Relationships among range of motion, functional mobility, and quality of life in children and adolescents after limb-sparing surgery for lower-extremity sarcoma.
OBJECTIVE
The study was designed to examine relationships between range of motion (ROM), functional mobility, and quality of life (QL) in patients with lower-extremity sarcoma (LES) after limb-sparing surgery


METHODS
Sixty-eight patients with LES (age, 10-26 years) participated. The patients performed hip flexion, hip extension, knee flexion, and knee extension, Timed Up and Down Stairs (TUDS), Timed Up and Go (TUG), nine-minute run-walk (9-min), and completed the QL measure, Short-Form-36 version two (SF-36v2).


RESULTS
Significant correlations (p < 0.01) were found between hip extension and SF-36v2 physical component scale (PCS; r = 0.33), TUDS (r = -0.32), TUG (r = -0.33); hip flexion and TUDS (r = -0.31), TUG (r = -0.39), 9-min (r = 0.44); knee flexion and TUDS (r = -0.52), TUG (r = -0.40), 9-min (r = 0.37); SF-36v2 PCS and TUDS (r = -0.56), TUG (r = -0.51), 9-min (r = 0.60).


CONCLUSIONS
ROM correlates with functional mobility and QL in patients with LES after limb-sparing surgery. ROM exercises are important component of a physical therapy program for children and adolescents with LES.
Marchese
Victoria G
VG
Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105-2794, USA. vgocha@mindspring.com
Spearing
Elena
E
Callaway
Lulie
L
Rai
Shesh N
SN
Zhang
Lijun
L
Hinds
Pamela S
PS
Carlson
Claire A
CA
Neel
Michael D
MD
Rao
Bhaskar N
BN
Ginsberg
Jill
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D007866:Leg; D023821:Limb Salvage; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000601:surgery*; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*