Tsan-Hon Liou

Taipei Medical University | TMU · Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Various injectants are available for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. This systematic review and network meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of different injection therapies in alleviating the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Various databases were searched for relevant studies from inception until May 10, 2023....

Aging-related sarcopenia exerts harmful impacts on muscle mass, strength, and physical mobility. Protein supplementation has been demonstrated to augment efficacy of resistance training (RT) in elderly. This study compared the relative effects of different protein supplements on muscle mass, strength, and mobility outcomes in middle-aged and older...

Importance: Transitioning from the hospital to the community poses significant challenges for stroke survivors and their caregivers. Objective: To examine the feasibility and preliminary effects of a dyad-focused strategy training intervention. Design: Single-arm trial with data collection at baseline, postintervention, and 3-mo follow-up. Setting:...

We aim to clarify the relationship between low skeletal muscle mass and varying levels of adiposity and to identify the types of physical function impairments associated with sarcopenic obesity (SO). This study examined cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey with whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (D...

The combination of mirror therapy (MT) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been devised as an intervention method in stroke rehabilitation; however, few studies have investigated its efficacy in lower extremity motor function recovery. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we examined the effectiveness of combined MT and NMES...

Objective: This review aimed to compare the effectiveness of resistance exercise with that of other exercises in functional improvement and pain control in patients with FM. Design: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane databases were searched for studies published from their inception until March 2023. The following medical search heading terms...

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection on range of motion (ROM), pain, and disability in patients with adhesive capsulitis (AC). Data sources: The authors performed the literature search in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases in February 2023. Study selection: Prospective studie...

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is closely associated with sarcopenia, sharing the common characteristics of muscle weakness and low physical performance. Resistance exercise training (RET), protein supplementation (PS), and PS+RET have promise as treatments for both sarcopenia and KOA. However, whether PS+RET exerts any effect on time to recovery to nor...

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is associated with a high risk of sarcopenia. Both intra-articular injections (IAIs) and physical therapy (PT) exert benefits in KOA. This network meta-analysis (NMA) study aimed to identify comparative efficacy among the combined treatments (IAI+PT) in patients with KOA. Seven electronic databases were systematically sear...

Objective: To determine and compare the treatment efficacy of subacromial steroid injections and dextrose prolotherapy (DPT) for chronic subacromial bursitis patients. Design: 54 patients with chronic subacromial bursitis were enrolled in this double-blind randomized controlled trial. Shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI) and visual analog...

New Book: Application of the ICF on Disability Evaluation in TAIWAN Introduction to Ten-year Journey in Taiwan: Application of the ICF on Disability Evaluation System (2022). By Liou TH, Liao HF, Yen CF, Chi WC, Chiu HC (editors) This book describes the history and process of applying the International Classification of Functioning, Disability...

The combination of mirror therapy (MT) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been devised as an intervention method in stroke rehabilitation; however, few studies have investigated its efficacy in lower extremity motor function recovery. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we examined the effectiveness of combined MT and NMES...

Research Objectives To explore the courses of participation among younger patients (< 65 years) with stroke in Taiwan following their discharge and to identify the predictors of these courses. Design Prospective, longitudinal cohort study with repeated-measures. Setting Acute care settings in Taiwan. Participants A total of 570 patients with str...

A hip fracture is a major adverse event for older individuals that has extremely high rates of mortality and morbidity, specifically functional decline. Thus, effective post–hip fracture rehabilitation is crucial to enable patients to regain function and improve their quality of life. Most post–hip fracture rehabilitation programs focus only on phy...

Objective There are different upper limb manual training protocols, namely constraint-induced movement therapy, modified constraint-induced movement therapy, hand–arm bimanual intensive training, hand–arm bimanual intensive training including lower extremity, action observation training, and mirror therapy, available for improving functional outcom...

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic can be effectively controlled by rapid and accurate identification of SARS-CoV-2-infected cases through large-scale screening. Hypercube pooling polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is frequently used as a pooling technique because of its high speed and efficiency. We attempted to...

Distal radius orientation is important in evaluating Colles' fracture. In most cases, the wrist was protected by a bandage, splint, or cast. Therefore, it was difficult for the radiology technician to take perfect anteroposterior and lateral view radiographs. In this study, we build a mathematical model and calculate the pronation angle needed to p...

Context Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been reported to have anti-obesity and antidiabetic effects. However, the benefits of CLA combined with exercise remain unclear, and studies report conflicting results. Objective A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to investigate the synergistic effect of CLA and exercise on body composit...

This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effect of phonophoresis when various gel types were used. Medline (using PubMed), EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were used to search for relevant studies from the date of their inception to June 28, 2021. We included studies that were randomized controll...

Objective: To investigate whether neuromuscular electrical stimulation improves mobility in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane, EMBASE, and Scopus were searched for randomized controlled trials studying the effects of NMES on the lower limbs in children with spastic CP. Randomized controlled trials comparing the effe...

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of interferential current therapy (IFC) in patients with knee osteoarthritis. We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, ClinicalKey, and Scopus for relevant studies from their date of launch to March 22, 2022. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which...

Objective: To assess the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on the upper extremities of patients with cerebral palsy. Design: We searched PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Scopus databases for randomized controlled trials examining the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on the upper extremities of children with cerebral pal...

Mental simulation practices, such as motor imagery, action observation, and guided imagery, have been an intervention of interest in neurological and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Application of such practices to postoperative patients in orthopedics, particularly after total knee arthroplasty, has resulted in favorable physical function outcomes...

Purpose Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects a person’s function of daily activities, including work participation. Such functional impairments often persist even when other symptoms of MDD are remitted. Increasing evidence highlights the health-promoting effects of returning to work (RTW) in various diseases. However, limited data are available...

To assess activity and participation for adults in Taiwan's Disability Eligibility Determination System (DEDS), we developed a measure, the Functioning Disability Evaluation Scale—Adult version (FUNDES-Adult), based on the 36-item interviewer-administered version of the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0. The purpose of this study was to examin...

Bipolar disorder is characterized by manic and depressive episodes and can be a lifetime condition. Bipolar disorder has been found to be associated with various types of disabilities, including low employment rate and high dependence on public aid. The purpose of this study is to identify factors related to being employed for persons with bipolar...

Objectives: This study assessed the effectiveness, compliance, and safety of dextrose prolotherapy for patients with knee osteoarthritis. Data sources: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library Database, and the Scopus database from their inception to December 31, 2021. Methods: This study was conducted in accordance with the guidelines recommended...

Aim This study evaluated the performance of children with learning problems in Taiwan by using the Taiwan Data Bank of Persons with Disability. Method We included 3854 children (2343 males, 1511 females; mean [SD] age 9y 11mo [2y 4mo]) with specific learning disorder (SLD), attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, epilepsy, or inte...

Background Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is among the most common types of pain in adults. Currently, injections and analgesic and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are often provided for patients with CLBP. However, their effectiveness remains questionable, and the safest approach to CLBP remains debated. Meditation-based therapies constitute an...

Background: Community participation is an indicator of recovery for younger adults after stroke who generally have a greater need to return to society than do older adults. However, little is known about the trends of participation and their determinants in this population. Objective: To explore the trends of community participation by younger (...

Objectives Older adults with sarcopenic obesity have a higher risk of experiencing mobility difficulty. Additionally, sarcopenia and obesity are closely associated with knee osteoarthritis. This study investigated the associations of sarcopenia, obesity, and in combination of both with walking disability during postoperative rehabilitation in older...

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has been recommended for managing pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The difference in therapeutic effects between radial shockwave characteristics (RaSW) and focused shockwave characteristics (FoSW) with different energy levels for KOA remains controversial. The purpose of this network meta-ana...

The diagnosis and disability assessment of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be extremely challenging to clinicians. Most of the more than 700 instruments that have been used in assessing TBI patients focus on patient activity and participation, with only a minority considering environmental factors. The World Health Organization Disab...

Objectives To investigate the effect of hypertonic dextrose injection on pain and disability in patients with chronic supraspinatus tendinosis. Our secondary aim was to evaluate its effect on the tendon range of motion (ROM) and morphology. Design Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial Setting Outpatient clinic Participants Individuals...

Objective Rheumatoid arthritis and age are associated with high sarcopenia risk. Exercise is an effective treatment for preventing muscle mass loss in older adult populations. It remains unclear whether exercise affects muscle mass in people with rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, this meta-analysis investigated the effect of exercise on muscle mass gain...

Phonophoresis is an alternative treatment for knee osteoarthritis. However, evidence supporting the advantages of phonophoresis remains inconsistent. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to illustrate the effect of phonophoresis. The PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases were searched for relevant studies from the date of...

Older adults with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) are at high risk of sarcopenia. Protein-rich nutritional composition supplementation (PS) combined with resistance exercise training (RET) improves muscle gains and facilitates physical activity in older adults. However, whether PS augments the effects of RET on muscle mass and PA in patients with KOA rem...

Aging and osteoarthritis are associated with high risk of muscle mass loss, which leads to physical disability; this loss can be effectively alleviated by diet (DI) and exercise (ET) interventions. This study investigated the relative effects of different types of diet, exercise, and combined treatment (DI+ET) on muscle mass and functional outcomes...

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly prevalent mental disorder which causes public health burden and personal disabilities. In people with mental illness, unemployment is an index character of functional impairment. Methods: Using the Taiwan Databank of Persons with Disability (TDPD), we collected the WHO Disability Assessment Sc...

Burn injuries cause disability and functional limitations in daily living. In a 2015 fire explosion in Taiwan, 499 young people sustained burn injuries. The construction of an effective and comprehensive rehabilitation program that enables patients to regain their previous function is imperative. The International Classification of Functioning, Dis...

Background Patients with adhesive capsulitis are evaluated for pain and progressive contracture of the glenohumeral joint. Whether endocrine, immune, or inflammatory processes are involved in its definite pathogenesis is still under debate. Some cross-sectional studies with a small sample size have noted that hyperlipidemia is a possible risk facto...

The purpose of this study is to understand the functional status distribution and to explore the factors associated with changes in functional status and social participation in people with depression using two-year follow-up data. Subjects were selected from the Taiwan Databank of Persons with Disabilities (TDPD) if they had an evaluation date bet...

Introduction Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is associated with an increased risk of sarcopenia, and aging-related muscle deterioration continues after total knee replacement (TKR). Low skeletal muscle mass index may influence postoperative rehabilitation outcomes. Through this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of preoperative sarcopenia on clini...

Osteoarthritis is one of the leading causes of disability. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a surgical intervention for patients with severe osteoarthritis. Post TKA rehabilitation is crucial for improving patient’s quality of life. However, traditional rehabilitation has only focused on physical function; a systemic analysis of other dimensions su...

Purpose Osteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA), which is described as the concurrent occurrence of osteopenia, sarcopenia, and adiposity, can lead to frailty and increase the risk of physical disability in elderly women. Progressive elastic band resistance exercise training (peRET) is considered a safe and feasible exercise intervention for elderly women...

The aim of this study was to explore the association between employment status and World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule, Second Edition (WHODAS 2.0) scores of working-age subjects with hearing impairment. The data of 18,573 working-age subjects (age ≥ 18 and <65 years) with disabling hearing impairment were obtained from the Tai...

Importance: The effects of robot-assisted task-oriented training with tangible objects among patients with stroke remain unknown. Objective: To investigate the effects of robot-assisted therapy (RT) with a Gloreha device on sensorimotor and hand function and ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) among patients with stroke. Design...

Introduction Stroke can lead to life-long disability and constitutes a huge financial burden on the family and society. Stroke survivors with cognitive impairment often experience considerable challenges in the process of recovery and returning to society. Interventions that effectively help individuals resume essential daily activities and return...

Objective To investigate the effect of muscle strength exercise training (MSET) on lean mass (LM) gain and muscle hypertrophy in older patients with lower extremity osteoarthritis (OA). Methods A comprehensive search of online databases was performed on April 20, 2019. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that reported the effects of MSET on LM, mu...

Developmental disability is likely to be lifelong in nature and to result in substantial activity and societal participation limitations. The performance of individuals is related to the environment, supports, and urbanization of living cities. Most of the surveys for people with disabilities have not discussed the relationship between the cognitiv...

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and is considered a major global health burden. Objectives: We aimed to explore the 4-year changes in disability among patients with stroke under the existing health care system in Taiwan. Methods: We used the Taiwan Data Bank of Persons with Disability (TDPD), which collects data o...

Purpose: To learn about the experiences of stroke recovery among young stroke survivors in Taiwan and to elucidate the beliefs, goals, and facilitators of and barriers to their recovery. Methods: A qualitative approach was used for data collection, and data were obtained from five focus groups consisting of stroke survivors aged 20-64 years (n =...

Objective: To identify predictors of admission to post-acute inpatient rehabilitation settings following acute care for stroke survivors in Taiwan. Design: Prospective observation study. Participants: Stroke survivors (n = 558) admitted to acute care wards for inpatient rehabilitation (62% male; mean age 60.0 ± 12.2 years). Methods: The prim...

Background Obesity is a pressing pandemic. However, major policies have targeted individual responsibility and focused on “losing weight or lowering calories”. Such approach has limited effect and overlooks the hidden obesity. Methods Under auspices of NHRI Forum, Taiwan; the WAKE.TAIWAN Research Team analyzed the global trends of policies, strate...

To assess activity and participation for children in Taiwan’s Disability Eligibility Determination System (DEDS), we developed a questionnaire, the Functioning Disability Evaluation Scale (FUNDES-Child), based on the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP). The study follows a methodology research design to investigate the construct vali...

Lower-extremity osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent musculoskeletal disease in elder population. The main symptom of OA is pain which leads to muscle weakness and physical disability. Recently, muscle weakness, function limitation, and severity of disease in OA are addressed to aging-related muscle attenuations. Therefore, elder individuals with OA...

Aging and osteoarthritis (OA) are associated with a high risk of muscle mass loss, which can lead to physical disability. This study investigated the effectiveness of protein supplementation combined with exercise training (PS + ET) in improving muscle mass and functional outcomes in older adults with lower-limb OA. A comprehensive search of online...

1) Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and aging are associated with high sarcopenia risk; sarcopenia may further affect outcomes after total knee replacement (TKR). Elastic resistance exercise training (RET) limits muscle attenuation in older adults. We aimed to identify the effects of post-TKR elastic RET on lean mass (LM) and functional outcom...

Objective: To compare and cluster the health status and disability restrictions associated with eight major physiological functions of body systems, using functioning domains of WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0. Design: Retrospective analyses of a nation-wide disability database. Setting: Population-based study. Participants: Records from pat...

In older individuals, hand fine motor skill disability is associated with cognitive levels. Similarly, patients with moderate-to-advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) often have cognitive dysfunction. Here, we investigated the association between hand fine motor skill and cognitive dysfunction in patients with moderate-to-advanced PD. Moderate and adva...

Background The progression of dementia, which impairs motor skills and cognitive function, is a warning of greater disability. The present study investigated the association between hand fine motor skills, assessed according to the Functioning Disability Evaluation Scale - Adult Version (FUNDES-Adult), and dementia severity. Methods People with mi...

Background The critical shoulder angle (CSA) is the angle between the superior and inferior bony margins of the glenoid and the most lateral border of the acromion. Although studies have reported that the CSA is associated with rotator cuff tears (RCTs), few studies have examined the accuracy of the CSA for predicting RCTs in patients with shoulder...

Little is known about the changes of people with schizophrenia disability in Taiwan who receive routine treatments under the current mental healthcare system. The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) was used to assess and track changes in the degree of disability in people with schizophrenia before and after 4...

Patients with axial spondyloarthritis (ax-SpA) present with inflammation invading the axial skeleton. Symptoms of ax-SpA interfere with patients' quality of life, and peripheral symptoms are also noted. Human leukocyte antigen B27 was associated with adhesive capsulitis. However, epidemiological studies investigating the associated incidence and ri...

Background: Young patients with stroke are typically the economic support of their families and societies, and their return to work (RTW) is crucial to maintaining their quality of life. However, the identification of RTW-related factors of different aspects is complicated and a systematic analysis of these factors is lacking. Aim: To develop a...

Background: As the disease progresses to moderate to advanced stages, people with Parkinson's disease (PwP) are likely to have various degrees of disability due to the motor and non-motor symptoms, such as ambulatory difficulty and cognitive impairment. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of cognition and ambulation status on...

Background: Social function and quality of life were negatively impacted by the sequelae of treatment for the disease in the head and neck cancer survivor with swallowing disorder. Method: Data from a total of 1023 survivors between July 2012 and November 2017 were collected from the Taiwan Data Bank of Persons with Disability. Nonparametric ran...

Objective: Knee osteoarthritis and age are associated with high sarcopenia risk, especially in patients who have received total knee replacement. The aim of this study was to identify the effects of elastic resistance exercise training after total knee replacement on muscle mass and physical outcomes in older women with knee osteoarthritis. Desig...

We thank Chen et al [...]

Aging and frailty are associated with a high risk of lean mass (LM) loss, which leads to physical disability and can be effectively alleviated by protein supplementation (PS) and muscle strengthening exercise (MSE). In this study, the associations between LM gain and PS + MSE efficacy (measured using physical outcomes) in elderly patients with a hi...

Dementia is a common nonmotor condition among people with moderate or advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). Undoubtedly, profound motor symptoms cause remarkable impairment in daily activities; however, dementia-related disabilities have not been thoroughly investigated, especially not with consideration of differences according to sex. The present st...

Dementia is highly comorbid with gait disturbance, and both conditions negatively impact the ability of elderly people to conduct daily living activities. The ambulatory status of older adults with dementia may cause variable functional disability, which is crucial for the progression of dementia. The present study investigated the association betw...

Purpose Since the vocational outcomes of people with schizophrenia should be viewed in a holistic way, the second edition of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) might provide an evaluation regarding employment potential. To determine whether the WHODAS 2.0 scores can be used to predict employment status, we exa...

Fall prevention requires a multifaceted approach that should include individual risk assessment and intervention strategies. Exercise interventions may mitigate most risk factors for falls (e.g., balance impairment, gait impairment, and muscle weakness). Numerous systematic reviews (SRs) or meta-analyses have assessed the effectiveness of exercise...

Objective: This study determined the clinical efficacy of extracorporeal shockwave therapy and the predictors of its efficacy for knee osteoarthritis. Data sources: Electronic databases and search engines, namely MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library Database, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), China Academic Journals Full-text Databas...

Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) often present with disabilities associated with a high burden of care for caregivers or family members at home. When family members cannot afford to care for patients with TBI, they are often required to find them residence in long-term care institutions. To date, there are no quantitative assessment tools...

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of electrical stimulation in arm function recovery after stroke. Methods: Data were obtained from the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Scopus databases from their inception until 12 January 2019. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting the effects of electrical...