OBJECTIVE To select a questionnaire and walking capacity test based on comparison of clinimetric properties and mutual association to be used as "core" qualifiers for physical functioning in patients with late-onset sequelae of poliomyelitis. DESIGN Repeated-measures at 3-week intervals. SUBJECTS An unselected sample of 57 patients with late-onset sequelae of poliomyelitis from a prospectiv...

BACKGROUND Glucosamine may be effective in treating and possibly slowing the progression of Osteoarthritis (OA). It is believed Glucosamine supplements may help to stop cartilage breakdown, build cartilage and decrease swelling. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was glucosamine sulfate versus combination of glucosamine sulfate and Non-Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) in mild to m...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Self-report and performance-based measures of physical functioning in people before and after total hip arthroplasty seem to present different information. The relationship between these different measures is not well understood, and little information is available about changes in this relationship over time. The aims of this study were: (1) to determine the relationship...

OBJECTIVES This study tested the reliability and validity of the Western Canada Waiting List Project priority criteria score (PCS) for prioritizing patients waiting for hip and knee arthroplasty. METHODS Sixteen orthopedic surgeons assessed 233 consecutive patients at consultation for hip or knee arthroplasty. Measures included the PCS, a visual analogue scale of urgency (VAS urgency), and ma...

OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of continuous and intermittent celecoxib treatment in patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis in flare. METHODS In this 24-week, prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, patients were randomly assigned to receive continuous (n = 62) or intermittent (n = 61) treatment with celecoxib 200 mg once daily. The primary efficacy end point was ...

BACKGROUND This study examined the effect of treatment with a novel biomechanical device on the level of pain and function in patients with knee OA. METHODS Patients with bilateral knee OA were enrolled to active and control groups. Patients were evaluated at baseline, at 4 weeks and at the 8-week endpoint. A novel biomechanical device was individually calibrated to patients from the active g...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of elderly people with total hip arthroplasty (THA) and to investigate the relationships and influences of the sociodemographic, clinical and functional variables of these subjects. METHODS The HRQOL was evaluated by means of the Brazilian versions of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), a genera...

The intramuscular application of etofenamate in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis was not observed in the existing English language literature. The objectives of this study were to compare the efficacy of etofenamate versus hyaluronic acid (HA) in reducing joint pain and functional improvement for mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis. The patients were randomly divided into etofenamate (n=29...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the validity, reliability and responsiveness of the Spanish version of the 7-item short-form of the function dimension of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). METHODS We conducted a prospective 1-year cohort study that included 459 patients on the waiting list for total knee or hip replacement. ...

Objective—To compare the responsiveness of the condition-specific Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis (OA) index (WOMAC) and the generic Short Form-36 (SF-36) in patients with OA of the legs undergoing a comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation intervention. Methods—A prospective follow up study of consecutively referred inpatients of a rehabilitation clinic was made. The pat...