The public defence will be held as a video conference over Zoom.
The defence will follow regular procedure as far as possible, hence it will be open to the public and the audience can ask ex auditorio questions when invited to do so.
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Digital Trial Lecture – time and place
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Associate Professor Annelies Pool-Goudzwaard, The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Second opponent: Associate Professor Lars-Petter Granan, University of South-Eastern Norway
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor Nada Andelic, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Associate Professor Kåre Moen, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Associate professor Hilde Stendal Robinson, University of Oslo
Summary
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Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is a prevalent musculoskeletal disorder in pregnancy. Affected women report weight-bearing activities, particularly walking, to be their main disability. The evaluation of weight-bearing activities and function are important in the physiotherapy assessment, and clinicians report specific movement patterns in pregnant women with PGP. However, pregnancy itself may also influence movement and function. The aims of this thesis were to explore the influence of PGP and pregnancy on weight-bearing activities in the 2nd trimester, by quantifying and comparing movement patterns during gait and the Stork test in pregnant women with PGP and asymptomatic non-pregnant women versus asymptomatic pregnant women. Moreover, to compare time to perform the Timed Up & Go (TUG) test in these groups and explore potential factors associated with an increased TUG time. The thesis comprises a biomechanical, observational study with a combined cross-sectional and case-control design. 25 pregnant women with PGP, 24 asymptomatic pregnant and 25 non-pregnant women completed an extensive test procedure, including questionnaires, clinical examination and 3-dimensional movement analysis. Pregnant women with PGP walked slower and with a more rigid movement pattern compared to asymptomatic pregnant women in the 2nd trimester. Pregnancy influenced only a few gait variables. Neither PGP nor pregnancy seemed to influence trunk, pelvic and hip movements in the Stork test. Clinically observed movement patterns were not quantified, but movement responses appeared individual in all groups. TUG time varied among pregnant women with PGP, and this group used significantly longer time than the other groups. The findings provide a basis for the clinical evaluation of gait, and support TUG time as a suitable measure of activity-limitations in pregnant women with PGP in the 2nd trimester. Clinicians using the Stork test should be aware of individual movement responses in the 2nd trimester. |
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.