Post-COVID-19 functional status scale: Cross-cultural adaptation and measurement properties of the Brazilian Portuguese version.

Background: The Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) scale was created to assess the functional status of patients after hospital discharge due to COVID-19.

Objective: To perform cross-cultural adaptation of the PCFS Scale and Manual into Brazilian Portuguese and evaluate its measurement properties in patients post-COVID-19.

Methods: For the cross-cultural adaptation, independent translations and back-translations were performed.

Assessment of Passive Upper Limb Stiffness and Its Function in Post-Stroke Individuals Wearing an Inertial Sensor during the Pendulum Test.

This article proposes the evaluation of the passive movement of the affected elbow during the pendulum test in people with stroke and its correlation with the main clinical scales (Modified Ashworth Scale, Motor Activity Log, and Fulg Meyer). An inertial sensor was attached to the forearm of seven subjects, who then passively flexed and extended the elbow. Joint angles and variables that indicate viscoelastic properties, stiffness (K), damping (B), E1 amp, F1 amp, and relaxation indices were collected.

Effects of Resistance Training With Machines and Elastic Tubes on Functional Capacity and Muscle Strength in Community-Living Older Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

The aim of the present study is to compare the effects of 12 weeks of resistance training with machines and elastic tubes on functional capacity and muscular strength in older women aged 60 years or over. The participants were randomized into two groups: a machine group (n = 23) and an elastic group (n = 20). They performed 12 weeks of progressive resistance training, twice a week, with similar exercises.

The immediate effect of thumb orthoses on upper extremity's movement: A kinematic analysis of five unique devices.

Background: Thumb orthoses are a standard treatment modality, with substantial evidence to support its usage for multiple conditions affecting the upper extremity. Despite commonly prescribed, little is known about the immediate impact of such devices on the upper extremity, including potential modifications on motor patterns.

Research Question: We aimed to determine the changes in the upper limb kinematics during the usage of thumb orthotics, comparing differences in orthotic design, length, and fabrication materials.

Influence of functional task-oriented mental practice on the gait of transtibial amputees: a randomized, clinical trial.

Background: Mental practice (MP) through motor imagery is a cognitive training strategy used to improve locomotor skills during rehabilitation programs. Recent works have used MP tasks to investigate the neurophysiology of human gait; however, its effect on functional performance has not been evaluated. In the present study, the influence of gait-oriented MP tasks on the rehabilitation process of gait in transtibial amputees was investigated by assessing the vertical (V), anterior-posterior (AP), and medio-lateral (ML) ground reaction forces (GRFs) and the time duration of the support phase of the prosthetic limb.

Study of the kinematic variables of unilateral and habitual mastication of healthy individuals.

Purpose: To describe and compare the temporal-spatial kinematic variables of mandibular movement during deliberate unilateral and habitual mastication in healthy young-adult individuals.

Methods: The study sample was composed of eight male healthy volunteers aged 19 to 24 years. The kinematic data were obtained using a motion analysis system - Qualisys Track Manager (QTM) ProReflex MCU.

Towards Parameters and Protocols to Recommend FES-Cycling in Cases of Paraplegia: A Preliminary Report.

Functional Electrical Stimulation assisted cycling (FES-Cycling) is increasingly becoming an alternative option recommended to people with spinal cord injury struggling with paraplegia and interested in practicing sports. In order to propose preconditions to guide FES-Cycling recommendation, we aimed to investigate some features and their potential relationships with responsiveness to Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES). Fourteen volunteers attended a public recruitment forum to be assessed about their responsiveness through the 16-sessions of NMES.

Orthotic use for CMC osteoarthritis: Variations among different health professionals in Brazil.

Study Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study.

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent musculoskeletal disease in the adult and older adult populations. The use of orthoses to stabilize the thumb's articular complex is one of the most common conservative management strategies.

Experimentally induced masseter-pain changes masseter but not sternocleidomastoid muscle-related activity during mastication.

The aim of this study was to verify the effects of induced masseter-muscle pain on the amplitude of muscle activation, symmetry and coactivation of jaw- and neck-muscles during mastication. Twenty-eight male volunteers, mean age±SD 20.6±2.

Differences in orthotic design for thumb osteoarthritis and its impact on functional outcomes: A scoping review.

Background: Orthoses are a well-known intervention for the treatment of thumb osteoarthritis; however, there is a multitude of orthotic designs and not enough evidence to support the efficacy of specific models.

Objective: To examine the influence of different orthoses on pain, hand strength, and hand function of patients with thumb osteoarthritis.

Study Design: Literature review.

Cross-cultural adaptation to Brazilian Portuguese of the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument: MNSI-Brazil.

Since 1994, the University of Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center proposed an instrument to measure neuropathies not yet adapted to use in Brazil. Then, this study aimed to adapt cross-culturally the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) into Brazilian Portuguese, verifying its reliability. Thirty diabetic patients were initially evaluated with the adapted version after completed the essential steps to accomplish the cross-cultural adaptation.

The addition of functional task-oriented mental practice to conventional physical therapy improves motor skills in daily functions after stroke.

Background: Mental practice (MP) is a cognitive strategy which may improve the acquisition of motor skills and functional performance of athletes and individuals with neurological injuries.

Objective: To determine whether an individualized, specific functional task-oriented MP, when added to conventional physical therapy (PT), promoted better learning of motor skills in daily functions in individuals with chronic stroke (13 ± 6.5 months post-stroke).