No abstract

Chronic shoulder pain is a frequently reported phenomenon in individuals who use wheelchairs as their primary means of mobility. No indices are currently available which detect difficulties in performing daily activities due to shoulder discomfort in a largely independent population of wheelchair users. The Wheelchair User's Shoulder Pain Index (WUSPI) was designed to measure shoulder pain in individuals who use wheelchairs. A pilot index was created to measure shoulder pain and related difficulty during basic and instrumental activities of daily living. The instrument was administered to 64 wheelchair users at an athletic event. Analyses of internal consistency and interitem correlations were used to revise and refine the original instrument. Individual item analysis revealed that th.e subjects in this study experienced the most shoulder pain when wheeling up an inclir.c or on outdoor surfaces, when lifting an object from an overhead shelf, when trying to sleep, when transferring from tub to wheelchair and when washing their backs. The final 15-item index shows high internal consistency. This instrument is useful for both clinical and research purposes to detect and monitor shoulder pain and accompanying loss of function by wheelchair users.

Assisted walking and walking combined with conversation were compared to a conversation-only intervention in nursing home residents with Alzheimer disease. Sixty-five subjects randomly assigned to treatment group were tested at baseline and end of treatment. Subjects' mean Mini-Mental State Examination score was 10.83; mean age was 87. Treatment was given for 30 minutes three times a week for 16 weeks. Subjects in the assisted walking group declined 20.9% in functional mobility; the conversation group declined 18.8%. The combined walking and conversation treatment group declined only 2.5%. These differences in outcome were significant and appear to have been affected by differences in treatment fidelity. Subjects in the conversation treatment group completed 90% of intended treatment compared with 75% in the combined group and only 57% in the assisted walking group. Failure to treat was due to subject refusal and physical illness. The conversation component of the combined walking and conversation treatment intervention appears to have improved compliance with the intervention, thereby improving treatment outcome. Results indicate that assisted walking with conversation can contribute to maintenance of functional mobility in institutionalized populations with Alzheimer disease. Staff assigned to this task should be prepared to use effective communication strategies to gain acceptance of the intervention.

Many long term wheelchair users develop shoulder pain. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Wheelchair User's Shoulder Pain Index (WUSPI), an instrument which measures shoulder pain associated with the functional activities of wheelchair users. This 15-item functional index was developed to assess shoulder pain during transfers, self care, wheelchair mobility and general activities. To establish test-retest reliability, the index was administered twice in the same day to 16 long term wheelchair users and their scores for the two administrations were compared by intraclass correlation. To establish concurrent validity, the index was administered to 64 long term wheelchair users and index scores were compared to shoulder range of motion measurements. Results showed that intraclass correlation for test-retest reliability of the total index score was 0.99. There were statistically significant negative correlations of total index scores to range of motion measurements of shoulder abduction (r = -0.485), flexion (r = -0.479) and shoulder extension (r = -0.304), indicating that there is a significant relationship of total index score to loss of shoulder range of motion in this sample. The Wheelchair User's Shoulder Pain Index shows high levels of reliability and internal consistency, as well as concurrent validity with loss of shoulder range of motion. As a valid and reliable instrument, this tool may be useful to both clinicians and researchers in documenting baseline shoulder dysfunction and for periodic measurement in longitudinal studies of musculoskeletal complications in wheelchair users.

These results underscore and quantify the increased risk for glycemic control problems of lower-income, black children with diabetes. In the absence of effective intervention, these youths are likely to be overrepresented in the health care system as a result of increased health complications related to diabetes.