Nerrolyn Ramstrand

Jönköping University · School of Health Sciences

Introduction: This study aimed to quantify the relationship between prosthetic users’ emotional response to prosthesis aesthetics and specific product properties. Methods: Words representing prosthesis users’ emotional response (Kansei) to different aesthetic designs of prostheses were identified via interviews and mood boards. A group of experts c...

Objective: To explore cognitive load in people with transfemoral amputations fitted with socket or bone-anchored prostheses by describing activity in the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortices during single- and dual-task walking. Design: Cross-sectional pilot study. Patients: 8 socket prosthesis users and 8 bone�anchored prosthesis us...

Background Traditionally, the manufacture of prostheses is time-consuming and labor-intensive. One possible route to improving access and quality of these devices is the digitalizing of the fabrication process, which may reduce the burden of manual labor and bring the potential for automation that could help unblock access to assistive technologies...

Background Mobility is a major goal of prosthetic and orthotic rehabilitation, and use of outcome measures to evaluate mobility is necessary for good clinical practice. To support the use of outcome measures worldwide, work is needed to translate relevant instruments and adapt them for use in multiple cultures. Objectives The objective of this res...

Purpose: To evaluate client satisfaction with prosthetic and orthotic services in Sweden, determine if satisfaction differs between clients using different devices and identify factors which influence client satisfaction. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional design was used to survey 7318 clients. The survey included items related to demogra...

Exercise is often cited as a major factor contributing to improved cognitive functioning. As a result, the relationship between exercise and cognition has received much attention in scholarly literature. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses present varying and sometimes conflicting results about the extent to which exercise can influence cognition....

Introduction: A lack of understanding of personal experiences related to limb amputation and prosthetic use limits the extent to which clinicians involved in rehabilitation can support and advise their clients in a person-centered consultation. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the personal experience of daily life as a lower...

Background: Compared to the general population, persons with disabilities are at increased risk of poor mental health. The aim of this study was to determine the rates and correlates of psychological distress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among persons with physical disabilities in Cambodia. Methods: From July to December 2021 data w...

Background: Growing evidence suggests that individuals with transfemoral amputation or knee disarticulation using a prosthesis equipped with a microprocessor-controlled knee (MPK) benefit from enhanced mobility and safety, including less falls. In elderly individuals, high mortality rates are assumed to reduce the expected useful life of MPKs, and...

Background: Researchers and clinicians may find it challenging to identify relevant articles about limb prostheses in online databases. Searches may be improved by using standardized strategies, also known as filters or hedges. Objectives: To develop and validate a highly sensitive MEDLINE (EBSCOHost) search strategy for limb prostheses. Study...

Aims To explore factors that predict novice nurses’ trust in their ability to provide care in acute situations and identify factors that are related to their perceived ability to make clinical judgements in acute situations. Design Exploratory cross‐sectional study. Methods Novice nurses employed within somatic care in Swedish hospitals completed...

Aims To explore factors that predict novice nurses’ trust in their ability to provide care in acute situations and identify factors that are related to their perceived ability to make clinical judgements in acute situations. Design Exploratory cross-sectional study. Method Novice nurses employed within somatic care in Swedish hospitals completed a...

Background There is an assumption that provision of assistive technologies, such as prostheses and orthoses, will improve the life situation of people with disabilities; however, this issue has been poorly addressed in low- and middle-income country settings. Objective The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the life experience of p...

Purpose To identify, and classify, according to International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), clinically applicable outcome measures that have been used to evaluate lower limb orthotic management post-stroke and to investigate which outcome measures recorded the largest effect sizes. Materials and methods Electronic sea...

Introduction Walking with a prosthesis while performing secondary tasks increases demand on cognitive resources, compromising balance and gait. This study investigated effects of a secondary task on patterns of brain activity and temporospatial gait parameters in individuals using a prosthesis with or without a microprocessor-controlled prosthetic...

Background: Joint hypermobility refers to joints that move beyond their normal limits. Individuals with hypermobility of the fingers experience difficulties in activities of daily living. Finger orthoses are available for managing hypermobility of the fingers, but their effectiveness has received little attention in scholarly literature. Objectiv...

Background Novice nurses need to be better prepared to provide care in acute situations. There is currently no validated scale specifically measuring nurses’ perception of their ability to provide care in acute situations. The aim of this study was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of a scale that measures novice nurses self-report...

Objective: To investigate the potential of an acute bout of transcranial electrical stimulation to induce anabolic signalling. Design: Experimental intervention on healthy subjects. Subjects: Ten healthy subjects, 5 women and 5 men (mean age (standard deviation (SD) 32 years (SD 4)). Methods: The quadriceps muscle was stimulated at a frequen...

Background: Walking with a prosthesis requires substantial concentration on behalf of the user and places increased demands on executive functions. Little is known of the effects that prosthetic knee joint prescription may have on executive functioning. Objectives: Evaluate executive functioning in trans-femoral prosthesis users during single an...

This instructional course is intended for graduate and post-graduate students, as well as those actively involved in research within the Prosthetics and Orthotics field. Literature searches are a necessary component of effective research. To identify and access suitable literature, researchers need to understand which databases are most appropriat...

Introduction Conflicting evidence exists regarding the effects of knee orthoses on proprioception. One belief is that pressure applied by orthoses heightens kinesthetic awareness and that this affects balance. This study aimed to investigate the effects of two different orthosis designs on kinesthetic awareness and balance in healthy individuals....

Police working in active duty have a high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain, with lower back pain being the most frequently reported. As a part of uniform regulations, Swedish police are mandated to wear body armour and duty belts at all times during work. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different load carriage designs on invehicle s...

Nurses play an important role in detecting, interpreting and deciding appropriate actions to take in order to care for patients in acute situations. Nevertheless, novice nurses are reported as feeling unprepared to provide appropriate care in acute situations. In order to address this issue, it is important to describe factors in nursing education...

Background:: Individuals using a lower-limb prosthesis indicate that they need to concentrate on every step they take. Despite self-reports of increased cognitive demand, there is limited understanding of the link between cognitive processes and walking when using a lower-limb prosthesis. Objective:: The objective was to assess cortical brain ac...

Aims: Police have a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. While physical factors contributing to this have been explored, little is known regarding the contribution of the psychosocial work environment. This study explores the association between elements of the JDC model, social support and multi-site musculoskeletal pain among Swedish po...

Background: There are currently no national competency standards upon which to develop educational objectives for prosthetist/orthotists in Sweden. While standards have been developed in other countries, they cannot be applied without confirming their relevance in a Swedish context. Objectives: To describe and obtain consensus on core competenci...

Background: Prosthetists and orthotists have a responsibility to direct treatment toward enabling their clients to perform desired activities and to facilitate participation of their clients in all areas of life. This may include provision of assistive technologies to help clients meet goals related to participation in sexual activities. To help p...

PurposeMusculoskeletal disorders are considered as a major issue affecting the health and well-being of active duty police. Discomfort from wearing mandatory equipment and sitting for long periods of time in fleet vehicles are workload factors linked to musculoskeletal disorders in police. This study aims to determine the prevalence of multi-site m...

Background: Today's nurses face complex patient challenges and increased patient acuity. Novice nurses may feel unprepared for some of the tasks facing them. In order to prevent adverse events and improve patient outcomes, the management of acute situations has been identified as an area needing attention. Despite this, it is not yet clear what no...

Background: The Job demand control support model (JDCS) is one of the most widely used theoretical models relating job characteristics to health and wellbeing. Objective: This study aimed to assess the predictive power of the JDCS model for determining job satisfaction and fatigue in uniformed Swedish police. An additional aim was to determine i...

Background: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health is a classification of human functioning and disability and is based on a biopsychosocial model of health. As such, International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health seems suitable as a basis for constructing models defining the clinical P&O process...

Background Musculoskeletal disorders are a common problem among uniformed police with lower back pain being most frequently reported (Gyi and Porter, 1998). Wearing mandatory equipment (duty belt and body armour) and sitting for long periods of time in fleet vehicles are characteristic workload factors linked to musculoskeletal disorders in police...

Purpose: To measure self-efficacy in a group of individuals who have undergone a lower-limb amputation and investigate the relationship between self-efficacy and prosthetic-specific outcomes including prosthetic use, mobility, amputation-related problems and global health. A second purpose was to examine if differences exist in outcomes based upon...

Background: Body armour, duty belts and belt mounted holsters are standard equipment used by the Swedish police and have been shown to affect performance of police specific tasks, to decrease mobility and to potentially influence back pain. This study aimed to investigate the effects on gait kinematics and kinetics associated with use of an altern...

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effects of two different load carriage systems on gait kinematics, temporospatial gait parameters and self-reported comfort in Swedish police. Methods: 21 active duty police officers were recruited for this crossover study design. Biomechanical and self-report data was collected on two testing occasion...

INTRODUCTION and AIM Police officers are commonly reported to have a high prevalence of lower back pain (1) which has been associated with use of heavy utility belts together with body amour (2, 3). Offloading the lower back and pelvic region by relocating equipment from the utility belt to a load bearing vest and leg holster has been suggested as...

INTRODUCTION and AIM As an occupational group police have been reported to experience a high incidence of musculoskeletal injuries with low back pain being the most commonly reported ailment (1,2). The underlying cause of musculoskeletal injury in police is unclear in the literature but has been attributed to use of heavy safety vests and utility b...

Objectives: To investigate patients' mobility and satisfaction with their lower-limb prosthetic or orthotic device and related service delivery in Sierra Leone; to compare groups of patients regarding type and level of assistive device, gender, area of residence, income; and to identify factors associated with satisfaction with the assistive devic...

Appropriate muscular response following an external perturbation is essential in preventing falls. Transtibial prosthesis users lack a foot-ankle complex and associated sensorimotor structures on the side with the prosthesis. The effect of this lack on rapid responses of the lower limb to external surface perturbations is unknown. The aim of the pr...

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...

Objective: To investigate patients' mobility and satisfaction with their lower limb prosthetic or orthotic device and related service delivery in Malawi and to compare groups of patients regarding type and level of device and demographics. Methods: Questionnaires were used to collect self-report data from 83 patients. Results: Ninety percent o...

Background: Within the prosthetics profession, there is a lack of evidence to support many clinical practices. It is therefore important that clinicians systematically document and evaluate their daily practices. Objectives: To record preoperative characteristics and functional outcomes for patients with a lower limb amputation and to investigat...

The use of vibration as a feedback modality to convey motion of the body has been shown to improve measures of postural stability in some groups of patients. Because individuals using transtibial prostheses lack sensation distal to the amputation, vibratory feedback could possibly be used to improve their postural stability. The current investigati...

Swedish police officers experience an increased incidence of musculoskeletal injury, but little is known of the underlying cause. This paper explores police officers' own perceptions of the most common types of musculoskeletal injury sustained in the workplace and explores what police themselves feel are the major causes of such injuries. A nominal...

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate if use of an activity promoting computer game, used in the home (Nintendo Wii Fit; Nintendo Co Ltd, Japan), could influence balance related outcome measures in children with cerebral palsy. Method: Eighteen children with hemiplegic or diplegic cerebral palsy were recruited for the study. A randomised cr...

Background: Evidence-based practice is commonly accepted as a means of improving patient outcomes; however, there is little understanding of the processes required to successfully implement it into prosthetic and orthotic practice. Objectives: To discuss factors affecting adoption of evidence-based practice and present a theoretical framework fo...

Height estimations based on security camera footage are often requested by law enforcement authorities. While valid and reliable techniques have been established to determine vertical distances from video frames, there is a discrepancy between a person's true static height and their height as measured when assuming different postures or when in mot...

Three-dimensional motion analysis has been used since the beginning of the 1980s to evaluate many aspects of physical function of transtibial amputees. Despite its common use for clinical research, there is large variability in methods of capturing three-dimensional data, description of these methods, reporting of joint kinematics and interpretatio...

Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are typically designed to limit the motion of the ankle joint in one or more planes. Given that balance may be compromised when joint range of motion is restricted, an understanding of the relative effects of AFOs on balance performance is clinically relevant. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate existing evi...

The use of motion analysis techniques in amputee rehabilitation often utilizes kinematic data from the prosthetic limb. A problem with methods currently used is that the joint positions of the prosthetic ankle are assumed to be in the same position as that of an intact ankle. The aim of this study was to identify both traditional anatomical joint c...

To study the outcomes of a new surgical and rehabilitation program for initial unilateral transtibial amputation in patients with peripheral vascular disease. The program consists of sagittal incision, rigid dressing, compression therapy using silicone liner, and direct manufacturing prosthetic technique. A prospective cohort study with 1-yr follow...

Shoes with an unstable sole construction are commonly used as a therapeutic tool by physiotherapists and are widely available from shoe and sporting goods retailers. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of using an unstable shoe (Masai Barefoot Technology) on standing balance, reactive balance and stability limits. Thirty-one subjec...

Ambulation on stairs presents a significant challenge for lower extremity amputees and increases the risk of falling and sustaining a serious injury. This study aimed to compare foot placement and foot clearance during stair ambulation in a group of transtibial amputees and a group of able-bodied subjects. Three-dimensional motion analysis was used...

To explore areas in which the education at the Pakistan Institute of Prosthetic & Orthotic Science (PIPOS) could be improved or supplemented to facilitate clinical practice of graduates. To describe educational opportunities PIPOS graduates have had since their graduation and explore their further educational needs. 15 graduates from PIPOS particip...

This study aimed to investigate if prolonged use of shoes incorporating an unstable sole construction could facilitate improvements of balance in a sample of developmentally disabled children. Ten children (six male and four female) aged between 10 and 17 years participated in the study. Children were fitted with shoes incorporating an unstable sol...

The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of vascular lower-limb amputation (LLA) in the diabetic and nondiabetic general population. A population-based cohort study was conducted in a representative Swedish region. All vascular LLAs (at or proximal to the transmetatarsal level) performed from 1997 through 2006 were consecutively regis...

Evidence-based practice has become somewhat of a catchphrase over the past ten years. In this paper evidence-based practice is defined and its importance for the development of the prosthetics and orthotics profession is highlighted. The authors suggest that evidence-based practice needs to be prioritized within the profession and that a cultural c...

The ability to objectively measure an amputee's walking activity over prolonged periods can provide clinicians with a useful means of evaluating their patients' outcomes. The present study aimed to validate the temporospatial data output from a commercially available ambulatory activity monitor (PAM, Ossur) fitted to trans-tibial and trans-femoral...