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Background: Physical activities are important for the development of children and increasing evidence suggests beneficial effects of physical activity promotion during cancer treatment as well. The present study aimed at evaluating the current need of exercise interventions in pediatric cancer patients undergoing acute treatment and identifying risk factors for inactivity., Procedure: Data about self-reported physical activity before and during treatment was collected in a cross-sectional design with the physical activity questionnaire from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) in a modified cancer specific version., Results: One hundred thirty pediatric cancer patients with various entities were questioned 3.0 ± 1.6 months since diagnosis. Patients' activity levels before diagnosis mainly matched reference values for healthy children in Germany. Reductions during treatment affected all dimensions of daily physical activities and minutes of exercise per week decreased significantly (P < 0.001). Largest reductions of physical activities during treatment were identified for bone tumor patients and in-patient stays., Conclusions: Due to the well known importance of physical activity during childhood and the identified risk of inactivity during cancer treatment, supervised exercise interventions should be implemented into acute treatment phase to enhance activity levels and ensure a continuously support by qualified exercise professionals., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: While research on exercise interventions during anticancer treatment is well-established in adults, only very few studies exist in children. However, pediatric patients experience great limitations to being physically active, and appropriate interventions are desired., Procedure: The present study aimed at investigating the effects of individualized exercise interventions during inpatient stays on pediatric patients with a malignant bone tumor. The parameter of interest was physical activity (PA). Patients' PA during home stays was assessed 6 weeks as well as 3, 6, 12, and 18 months post-surgery. Patients were distinguished into an intervention group and a control group. All patients received endoprosthetic replacement of the affected bone in the same institution., Results: A constant increase in all PA parameters was observed during follow-up. Exercise interventions were possible and appeared worthwhile. The intervention group showed better PA results at all measurements; however, no significant differences between groups were found. Furthermore, differences decreased especially after the cessation of the intervention. General problems in reaching appropriate power and compliance were observed., Conclusions: Individualized exercise interventions in pediatric bone tumor patients are possible and appear to be beneficial. Such interventions should be implemented in adjuvant care; however, future research is needed to understand more about the effects of different interventions.

Purpose: The diagnosis of a malignant bone tumor in the lower limb is a risk factor for physical disability, limiting physical performance. Walking ability especially, which is essential for most activities of daily living, is limited in those patients. In the present study, the extent of limitations during the course of treatment was investigated to determine when the assessment of functional parameters is meaningful in those patients., Methods: In the present study, activity levels were determined in 20 patients with a malignant bone tumor in the lower limb who received endoprosthetic replacement of the affected bone and in 20 healthy individuals. A uniaxial accelerometer was used to investigate patients at five different time points after surgery., Results: Patients performed significantly less amounts and intensities of activity than control individuals at all measurements. Significant increases in the volume of activity were observed after cessation of treatment. However, the intensity of activity only showed minor increases. Patients experiencing complications of surgery revealed greater restriction than those without even 18 months after surgery., Conclusions: After cessation of treatment for their disease, patients recovered markedly and showed great improvements in physical activity. However, some limitations appeared to persist. Comparisons with patients with longer follow-up revealed that meaningful functional assessment does not make sense within the first 12 months after surgery. More research is needed to show if longer follow-up periods reveal further improvements. Based on such information, it should be more promising to develop individually tailored activity recommendations and intervention programs.

Bracing is an established method of conservative treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and kyphosis. Compliance among adolescents is frequently inadequate due to the discomfort of wearing a brace, cosmetic issues, and fear on the part of patients and parents that bracing may reduce everyday physical activities. The aim of this prospective, controlled study was to objectify the impact of spinal bracing on daily step activity in patients receiving conservative treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) or adolescent kyphosis (AK). Forty-eight consecutive patients (mean age 13.4 ± 2.3 years), consisting of 38 AIS patients (33 girls, 5 boys) and 10 AK patients (6 girls, 4 boys) were included. Once the decision to carry out bracing had been taken and while the patients were waiting for the individual brace to be built, step activity was assessed without braces by means of step activity monitoring (SAM) for seven consecutive days. After 8 weeks of brace wearing, step activity was assessed during regular brace treatment, again for seven consecutive days. In addition, brace-wearing times were simultaneously recorded using temperature probes implanted in the braces to measure compliance. Before and during brace treatment, patients completed the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS-22) questionnaire. The SAM was worn for an average of 12.7 ± 1.5 h/day during the first measurement and 12.3 ± 1.9 h on average during the second measurement. The mean gait cycles (GCs) per day and per hour before treatment were 5,036 ± 1,465 and 395 ± 105, respectively. No significant reduction in step activity was found at the follow-up measurement during bracing, at 4,880 ± 1,529 GCs/day and 403 ± 144 GCs/h. Taking the 23-h recommended time for brace wearing as a basis (100%), patients wore the brace for 72.7 ± 27.6% of the prescribed time, indicating an acceptable level of compliance. Girls showed a higher compliance level (75.6 ± 25.6%) in comparison with boys (56.7 ± 31.9%), although the difference was not significant (P = 0.093). The SRS-22 total score showed no differences between the two measurements (2.57 ± 0.23 vs. 2.56 ± 0.28). Implementing a simultaneous and objective method of assessing step activity and brace-wearing times in everyday life proved to be feasible, and it expands the information available regarding the impact of bracing on patients' quality of life. The results clearly show that brace treatment does not negatively interfere with daily step activity in AIS and AK patients. This is an important finding that should help reduce patients' and parents' worries concerning bracing.

Objective: Despite its impact on the overall outcome and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after knee surgery, physical activity has not been investigated directly using accelerometry or step monitoring during the first year after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) due to osteoarthritis (OA). Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the development of physical activity over 12 months after surgery and its relationship to clinical outcome and HRQOL., Methods: Fifty-three patients scheduled for primary TKA due to OA were measured with the DynaPort ADL monitor and a step activity monitor preoperatively and at 2, 6, and 12 months of followup. Clinical outcome and HRQOL were investigated using the American Knee Society Score (KSS) and Short Form 36 (SF-36) health survey., Results: Physical activity increased significantly within 12 months of followup (from mean ± SD 4,993 ± 2,170 gait cycles preoperatively to 5,932 ± 2,111 gait cycles; P = 0.003). Clinical outcome and HRQOL improved from baseline (mean ± SD KSS 88.9 ± 21.4, mean ± SD SF-36 43.1 ± 18.4) to 12 months of followup (mean ± SD KSS 188.6 ± 10.9; P = 0.001 and mean ± SD SF-36 82.5 ± 15.9; P = 0.001). Physical activity parameters did not correlate with clinical outcome., Conclusion: TKA offers profound improvements of physical activity for the majority of patients. Despite these improvements and the excellent clinical outcome, most patients do not reach the level of physical activity reported for healthy subjects. The activity level after treatment seems to be influenced by physical activity behavior prior to surgery rather than by the treatment itself., (Copyright © 2011 by the American College of Rheumatology.)

This review provides a survey of studies investigating physical activity and exercise interventions in patients during tumor treatment and survivors of childhood cancer. PubMed and Medline databases were searched using relevant terms. References of selected papers were tracked. A total of 28 studies could be identified. Seventeen studies investigated physical activity, 11 studies determined the effect of activity enhancing interventions during and after therapy. Even though most studies showed limitations and results were not consistent, considerably reduced physical activity is highly probable in patients during and after therapy. Studies on interventions provided promising results and revealed challenges to be faced.

Conservative treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis consists of therapeutic exercise and the application of braces. The effectiveness of bracing mainly depends on patient compliance, which can be determined by means of temperature sensors. This methodological paper describes the feasibility of objectively determining compliance and daily physical activities before and during conservative scoliosis treatment, being a relevant indicator for quality of life in children and adolescents. One patient with low compliance (61.4±24.9%) reduced her activity level during bracing by 50.1%, whereas another patient with a satisfactory compliance (85.7±19.5%) increased her daily activity level by 33.7% during conservative treatment.

Background: The diagnosis of cancer bears severe implications for pediatric patients. One immense restriction consists in a reduced level of activity due to different factors. Physical activity affects various aspects of development and can be regarded as an essential part of a child's life. In the present study physical activity in patients undergoing cancer therapy was quantified in order to determine the extent of the restriction and to provide baseline information for the assessment of possible interventions., Procedure: Physical activity in 80 patients and 45 healthy children matched for age and gender was measured using the StepWatch 3 Activity Monitor (SAM, OrthoCare Innovations)., Results: Pediatric cancer patients, at 2,787 gait cycles (gcs) per day, were significantly less active than their healthy counterparts (8,096 gcs). Patients were significantly more active at home than during inpatient stays (3,185 gcs compared to 1,830 gcs), and patients with bone tumors were less active than those with leukemia regarding both, the amount (1,849 gcs vs. 2,992 gcs) and the intensity of activity., Conclusion: The present study quantified an often observed but so far hardly assessable problem. Activity in cancer patients is considerably reduced and patients with bone tumors are at increased risk from the detrimental effects of prolonged inactivity. Both our findings and the accepted fact that activity is an essential element of child development confirm the need for interventions tailored to a patient's needs and abilities during the course of treatment., ((c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)