Jamil Natour

Brazilian version of the Berg balance scale

The purpose of the present study was to translate and adapt the Berg balance scale, an instrument for functional balance assessment, to Brazilian-Portuguese and to determine the reliability of scores obtained with the Brazilian adaptation. Two persons proficient in English independently translated the original scale into Brazilian-Portuguese and a consensus version was generated. Two translators performed a back translation. Discrepancies were discussed and solved by a panel. Forty patients older than 65 years and 40 therapists were included in the cultural adaptation phase. If more than 15% of therapists or patients reported difficulty in understanding an item, that item was reformulated and reapplied. The final Brazilian version was then tested on 36 elderly patients (over age 65). The average age was 72 years. Reliability of the measure was assessed twice by one physical therapist (1-week interval between assessments) and once by one independent physical therapist. Descriptive analysis was used to characterize the patients. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Pearsons correlation coefficient were computed to assess intra- and interobserver reliability. Six questions were modified during the translation stage and cultural adaptation phase. The ICC for intra- and interobserver reliability was 0.99 (P < 0.001) and 0.98 (P < 0.001), respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficient for intra- and interobserver reliability was 0.98 (P < 0.001) and 0.97 (P < 0.001), respectively. We conclude that the Brazilian version of the Berg balance scale is a reliable instrument to be used in balance assessment of elderly Brazilian patients.

Translation, adaptation and validation of the Roland-Morris questionnaire - Brazil Roland-Morris

The purpose of the present study was to translate the Roland-Morris (RM) questionnaire into Brazilian-Portuguese and adapt and validate it. First 3 English teachers independently translated the original questionnaire into Brazilian-Portuguese and a consensus version was generated. Later, 3 other translators, blind to the original questionnaire, performed a back translation. This version was then compared with the original English questionnaire. Discrepancies were discussed and solved by a panel of 3 rheumatologists and the final Brazilian version was established (Brazil-RM). This version was then pretested on 30 chronic low back pain patients consecutively selected from the spine disorders outpatient clinic. In addition to the traditional clinical outcome measures, the Brazil-RM, a 6-point pain scale (from no pain to unbearable pain), and its numerical pain rating scale (PS) (0 to 5) and a visual analog scale (VAS) (0 to 10) were administered twice by one interviewer (1 week apart) and once by one independent interviewer. Spearmans correlation coefficient (SCC) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were computed to assess test-retest and interobserver reliability. Cross-sectional construct validity was evaluated using the SCC. In the pretesting session, all questions were well understood by the patients. The mean time of questionnaire administration was 4 min and 53 s. The SCC and ICC were 0.88 (P<0.01) and 0.94, respectively, for the test-retest reliability and 0.86 (P<0.01) and 0.95, respectively, for interobserver reliability. The correlation coefficient was 0.80 (P<0.01) between the PS and Brazil-RM score and 0.79 (P<0.01) between the VAS and Brazil-RM score. We conclude that the Brazil-RM was successfully translated and adapted for application to Brazilian patients, with satisfactory reliability and cross-sectional construct validity.

Translation into Brazilian Portuguese, cultural adaptation and evaluation of the reliability of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire

The objective of the present study was to translate, adapt and validate a Brazilian Portuguese version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) Questionnaire. The study was carried out in two steps. The first was to translate the DASH into Portuguese and to perform cultural adaptation and the second involved the determination of the reliability and validity of the DASH for the Brazilian population. For this purpose, 65 rheumatoid arthritis patients of either sex (according to the classification criteria of the American College of Rheumatology), ranging in age from 18 to 60 years and presenting no other diseases involving the upper limbs, were interviewed. The patients were selected consecutively at the rheumatology outpatient clinic of UNIFESP. The following results were obtained: in the first step (translation and cultural adaptation), all patients answered the questions. In the second step, Spearmans correlation coefficients for interobserver evaluation ranged from 0.762 to 0.995, values considered to be highly reliable. In addition, intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.97 to 0.99, also highly reliable values. Spearmans correlation coefficients and the intraclass correlation coefficients obtained during intra-observer evaluation ranged from 0.731 to 0.937 and from 0.90 to 0.96, respectively, being highly reliable values. The Ritchie Index showed a weak correlation with Brazilian DASH scores, while the visual analog scale of pain showed a good correlation with DASH score. We conclude that the Portuguese version of the DASH is a reliable instrument.

Hydrotherapy Versus Conventional Land-Based Exercise for the Management of Patients With Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background and Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of hydrotherapy in subjects with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee compared with subjects with OA of the knee who performed land-based exercises. Subjects and Methods: Sixty-four subjects with OA of the knee were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups that performed exercises for 18 weeks: a water-based exercise group and a land-based exercise group. The outcome measures included a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain in the previous week, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), pain during gait assessed by a VAS at rest and immediately following a 50-foot (15.24-m) walk test (50FWT), walking time measured at fast and comfortable paces during the 50FWT, and the Lequesne Index. Measurements were recorded by a blinded investigator at baseline and at 9 and 18 weeks after initiating the intervention. Results: The 2 groups were homogenous regarding all parameters at baseline. Reductions in pain and improvements in WOMAC and Lequesne index scores were similar between groups. Pain before and after the 50FWT decreased significantly over time in both groups. However, the water-based exercise group experienced a significantly greater decrease in pain than the land-based exercise group before and after the 50FWT at the week-18 follow-up. Discussion and Conclusion: Both water-based and land-based exercises reduced knee pain and increased knee function in participants with OA of the knee. Hydrotherapy was superior to land-based exercise in relieving pain before and after walking during the last follow-up. Water-based exercises are a suitable and effective alternative for the management of OA of the knee.

Progressive resistance training in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE To assess pain, function, quality of life, and muscle strength in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome who participated in muscle strengthening exercises. METHODS A total of 60 patients diagnosed with shoulder impingement syndrome were selected from the clinics of the Federal University of São Paulo and randomly distributed into experimental and control groups. Patients were evaluated regarding pain, function, quality of life, muscle strength, and the number of antiinflammatory drugs and analgesics taken. Patients then participated in the progressive resistance training program for the musculature of the shoulder, which was held twice a week for 2 months, while the control group remained on a waiting list. RESULTS Sixty patients were randomly allocated to the experimental group (21 women and 9 men, mean age 56.3 years) and control group (25 women and 5 men, mean age 54.8 years). Patients from the experimental group showed an improvement from 4.2 cm to 2.4 cm on a 10-cm visual analog scale (P < 0.001) regarding pain at rest and from 7.4 cm to 5.2 cm (P < 0.001) regarding pain during movement. Function went from 44.0 to 33.2 (P < 0.007) using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand assessment and domains from the Short Form 36. There was a statistically significant difference in improvement in pain and function between patients in the experimental group and those in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The progressive resistance training program for the musculature of the shoulder in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome was effective in reducing pain and improving function and quality of life.

Versão brasileira do Dizziness Handicap Inventory

Background: impact of dizziness on life quality (LQ). Aim: to adapt the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) for application in the Brazilian population; to assess its reproducibility; and to describe the results obtained in patients with chronic dizziness. Method: The DHI was initially applied in 45 patients with chronic dizziness and with a clinical diagnosis of vestibular syndrome. The application followed the stages of translation - from English to Portuguese - and linguistic adaptation, grammatical and idiomatic equivalence review and evaluation of its intra and inter-researchers reproducibility. Reproducibility was assessed by using the Wilcoxon Test for two dependent samples, P < 0.05. The questionnaire was applied on 250 patients with chronic vestibular syndrome in order to evaluate the impact of dizziness on LQ. Results: The Brazilian version of the DHI (Brazilian DHI) was well comprehended by the studied population and no statistically significant difference was found in the inter-researcher (P = 0.418) and intra-researcher (P = 0.244) reproducibility. All of the studied patients presented a loss in LQ due to dizziness. Aspects which were most affected were the physical ones, followed by, in a decreasing order, the functional and the emotional ones. Functional aspects were more compromised in older individuals. No association was verified between gender and the overall mean scores of the DHI and between gender and the mean scores of each aspect assessed by the DHI. Conclusion: the DHI was culturally adapted for application in the Brazilian population (Brazilian DHI). This instrument was considered to be a reliable tool to evaluate the impact of dizziness on LQ. Patients with chronic dizziness and with clinical diagnosis of vestibular syndrome presented a loss in LQ, due to this symptom. This loss was verified by the application of the Brazilian DHI. Physical aspects were the most compromised.

Interferência da tontura na qualidade de vida de pacientes com síndrome vestibular periférica

Dizziness is one of the most common symptoms referred by adults. This symptom can decrease the dizzy patients quality of life. AIM: To describe the results obtained from the application of the Brazilian version of the DHI and compare them with the conclusion of the vestibular test of the same patients. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical randomized. MATERIAL METHOD: Twenty five consecutive patients with chronic dizziness complaint were submitted to this questionnaire at the Otoneurology Clinic of the Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo. These patients were female and male adults with ages ranging from 44 to 88 years. RESULTS: All patients presented handicap in their quality of life due to dizziness, mainly in the functional aspects. The functional aspects were worse (differences were statistically significant) in patients with peripheral vestibular hypofunction syndrome than the patients with peripheral vestibular hyperfunction syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Patients with chronic dizziness present abnormal quality of life because of dizziness, in relation to the physical, functional and emotional aspects, verified with the application of the Brazilian version of the DHI. Patients with peripheral vestibular hypofunction syndrome present worse quality of life because of dizziness related to the functional aspects than the patients with peripheral vestibular hyperfunction syndrome, verified at the application of the Brazilian version of the DHI.

Impact of cane use on pain, function, general health and energy expenditure during gait in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomised controlled trial

Objective To assess the impact of daily cane use during gait in relation to pain, function, general health and energy expenditure among patients with knee osteoarthritis. Method Sixty-four patients were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EG) or control group (CG). The EG used a cane every day for 2 months, whereas the CG did not use a cane in this period. The first outcome was pain and the second were function (Lequesne and WOMAC), general health (SF-36) and energy expenditure (gas analysis during the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) with and without a cane). Evaluations were performed at baseline, 30 and 60 days. Results The groups were homogeneous for all parameters at baseline. Compared with the CG, the EG significantly improved pain (ES 0.18), function - Lequesne (ES 0.13), some domains of SF-36 (role physical, ES 0.07 and bodily pain, ES 0.08) and distance on the 6MWT with the cane (ES 0.16). At the end of the 6MWT with the cane, the EG significantly improved energy expenditure (ES 0.21), carbon dioxide production (ES 0.12) and metabolic equivalents (ES 0.15) compared with the CG. Conclusion A cane can be used to diminish pain, improve function and some aspects of quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The prescription of a cane should take into account the substantial increase in energy expenditure in the first month of use, whereas energy expenditure is no longer a factor for concern by the end of the second month due to adaptation to cane use. The trial was registered in clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00698412).

Isokinetic assessment of the hip muscles in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the difference in isokinetic strength of hip muscles between patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and matched healthy controls, and to establish the correlation between this isokinetic strength and pain and function in patients with knee OA. METHODS: 25 patients with a diagnosis of unilateral knee OA, 25 patients with bilateral knee OA, and 50 matched controls were evaluated using the visual analog scale for pain, knee Lequesne index, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities questionnaire and an isokinetic test. RESULTS: The groups were matched for age, gender and body mass index. The results of the isokinetic test revealed lower peak torque of the hip in patients with OA of the knee than in the control group for all movements studied. Strong correlations were found between the peak torque, visual analog scale and function. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with OA of the knee exhibit lower isokinetic strength in the hip muscles than healthy control subjects. Strengthening the muscles surrounding the hip joint may help to decrease pain in people with knee OA. Some correlations between pain/function and peak torque were found.

Ultrasound-guided intra-articular injections in the wrist in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a double-blind, randomised controlled study

Intra-articular (IA) injections with glucocorticoid are a valuable therapeutic intervention for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and wrist synovitis. Jones et al have demonstrated that half of the wrist blind injections were considered to be extra-articular.1 Musculoskeletal ultrasound (US) allows for the proper real-time allocation of the needle during the injections, limiting the risk of damage to the cartilage, tendons, nerves and peripheral blood vessels.2 In this study we compare the efficacy of blind and US-guided IA injections in patients with RA with wrist synovitis. The accuracy of the techniques used to inject the drug into wrist joint is …