Spinal load in nurses during emergency lifting of obese patients: preliminary results.

Background: Nurses are exposed to the risk of injury while handling patients. This is particularly true for obese patients.

Objective: The goal of this paper is to estimate the spinal loads and the related risk of injury to nurses while lifting obese patients from the floor with a bariatric sheet during a hospital emergency.

Does kinematics add meaningful information to clinical assessment in post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation? A case report.

[Purpose] The aims of this case study were to: (a) quantify the impairment and activity restriction of the upper limb in a hemiparetic patient; (b) quantitatively evaluate rehabilitation program effectiveness; and (c) discuss whether more clinically meaningful information can be gained with the use of kinematic analysis in addition to clinical assessment. The rehabilitation program consisted of the combined use of different traditional physiotherapy techniques, occupational therapy sessions, and the so-called task-oriented approach. [Subject and Methods] Subject was a one hemiplegic patient.

Center of pressure displacements during gait initiation in individuals with obesity.

Background: Obesity is known to affect balance and gait pattern increasing the risk of fall and injury as compared to the lean population. Such risk is particularly high during postural transitions. Gait initiation (GI) is a transient procedure between static upright posture and steady-state locomotion, which includes anticipatory antero-posterior and lateral movements.

Mechanisms underlying center of pressure displacements in obese subjects during quiet stance.

Objective: the aim of this study was to assess whether reduced balance capacity in obese subjects is secondary to altered sensory information.

Design: cross sectional study.

Subjects: 44 obese (BMI = 40.

[Obesity and work: an emerging problem].

In Italy, 42.5% of adult males is overweight and 10.5% obese, while 26.

Mapping an obesity clinical evaluation protocol to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.

Purpose: To evaluate a multidisciplinary clinical protocol for obesity treatment by mapping it against the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and to determine the areas, defined by the ICF, in which no standardized assessment tools are available.

Method: Assessment instruments used by a multidisciplinary team were linked to ICF categories and compared with a list of ICF categories composed by the ICF checklist and the comprehensive ICF core-set for obesity. Other relevant ICF categories were added, and not relevant ones were deleted when appropriate.

Gender-specific effect of obesity on balance.

Obesity modifies the body geometry by adding mass to different regions and it influences the biomechanics of activities of daily living. Weight influences postural stability, but there is no consensus as to whether the different fat distribution in males and females produces gender-related effects on balance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of body weight increases on postural performance in males and females.