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Background. The central sterile supply department (CSSD) is wrongly seen as a place in the hospital environment that does not require skills and physical effort, being commonly a hospital sector for the relocation of functionally-readapted professionals. However, CSSD is a work environment that demands professional experience and presents itself as a sector that does not have a healthy work environment. This study aims to evaluate the frequency of comorbidities and functionally-readapted people among nursing professionals allocated to a CSSD and, also, to seek the perception of these professionals about the ergonomic risks and the degree of difficulty to perform activities within a CSSD. Methods. This is a cross-sectional study that analyzed the opinions of nursing professionals who work in the CSSD of public hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Nurses, nursing technicians and nursing assistants aged ≥18 years were included. Results. Seventy-two nursing professionals were consecutively evaluated. It was observed that 43 of them (59.7%) had never worked in a CSSD. The most prevalent comorbidity in the present study was chronic rhinosinusitis, observed in more than half of the sample, although it is interesting to note the high frequency of participants with work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) and repetitive strain injuries (RSI). There is a relationship between previous work in a CSSD and the ability to identify surgical tweezers by visual recognition (p = 0.031). There is a relationship between the time the participant had previously worked in the hospital and the skill regarding the information contained in the conference folders for preparing the tray surgical procedures (τb = −0.34, p = 0.001). Conclusion. Almost a third of nursing professionals working in a CSSD are rehabilitated, with a high prevalence of WMSD and RSI. The commitment of managers to an internal health policy aimed at workers is necessary for health promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Wheelchair Power Soccer (WPS) is the only team sport that allows the participation of people with severe physical disabilities who require the daily use of motorized wheelchairs. These individuals may live with chronic pain due to the characteristics of the disabilities and treatments, interfering with their health and limiting their participation in sports. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and its relationship with mood in WPS players and to analyze the incidence of traumatic injuries during a championship. Methods: A prospective, longitudinal study was carried out on 30 WPS athletes (93.33% male) with a mean (SD) (range) age of 22.37 (9.79) (47) years. Data collection was performed during a South American WPS Championship lasting 3 days, with: investigation of the presence of musculoskeletal pain and mood through a questionnaire; investigation of the occurrence of traumatic injuries through match observation; and confirmation of the occurrence of traumatic injuries through access to medical department records. Results: About 30% (n = 9/30) of the sample presented some pain on the day of evaluation, with an intensity of 5.67 (3.35) (10) points on the visual analog scale. The most common regions of pain were the lower back (13.3%, n = 4/30), thoracic (10%; n = 3/30), and cervical (10%; n = 3/30) areas of the spine. A total of 46.7% (n = 14/30) reported pain in the month before data collection but of less intensity (2.56 [4] [10] points), the most common regions being the lower limbs (20%; n = 6/30) and cervical spine (20%; n = 6/30). Among the between-group comparisons (ie, participants with pain vs without pain), no relationship was observed between mood state and pain. No traumatic injuries were identified during the competition. Conclusion: The presence of musculoskeletal pain was common in WPS players, but it was not related to mood. As no traumatic injuries were observed during the championship, this modality seems to be safe for people with physical disabilities in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PPS) is characterized by anterior knee pain and affects young female adults. Physiotherapy is the most indicated treatment. The objective of the study was to analyze electromyographic activity of the quadriceps and gluteus medius muscles during different open and closed kinetic chain exercises in women with PPS. Twenty-two clinically healthy women and 24 women with symptomatic PPS were assessed through surface electromyography of the quadriceps and gluteus medius during the following exercises: straight leg raise with and without lateral hip rotation; squats; squats with adduction and hip abduction; and squats combined with lateral hip rotation. When comparing the groups, only the quadriceps muscle showed higher activity in the PPS group. In the comparisons between the exercises, in relation to gluteus medius and quadriceps muscle activity, the straight leg raise and straight leg raise with lateral hip rotation exercises showed more activity than squats in both groups. Among the squats, squats with adduction generated more gluteus medius activity in both groups, and no difference was noted among the squats for the quadriceps muscle. Therefore, rehabilitation programs that include exercises such as straight leg raises, straight leg raises with lateral hip rotation, and squats with adduction may be used for PPS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The present study aimed to characterize the functional capacity, disease status, cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life of a sample of patients with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA). The associations between these measures were also investigated.Methods. Fourteen individuals with SCA were included. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing; functionality with the Berg Balance Scale and the Dynamic Gait Index; severity of ataxia with the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia Score and the Brief Ataxia Rating Scale; and health-related quality of life measures with the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey.Results. The severity of SCA was associated with poor physical conditioning, overall functionality and quality of life.Conclusion. The knowledge produced by this study is important to motivate health professionals to promote exercise prescription to SCA patients. This study may point the way to the development of evidence-based protocols to recover and/or maintain functional and exercise capacity as well as to provide knowledge for the prevention of functional losses related not only to the disease but also to inactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]