Self-concept in children with cerebral palsy: is there something in the wind?

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare self-concept in four groups of children distinguished by the presence/absence of either a motor impairment (with and without cerebral palsy, CP) or social adjustment problems (victimisation).

Method: Four groups were formed: a victimised CP group (n=17), a non-victimised CP group (n=41), a victimised comparison group (n=10) and a non-victimised comparison group (n=46). Self-concept was measured using the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC, Harter The Self-Perception Profile for Children.

Effects of walking in a force field for varying durations on aftereffects and on next day performance.

This study investigated the effects of walking in an elastic force field (FF) for varying durations (49-1,629 strides) on: (a) the magnitude and duration of aftereffects, (b) performance in the FF on the next day. On day 1 in the FF, subjects (n = 17) showed an initial large error in peak toe velocity during swing (9-61% above baseline) that was largely reduced within the first 40 strides. After FF removal, subjects (16/17) showed aftereffects: (1) reduction in toe velocity (9-38% below baseline), (2) increase in hamstrings muscle activation.

Upper limb motor strategies in persons with and without shoulder impingement syndrome across different speeds of movement.

Background: Activities requiring repetitive arm movements, including high velocity actions, have been identified as a risk factor for shoulder impingement. However, the effect of speed on upper limb motor strategies has yet to be evaluated for individuals with shoulder impingement. The aims of this study were to characterize upper limb motor strategies in individuals with and without shoulder impingement during reaching at natural speed and to evaluate their adaptation to higher speeds of movement.

Social adjustment at school: Are children with cerebral palsy perceived more negatively by their peers than other at-risk children?

Purpose: To compare three dimensions of social adjustment (social status, friendship and victimization) across four groups of children between the ages of nine and 12 who differ by their birth status (premature vs. at term) and the presence or absence of a motor impairment (with and without cerebral palsy [CP]).

Method: All premature (n = 72) and term children (n = 118) without CP and all children with CP (premature with CP: n = 49; term with CP: n = 29) are part of a follow-up study.

Agreement between a self-administered questionnaire on musculoskeletal disorders of the neck-shoulder region and a physical examination.

Background: In epidemiological studies on neck-shoulder disorders, physical examination by health professionals, although more expensive, is usually considered a better method of data collection than self-administered questionnaires on symptoms. However, little is known on the comparison of these two methods of data collection. The agreement between self-administered questionnaires and the physical examination on the presence of neck-shoulders disorders was assessed in the present study.

Social adjustment of children with cerebral palsy in mainstream classes: peer perception.

The aim of this study was to describe the social experience of children with cerebral palsy (CP) in mainstream classes in Canada and compare it with that of their classmates without disability. The CP group included 25 females and 35 males (mean age 10 y 5 mo [SD 0.95], range 10 y 4 mo-10 y 10 mo) diagnosed as having hemiplegia (n=44) or diplegia (n=16) and classified as Level I on the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS).

Victimization: a newly recognized outcome of prematurity.

Victimization by peers affects 10 to 20% of school children under the age of 12 years. Physical, verbal, and psychological victimization (being pushed, hit, called names, teased, being the target of rumours, theft, extortion) is associated with short- and long-term adjustment problems, such as peer rejection, social withdrawal, low self-esteem, anxiety, loneliness, and depression, as well as academic problems and school drop-out. Research on populations of school children (primary and secondary) has associated victimization with personal risk factors (the victim's characteristics and behaviour) and interpersonal risk factors (social relationships between peers).

Feasibility of an eight-week dance-based exercise program and its effects on locomotor ability of persons with functional class III rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: The main objectives of this experimental case series were to evaluate the feasibility of a modified dance-based exercise program with low ground impacts in persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) functional class III and to describe its effects on locomotor ability. The relationship between 3 locomotor tests and their responsiveness also were addressed.

Methods: Ten female subjects participated in an 8-week exercise program.

Preoperative predictors of locomotor ability two months after total knee arthroplasty for severe osteoarthritis.

Objective: To identify preoperative predictors of locomotor ability 2 months after total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods: Sixty-five participants scheduled for a first TKA were recruited. The dependent variable was the distance covered during the 6-minute gait test 2 months after TKA.

Locomotor deficits before and two months after knee arthroplasty.

Objectives: To quantify the locomotor deficits before and 2 months after a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, and to compare pre- and postoperative performance.

Methods: Locomotor capacity of patients was evaluated using laboratory gait and stair-ascent evaluations (kinematic and kinetic variables, electromyographic activity of 4 muscles of both lower limbs, and spatiotemporal parameters), the timed Up & Go (TUG), and the 6-minute walk (6MW) test.

Results: Large locomotor deficits (increased hip flexion, decreased excursions of the knee and ankle, smaller extensor and flexor moments of force at the 3 joints, and muscle activation levels lower in all muscles tested) are still present in patients, particularly in the single-limb support subphase before and 2 months after TKA.

Avoidance and accommodation of surface height changes by healthy, community-dwelling, young, and elderly men.

The purpose of this study was to compare avoidance and accommodation strategies during gait between healthy, community-dwelling, young and elderly males. Ten young (28.4 +/- 5.

Comparative responsiveness of locomotor tests and questionnaires used to follow early recovery after total knee arthroplasty.

Objectives: To compare the responsiveness of 3 locomotor tests and 2 questionnaires in the early stage after a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and to determine if the 4 responsiveness statistics ranked the measures similarly.

Design: Longitudinal study.

Setting: Rehabilitation institute.

Scapular behavior in shoulder impingement syndrome.

Objective: To quantify the contribution of each scapular rotation to the scapular total range of motion (ROM) in both shoulders of persons with a unilateral shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS), to compare 3-dimensional (3D) scapular attitudes of their symptomatic and asymptomatic shoulders in flexion and in abduction, and to characterize the scapular behavior of these subjects by classifying them into subgroups based on scapular tilting differences between their symptomatic and asymptomatic shoulders.

Design: Comparisons of 3D scapular attitudes, scapular total ROM, and percentage of contributions of each scapular rotation to the scapular total ROM.

Setting: A motricity laboratory.

Clinical results of an investigation of paediatric upper limb myoelectric prosthesis fitting at the Quebec Rehabilitation Institute.

This study was designed to investigate the satisfaction level of young users of myoelectric prostheses who received an upper limb myoelectric prosthesis, to assess their dropout rate and to identify which factors influence the use or non-use of the upper limb myoelectric prosthesis in the eastern part of Quebec (Canada). The users were fitted between 1990 and 1999 at the Quebec Rehabilitation Institute, a major rehabilitation centre located in the province of Quebec. This rehabilitation centre provides cutting-edge expertise not only for the eastern part of Quebec, but also across the entire province, because it is one of only two highly specialised centres serving all of Quebec.