Helena Burger

URI - Soča · URI

The activities-specific balance confidence scale (ABC) assesses balance confidence during common activities. While low balance confidence can result in activity avoidance, excess confidence can increase fall risk. People with lower limb amputations can present with inconsistent gait, adversely affecting their balance confidence. Previous research d...

Functional mobility tests, such as the L test of functional mobility, are recommended to provide clinicians with information regarding the mobility progress of lower-limb amputees. Smart-phone inertial sensors have been used to perform subtask segmentation on functional mobility tests, providing further clinically useful measures such as fall risk....

Predictive models for fall risk classification are valuable for early identification and intervention. However, lower limb amputees are often neglected in fall risk research despite having increased fall risk compared to age-matched able-bodied individuals. A random forest model was previously shown to be effective for fall risk classification of l...

The 6-min walk test (6MWT) is commonly used to assess a person's physical mobility and aerobic capacity. However, richer knowledge can be extracted from movement assessments using artificial intelligence (AI) models, such as fall risk status. The 2-min walk test (2MWT) is an alternate assessment for people with reduced mobility who cannot complete...

Foot strike detection is important when evaluating a person’s gait characteristics. Accelerometer and gyroscope signals from smartphones have been used to train artificial intelligence (AI) models for automated foot strike detection in able-bodied and elderly populations. However, there is limited research on foot strike detection in lower limb amp...

Background Due to disrupted motor and proprioceptive function, lower limb amputation imposes considerable challenges associated with balance and greatly increases risk of falling in presence of perturbations during walking. The aim of this study was to investigate dynamic balancing responses in unilateral transtibial amputees when they were subject...

This study aimed to compare, through Rasch analysis, the psychometric properties of the Locomotor Capabilities Index (LCI-5) and Prosthetic Mobility Questionnaire (PMQ 2.0) in German lower-limb prosthesis users. The questionnaires were concurrently administered to a convenience sample of 98 consecutively recruited individuals with lower limb amputa...

Fall-risk classification is a challenging but necessary task to enable the recommendation of preventative programs for individuals identified at risk for falling. Existing research has primarily focused on older adults, with no predictive fall-risk models for lower limb amputees, despite their greater likelihood of fall-risk than older adults. In t...

Background Due to disrupted motor and proprioceptive function lower limb amputation imposes considerable challenges associated with balance and greatly increases risk of falling in case of perturbations during walking. The aim of this study was to investigate dynamic balancing responses in unilateral transtibial amputees when they were subjected to...

The availability of psychometrically-sound and parsimonious outcome measures is key for optimizing decision-making about prosthetic fitting and rehabilitation in lower limb prosthesis users. Despite the increasing clinical use of observational and self-reported scales for assessing mobility and balance, there is currently no scale that accounts for...

Objective To examine the psychometric properties of the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale administered in the Slovene version with a simplified 5-option response format (ABC-5/SLO) using Rasch analysis. Design Methodological research on data gathered in a cross-sectional study. Setting Outpatient university rehabilitation clinic....

Background Due to disrupted motor and proprioceptive function lower limb amputation imposes considerable challenges associated with balance and greatly increases risk of falling in case of perturbations during walking. The aim of this study was to investigate dynamic balancing responses in unilateral transtibial amputees when they were subjected to...

Identifying people at risk of falling can prevent life altering injury. Existing research has demonstrated fall-risk classifier effectiveness in older adults from accelerometer-based data. The amputee population should similarly benefit from these classification techniques; however, validation is still required. 83 individuals with varying levels o...

Background: There is a lack of studies on adjustment to upper limb prosthesis with large representative samples that would compare different prosthesis types and use standardised outcome measures. Hence, we wanted to assess satisfaction with, and level of adjustment to, an upper-limb prosthesis among people after an upper limb amputation in our co...

Background: There is increasing interest in psychometrically sound outcome measures of mobility for people with lower limb amputation (LLA), in order to accurately monitor the impact of the prosthetic training during and after rehabilitation. Aim: To determine the minimum detectable change (MDC) and minimal clinically important difference (MCID)...

World demography is changing as the population ages and there are more people with disabilities having problems to stay independently at home. Innovative technologies could help extend the independence of older people living at home. As part of a collaborative project, we investigated ownership and use of information and communication technologies...

Rehabilitation programs after amputation often include fitting a prosthesis, but prescriptions vary under similar circumstances. The US Medicare Functional Classification Level (K-level) is a scale for describing functional abilities of persons after lower-limb amputation (from 0 = no ability or potential to ambulate, to 4 = prosthetic demands of a...

The aim of this study was to examine the metric properties of the Prosthetic Mobility Questionnaire, an outcome measure of mobility following lower-limb amputation, in Slovene outpatients undergoing rehabilitation. The 12-item Prosthetic Mobility Questionnaire was administered to 148 Slovene adults (74% men) with unilateral lower-limb amputation si...

Objective: To validate the Slovene version of the Orthotics and Prosthetics Users' Survey (OPUS) 8-item Client Satisfaction with Device (CSD) questionnaire in upper-limb prosthesis users and to further verify measurement properties of this tool with Rasch analysis. Design: Participants consisted of a convenience sample of 76 adults (54 men) usin...

Introduction: In patients after stroke, walking ability is commonly affected because of lower-limb muscle weakness, increased muscle tone and/or contractures, impaired proprioception and motor control. Within their interdisciplinary rehabilitation at the University Rehabilitation Institute in Ljubljana, we applied three types of individually-made a...

Purpose: Finger amputations are the most common amputations of upper limbs. They influence hand function, general functioning and quality of life. One of the possibilities for rehabilitation after finger amputation is fitting a silicone finger prosthesis. We wanted to evaluate the adjustment to amputation and prosthesis use in patients after finger...

We aimed to verify by Rasch analysis whether the Mini-BESTest, a balance measure, confirms its main psychometric properties in patients with subacute stroke undergoing rehabilitation in three different countries (Slovenia, Croatia, and Italy), and to examine the stability of item hierarchy and difficulty across the three national versions through a...

Povzetek Izhodišča: Nadzorovana rehabilitacijska obravnava lahko pomembno prispeva k izboljšanju funkcijskega okrevanja bolnikov skozi daljše obdobje po možganski kapi. Telerehabilitacijska tehnologija omogoča uporabo rehabilitacijskih storitev v bolnikovem domačem okolju. Namen pilotske raziskave je bil preveriti učinkovitost nadaljevanja vadbe v...

Povzetek Izhodišča: S pilotsko raziskavo storitev telerehabilitacije na domu za bolnike po možganski kapi smo želeli razviti storitev rehabili-tacije na daljavo, s katero bi omogočili bolnikom po odpustu iz rehabilitacijske ustanove vadbo doma skozi daljši čas ob strokovnem nadzoru terapevta. Metode: Izdelali smo model telerehabilitacijske storitve...

The aim of this study was to examine the immediate and long-term effects of different ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) types on postural responses in patients with various pathological conditions who, because of their walking disorders, wore an AFO. A total of 37 patients with different pathological conditions who visited the outpatient clinic for orthoti...

Objective: To: 1) determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints (MSC) in individuals with upper limb absence (ULA) in the Netherlands, 2) assess the health status of individuals with ULA in general and in relation to presence of MSC, and 3) explore the predictors of development of MSC and MSC-related disability in this population. Design...

Background Mobile health monitoring using wearable sensors is a growing area of interest. As the world’s population ages and locomotor capabilities decrease, the ability to report on a person’s mobility activities outside a hospital setting becomes a valuable tool for clinical decision-making and evaluating healthcare interventions. Smartphones are...

Objective: To analyze work participation, work productivity, contributing factors, and physical work demands of individuals with upper limb absence (ULA). Design: Cross-sectional study: postal survey (response rate: 45%). Setting: Twelve rehabilitation centers and orthopedic workshops in the Netherlands. Participants: 207 individuals with un...

Literature mostly describes the cosmetic role of prostheses for finger amputation. The impact on hand function has not been systematically explored. Our aim was to describe the impact of silicone finger prostheses on hand function and gripping ability. Prospective descriptive cross-sectional study. We included 42 adult patients with partial or comp...

Little is known about secondary impairments and overuse problems in patient with acquired or congenital upper limb deficiency. Our aim was to estimate the frequency of overuse problems in persons after unilateral upper limb deficiency and identify the factors relevant for development of these problems. Cross-sectional study conducted at the Univers...

Introduction: The ability to monitor the patients’ mobility activities outside a rehabilitation setting to get reliable information about the type, duration and frequency of their daily activities becomes valuable for clinical decision-making. The aim of our study was to evaluate a smartphone-based wearable mobility monitoring system (WMMS) in stro...

Comparison of modified mini-BESTest and Berg Balance Scale as assessment tools for balance disorders in persons after stroke Authors: Marko Rudolf, Nika Goljar, Gaj Vidmar, Helena Burger Institution: University Rehabilitation Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia Background: Usability of the mini-BESTest as compared to the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) for ass...

Finger amputations are common and hands are essential for functioning, but studies on factors influencing functioning after finger amputation are lacking. Therefore, we aimed to explore the influence of the number and level of amputated fingers on hand function and grip strength. A prospective descriptive cross-sectional study involving 69 patients...

Background: Valid outcome measures are required for gathering evidence on when, how and using which prosthetic components to start prosthetic fitting to children with congenital upper limb deficiencies and those following acquired upper limb amputation. We have been using the University of New Brunswick Test of Prosthetic Function (UNB, which meas...

0025-7079 NTRODUCTION: In Europe it is common for outcome measures to be translated for use in other languages. This adaptation may be complicated by culturally specific approaches to certain tasks; for example, bathing. In this context the issue of cross-cultural validity becomes paramount. OBJECTIVE: To facilitate the pooling of data in internati...

Purpose: To establish at which exercise-power level is the vascular response, as measured by oxygen uptake, closest to the response during the 6-min walk test (6 MWT) in people after lower-limb amputation due to peripheral vascular disease (PVD). Method: A prospective exploratory cohort study was conducted. 6 MWT and exercise testing using a han...

Background: Based on the literature, patients with carpal tunnel syndrome are suggested to wear a custom-made wrist orthosis immobilizing the wrist in a neutral position. Many prefabricated orthoses are available on the market, but the majority of those do not assure neutral wrist position. Objectives: We hypothesized that the use of orthosis af...

Ocena skladnosti med ocenjevalci pri uporabi slovenskega prevoda modificirane krajše različice testa za oceno sistemov udeleţenih pri uravnajvanju ravnoteţja pri pacientih po moţganski kapi (modificiran mini BESTest) Assessment of conformity among raters using the Slovenian translation of short version of the test for evaluating balance system in p...

The aim of this study was to analyse the asymmetry of sit-to-stand (STS) movement in a group of subjects following unilateral transtibial amputation (STTA) and a group of healthy subjects (HSs). Experimental measurements investigated standing-up pattern from two seat heights and at three different speeds. Body motion was measured using an optical m...

Background: Comparison of outcomes betweentwo different operative treatments of femoralneck fracture – hemiarthroplasty (HA) and internal fixation (IF) – remains an open issue. Weperformed new analyses of data from a previously published study with the aim of investigating the influence of cognitive problems on mobility and functioning after such s...

Background: In the existing literature, there is scarce information about subjects with upper limb amputation and driving. Objectives: The aim of this study was to find out how frequently subjects following upper limb amputation have problems when driving; most frequently proposed adaptations and, when possible, factors that influence driving ab...

The aim of our study was to evaluate adaptive changes in the dominant shoulders of female professional overhead athletes, their mutual association, and relation between adaptive changes and shoulder injury. Thirty-six female professional volleyball and handball players were divided into two groups: 14 athletes were included in the symptomatic group...

The aim was to evaluate von Frey's hairs as a diagnostic tool for peripheral neuropathy in type-2 diabetes patients with symptoms typical for diabetic neuropathy with respect to nerve conduction studies (NCSs) and a combination of clinical examination and NCS. 65 patients with type-2 diabetes (33 men) with mean age 62.1 (SD 6.5) years, mean diabete...

The aims of this study were to summarize the possible benefits of using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) in rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury and to explore the technical aspects of linking existing medical records to the ICF in such cases. A literature review was conducted using PubMed, Cochra...

Existing techniques of taking foot impressions for producing foot orthoses are static, while walking is a dynamic process. The aim of the study was to evaluate a newly developed dynamic casting method for foot orthoses in comparison with static casts. Double-blind, randomized two-period cross-over trial. Twelve healthy volunteers (six women, six me...

Background: The number of elderly people in need of help with the activities of daily living in the EU is rapidly increasing, while the number of young workers is decreasing. Elderly care will, therefore, also have to be provided by intelligent computer systems. Methods: A prototype elderly-care system, developed at the Jožef Stefan Institute, most...

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) covers all aspects and levels of human functioning. The aim of the study was to find out whether the ICF can be used in everyday prosthetics and orthotics (P&O) clinical practice for description of human functioning, and whether it can demonstrate the influence of a prosth...

The objective of the telerehabilitation is a continuation of the rehabilitation process on patients' home. The study also compares the balance training in clinical environment with the telerehabilitation approach when the physiotherapists and physicians can follow the progress remotely. In this paper, the preliminary study of the pilot project with...

There has been no attempt to obtain a continuous summary measure of disability from the checklist of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Our objective was to assess whether valid scales of Capacity and Performance could be developed from the "Activities and Participation" domain of the ICF checklist. A mult...

To determine whether the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model is adequate for assessing disability patterns in stroke survivors in the sub-acute rehabilitation setting in terms of potential changes in functional profiles over time. Functional profiles of 197 stroke patients were assessed using the ICF Check...

Background Adaptational changes (gleno-humeral internal rotation deficit – GIRD, SICK scapula signs and muscular imbalances) develop in the dominant shoulder of overhead athletes.Objective To evaluate the incidence and the correlation between different adaptational changes and injury in the dominant shoulder. To evaluate the effect of (a)symmetrica...

To find out whether patients with femoral neck fracture treated with hemiarthroplasty differ from those treated with internal fixation regarding functional outcome, walking ability, pain or short-term mortality. Sixty-six patients aged 64 years or more with femoral neck fracture were included in a prospective non-randomised trial with two equal-siz...

Background: The University Rehabilitation Institute in Ljubljana provides comprehensive rehabilitation for the whole territory of Slovenia. The aim of the study was to verify a clinical observation that the demandingness of rehabilitation has been increasing because of a decrease in patients' functional abilitites on admission, with rehabilitation...

This study illustrates the use of the ICF in vocational rehabilitation and disability assessment in Slovenia. A review of the Slovenian law about vocational rehabilitation was performed. A survey was developed and group and individual interviews were conducted with professionals involved in vocational rehabilitation who use the ICF. The vast majori...

To describe functioning and disability in patients with stroke according to the model endorsed by the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) in a rehabilitation hospital. Adult patients with stroke were consecutively enrolled. The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule II (W...

Many tools exist for assessing the functioning of a patient with traumatic brain injury. Possible benefits of the ICF in TBI rehabilitation are currently under discussion. The study explored to what extend the ICF is useful to organize existing clinical information and to retrospectively evaluate the effect of interventions in patients with TBI. A...

The objective of this study was to evaluate by means of classical test theory and Rasch analysis the scaling characteristics and psychometric properties of the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) in polio survivors. A questionnaire,consisting of five general questions (sex, age, age at time of acute polio, sequelae of polio, and new symptoms), the FSS, an...

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is one of the therapies for painful neuropathy. Its analgesic mechanisms probably involve the gate control theory, the physiological block and the endogenous pain inhibitory system. The aim of the study was to determine whether TENS improves small fibre function diminished because of painful diabet...

The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of balance training in a balance trainer, a newly developed mechanical device for training balance, with conventional balance training in subacute stroke patients. This was a randomized controlled study. Fifty participants met the inclusion criteria and 39 finished the study. The participants were ra...

The WHODAS-2 is a disability assessment instrument based on the conceptual framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). It provides a global measure of disability and 7 domain-specific scores. The aim of this study was to assess WHODAS-2 conceptual model and metric properties in a set of chronic and pr...

MHADIE project (Measuring Health and Disability in Europe: Supporting policy development) aimed at developing realistic, evidence-based and effective national policies for persons with disabilities. A preliminary step towards this goal was the demonstration on the feasibility of employing the ICF in clinical, educational and statistical fields, whi...

Injuries in volleyball are sport specific and occur around the net during spiking and blocking. The most common acute injury in volleyball is ankle sprain. There are limited data about the intrinsic risk factors for the ankle sprains in volleyball players. We investigated the influence of muscle strength, postural balance and active range of motion...

An abstract is unavailable. This article is available as HTML full text and PDF.

Background Peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes, whereby pain control is the most difficult issue. The outcomes of existing treatment options are far from satisfactory and the results of studies comparing them are indecisive. Hence, we aimed at comparing the effect of treating pain with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulat...

Amputation is a common late stage sequel of peripheral vascular disease and diabetes or a sequel of accidental trauma, civil unrest and landmines. The functional impairments affect many facets of life including but not limited to: Mobility; activities of daily living; body image and sexuality. Classification, measurement and comparison of the conse...

Currently accepted understanding is that silicone foot prostheses have little influence on biomechanics of walking; however clinical observations suggest several beneficial effects. The objective of this study was to characterize biomechanics of gait in a group of subjects with disarticulation through the talonavicular (T-N) and calcaneocuboid (C-C...

To evaluate the measurement properties of ABILHAND (a generic measure developed to assess functioning in people with upper limb impairments) when used in adults with unilateral upper limb amputation (ULA). A convenience sample of 72 adults who had unilateral ULA and completed rehabilitation at the Institute for Rehabilitation in Ljubljana at least...

To compare the effectiveness of functional foot orthoses and unshaped (flat) orthotic material on plantar pressure redistribution, forefoot pain reduction and walking ability in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Forty patients with RA were randomised to receive unshaped material (UM) (n = 20) or functional foot orthoses (n = 20). Plantar pressure...

To evaluate the measurement properties of the Upper Extremity Functional Status module of the Orthotics and Prosthetics User Survey (OPUS). Methodological research on an outcome measure administered by clinical interview. A convenience sample of 61 adults who had unilateral upper limb amputations and completed rehabilitation at the Institute for Re...

The aim of this study was to determine whether an arm ergometry exercise test can successfully predict a clinician's decision for prosthetic fitting, and to define what other factors are also important predictors of a patient's ability to walk with a prosthesis. The study included 63 patients who had undergone transfemoral amputation due to periphe...

To determine whether or not subjects who had had a partial hand amputation were able to return to the same job and whether or not they used their silicone finger prosthesis for work. Medical records of all the patients who had undergone a traumatic partial hand amputation and who had been treated in the Upper Limb Prosthetic Clinic at the Institute...

To review the literature on return to work after lower limb amputation. A comprehensive review of literature on return to work after lower limb amputation was carried out, searching MEDLINE and PubMED. Most authors found return-to-work rate to be about 66%. Between 22 and 67% of the subjects retained the same occupation, while the remainder had to...

Namen: Dinamično oporno stojalo (Balance Trainer) je mehanska naprava, ki fizioterapevtu pomaga pri vadbi statičnega in dinamičnega ravnotežja in v nadzorovanih pogojih omogoča ponavljajočo vadbo funkcijskih aktivnosti. Namen raziskave je bil ugotoviti razliko v izboljšanju ravnotežja pri pacientih, ki so vadili ravnotežje s pomočjo dinamičnega opo...

Background. Back strength is an important factor in the functional assessment of chronic low back patients and therefore ensuring the reproducibility of the findings is of critical importance. So far the studies were focusing on relative indices that turned out to be an inappropriate method due to possibility of bias. Furthermore the reproducibilit...

Our experiences show that patients wish to replace the lost part of their body with a prosthesis – epithesis that is a mirror image of the relevant healthy part of the body. Four years ago we linked up with other institutions, companies and the University of Ljubljana in order to search for new more advanced technological possibilities to bring the...

There is a lack of objective measurement methods for assessing upper limb prosthetic use in adults and children. The aim of the present study was to find out whether haptic interface could be used for that purpose. Fifty-five adults and twenty-three children were included into the study. All were tested by UNB observational test and haptic interfac...

Standing up is an important and common daily activity. It is essential for independence and a prerequisite for walking. Many elderly and many subjects with impairments have problems with transition from sitting to standing. The aim of the present study was to determine whether there was any difference between the characteristics of standing up in t...