JRRD Releases Volume 48, Issue 5

JRRD RELEASES VOLUME 48, ISSUE 5

Full-text articles available at http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/11/485/contents485.html

Manuscripts featured in this issue include—

Preliminary analysis of posttraumatic stress disorder screening within specialty clinic setting for OIF/OEFveterans seeking care for neck or back pain, pg. 493

Because posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often accompanied by chronic pain, clinics that address pain complaints among veterans provide opportunities for PTSD screening. Therefore, the researchers in this retrospective study determined the optimal cutoff score for diagnosing PTSD with the PTSD Checklist among OIF/OEF veterans seeking care for neck or back pain in a Department of Veterans Affairs specialty clinic. The results show an optimal PTSD Checklist cutoff score of 44 for veterans, rather than the conventional cutoff score of 50.

Audiometric thresholds and prevalence of tinnitus among male veterans in the United States: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2006, pg. 503

This study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to estimate hearing thresholds and the prevalence of tinnitus among male veterans in the United States. The researchers found that, in general, hearing thresholds did not differ significantly between veterans and nonveterans for the majority of frequencies tested. However, the overall prevalence of tinnitus was greater for veterans than nonveterans in the 50 to 59 and 60 to 69 age groups.

Responsiveness of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, pg. 517

The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) is an individualized, client-centered outcome measure for identifying and evaluating occupational performance issues. Researchers evaluated the COPM’s ability to detect improvement in a client’s self-perception of actual performance and satisfaction over time. They found significant correlations among results of the COPM, the Sickness Impact Profile, the Disability and Impact Profile, and the Impact on Participation and Autonomy, suggesting that the COPM appropriately detects improvement in the perceived occupational performance of clients.

Performance testing of collision-avoidance system for power wheelchairs, pg. 529

The Drive-Safe System (DSS) is a wheelchair add-on that helps power wheelchair users avoid collisions. This article describes performance testing of the system, including sensor coverage, maximum obstacle-detection distance, minimum corridor width, minimum door width, maximum safe speed, bumper sensitivity, and power consumption. The test results indicate that using relatively low-cost sonar, infrared, and force-sensing sensors, the DSS can provide reliable sensor coverage all around the wheelchair.

Reliability of standardized assessment for adults who are deafblind, pg. 545

This study assessed the reliability of the interRAI Community Health Assessment (interRAI CHA) and Deafblind Supplement (DbS) to evaluate the health, functional abilities, and needs of adults who are deafblind. This articles presents evidence of a moderate level of interrater reliability for the interRAI CHA and DbS, except for items related to mood and psychological well-being.

Decreased central fatigue in multiple sclerosis patients after 8 weeks of surface functional electrical stimulation, pg. 555

This article reports the effects of surface functional electrical stimulation (FES) training on muscle strength and fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). It also quantifies the relative contributions of central and peripheral fatigue to general fatigue. The results show that central fatigue contributes five times more to general fatigue than peripheral fatigue does and that 8 weeks of surface FES training increased resistance to both general and central fatigue in individuals with MS.

Techniques to measure rigidity of ankle-foot orthosis: A review, pg. 565

This review summarizes and classifies ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) rigidity testing methods according to their strengths and weaknesses as well as published reliability and repeatability data. Researchers evaluate 35 studies and offer recommendations for development of appropriate AFO stiffness measurement protocols.

Evaluations of neuromuscular dynamics of hyperactive reflexes poststroke, pg. 577

This study presents a convenient and quantitative method for evaluating reflex excitability and muscle contraction dynamics. Researchers used a handheld instrumented hammer to tap the triceps muscle tendon and then measured the tapping force, muscle activation, and joint torque to quantitativelycharacterize the neuromuscular dynamics of tendon reflexes in patients with stroke and in nondisabled control subjects.

New method for determining apparent axial center of rotation of lumbar and thoracic spine segments, pg. 587

This study expands the current understanding of spine kinematics by validating a custom device, which allows for full free range of motion, for determining the axial center of rotation of the lumbar spinal segments. The results validate the use of the custom device and software to determine the center of rotation accurately in a model with a known axial center of rotation.

Cognitive impairment as barrier to engagement in vocational services among veterans with severemental illness, pg. 597

This study found that veterans with both mental illness and cognitive impairment experience delays in receiving vocational services compared with veterans with little or no cognitive impairment. These results suggest that clinicians should identify veterans with both mental illness and cognitive impairment early so that integrated and additional services can be provided.

JRRD is a peer-reviewed, scientifically indexed journal providing comprehensive coverage of all rehabilitation disciplines. It provides researchers and other rehabilitation professionals with the ideal venue for publishing original research papers for exposure to a global audience. For more information about JRRD, please visit www.rehab.research.va.gov/jrrd.