Background. Spinal cord injuries are one of disability in Poland and in the world. Methods: 80 subjects with a transverse injury of the cervical spinal cord were enrolled in the study. The study group included men aged 20–50, 33.1 ± 7.5. A total of 40 (50%) of the subjects comprised the physically active group (AG)—subjects doing wheelchair sport twice a week for 90 min a day. The physically inactive group (IG) comprised 40 (50%) subjects who had not participated in any sports activities. Statistical analyses were carried out using Shapiro-Wilk W-test and Mann-Whitney U test. Results. Significant differences were found between the physically active and inactive men with regard to their functionality status. The biggest differences were found for turning over (p < 0.001) and in adopting a sitting position (p < 0.001). Persons in the AG group had better results in all assessed activities. The biggest differences were observed in the field of toilet and dressing up: tooth-brushing p < 0.007 and washing the top part of the body p < 0.002. Conclusions. People participating in regular physical activity–wheelchair rugby–after spinal cord injury have a better relationship with better fitness, greater independence and a better functional status.

Background. Post-traumatic craniofacial injuries associated with bone fractures lead to serious morphological, functional and aesthetic complications which may negatively affect the physical and mental condition of the patient throughout the recovery period. Objectives. The aim of this study was the evaluation of complaints and well-being in patients during the short-and long-term period following injury to the lower face, as well as an assessment of the effects of age and sex in the examined parameters. Material and methods. The research group included 42 patients with injury to the lower face. The patients' well-being and the most common functional problems following treatment were assessed using Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, with significance level assumed at p < 0.05. Results. A period of 8 months following injury of the lower face was sufficient for the patients to achieve significant improvement in the quality of life. Improvement in well-being, according to OHIP-14, by approx. 11.9 points +/- 11.7 points, was highly significant (p < 0.001). The most frequent complaints included pain in the maxillofacial area, difficulties with consumption of food and dissatisfaction due to the necessary change of diet. The factors of age (p = 0.2839) and sex (p = 0.6047) did not significantly affect improvement in well-being. Conclusions. During both the short-and long-term period following injury of the lower face, the most frequent complaints included pain in the maxillofacial region, problems with eating food and dissatisfaction due to change in diet. The study has shown that during the period of 8 months after the injury, there was a significant improvement in the quality of life assessed with OHIP-14. Age and gender do not significantly affect the quality of life after injury to the lower face.

Introduction: Morbidity and mortality attributed to lung cancer remain at high levels, especially where men are concerned. The surgery for lung cancer involves removing neoplastic lesions in order to save the largest possible part of the healthy lung. Of importance is also pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation. The aim of this thesis is to gauge the quality of life of the patients who have had their lung cancer surgically removed. Material and methods: The study was conducted on 72 patients (52 men and 20 women) after surgical removal of lung cancer. The subjects were examined prior to, a week after and six months following surgery. The investigation employed the standardised questionnaires to assess the quality of life, i.e., EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-LC13, as well as the visual analogue pain scale (VAS). Statistical analyses were performed using the Anova Friedman test and Dunna test, and p-value calculated in multiple comparisons with significance level assumed at p < 0.05. Results: During six months after the operation, the quality of life deteriorated in relation to the one before operation as evidenced by the functioning scale at the level of p < 0.001. Overall symptom scale, as well as symptomatic scale and the VAS scale showed that some symptoms increased significantly in the early period after surgery p < 0.001, then with the passage of time, the patients felt improvement, however, some of them, e.g. pain sensations can persist till six months after surgery. Conclusions: Surgical removal of lung cancer is associated with a significant deterioration of the quality of life in the early period after surgery and can persist till six months later.

Background and Study Aim. To evaluate anterior-posterior spine curvatures and incidence of sagittal defects in children and adolescents practicing traditional Karate. Material and Methods. 152 people aged 6-16 yrs, mean age 10.5±3.03. The study group (SG), subjects attending traditional Karate classes for min one year, 60 minutes twice a week (76 people). The control group (CG) randomly selected on 1:1 basis to match SG. The anterior-posterior curvatures were measured with a gravitational inclinometer. Sauder’s norms were used to assess postural defects. Body mass, height, and BMI were measured. Mann-Whitney U-test/Student’s t-test for independent variables, χ² test, and Cramer V test were used in statistical analysis. Results. Significant differences were observed between the groups in lumbosacral inclination ALPHA1 p<0.001; karateka had significantly lower ALPHA 1 and greater thoracic inclination (GAMMA TH/L) p=0.23. In study group, lumbosacral angle flattening (ALPHA 2) (81.6%) was greater than in CG (56.6%). ALPHA 2 (43.4%) was more frequently within the norm in CG. Increased ALPHA 2 was reported only among SG (2.6%). Differences were statistically significant (χ² (2) = 15.23 p<0.001) and of moderate power (Cramer V=0.31). Regarding thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups. Conclusions. Traditional Karate affects pelvic tilt leading to posterior tilt; it correlates with somatic parameters: height, mass, and BMI in terms of spine curvatures. The size of the lumbar lordosis and thoracic kyphosis in karatekas is comparable to that of those not practicing sport. Frequent incidence of reduced pelvic tilt in karatekas requires implementing exercises activating anterior tilt during training session.

It is believed that direct odontoid screw fixation preserves the physiological cervical range of motion following surgery. However, there are no clinical studies confirming the motion sparing value of this technique. This study aims to (1) to assess active cervical range of motion following types II and III odontoid fracture, successfully treated with anterior odontoid screw fixation, and (2) to examine the relationship between the range of motion of the head and duration of collar usage, neck pain, quality of life, and patients’ age. The study involved 41 patients subjected to a procedure of direct osteosynthesis of the dens with lag screw. Following the operation all the patients had to wear a cervical collar to protect the osteosynthesis. The control group consisted of 41 individuals with no clinical diagnosis of any cervical spine disorders. The spinal motion was assessed using multi-cervical unit, taking into account bending/extension, left and right lateral flexion, and left and right axial rotation. In the study group, spine mobility correlated with the duration of hard collar usage following the operation, with a longer duration corresponding to poorer spine mobility at the end of the treatment. Statistically significant correlation was observed in the case of extension (p < 0.021) and axial rotation (p < 0.007). In the study group, there was a negative correlation between the range of motion and the patients’ age, i.e., the older the patient the poorer his/her spinal mobility (p < 0.001). Active cervical range of motion in patients following direct osteosynthesis of the dens, augmented with a hard collar, was significantly lower than in the control population, and it correlated negatively with the duration of collar usage, the patients’ age, and intensity of spinal pain.

BACKGROUND:Available publications provide little evidence pertaining to assessment of foot shape in children with intellectual disability. The aim of this study was to assess the parameters of foot shape in children and adolescents with intellectual ...