OBJECTIVE To elucidate the relationship between the subjective assessment in patients with glaucoma of (1) the severity of their visual loss, and (2) any deterioration in their visual function and their objective visual fields as measured by computed perimetry. DESIGN First, patients completed a questionnaire relating to perceived visual disability and underwent binocular visual field testing...

hand-arm vibration can cause vascular, neurological and musculoskeletal disorders, collectively named as hand-arm vibration syndrome. the chainsaw is a portable machine that exposes own operators to high levels of hand-arm vibrations. this research focuses on vibration transmissibility from chainsaw handle to wrist and arm of operator. the vibration acceleration signals necessary for evaluation...

A wheelchair-mounted robotic arm (WMRA) system was designed and built to meet the needs of mobility-impaired persons with limitations of upper extremities, and to exceed the capabilities of current devices of this type. The control of this 9-DoF system expands on the conventional control methods and combines the 7-DoF robotic arm control with the 2-DoF power wheelchair control. The 3-degrees of...

OBJECTIVE To examine the role of spouse mood in the disability and disease course of persons with rheumatoid arthritis (PWRA). METHODS A total of 133 married PWRA completed questionnaires, including the Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand, assessing PWRA arthritis disease activity and disability, respectively, at 2 time points 1 year...

BACKGROUND In people who have had a stroke, upper limb paresis affects many activities of daily life. Reducing disability is therefore a major aim of rehabilitative interventions. Despite preserving or recovering movement ability after stroke, sometimes people do not fully realise this ability in their everyday activities. Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) is an approach to stroke reha...

QUESTION What are the benefits and harms of neural tissue management in the short term for treating nerve-related neck and arm pain? DESIGN Randomised controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS Sixty participants with non-traumatic nerve-related neck and unilateral arm pain were randomised to experimental (n=40) or control (n=20) groups. INTERVENTION Both groups were advised to continue usual activit...

Background: This two-arm, randomized clinical study aimed to compare efficacy between topical Alpha ointment and topical hydrocortisone cream (1%) in the healing of radiation-induced dermatitis in breast cancer patients. Methods: The inclusion criteria comprised newly pathologically proven, locally advanced breast cancer (treated with modified radical mastectomy followed by sequential adjuvant ...

BACKGROUND As people live longer, their risk of disability increases. Disability affects quality of life and increases health and social care costs. Preventing or delaying disability is therefore an important objective, and identifying an effective intervention could improve the lives of many older people. Observational and interventional evidence suggests that physical activity may reduce the ...

BACKGROUND Cold sensitivity is a common and disabling complaint following hand injuries. The main purpose of this study was to describe self-reported consequences of cold sensitivity and the association with disability and health-related quality of life in patients with hand injuries or hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and in normal subjects. METHODS Responses to the Cold Intolerance Sympto...