Many women who have experienced breast cancer (BC) report continued impairments in upper extremity (UE) function beyond the time required for normal healing after surgical treatment. Most research supporting this has not made comparisons between survivors of breast cancer (BCS) to a sample of healthy women. This lack of comparison to a healthy cohort prevents an understanding of whether continued deficits in UE function are due to normal aging or the BC treatment. The purpose of this research was to compare quality of life (QOL) and UE function among long term breast cancer survivors and similar aged women without cancer. Both self-report and objective measurements of UE function were used to create an understanding of UE functional abilities in both populations. Data on self-reported QOL and UE function, ROM, strength, and muscular endurance were collected on 79 healthy women ages 30-69, stratified by decade. Comparisons between decades and between dominant and non-dominant limbs were made. Findings supported no effect of aging on measures, and that dominance does affect some objective measures of motion, strength, and muscular endurance. A group of 42 survivors of breast cancer (BCS) were compared to the data from healthy controls on the same measures. BCS reported lower levels of QOL and UE function, and demonstrated less motion and strength than the healthy cohort, particularly when cancer occurred on the non-dominant limb. The values of the measures, however, are not clinically relevant, and reveal that BCS 6 years after treatment recover UE function to levels similar to healthy controls. In view of a lack of clinically feasible measures of UE muscular endurance, a new test to assess this was designed and implemented: the modified Upper Body Strength and Endurance test (mUBSE). It was believed this new test would be less variable than the Functional Impairment Test – Hand and Neck, Shoulder, Arm – FIT-HaNSA. Seventeen BCS and 17 matched controls were compared on the mUBSE and FIT-HaNSA. Findings were similar for both tests. Furthermore, BCS who are 6 years post BC treatment appear to recover muscular endurance levels to normal ranges.

Bakgrund I Sverige drabbas årligen 50 000 personer av förvärvad hjärnskada. Vanliga komplikationer är funktionsnedsättning i övre extremitet, skuldersmärta, spasticitet och sänkt livskvalitet. En fysioterapeutisk rehabiliteringsmetod som försöker minska dessa komplikationer, men som ännu inte utvärderats vetenskapligt är Vasa-konceptet. Syfte Att undersöka vilken effekt en fem veckor lång intervention enligt Vasa-konceptet hade på nämnda komplikationer hos tre personer med förvärvad hjärnskada. Metod   Studien har en Singel Subject Experimentell Design med AB-design för att kunna följa förändringsprocessen över tid hos tre individer. Utfallsmått var Reaching Performance Scale, Patient-Specifik Funktionell Skala, Numerisk Skala, Modifierad Ashworth Skala och Modifierad Short version of Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale. Studien pågick under sex veckor. Data bearbetades med visuell analys av trender, lutning och stabilitet. Resultat Arm/handfunktionen ökade hos två av tre deltagare. Den självskattade arm/handfunktionen ökade hos samtliga deltagare. Skuldersmärtan slutade öka hos en deltagare och övriga hade ingen smärta under interventionen, förutom vid några enstaka tillfällen. Spasticiteten i armbågsflexorer ökade hos en deltagare och förblev oförändrad hos övriga. I handledsflexorer minskade spasticiteten hos två av deltagarna och var oförändrad hos en. Livskvaliteten ökade hos samtliga deltagare. Konklusion Interventionen i studien hade positiva effekter på arm/handfunktion, skuldersmärta och livskvalitet. Ytterligare studier krävs dock för att kunna bekräfta dessa effekter av Vasa-konceptet. / Background Each year 50 000 persons are affected by acquired brain injury in Sweden. Common complications include disability in the upper extremity, shoulder pain, spasticity and reduced quality of life. A physiotherapeutic rehabilitation method which tries to reduce these complications, but has not yet been evaluated scientifically is the Vasa-concept. Purpose To examine the impact of a five-week intervention with the Vasa-concept on the mentioned complications in three persons with acquired brain injury. Method The study has a Single Subject Experimental Design with an AB-design, focusing on changes over time in three individuals. Outcome measures were Reaching Performance Scale, Patient-Specific Functional Scale, Numeric scale, Modified Ashworth Scale and Modified Short version of Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale. The entire study lasted for six weeks. Data were processed by visual analysis of trends, tilt and stability. Results Upper extremity function increased in two of three participants. Self-rated upper extremity function increased in all participants. Shoulder pain stopped to increase in one participant and did not occur in the remainders, except for a few occasions. Spasticity in elbow flexors increased in one participant and was unchanged in the remainders. In wrist flexors the spasticity decreased in two participants and was unchanged in one. Quality of life increased in all participants. Conclusion The intervention had positive effects on arm/hand function, shoulder pain and quality of life. Further studies are needed to confirm these effects of the Vasa concept.

The Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) is a standardized tool, which is used for fine and gross motor skills evaluation of hemiparetic patients after stroke. It is widely used abroad thanks to its excellent psychometric properties and easy administration. It is also used in many foreign studies to evaluate the function of upper extremity, especially for neurological patients. Unfortunately, so far it has been used only sporadically in the Czech Republic. In the theoretical part of this thesis the ARAT and the Modified Frenchay Scale (referred as "MFS") is described. In the practical part, the MFS is compared with the ARAT. The main aim of this diploma thesis is a pilot comparison of sensitivity of upper limb motor skills evaluation done by ARAT and MFS. Thirty patients after stroke were tested in the Rehabilitation Center Kladruby in three weeks. They were further divided into three intervention groups according to the severity of the paresis (light, medium, heavy). The analysis of the results shows that the sensitivity of both diagnostic tools is statistically comparable. According to the Spearman correlation coefficient, the ARAT and the MFS correlate very strongly in range of 0.96-0.98. The greatest differences were measured in the group of patients with moderate hemiparesis. In this group, the...

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間健康科学) / 甲第21306号 / 人健博第62号 / 新制||人健||5(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科人間健康科学系専攻 / (主査)教授 黒木 裕士, 教授 恒藤 暁, 教授 坂井 義治 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human Health Sciences / Kyoto University / DFAM