on the part of the patients. Bilateral conjugacy of movements at the sides of the mouth may be less critical for normal function, although patients would very much like to achieve it in order to improve the appearance of their smile. Since the everyday frequency of eyelid movements is considerably greater than that of smiling, it is possible that the preserved eyelid conjugacy in these patients with long-term FNP is merely a product of greater experience. However, if synchrony of movement onset is found to be preserved in patients with acute FNP, then it would suggest that eyelid conjugacy has a privileged status in the neural organisation of the face.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed2006

Physiotherapy rehabilitation of the smile after long-term facial nerve palsy using video self-modeling and implementation intentions.

OBJECTIVE: To improve smiling after long-term facial nerve palsy (FNP). Physiotherapy rehabilitation of an adapted (more symmetrical) smile was investigated in FNP subjects 1 year post-onset, using video self-modeling (video replay of only best adapted smiles) and implementation intentions (preplanning adapted smiles for specific situations). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective, blinded clinical trial. Facial-Nerve-Palsy Clinic. RESULTS: After video self-modeling: 1) reaction time (RT) to initiation of adapted smiles became 224 ms faster whereas RT for everyday (asymmetrical) smiles became 153 ms slower; 2) adapted smiles were completed 544 ms faster; 3) adapted smiles had higher overall quality, movement control, and symmetry ratings; and 4) Facial Disability Index scores also improved. Implementation intentions after video self-modeling ensured transfer of adapted smile to everyday situations. CONCLUSION: Following intervention the smile improved, with significant changes in availability, execution speed, and quality. SIGNIFICANCE: This study supports these rehabilitation techniques to maximize quality of smiling following FNP. EBM RATING: B-2b.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Proprioception and rotation range sensitization associated with subclinical neck pain.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. OBJECTIVE: To investigate neck proprioception, range of motion, muscle endurance, and self report of pain and disability in patients with subclinical neck pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Untreated (i.e., subclinical) neck pain represents a category intermediate between "no pain" and "treated (i.e., clinical) pain." Therefore, the features that characterize it may be targeted for early management to prevent progression. METHODS: Eighty-one healthy Korean university student volunteers, aged between 18 and 30 years (mean age, 23.2 years), were measured for proprioceptive sensitivity to differences in the extent of midrange neck retraction and rotation movements using a device that was not attached to the head; neck range of motion (twice) using the cervical range of motion device; and neck muscle endurance using a modified Biering-Sorensen test. Finally, patients were asked about any recurrent neck pain and completed Korean translations of four commonly used neck pain and disability questionnaires. RESULTS: Patients were categorized into three frequency of neck pain groups: never/infrequent, monthly, or weekly. There were significant differences between these groups on the four self-report questionnaires. Neck muscle endurance was significantly lower for the groups reporting monthly and weekly pain compared with the never/infrequent group. At the second range of motion test, increased range was obtained for patients with infrequent or no neck pain, but left rotation range of motion was less on the second test (sensitization) for patients reporting monthly and weekly pain. Movement extent discrimination was best for the group with the greatest pain frequency. CONCLUSIONS: A history of subclinical neck pain is associated with lower neck muscle endurance capacity and with less rotation range of motion on second testing but when frequent (occurring weekly or more often) is associated with greater sensitivity in judging neck movement extent. Improving strength and rotation range should therefore be investigated as targets of treatment for subclinical neck pain.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Neck muscle endurance, self-report, and range of motion data from subjects with treated and untreated neck pain.

BACKGROUND: Despite the high prevalence and cost of neck-pain problems, there is currently little data available on the physical characteristics associated with different levels of neck pain. OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between categories of response to neck pain/discomfort and (1) the endurance time of neck muscles, neck range of motion (ROM), and neck and head morphology, (2) sensitization or stretch effects arising from repeating end-of-range measurements, and (3) self-report data from neck pain and disability questionnaires. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study design. METHODS: Fifty-five Australian volunteers with and without neck pain, who were not taking time off work, were measured for neck muscle endurance, active neck ROM, craniocervical and thoracic posture, neck length, and head circumference and completed questionnaires about any neck pain/discomfort and disability. RESULTS: Twenty-two subjects reported a level of neck pain/discomfort that had required treatment (treated neck pain), a group of 17 subjects reported experiencing low-level neck pain/discomfort on a recurrent basis for which they had not sought treatment (untreated neck pain), whereas 16 subjects had no experience of neck pain or discomfort (no pain). Neck muscle endurance time was significantly lower for both pain groups. The affective dimension of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire and neck disability questionnaires were scored significantly higher by subjects who had sought treatment than by those in either of the untreated groups. Both pain groups showed a range decrease for most directions of neck motion at second measurement. CONCLUSIONS: Neck muscle endurance times, repeated end-ROM testing, the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, and disability questionnaires may distinguish between groups with untreated, treated, and no neck pain.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Body chart pain location and side-specific physical impairment in subclinical neck pain.

OBJECTIVE: To test computer-using students to examine the relationship between location of neck pain as indicated on pain drawings and physical impairments compared with those subjects not reporting pain. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled 81 healthy student volunteers at the College of Rehabilitation Science, Daegu University, Korea, aged 18 to 30 years. Outcomes were endurance time of neck muscles and neck range of motion (ROM) sensitization or stretch effects on repeated range tests. Active neck ROM measures were taken twice, 10 minutes apart. Neck muscle endurance time was obtained using a horizontal head-holding test with a 10-minute goal. After all physical measurements were completed, information about any neck pain was collected and 4 groups were formed on the basis of the pain location noted on the body chart. RESULTS: Sixty-seven subjects experienced recurrent neck pain. Nineteen had right-side pain, another 19 had left-side pain, 29 reported pain on both sides, and 14 did not experience neck pain. Neck muscle endurance time was significantly lower for all pain groups. For extension, left and right rotation movements at the second test, ROM decreased for subjects reporting subclinical pain and increased for those with no pain. Location of the pain to one side was related to the ROM decreased, in that the amount of reduction in the second-test rotation range was significantly greater on the side opposite to the pain. CONCLUSIONS: The location of neck pain that occurs intermittently, but is not present during range testing, affects the second test when the rotation involves stretching of tissue on the side of pain.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Reliability of the "Sydney," "Sunnybrook," and "House Brackmann" facial grading systems to assess voluntary movement and synkinesis after facial nerve paralysis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the extent of within-system reliability and between-system correlation for the "Sydney" and "Sunnybrook" systems of grading facial nerve paralysis, and to examine the interobserver reliability and agreement of the "House Brackmann" grading system. STUDY DESIGN: A fixed-effects reliability study in which 6 otolaryngologists viewed videotapes of patients with facial nerve paralysis. SETTING: University and medical Centers. PATIENTS: Patients with unilateral lower motor neurone facial nerve dysfunction greater than 1 year after onset, none of whom had undergone surgical reanimation procedures. Intervention Twenty-one patients with facial nerve paralysis were videotaped while they performed a protocol of facial movements. Six otolaryngologists viewed the videotapes and scored them with the Sydney and Sunnybrook systems, and then gave a House Brackmann grade. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The 3 systems of grading facial nerve paralysis were evaluated and compared with the use of intraclass correlation coefficients, Pearson's weighted kappa, and percentage exact agreement values. RESULTS: The Sydney and the Sunnybrook systems had good intrasystem reliability and high intersystem association for the assessment of voluntary movement. Grading of synkinesis was found to have low reliability both within and between systems. The House Brackmann system had substantial reliability as shown by weighted kappa but had a percentage exact agreement of 44%. CONCLUSIONS: For clinical grading of voluntary movement, there is good correlation between ratings given on the Sydney and Sunnybrook systems, and within each system there is good reliability. The assessment of synkinesis was far less reliable within, and less related between, systems. Although the reliability of the House Brackmann system was found to be high, examination of individual grades revealed some wide variation between trained observers.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Cervical range of motion associations with subclinical neck pain.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between subclinical neck pain/discomfort, and range of motion and physical dimensions of the cervicothoracic spine. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Despite the high prevalence of neck problems, few studies are available indicating any physical associations with the development of neck pain, or information regarding early signs of pathology from neck pain for subjects not in treatment. METHODS: Forty healthy volunteers, between 19 and 42 years of age (mean age 28 years), were recruited. The dimensions of the cervicothoracic spine measured were as follows: spinal posture, active cervical range of motion, and segment length of the neck. All measurements were taken twice from each subject by different testers, on the same occasion. Cervical muscle endurance was measured by a modified Biering-Sørensen Test. Finally, subjects were questioned about any recurrent neck pain/discomfort. RESULTS: Fourteen subjects reported experiencing low-level neck pain/discomfort on a recurrent basis. Neck muscle endurance time (F1,38 = 6.75, P = 0.01) and left rotation end-of-range (F1,38 = 4.56, P = 0.04) were found to be significantly lower for subjects with neck pain. Extension end-of-range showed a group-specific change at retest, increasing for subjects without pain, but decreasing for those with neck pain (F1,38 = 4.67, P = 0.04). This same group had a greater range of retraction than the asymptomatic group (F1,38 = 4.56, P = 0.04). Subjects overall, irrespective of pain classification, demonstrated greater left rotation than right rotation (F1,38 = 4.34, P = 0.04) and also showed reduced side flexion on the left (F1,38 = 5.10, P = 0.03) and right (F1,38 = 5.27, P = 0.03) with repeated measurement. CONCLUSIONS: Between-groups differences were observed as lower neck muscle endurance time, reduced left rotation, relatively reduced extension at second test, but greater range of retraction, when the subclinical and normal groups were compared. These data suggest that there are early range changes associated with the development of neck pain.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Expression of emotion and quality of life after facial nerve paralysis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the facial expression of emotion and quality of life in patients after long-term facial nerve paralysis. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Facial nerve paralysis clinic. PATIENTS: Twenty-four patients with facial nerve paralysis and 24 significant others (partner, relative, friend). INTERVENTION: Patients were assessed using Sunnybrook, Sydney, and House-Brackmann grading scales and SF-36, Glasgow Benefit Inventory, and Facial Disability Index quality-of-life measures. RESULTS: When patients identified themselves as either effective or not effective at facially communicating each of Ekman's primary emotions (happiness, disgust, surprise, anger, sadness, and fear), 50% classified themselves as not effective at expressing one or more of the six emotions. Significant others of the not effective patients rated the emotions as more difficult for their partner-patients to communicate facially than did the significant others of effective patients. The SF-36 quality-of-life survey revealed lower social functioning relative to physical functioning for not effective patients. From the Sunnybrook Facial Grading System, more synkinesis was found for those patients not effective at expressing happiness, less brow and eye movement for patients not effective at expressing sadness, and less voluntary movement for those not effective with surprise. CONCLUSION: Movement deficits associated with expressing specific emotions and an association with quality-of-life measures were identified in patients with long-term facial nerve paralysis who saw themselves as not effective at facial expression of emotions. To improve management of emotional expression in patients with facial nerve paralysis, a broader approach is recommended, linking the practitioner's treatment goals with patient-driven outcome goals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

The effect of a 5-week wobble-board exercise intervention on ability to discriminate different degrees of ankle inversion, barefoot and wearing shoes: a study in healthy elderly.

OBJECTIVES: There is some evidence of an improvement in falls risk in the elderly after completing a wobble-board training program. This study examined the effects of wobble-board training on ability to discriminate between different extents of ankle inversion movements in a group of older subjects, tested wearing shoes and barefoot. DESIGN: A randomized, controlled, crossover pilot study. SETTING: Canberra region, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty community-dwelling subjects aged 65 to 85 participated in this study; all were in good health with no known disorder of the musculoskeletal system. MEASUREMENTS: The accuracy with which subjects could identify a set of ankle inversion movements of different extents was measured, with testing conducted in an upright, weightbearing stance. INTERVENTION: The effects of a 5-week training program using a wobble board modified for data logging or a period of normal activity only were assessed. Subjects underwent an ankle movement discrimination test pre- and posttraining, with shoes on and off. RESULTS: Greater improvement in ankle movement discrimination capability was made in subjects who underwent wobble-board training than in subjects who did not train (F(1,18)=11.2, P=.003). Active movements at the ankle were also significantly better discriminated throughout when subjects were wearing shoes than when barefoot (F(1,18)=40.6, P=.001). CONCLUSION: Training with a wobble board provides a simple in-home intervention that improves ability to differentiate between extent of movements into ankle inversion in subjects aged 65 and older. Research on trip and fall frequency after wobble-board use is needed before such training could be widely used.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed2004

Sensitivity to differences in the extent of neck-retraction and -rotation movements made with and without vision.

19 subjects (10 men, 9 women) ages 19 to 30 years (M = 23.2, SD = 3.3) volunteered to participate in a study to investigate the just-noticeable-difference in movement extent for neck retraction and neck rotation. Testing was carried out with stopped movements, conducted according to the method of constant stimuli, and repeated both with and without vision in a comfortable seated position. Sensitivity was greatest for neck-retraction movements, which had lower just-noticeable-difference than either left or right rotation movements. Having full vision available gave no significant advantage in any direction when discriminating between different extents of midrange head movements.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Perceptions of causes of performance-related injuries by music health experts and injured violinists.

Skilled violin and viola players, all of whom had a current performance-related musculoskeletal injury, were asked to report their perceptions of contributing risk factors, consistent with a participatory ergonomics approach. The 26 players, age 18 to 60 years, had been playing for a minimum of 10 years and averaged three hours of practice per day. In addition, 7 music health experts, all with more than 10 years of clinical experience in treating musicians, were asked to report on the risk factors for musicians' performance-related injuries. A high correlation between the perceptions of these two groups was found, with the same top five factors in terms of severity indicated by both groups. Factors rated as high risk were primarily intrinsic and related to the manner in which respondents practiced, to playing posture, and to flaws in skill technique.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Contacting points overhead with and without a tennis racquet.

Wielding an object or tool has been proposed to extend automatically the body's boundary to the tip of the held object. A sample of convenience consisted of 7 women and 5 men whose mean age was 23 yr. Using recreational tennis skills they judged the location of unseen overhead points of contact, where accuracy of discrimination was measured for movements to contact made with and without use of a tennis racquet. Points-of-contact overhead touched by the hand were significantly better discriminated after a backward and upward arm swing than when contact was made after a similar swing with a tennis racquet.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Effects of ankle dorsiflexion on range and reliability of straight leg raising.

The effect of dorsiflexion was investigated on range of passive straight leg raising (SLR) and on inter-rater reliability with 35 patients reporting unilateral lumbar pain with or without ipsilateral leg symptoms. Ranges of SLR and SLR with dorsiflexion (SLR/DF) to onset of lumbar or leg symptoms (P1) were independently measured using a gravity goniometer by pairs of different physiotherapists at two clinics. Dorsiflexion significantly reduced SLR range by a mean of 9 degrees across both samples. Similar high inter-rater reliability was found for SLR and SLR/DF in both pairs of physiotherapists. These data show that SLR and SLR/DF are reliable procedures when measured to P1 in the clinical environment and support previous findings that dorsiflexion reduces range of SLR.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Manual discrimination capability when only viscosity is varied in viscoelastic stiffness stimuli.

BACKGROUND: Training manual therapists in the judgment of spinal stiffness traditionally requires the spines of human volunteers. Presenting the range of stiffness values representative of spines requires both time and resources. When investigating the ability of therapists to judge spinal stiffness, several studies have therefore utilized spine analogues, nonbiological devices designed to present either purely elastic stimuli or viscoelastic stimuli with unknown relative contributions of elastic and viscous components. Previous research has suggested that the viscous component of stiffness is more difficult to judge. OBJECTIVE: This study determined for each subject the just-noticeable difference, or discrimination threshold, for manual judgment of viscous stiffness against a constant elastic and friction background. DESIGN: This psychophysical study utilized the Weber fraction as a measure of the ability of subjects to discriminate between viscoelastic stiffness stimuli. METHODS: Twenty-five subjects with both physiotherapy and lay backgrounds volunteered to participate in the study. Stiffness stimuli were generated by a device incorporating a fluid-filled plunger and a spring, with only the amount of viscous stiffness being manipulated by the experimenter. The method of constant stimuli was used to estimate the just-discriminable change in viscous stiffness, and results were expressed as a percentage of the base stiffness or Weber fraction. RESULTS: The mean Weber fraction for manual judgments of viscous stiffness was 14.7%. For 13 of the subjects who had previously participated in elastic stiffness discrimination studies, the Weber fraction for viscous stimuli was significantly greater than that for elastic stimuli. CONCLUSION: The significantly higher Weber fraction for viscous stiffness perception compared with that for pure elastic stiffness suggests that the poor reliability of manual judgments of spinal stiffness may be due to the difficulty in judging the viscous stiffness component.

Adult↗