Daiva Petruševičienė

The relationship between pain catastrophizing, kinesiophobia and subjective knee function during rehabilitation following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and meniscectomy: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Psychological responses to the initial injury and rehabilitation might be an important additional determinant of functional level outcomes after knee surgery. The objectives of this study were (1) to measure pain catastrophizing and kinesiophobia levels and (2) determine their association with self-reported subjective knee function during rehabilitation, following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and meniscectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study involved 41 participants. The levels of catastrophizing (Pain Catastrophizing Scale [PCS]), kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia [TSK-11]), pain (Numeric Pain Rating Scale [NRS]), and subjective knee function (the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score [KOOS]) were assessed before and after completion of 14-session rehabilitation program. RESULTS The mean level of catastrophizing changed from 5.8 (SD, 0.9) to 4.2 (SD, 0.5) during rehabilitation (P<0.05). The mean level of kinesiophobia changed from 22.7 (SD, 0.7) to 18.4 (SD, 0.6) (P<0.05). There was a moderate negative correlation between the PCS and the KOOS pain, function in daily living, knee-related quality of life subscales before and after rehabilitation (P<0.05). There was a moderate negative correlation between the TSK-11 score and the KOOS function in daily living subscale before and after rehabilitation (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Pain catastrophizing and kinesiophobia decreased during rehabilitation. A higher pain catastrophizing level correlated with a greater level of knee pain during activities, more difficulties experienced during daily activities before and after rehabilitation. A high level of kinesiophobia correlated with more difficulties experienced in daily activities and poorer knee-related quality of life before and after rehabilitation.

The impact of physical therapy in patients with severe traumatic brain injury during acute and post-acute rehabilitation according to coma duration.

[Purpose] The aim of study was to evaluate the impact of physical therapy on the recovery of motor and mental status in patients who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury, according to coma duration in acute and post-acute rehabilitation. [Subjects and Methods] The study population comprised patients with levels of consciousness ranging from 3 to 8 according to Glasgow Coma Scale score. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on coma duration as follows: group 1, those who were in a coma up to 1 week, and group 2, those who were in a coma for more than 2 weeks. The recovery of the patients’ motor function was evaluated according to the Motor Assessment Scale and the recovery of mental status according to the Mini-Mental State Examination. [Results] The evaluation of motor and mental status recovery revealed that the patients who were in a coma up to 1 week recovered significantly better after physical therapy during the acute rehabilitation than those who were in a coma for longer than 2 weeks. [Conclusion] The recovery of motor and mental status of the patients in acute rehabilitation was significantly better for those in a coma for a shorter period.

The effect of different physical therapy programs on renal transplant recipients’ physical activity, grip strength, and psychoemotional status – and the associations between these indices

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different physical therapy programs on physical activity, grip strength, and psychoemotional status of individuals who had undergone renal transplant and to determine the associations between these indices. The study included 32 individuals who had undergone renal transplant; the subjects were distributed into 2 groups, each consisting of 16 individuals. Group 1 received a physical therapy program involving aerobic exercises, and group 2 received a physical therapy program involving Pilates exercises. During the study, physical activity was evaluated using the long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Grip strength in the hands was evaluated with a dynamometer. Psychoemotional status was evaluated by applying the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. To evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapy programs, we assessed changes in physical activity, grip strength, and psychoemotional status, and the associations between these indices. The evaluation of changes in physical activity, grip strength, and psychoemotional status when applying different physical therapy programs showed a significant change in these indices in both groups. The study also showed that both physical therapy programs had equal effect on the analyzed indices. The evaluation of the association between physical activity and grip strength showed a direct weak correlation between physical activity and grip strength in the left and right hands, a moderate inverse correlation between the level of physical activity and the severity of anxiety, and an inverse correlation between time after renal transplant and the severity of anxiety. In addition, we found a direct strong correlation between physical activity and its other domains and an inverse correlation between physical activity and the duration of sitting (min/wk).