Descriptions of movement experiences in the Body Awareness Rating Scale – Movement Quality and Experience evaluation. A qualitative study of patients diagnosed with hip osteoarthritis

ABSTRACT

Background: Patients’ access to movement experiences is implemented in the evaluation tool Body Awareness Rating Scale – Movement Quality and Experience, with its two intertwined parts: 1) the physiotherapist’s observations of movement quality; and 2) the patient’s descriptions of immediate movement experiences.

Objective: To study movement experiences and reflections described by patients diagnosed with hip osteoarthritis when guided to explore simple daily-life movements in this particular evaluation context.

Design: An explorative qualitative study with open-ended questions following each of the 12 movements integrated into the evaluation.

Methods: 35 participants diagnosed with hip osteoarthritis were included; 28 women and 7 men, aged 23–78 years. Their descriptions were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analyzed in accordance with qualitative content analysis.

Results: The patients described experiences of a dynamic adaptation of movement strategies based on sensations from the moving body. Two interrelated categories of movement awareness were identified: 1) Experienced movement challenges, including three sub-categories; a) Lack of contact, b) Movement changed by symptoms, and c) Compensational movement habits, and 2) Movement components promoting well-being, including three sub-categories; a) Integrating balance, breathing and awareness into movement, b) Small, simple, soft and safe movements, and c) A taste of own movement resources for daily life.

Conclusions: The Body Awareness Rating Scale – Movement Quality and Experience provides a platform for patients to become aware of and describe their movement habits and resources in own words, intertwined with the physiotherapist movement observations. Derived descriptions reflect a patient perspective to be implemented in therapy.

KEYWORDS:

• BARS-MQE
• physiotherapy
• movement awareness
• basic body awareness therapy
• movement quality evaluation

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully thank the participating patients. They also thank the funding and collaborating institutions: Norwegian Fund for Post-graduate Training in Physiotherapy; University of Bergen; Haukeland University Hospital; and Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the The Norwegian Fund for postgraduate training in physiotherapy.