Article

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether action observation treatment (AOT) may also improve
motor recovery in postsurgical orthopedic patients, in addition to conventional
physiotherapy. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Department of
rehabilitation. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=60) admitted to our department
postorthopedic surgery were randomly assigned to either a case (n=30) or control
(n=30) group. Exclusion criteria were age 18 years or younger and 90 years or
older, Mini-Mental State Examination score of 21 of 30 or lower, no ambulating
order, advanced vision impairment, malignancy, pneumonia, or heart failure.
INTERVENTIONS: All participants underwent conventional physiotherapy. In
addition, patients in the case group were asked to observe video clips showing
daily actions and to imitate them afterward. Patients in the control group were
asked to observe video clips with no motor content and to execute the same
actions as patients in the case group afterward. Participants were scored on
functional scales at baseline and after treatment by a physician blinded to group
assignment. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Changes in FIM and Tinetti scale scores, and
dependence on walking aids. RESULTS: At baseline, groups did not differ in
clinical and functional scale scores. After treatment, patients in the case group
scored better than patients in the control group (FIM total score, P=.02; FIM
motor subscore, P=.001; Tinetti scale score, P=.04); patients in the case group
were assigned more frequently to 1 crutch (P=.01). CONCLUSIONS: In addition to
conventional physiotherapy, AOT is effective in the rehabilitation of
postsurgical orthopedic patients. The present results strongly support top-down
effects of this treatment in motor recovery, even in nonneurologic patients.
CI - Copyright (c) 2010 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS