Rasch validation and refinement of the Lymphedema Life Impact Scale version 2 in an Italian cohort with secondary lymphedema.

Purpose: To produce and validate an Italian version of the Lymphedema Life Impact Scale version 2 (LLISv2-It), a tool measuring the impact of lymphedema on health-related quality of life, and investigate its main psychometric characteristics.

Methods: After translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the LLISv2, we administered it to 156 subjects with secondary lymphedema (upper or lower limb), together with (depending on the limb involved) either the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (DASH) or the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS). We analyzed the performance of LLISv2-It using Classical Test Theory and Rasch methods.

Multidisciplinary program based on early management of psychological factors reduces disability of patients with subacute low back pain: one-year results of a randomized controlled study.

Background: Multidisciplinary rehabilitation induces disability improvement, pain reduction and favors return-to-work in patients with subacute low back pain (LBP). Current research advises additional high-quality trials.

Aim: The aim of this study is to test the effect of a multidisciplinary rehabilitative program incorporating cognitive-behavioral interventions compared to general physiotherapy alone to treat subacute LBP, and to appraise its long-term extent.

Lymphedema quality of life questionnaire (LYMQOL): cross-cultural adaptation and validation in Italian women with upper limb lymphedema after breast cancer.

Purpose: There is growing interest in measures that assess upper-limb lymphedema after breast cancer. Since no validated Italian version of the Lymphedema Quality of Life Questionnaire for upper limbs (LYMQOL-UL) exists, we aimed to culturally adapt and validate an Italian version (LYMQOL-UL-IT) in order to allow its use in Italian patients.

Materials And Methods: The LYMQOL-UL-IT was developed by means of forward-backward translation, review by an expert committee and a test of the pre-final version to evaluate its comprehensibility.

Functional outcome and multidimensional evaluation of patients with Mutars® reconstructions post lower limb tumor resection and rehabilitation: preliminary results.

Modular prostheses are commonly used to reconstruct defects of the distal femur and proximal tibia after bone tumor resection. Improving patient's autonomy and giving them a better quality of life are the main goals. Post-surgical rehabilitation is very relevant after surgery.

Ultrasonographic Evaluation of the Femoral Cartilage, Achilles Tendon, and Plantar Fascia in Young Women Wearing High-Heeled Shoes.

Background: Specific attention on the musculoskeletal impact of wearing high-heeled shoes (HHS) has mainly focused on knee osteoarthritis and the literature is limited to biomechanical changes. The distal femoral cartilage has not been morphologically studied. Additionally, although heel elevation is coupled with a shear stress at the heel and overloaded calf muscles, Achilles tendon (AT) and plantar fascia (PF) thicknesses have not been assessed either.

Predicting Motor and Cognitive Improvement Through Machine Learning Algorithm in Human Subject that Underwent a Rehabilitation Treatment in the Early Stage of Stroke.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate, in subject with stroke, the exact role as prognostic factor of common inflammatory biomarkers and other markers in predicting motor and/or cognitive improvement after rehabilitation treatment from early stage of stroke.

Methods: In this longitudinal cohort study on stroke patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation, data from 55 participants were analyzed. Functional and clinical data were collected after admission to the rehabilitation unit.

Efficacy of two brief cognitive-behavioral rehabilitation programs for chronic neck pain: results of a randomized controlled pilot study.

Background: Current models of pain behavior suggest that kinesiophobia prevents the reacquisition of normal function, promotes the development of maladaptive coping strategies, and contributes to the disability associated with chronic neck pain (NP).

Aim: Comparing two brief cognitive-behavioral programs aimed at managing kinesiophobia to understand which one induces better short-term improvements in disability, fear of movement, catastrophizing, adaptive coping strategies, quality of life (QoL), and pain intensity of chronic NP.

Design: Pilot, randomized, controlled trial, 3-months follow-up.

Action Observation in People with Parkinson's Disease. A Motor⁻Cognitive Combined Approach for Motor Rehabilitation. A Preliminary Report.

The aim of this study was to assess the role of Action Observation (AO) to improve balance, gait, reduce falls, and to investigate the changes in P300 pattern. Five cognitively intact People with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) were enrolled in this prospective, quasi-experimental study to undergo a rehabilitation program of AO for gait and balance recovery of 60 min, three times a week for four weeks. The statistical analysis showed significant improvements for Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor section III = 0.

Disability after major abdominal surgery: determinants of recovery of walking ability in elderly patients.

Background: Increased life expectancy and improved surgical techniques have led to a sharp rise in healthcare resource consumption by older patients. In these patients early recovery of walking ability after abdominal surgery may shorten length of hospital stay and reduce overall healthcare costs, but it is important to understand what factors determine this recovery.

Aim: To assess preoperative and postoperative determinants of walking ability recovery after major abdominal surgery in older patients.

Psychometric properties of the Cumulated Ambulation Score: a systematic review.

Introduction: In the geriatric population, independent mobility is a key factor in determining readiness for discharge following acute hospitalization. The Cumulated Ambulation Score (CAS) is a potentially valuable score that allows day-to-day measurements of basic mobility. The CAS was developed and validated in older patients with hip fracture as an early postoperative predictor of short-term outcome, but it is also used to assess geriatric in-patients with acute medical illness.

How many physical therapy sessions are required to reach a good outcome in symptomatic lumbar spondylolisthesis? A retrospective study.

Background: There is a lack of conclusive information about the optimal dosage of physical therapy treatments in Spondylolisthesis (SPL) patients.

Purpose: The present study attempted to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of two different doses in reaching similar clinical outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 64 consecutive patients admitted for physical therapy with symptomatic lumbar grade I SPL (42 ± 15years, 57% female) was conducted.

Responsiveness and minimal important change of the NeckPix© in subjects with chronic neck pain undergoing rehabilitation.

Purpose: The NeckPix© is a simple and rapid means of measuring the beliefs of subjects with chronic neck pain concerning pain-related fears of a specific set of activities of daily living. The original version showed satisfactory psychometric properties. This observational study is aimed at evaluating its responsiveness and minimal important changes (MICs) in subjects with chronic neck pain.

StimTrack: An open-source software for manual transcranial magnetic stimulation coil positioning.

Background: During Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) experiments researchers often use a neuronavigation system to precisely and accurately maintain coil position and orientation.

New Method: This study aimed to develop and validate an open-source software for TMS coil navigation. StimTrack uses an optical tracker and an intuitive user interface to facilitate the maintenance of position and orientation of any type of coil within and between sessions.

Intra and inter-session reliability of rapid Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation stimulus-response curves of tibialis anterior muscle in healthy older adults.

Objective: The clinical use of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) as a technique to assess corticospinal excitability is limited by the time for data acquisition and the measurement variability. This study aimed at evaluating the reliability of Stimulus-Response (SR) curves acquired with a recently proposed rapid protocol on tibialis anterior muscle of healthy older adults.

Methods: Twenty-four neurologically-intact adults (age:55-75 years) were recruited for this test-retest study.

Development of the Italian version of the trunk impairment scale in subjects with acute and chronic stroke. Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, validity and responsiveness.

Purpose: To cross-culturally adapt and psychometrically analyse the Italian version of the Trunk Impairment Scale on acute (cohort 1) and chronic stroke patients (cohort 2).

Methods: The Trunk Impairment Scale was culturally adapted in accordance with international standards. The psychometric testing included: internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), inter- and intra-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient; standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change), construct validity by comparing Trunk Impairment Scale score with Barthel Index, motor subscale of Functional Independence Measure, and Trunk Control Test (Pearson's correlation), and responsiveness (Effect Size, Effect Size with Guyatt approach, standardized response mean, and Receiver Operating Characteristics curves).

How balance task-specific training contributes to improving physical function in older subjects undergoing rehabilitation following hip fracture: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a rehabilitation programme including balance task-specific training in improving physical function, pain, activities of daily living (ADL), balance and quality of life in subjects after a hip fracture.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Subjects: A total of 52 older subjects selected for internal fixation due to extra-capsular hip fracture were randomized to be included in an experimental ( n = 26) and control group ( n = 26).

Cross-cultural adaptation, reproducibility and validation of the Italian version of the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS).

The Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) is one of the most robust instruments to assess scar quality, but there is no Italian version, and no other competing instruments are available in Italian. The aim of this study was to translate and validate an Italian version of POSAS (POSAS-I). POSASv2.

Spinal cord injury following a mild trauma in homocystinuria-related bone frailty: neurorehabilitation and education on bone health management.

Homocystinuria (HCU) is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by the deficiency of cystathionine β-synthetase, presenting with variable clinical features including micronutrient deficiency-related osteoporosis. Early-onset osteoporosis results in increased bone fragility, which is associated with low-impact fractures. To date, no traumatic myelopathy has ever been described in patients with HCU.

Responsiveness and Minimal Important Changes of the Scoliosis Research Society-22 Patient Questionnaire in Subjects With Mild Adolescent and Moderate Adult Idiopathic Scoliosis Undergoing Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation.

Study Design: Single-center, prospective study.

Objective: Evaluating the responsiveness and minimal important changes (MICs) for the Scoliosis Research Society-22 Patient Questionnaire (SRS-22) in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and adult idiopathic scoliosis (AS).

Summary Of Background Data: Despite the SRS-22 properties have been investigated in various different languages, there is still a lack of information concerning responsiveness and MIC, limiting the use of SRS-22 for clinical and research purposes.

The EdUReP approach plus manual therapy for the management of insertional Achilles tendinopathy.

Insertional Achilles tendinopathy (IAT) is a challenging overuse disorder. The aim of this case report was to study the feasibility of a comprehensive rehabilitative approach according to the Education, Unloading, Reloading, and Prevention (EdUReP) framework combined with Instrument-Augmented Soft Tissue Mobilization (I-ASTM). An active 51-year-old man patient with chronic IAT was studied.

Tuning of Muscle Synergies During Walking Along Rectilinear and Curvilinear Trajectories in Humans.

The aim of this study was to develop a methodology based on muscle synergies to investigate whether rectilinear and curvilinear walking shared the same neuro-motor organization, and how this organization was fine-tuned by the walking condition. Thirteen healthy subjects walked on rectilinear and curvilinear paths. Electromyographic data from thirteen back and lower-limb muscles were acquired, together with kinematic data using inertial sensors.