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Copyright of Physiotherapy / Fizjoterapia is the property of Physiotherapy and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sport participation in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) has been studied extensively, however there is little evidence available on sports for people with cervical SCI (tetraplegia). Due to physical consequences of cervical SCI people with tetraplegia have very limited possibility to engage in vigorous physical activity but increasing number of adaptive sports for people with tetraplegia allowed scientist to explore more intensively diverse aspects of sport participation in this population. The purpose of this review was to summarize the findings of recent studies related to sport in people with tetraplegia published in years: 2002-2013. A comprehensive search of computer databases was performed to identify relevant studies. These studies were grouped according to their subjects into five main areas of research involving athletes with tetraplegia: 1) muscle strength and kinematics, 2) cardiovascular performance and functions, 3) thermoregulation system, 4) respiratory functions, and 5) social aspects of sport. Most of recent research into sport in people with tetraplegia is related to physiological body response to intensive physical training. Researchers do agree that adequately provided sport training in people with tetraplegia improves several physiological parameters such as peak power output or peak oxygen uptake. As biomedical aspects of sport in people with tetraplegia are already well documented in the literature it is suggested that future research should focus more on psychosocial aspect of this activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research on the athletic identity (AI) of athletes with disabilities. Athletes participating in the Paracanoeing World Championship and the relationship between AI and the performance of those athletes. The Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) is used to measure AI. It is found that all athletes had high level of AI, that the scores did not vary significantly between the champion and other athletes and that training load significantly predicted performance.

Purpose. Physical activity (PA) is known to have a positive influence on many physical and psychological aspects of human life. Despite the many benefits of an active lifestyle, the majority of adults in Western Europe do not perform regular PA, and this is especially so for adults with a disability, such as the blind and visually impaired. The purpose of this study was to assess the type and intensity of physical activity and subjective quality of life (life satisfaction) of blind and visually impaired individuals living in Poland and to analyze for potential differences in terms of their physical activity levels. Method. The short form International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire were administered to a sample of eighty-two individuals (mean age 38 years) with varying degrees of vision loss. Results. The study found that more than 50% of the respondents were classified as being highly active and that the total sample was 'rather satisfied' with life 'as a whole'. The level of PA performed was significantly positively correlated with the level of life satisfaction. Conclusions. PA increases the subjective quality of life in blind and visually impaired individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine and compare athletic identity (AI) of sitting volleyball players (SVP) and able-bodied volleyball players (VP). The study also included an analysis of the relationship between AI level and life satisfaction in volleyball players with and without disabilities. 40 athletes (SVP = 20, VP = 20) in the age between 17 and 65 years participated in this study. The 7-item version of the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale was used to assess AI, the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire with the aim to evaluate subjective life quality, as well as personal questionnaire and questionnaire of sport activity. This study showed that level of AI and life satisfaction in SVP were lower than in VP. The study also showed positive correlation between AI and life satisfaction in SVP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Physiotherapy / Fizjoterapia is the property of Physiotherapy and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aims of this study were to assess the quality of life (QOL) in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) following the earthquake in China (2008) and to identify the most important areas of rehabilitation. All study participants (14 people with SCI) completed a closedquestion social questionnaire, Life Satisfaction Questionnaire, and Aims of Rehabilitation Questionnaire. The most satisfying areas of life were partnership relations and contacts with friends and the least satisfying was vocational situation. The most important aim of rehabilitation was: "recovery of independence in everyday functioning". The least important aim was: "getting a vocational job, which besides regular income guarantees high prestige and offers vocational development". Overall QOL of SCI-earthquake survivors in China is rather low. There is a demand for patient-education in China on the role of modern rehabilitation and the realistic goals that a person with SCI can achieve in terms of vocational and social inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Physiotherapy / Fizjoterapia is the property of Physiotherapy and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this study was to examine the continuity of recreation engagement (identify changes in recreational habits pre- and post-injury) in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) who use wheelchairs, and to explore how factors related to injury impacted on changes in recreation engagement. People with SC! (N = 985) reported stopping participation in several recreational activities after injury. Almost 40% of participants discontinue engagement in sports activities after SCI, followed by traveling (24%), socializing (21.5%), and going to concerts or cinemas (19.6%). However 61.7% of individuals with SC! were able to continue socializing, and 43% continued sports activities after SCI. Older people with SCI, individuals with quadriplegia, and those with more hours of help needed from other people require special attention from healthcare professionals in order to get back to enjoyable recreational activities after SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Quality of life evaluation is nowadays an important element in the assessment of treatment and rehabilitation effectiveness in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). According to studies of patients with other diseases, objective indicators of life quality are not directly related to the level of subjective life satisfaction. Both dimensions should be taken into account in a reliable evaluation of the quality of life of any patient. The analysis of available literature reveals few publications concerned with evaluating quality of life in people with RA in both the objective and subjective dimensions., Material and Method: A total of 42 people with RA took part in the study. The Life Satisfaction Questionnaire was used to assess subjective quality of life, and the objective dimension was assessed with a questionnaire investigating education, employment, income etc., before and after the disease was diagnosed., Results: The study found that people with RA perceive their global life satisfaction as low. Only 38% of the participants were satisfied with their lives as a whole. Their vocational activity decreased by more than 45% in relation to the situation before developing RA. Watching TV was the most often stated leisure activity. People with RA were most satisfied with their family life and contact with friends, and the least satisfying life domains were their vocational and financial situations. The main predictors of global life satisfaction in people with RA were satisfaction with the financial situation and sexual life., Conclusion: RA decreases both the objective and subjective dimensions of quality of life. Taking into account the importance of patient quality of life evaluation in the assessment of effectiveness of treatment and rehabilitation in patients with RA, it seems necessary to include both dimensions, as only this guarantees achieving results that reliably reflect the real situation.

This study aimed to evaluate the preliminary psychometric properties of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in a community sample of adults living with a spinal cord injury (SCI). A cross-sectional design was used with 963 people living in the community with an SCI. Participants were recruited via three spinal centres in the United Kingdom. They completed the HADS and the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire. Psychometric analyses were conducted for the whole sample, by gender and level of injury. The HADS demonstrated good internal consistency, with promising content validity. Two factors, approximating to anxiety and depression were extracted via factor analysis for the whole sample, by gender and level of injury. In line with existing literature, females scored significantly higher than males on the anxiety subscale. Item 7 ("I can sit at ease and feel relaxed") was found to be a complex item, with a potentially different meaning within this population. This study presents preliminary findings, which support the psychometric integrity of the HADS within an outpatient population with SCI. Items that included potential somatic components revealed a more complex factor loading profile. Recommendations are made to further investigate this measure with amendments to such items, incorporating inpatients and independent measures of anxiety and depression to address validity directly.

Spinal cord injuries often have impact on patient;s further life. In early period after trauma there are many medical problems, later on one can observe the decrease of quality of life. In this article a comprehensive review of liteature relating to the situation of persons after SCI has been presented. It means social condition, familiar life, education, vocational status, sport, recreation and psychological implications.