The latest medical research on Rehabilitation Medicine

In the US military, traumatic brain injury (TBI) is of distinct importance, at home and in the deployed setting, and is considered a "signature injury of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq." Since 2000, an estimated 468 424 service members (SMs) have been diagnosed with at least one TBI. We examined the clinical trajectories of a group of 18 comorbidities before and after a military-sustained mild TBI (mTBI).

Without making assumptions on causality, a group of 18 conditions often co-occurring with mTBI were identified through literature review and TBI subject matter workgroup consensus. Using data from Military Health System Data Repository, we identified SMs whose first lifetime military mTBI occurred between October 1, 2016, and October 30, 2019. Correlation analyses were used to determine the linear relationship between comorbidities prior to and after mTBI diagnosis. Changes in the period prevalence of comorbidities was calculated.

We identified 42 018 SMs with a first lifetime military mTBI, of which 77.6% had at least one comorbidity. Identified SMs were mostly young (46.1% ages 18-24 years), male (81.4%), and White (64.1%). Up to 180 days prior to an mTBI, the most frequently identified conditions were sleep-related conditions (21.7%), headaches (19.4%), posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSDs) (17.8%), anxiety disorders (11.3%), and cervicogenic disorders (eg, cervicalgia) (10.9%). In the period following mTBI diagnosis, the prevalence of diagnosed conditions increased, especially for visual disturbances (327.2%), cognitive conditions (313.9%), vestibular conditions (192.6%), those related to headache (152.2%), and hearing (72.9%). Sleep-related conditions showed moderate positive correlation with a group of co-occurring conditions, led by cognitive conditions (ϕc = 0.50), anxiety disorders (ϕc = 0.42), PTSDs (ϕc =0.43), and headaches and related conditions (ϕc = 0.38).

Results indicate that caring for SMs with mild TBI requires a holistic approach, one that considers the complex nature of SM conditions, prior to sustaining their mTBI, as well as after injury. We found a complex correlation of conditions that suggest SMs with mTBI are undergoing a multifaceted experience, one that may require the development of a targeted multidimensional clinical practice recommendation and practice.

To ascertain patient and caregiver satisfaction with an individualized case management intervention to improve transition from inpatient rehabilitation care to the community after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Satisfaction with intervention was measured through Likert-scaled and open-ended questions. The survey was administered verbally through telephone, audio-recorded, and transcribed. Descriptive statistics were calculated for categorical variables, and content analysis was conducted for open-ended responses.

Patient and caregiver participants were satisfied with the intervention and highlighted the benefits of the interpersonal and practical support provided by the TCM. Participants identified the need for a more intensive intervention and clear expectations of the TCM role, as well as gaps in available medical and rehabilitation services in the community, as areas for improvement.

Patients with TBI and their caregivers reported satisfaction with the individualized case management program in supporting their transition from inpatient rehabilitation to the community. Further research is needed to understand the impact on outcomes.

To examine sleep disruption in chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI) across 3 aims: (1) to examine differences in self-reported sleep disruption between adults with and without a chronic history of TBI; (2) to query reported changes in sleep after TBI; and (3) to explore the relationship between self-reported sleep disruption and memory failures in daily life.

We used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to measure sleep disruption and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale to measure daytime sleepiness. Participants answered questions about postinjury sleep and responded to the Everyday Memory Questionnaire as a measure of memory failures in daily life.

Individuals with TBI had significantly higher rates of sleep disruption than those without TBI, as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index but not on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Sleep disruption in TBI manifested more in sleep quality than quantity. Half of the participants with TBI reported a negative change in sleep postinjury. In an exploratory analysis, sleep disruption was related to memory failure in daily life in the TBI sample.

Sleep disruption persists long after TBI but may be under-recognized in people with chronic TBI. Given that sleep is critical for memory and rehabilitation outcomes well into the chronic phase of injury, steps to improve the identification and management of sleep disruption are needed. Key words:chronic, memory, sleep, traumatic brain injury.

This study aimed to understand the impact of pain management programmes, focusing on the unwanted effects and their influence on patients' long-term use of self-management strategies.

Data were collected regarding patients' experiences and unwanted effects from the pain management programme using semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Fourteen participant interviews were included in the analysis (median age 54 years, 12 females). Four themes were generated from the data: Benefits and burdens, Pain management programme and real life, Social support and Healthcare interventions. Unwanted effects included heightened anxiety related to negative interactions with peers, being in a new environment, worries about ability to cope with the programme, social anxiety from being in a group, the strain on families due to participants being away from home and a sense of abandonment at end of the programme. Burdens associated with implementing pain management strategies were identified, including the emotional burden of imposing their self-management on close family and competing demands with time and energy spent on self-management at the expense of work or home commitments.

Pain management programmes have an important role in helping patients to learn how to self-manage chronic pain. Their unwanted effects and the treatment burdens associated with long-term self-management may be an important consideration in improving the longevity of their beneficial effects.