aquatic physiotherapy and cancer rehabilitation

Excerpt from Australian Physiotherapy Association Conference 2015 Abstract E-book available at http://www.physiotherapy.asn.au/DocumentsFolder/CONFERENCE2015/APA%202015%20Abstracts%20Final.pdf Conference location Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. Dates 3-6 October 2015

AQUATIC PHYSIOTHERAPY AND CANCER REHABILITATION: A LITERATURE REVIEW Smith SE1, 2 Bendigo Health 2 Cobaw Community Health Kyneton 1

Question: What is known to reduce risk and inform effective practice in aquatic

Key Practice Points: • Earlier onset of scapular muscles during arm elevation on the day of shoulder tape application suggests that this may be an ideal time to retrain these muscles to activate during shoulder elevation. • The effects of shoulder taping on the timing of scapular muscle contraction are not maintained 24 hours after tape application, suggesting that additional interventions would be needed for longer term effects.

physiotherapy with survivors of cancer? Design: A narrative review of qualitative and quantitative studies following a systematic search of the CINAHL, MEDLINE, PEDro and Cochrane databases of all studies in aquatic exercise in survivors of cancer. Participants: Cancer survivors. Intervention: Any form of water based exercises. Outcome Measures: Measures of lymphedema, cancer-related fatigue, reduced range of motion and reduced quality of life indicators were included. Results: Nine studies were reviewed including five randomised controlled trials. Eight studies included females who had completed active treatment for breast cancer. One case description discussed lymphedema after gynaecological cancer. High adherence rates with aquatic exercise were achieved in all the studies with either transient or no adverse outcomes recorded in these participants. Hydrostatic pressure may be beneficial for managing lymphedema and the low impact aquatic environment may be helpful in addressing cancer related fatigue. Conclusion: Initial research indicates that the aquatic environment may be safe and well tolerated for cancer survivors. Long term effectiveness has not been adequately studied. Key Practice Points: • Aquatic physiotherapy can be considered a safe and effective option for rehabilitation following treatment for breast cancer. • The unique properties of water are advantageous for the management of common adverse outcomes such as lymphedema and cancer related fatigue. • Whilst there is limited research currently available evaluating aquatic physiotherapy and its application to cancer rehabilitation, land based cancer rehabilitation guidelines can inform practice.

THE EFFECTS OF SHOULDER TAPING ON SCAPULOTHORACIC MUSCLE CONTRACTION AND CORTICOMOTOR EXCITABILITY OF SCAPULAR AND SHOULDER MUSCLES Snodgrass SJ1, Farrell SF1, Tsao H2, Osmotherly PG1, Rivett DA1, Chipchase L3, Schabrun S3 1 Discipline of Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle 2 The Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Queensland Health, Brisbane 3 University of Western Sydney, Brain Rehabilitation and Neuroplasticity Unit, Sydney

Question: Does shoulder taping affect the magnitude and timing of scapular muscle contraction and the corticomotor excitability of the scapular and shoulder muscles? Design: Pre-post comparison. Participants: 15 healthy individuals. Intervention: Rigid strapping tape applied from the anterior glenohumeral joint to the inferior angle of the scapula on the dominant arm. Outcome Measures: Surface electromyography (onset of upper trapezius, lower trapezius and serratus anterior activation relative to deltoid, and peak root mean square [RMS]) during active shoulder flexion and abduction, and amplitude of motor-evoked potential [MEP] to transcranial magnetic stimulation. Repeated measures analysis of variance with Bonferroni post-hoc tests determined differences in outcomes before, immediately after and 24 hours post-taping. Results: During arm elevation after taping, there was earlier onset of upper and lower trapezius activation, but this was not maintained 24 hours post-taping. These results were most pronounced for upper trapezius during abduction post-taping (mean 34.2ms after deltoid onset, SD 118.2) compared to pre-taping (93.9ms, SD 106.3, p = .021), and for lower trapezius during flexion post-taping (mean 110.0ms before deltoid onset, SD 109.8) compared to pre-taping (5.9ms, SD 92.3, p = .056). Taping had no effect on MEPs or peak RMS during arm elevation. Conclusion: Shoulder taping in healthy individuals changes the timing of scapular muscle contraction during arm elevation, but these changes are not maintained 24 hours post-tape and are not explained by altered corticomotor excitability.

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PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS PREDISPOSING RUGBY UNION PLAYERS TO NECK INJURIES Snodgrass SJ1, Osmotherly PG1, Reid SA2, Milburn PD3, Rivett DA1 1 Discipline of Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle 2 School of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Sydney 3 Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University, Gold Coast

Question: What are the physical characteristics associated with neck injury history and increased risk of sustaining a neck injury in rugby union players? Design: Prospective cohort study. Participants: Semi-professional players (n= 142) from six NSW rugby union clubs. Outcome Measures: Pre-season cervical spine range of motion (ROM), neck muscle strength, neck sensorimotor proprioception (joint position error), neck anthropometry, previous neck injury history, current neck symptoms, playing position, competition level, age, and years playing rugby. In-season neck pain and injury via team physiotherapist reports and player telephone interviews. Logistic regression determined factors associated with neck injury history and incidence. Results: Sixty-five (46%) players reported a previous neck injury, and 11 (8%) sustained a neck injury during the competitive season. Age (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03-1.25, p< .01) and years playing rugby (1.12, 0.84-3.19,p