Free full text: http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/2015/521/pdf/jrrd-2014-03-0086.pdf
Source: Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development Vol 52, #1, pp 21-30
Date: June 2015
URL: http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/2015/521/absjrrd-2014-03-0086.html
http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/2015/521/pdf/jrrd-2014-03-0086.pdf
Timed loaded standing in female chronic fatigue syndrome compared with other populations
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Jan B Eyskens(1,*) Jo Nijs(2) Kristiaan D'Aout(3) Alain Sand(4), Kristien Wouters(5,6), Greta Moorkens(6)
1 Department of Internal Medicine, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium;
2 Pain in Motion Research Group; Departments of Human Physiology and Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Physical Medicine and Physiotherapy, University Hospital Brussels, Brussels, Belgium;
3 Department of Musculoskeletal Biology, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK; Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium;
4 Nuclear Medicine, AZ Jan Palfijn, Ghent, Belgium;
5 Department of Scientific Coordination and Biostatistics, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium;
6 Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
* Address all correspondence to Jan B Eyskens, MSc PT, DO, Pr Ph;
Rijsenbergstraat 31, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; +32 486 50 70 01.
Email: jan@beweging.org
Abstract
Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), like patients with osteoporosis, have similar difficulties in standing and sitting.
The aim of the study was to compare combined trunk and arm endurance among women with CFS (n=72), women with osteoporosis (n=30), nondisabled women (n=55), and women from non-industrialized countries (n=58) using the timed loaded standing (TLS) test.
TLS measures how long a person can hold a 1 kg dumbbell in each hand in front of him or her with straight arms.
TLS was higher in the industrialized nondisabled population than in the non-industrialized study population (p<0.001) and in patients with osteoporosis (p=0.002).
TLS was lower in patients with CFS than in nondisabled controls (p<0.001).
After adjusting for age, body height, and weight, combined trunk and arm endurance was even lower in CFS than in osteoporotic patients more than 25 yr old (p<0.001).
In CFS, TLS was lower than in the non-industrialized group (p=0.02).
Since only women were studied, external validity of the results is limited to adult female patients with CFS.
TLS revealed a specific biomechanical weakness in CFS patients that can be taken into account from the onset of a rehabilitation program. We propose that influencing the quality, rather than the quantity, of movement could be used in the rehabilitation.
Key words: chronic fatigue syndrome, deformation, endurance, graded exercise/exposure therapy, movement, non-industrialized population, osteoporosis, physical performance, timed loaded standing, trunk.
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