ObjectiveTo clarify how participation in leisure activities and exercise by chronic stroke survivors differs before and after a stroke.MethodsSixty chronic stroke survivors receiving community-based rehabilitation services from a health center in Seongnam City were recruited. They completed a questionnaire survey regarding their demographic characteristics and accompanying diseases, and on the status of their leisure activities and exercise. In addition, their level of function (Korean version of Modified Barthel Index score), risk of depression (Beck Depression Inventory), and quality of life (SF-8) were measured.ResultsAfter their stroke, most of the respondents had not returned to their pre-stroke levels of leisure activity participation. The reported number of leisure activities declined from a mean of 3.9 activities before stroke to 1.9 activities post-stroke. In addition, many participants became home-bound, sedentary, and non-social after their stroke. The most common barriers to participation in leisure activities were weakness and poor balance, lack of transportation, and cost. The respondents reported a mean daily time spent on exercise of 2.6±1.3 hours. Pain was the most common barrier to exercise participation.ConclusionChronic stroke survivors need information on leisure activities and appropriate pain management.

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship of the patient's criteria of successful treatment to emotional factors in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.MethodsPatients who visited our outpatient hospital due to chronic musculoskeletal pain were evaluated using a questionnaire survey. Patients were evaluated with the Patient-Centered Outcomes Questionnaire (PCOQ) to investigate their expectation and criteria for success regarding treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Beck Depression Inventory and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used to check for psychological variables. Correlations among each of the variables were evaluated statistically.ResultsPatients with higher levels of depression and anxiety needed larger improvements to consider the treatment as a success in the pain domain (depression, r=0.398, p=0.04; anxiety, r=0.447, p=0.02) and emotional distress domain (depression, r=0.617, p=0.001; anxiety, r=0.415, p=0.03), but had lower level of expectation of the treatment in the pain domain (depression, r=-0.427, p=0.01; anxiety, r=-0.441, p=0.004), emotional distress domain (depression, r=-0.454, p=0.01; anxiety, r=-0.395, p=0.04), and interference of daily activities domain (depression, r=-0.474, p=0.01; anxiety, r=-0.396, p=0.04). Patients were classified into 3 clusters based on the importance rating of each domain via a hierarchical analysis. The cluster of the patients with the higher rating of importance across all domains (importance of pain domain, 9.54; fatigue domain, 9.08; emotional distress domain, 9.23; interference of daily activities domain, 9.23) had the highest level of depression and anxiety.ConclusionConsideration of psychological factors, especially in patients who require larger improvements in all treatment domains, may be helpful for the successful treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Osteomyelitis is a bone infection caused by bacteria or other germs. Gram-positive cocci are the most common etiological organisms of calcaneal osteomyelitis; whereas, non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are rarely documented. We reported a case of NTM calcaneal osteomyelitis in a 51-year-old female patient. She had been previously treated in many local clinics with multiple local steroid injection over 50 times and extracorporeal shock-wave therapy over 20 times with the impression of plantar fasciitis for 3 years prior. Diagnostic workup revealed a calcaneal osteomyelitis and polymerase chain reaction assay on bone aspirate specimens confirmed the diagnosis of non-tuberculous mycobacterial osteomyelitis. The patient had a partial calcanectomy with antitubercular therapy. Six months after surgery, a follow-up magnetic resonance imaging showed localized chronic osteomyelitis with abscess formation. We continued anti-tubercular therapy without operation. At 18-month follow-up after surgery and comprehensive rehabilitation therapy, she was ambulating normally and able to carry out her daily activities without any discomfort.

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