Relationships among range of motion, functional mobility, and quality of life in children and adolescents after limb-sparing surgery for lower-extremity sarcoma.

PURPOSE: 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).

CONCLUSION: 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.