Cervico-cephalalgiaphobia: a subtype of phobia in patients with cervicogenic headache and neck pain? A pilot study.

Objectives: The term 'cephalalgiaphobia' was introduced in the mid-1980s and defined as fear of migraine (attacks). We hypothesized that a specific subtype of cephalalgiaphobia affects patients with cervicogenic headache (CEH). This study aimed to: (1) define the term 'cervico-cephalalgiaphobia'; (2) develop a set of indicators for phobia relevant to patients with CEH; and (3) apply this set to a practice test in order to estimate the frequency of cervico-cephalalgiaphobia in the Dutch primary care practice of manual physical therapy.

Manual physical therapists' use of biopsychosocial history taking in the management of patients with back or neck pain in clinical practice.

Objective: To develop and evaluate process indicators relevant to biopsychosocial history taking in patients with chronic back and neck pain.

Methods: The SCEBS method, covering the Somatic, Psychological (Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior), and Social dimensions of chronic pain, was used to evaluate biopsychosocial history taking by manual physical therapists (MPTs). In Phase I, process indicators were developed while in Phase II indicators were tested in practice.

Preliminary results, methodological considerations and recruitment difficulties of a randomised clinical trial comparing two treatment regimens for patients with headache and neck pain.

Background: Headache is a highly prevalent disorder. Irrespective of the headache diagnosis it is often accompanied with neck pain and -stiffness. Due to this common combination of headache and neck pain, physical treatments of the cervical spine are often considered.

The dynamic postural control is impaired in patients with chronic ankle instability: reliability and validity of the multiple hop test.

Objective: To investigate the reliability and validity of a clinical evaluation method for the assessment of the dynamic postural control in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: All tests were conducted at the practice room of the Physical Therapy Department.

Developmental changes and predictability of static strength in individuals of different maturity: a 30-year longitudinal study.

This longitudinal study analyses the development and predictability of static strength and their interactions with maturation in youth. Of 515 children followed annually from age 6 to 18 years, 59 males and 60 females were measured again at age 35. Early, average, and late maturity groups were established.

Reliability and discriminative validity of sudden ankle inversion measurements in patients with chronic ankle instability.

Background: Studies investigating peroneal muscle reaction times in chronically unstable ankle joints present conflicting results. The degree of reliability and accuracy of these measurements is unknown in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI).

Methods: 40 patients with CAI and 30 healthy subjects were tested using a sudden ankle inversion of 50 degrees while standing on a trapdoor device.

The chronic ankle instability scale: clinimetric properties of a multidimensional, patient-assessed instrument.

Objective: To construct the chronic ankle instability scale (CAIS) and evaluate its clinimetric properties.

Design/setting: Validation study. The test procedure was conducted at the University Hospital of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.

Specific associations between types of physical activity and components of mental health.

Findings of previous studies suggest that the relationship between physical activity and mental health may change across different domains of physical activity, different dimensions of mental health, and different population subgroups. The present study examined associations between five types of physical activity with different contents: housework, leisure active transportation, biking to/from work, walking to/from work, and sports participation, and two dimensions of mental health: perceived stress and psychological distress, in 1919 participants aged 20-65 years, using the data from the Flemish Policy Research Centre Sport, Physical Activity and Health. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed with the total sample, and with the sample stratified by gender, age, and occupational category.

Changes of skin characteristics during and after local Parafango therapy as used in physiotherapy.

Background/aims: In physiotherapy, fango (mud) application is a frequently used heat therapy. The main therapeutic effects are due to the elevated temperature of the different tissues with a significant redistribution of blood towards the heated area. This may influence several cardiovascular parameters.

Functional performance deficits in patients with CAI: validity of the multiple hop test.

Objectives: To investigate the reliability and validity of a functional performance test in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: All tests were conducted in the practice room of the physical therapy department of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

Lipid profile in men and women with different levels of sports participation and physical activity.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to analyse the lipid profile in men and women differentiated according to energy expenditure during sports participation (EE(SPORT)), energy expenditure during active leisure time (EE(ALT)) and overall energy expenditure (EE(TOTAL)).

Design: The subjects were grouped by sex, age, EE(SPORT), EE(ALT) and EE(TOTAL). Group differences were analysed using analyses of covariance with BMI and alcohol consumption as covariates.

Reliability and validity of the Flemish Physical Activity Computerized Questionnaire in adults.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of the Flemish Physical Activity Computerized Questionnaire (FPACQ) in employed/unemployed and retired people. The FPACQ was developed to assess detailed information on several dimensions of physical activity and sedentary behavior over a usual week. A triaxial accelerometer, the RT3 Triaxial Research Tracker (RT3), in combination with a written 7-day activity record, was used as the objective criterion measure.

Dietary factors associated with obesity indicators and level of sports participation in Flemish adults: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Obesity develops when energy intake continuously exceeds energy expenditure, causing a fundamental chronic energy imbalance. Societal and behavioural changes over the last decades are held responsible for the considerable increase in sedentary lifestyles and inappropriate dietary patterns. The role of dietary fat and other dietary factors in the aetiology and maintenance of excess weight is controversial.

Test-retest reliability of sudden ankle inversion measurements in subjects with healthy ankle joints.

Context: Sudden ankle inversion tests have been used to investigate whether the onset of peroneal muscle activity is delayed in patients with chronically unstable ankle joints. Before interpreting test results of latency times in patients with chronic ankle instability and healthy subjects, the reliability of these measures must be first demonstrated.

Objective: To investigate the test-retest reliability of variables measured during a sudden ankle inversion movement in standing subjects with healthy ankle joints.

Endogenous sex hormone levels in postmenopausal women undergoing carotid artery endarterectomy.

Objective: To study the endogenous sex hormone levels in natural postmenopausal women and their association with the presence of internal carotid artery (ICA) atherosclerosis.

Design: Case-control study

Methods: We compared 56 patients with severe ICA atherosclerosis referred for carotid artery endarterectomy (CEA) with 56 age-matched control subjects free of severe atherosclerotic disease. The presence of atherosclerosis was determined by high-resolution B-mode ultrasound.

Reproducibility of postural control measurement during unstable sitting in low back pain patients.

Background: Postural control tests like standing and sitting stabilometry are widely used to evaluate neuromuscular control related to trunk balance in low back pain patients. Chronic low back pain patients have lesser postural control compared to healthy subjects. Few studies have assessed the reproducibility of the centre of pressure deviations and to our knowledge no studies have investigated the reproducibility of three-dimensional kinematics of postural control tests in a low back pain population.

Management of headache disorders: design of a randomised clinical trial screening for prognostic patient characteristics.

Background: Treatment of headache disorders is not always optimal. Patients are treated in multiple ways, and the lack of scientific arguments for referral and the insufficient implementation of guidelines result in unclear treatment strategies. The coexistence of headache and neck pain can lead to the referral to a musculoskeletal physiotherapist.

Measuring activity patterns using actigraphy in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease resulting in impairments in motor and mental performance and restrictions in activities. Self-report instruments are commonly used to measure activity patterns; alternatively, actigraphs can be placed on several parts of the body. The aims of this study were to evaluate the superiority and specificity of actigraph placement (wrist vs.

Secular trends in anthropometric characteristics, physical fitness, physical activity, and biological maturation in Flemish adolescents between 1969 and 2005.

In this study, secular trends in anthropometric characteristics, physical fitness, physical activity, and biological maturity over the past 25-35 years in Flemish adolescents were investigated. Representative cross-sectional samples of 12-18-year-old secondary school children (11,899 assessments in boys in 1969-1974, 4,899 girls in 1979-1980, 1,429 boys and 1,772 girls in 2005) and parent-offspring pairs tested at approximately the same age during adolescence (55 father-son pairs, mean age fathers = 15.47 years, mean age sons = 15.

Socio-economic and lifestyle factors associated with overweight in Flemish adult men and women.

Background: Changes in lifestyles and in the environment over the last decades are probably the most important cause of the overweight epidemic, but the findings are inconsistent among studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of several socio-economic and lifestyle factors with overweight in Flemish adults, using BMI > or = 25 kg/m2, waist circumference (WC) > or = 94 cm (men) or > or = 80 cm (women) and the combination of BMI and WC for identifying overweight.

Methods: This cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted by the Flemish Policy Research Centre Sport, Physical Activity and Health between October 2002 and February 2004 in 46 Flemish communities.

Muscular strength, aerobic fitness, and metabolic syndrome risk in Flemish adults.

Purpose: To investigate the association of muscular strength and aerobic fitness with a continuous metabolic syndrome risk score in male and female adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1019 (571 men) Flemish adults, aged 18-75. Muscular strength was evaluated by measuring isometric knee extension and flexion peak torque, using a Biodex System Pro 3 dynamometer.

The clinimetric qualities of patient-assessed instruments for measuring chronic ankle instability: a systematic review.

Background: The assessment of outcomes from the patient's perspective becomes more recognized in health care. Also in patients with chronic ankle instability, the degree of present impairments, disabilities and participation problems should be documented from the perspective of the patient. The decision about which patient-assessed instrument is most appropriate for clinical practice should be based upon systematic reviews.

The clinical examination of neck pain patients: the validity of a group of tests.

We evaluated whether a blinded observer could identify the neck pain patients in a sample of 42 subjects consisting of neck pain patients and asymptomatic controls.The allocation of subjects to either the control or patient group was based on the scoring of a VAS scale for pain intensity, a Bournemouth Questionnaire (BQ), a manual examination of the rotation of C0-2-7 (rated for Range Of Motion, end feel, onset of pain), an adapted Spurling test and Cervical Range Of Motion (CROM) measurements.The VAS and BQ resulted in a high % of correct allocations (>/= 77.