Antonio Cardoso dos Santos

Impact on the Quality of Life of an Educational Program for the Prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundWork-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) are a major cause for concern in public health and the main causes of sick leave. Treatments for WMSD have given disappointing results; prevention is the best strategy, but results of preventive measures have not been consistent. To the best of our knowledge there are few studies in literature that evaluated the impact of a specific program aimed at preventing WMSD on the quality of life of employed persons.MethodsOne hundred and one clerical and production workers in a steel trading company were enrolled in an open-label randomized controlled clinical trial (parallel groups) to compare the efficacy of an educational program for primary prevention of WMSD with control intervention. The primary outcome was a change in the physical functioning domain of the quality of life (QL) measured by Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). The intervention group underwent six consecutive weekly sessions concerning specific orientations for the prevention of WMSD, while the control group received general health education in an identical schedule. The SF-36 and theses Work Limitation Questionnaire (WLQ) were evaluated at weeks zero, five and 26.ResultsBaseline characteristics of the interventions groups were comparable, and both groups comprised predominantly young healthy individuals. No significant differences in the variation of the SF-36 and WLQ between the groups were observed at weeks five and 26. However, both groups demonstrated improvement in some aspects of SF-36, suggesting that both educational interventions have beneficial impacts on QL.ConclusionsA specific educational program aimed at the preventing of WMSD was comparable with general health orientation for the improvement of QL and work capacity in a sample of healthy workers during a six month period.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00874718Trial Registration

Tai Chi Chuan for Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients with Coronary Arterial Disease

Background Several studies have shown that Tai Chi Chuan can improve cardiac function in patients with heart disease. Objective To conduct a systematic review of the literature to assess the effects of Tai Chi Chuan on cardiac rehabilitation for patients with coronary artery disease. Methods We performed a search for studies published in English, Portuguese and Spanish in the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS and Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials. Data were extracted in a standardized manner by three independent investigators, who were responsible for assessing the methodological quality of the manuscripts. Results The initial search found 201 studies that, after review of titles and abstracts, resulted in a selection of 12 manuscripts. They were fully analyzed and of these, nine were excluded. As a final result, three randomized controlled trials remained. The studies analyzed in this systematic review included patients with a confirmed diagnosis of coronary artery disease, all were clinically stable and able to exercise. The three experiments had a control group that practiced structured exercise training or received counseling for exercise. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 12 months. Conclusion Preliminary evidence suggests that Tai Chi Chuan can be an unconventional form of cardiac rehabilitation, being an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of patients with stable coronary artery disease. However, the methodological quality of the included articles and the small sample sizes clearly indicate that new randomized controlled trials are needed in this regard.

Motor Improvement Using Motion Sensing Game Devices for Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation

ABSTRACT The authors aimed to investigate the effects of an intervention based on interactive game set with the movement sensor Kinect on children with cerebral palsy (CP). Twenty-eight participants were recruited. Their age was between 3 and 12 years old, and rated as level I, II, or III on the Gross Motor Function Classification System. They played two games from the Xbox 360 Kinect system and were evaluated using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) after a period of 8 weeks. The intervention led to significant motor function improvement as increase of the global scores on the GMFM (p < .001). Rehabilitation interventions using the Xbox 360 Kinect interactive games may represent useful tools for children with CP.

Prevalência de dor osteomuscular em profissionais de enfermagem de equipes de cirurgia em um hospital universitário

Dentre as profissoes da area da saude, a enfermagem, em particular, tem sido afetada pelos disturbios musculoesqueleticos produzindo alteracoes na vida desses trabalhadores, impossibilitando-os de realizarem atividades cotidianas e laborais. Objetivo: Investigar a prevalencia de dor osteomuscular e a associacao com a qualidade de vida em profissionais de enfermagem que atuam em equipes de cirurgia no Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre. Metodo: Estudo transversal realizado entre marco de 2011 e janeiro de 2012, em um hospital universitario terciario do sul do Brasil. Foram avaliados 110 trabalhadores de enfermagem das equipes de cirurgia. Foram excluidos os trabalhadores em licenca saude, ferias ou outro tipo de afastamento durante o periodo de coleta dos dados. A dor osteomuscular foi avaliada atraves do questionario Nordico de Sintomas Osteomusculares e a qualidade de vida foi avaliada atraves do questionario Medical Outcomes Study 36 - Item Short-Form Survey (SF-36). As relacoes entre dor osteomuscular e qualidade de vida foram analisadas atraves do Teste U de Mann-Whitney, utilizando nivel de significância de 95%. Resultados: A prevalencia de dor osteomuscular encontrada neste estudo foi de 91,81%. Com relacao as regioes anatomicas, considerou-se as queixas de dor osteomuscular retroativo ha doze meses, onde o predominio foi de dor no pescoco (56%) e ombros (56%). Quando consideramos afastamento por dor osteomuscular encontramos a prevalencia de dor lombar (34%). O grupo que nao relatou dor osteomuscular apresentou melhores indices de qualidade de vida nos dominios de capacidade funcional, aspectos fisicos, dor, vitalidade, aspectos sociais e saude mental. Conclusao: A dor osteomuscular apresenta maior prevalencia nas regioes do pescoco e ombros. Alem disso, o maior numero de afastamentos ocorre por prevalencia de dor lombar entre os trabalhadores de enfermagem das equipes de cirurgia. A dor influenciou na qualidade de vida afetando seis dos dominios avaliados.

Postural education and behavior among students in a city in southern Brazil: student postural education and behavior.

[Purpose] The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge of the spine and posture among adolescent female students and to determine if they had access to postural education in or outside school. [Subjects and Methods] This was an epidemiological survey of a representative sample of 495 female students aged 14 to 18 years attending a regular secondary school in São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil. Data were collected through a questionnaire. [Results] The results showed that 16.8% of teens did not know what a spine was, 8.3% had no knowledge of posture, and 61% reported receiving no posture education. Posture awareness was associated only with posture while using a computer, while having postural education class was not associated with any postural behavior. [Conclusion] The results showed that, although most students are familiar with the spine and posture, a sizable group is not, and over half had no postural education. These findings suggest that inclusion of postural education programs in schools should be encouraged in order to promote health and prevent diseases related to the spine.

Prevalence of back pain among high school students in a municipality in southern Brazil

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of back pain in adolescent girls, and determine whether this pain is associated with socioeconomic, demographic, anthropometric, and behavioral factors. Methods: This was an epidemiological survey with a representative sample of 495 female high school students, aged 14 to 18 years, in the municipality of Sao Leopoldo in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire with closed, standardized, coded, and tested questions. Bivariate analysis included the chi-square test (x2) and calculation of prevalence ratios (α<0.05). Results: The prevalence of back pain was 75.2%. The thoracic-lumbar (30.4%) and lumbar (27.7%) regions of the spine were most affected. Among the students with pain, 60.5% reported the severity of their pain to be moderate to severe, and 21.2% reported that the pain prevented them from performing activities of daily living. Regarding associated factors, the pain was more prevalent in overweight/obese students (RP = 1.246, 95% CI: 1.137 to 1.366), who reported carrying a heavy school backpack/bag (PR = 1.187, 95% CI: 1.073 to 1.314) and those who had incorrect posture when picking up objects from the floor (PR = 1.138, 95% CI: 1.031 to 1.256). Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of back pain associated with body mass index, reported weight of the students school backpack/bag, and posture when picking up objects from the floor.