Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Assessment Of Gait, Balance, And Falls In Individuals With Neurodegenerative Diseases, Lauren Tueth

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Neurodegenerative diseases are a group of disorders that impact the brain and lead to neuronal degeneration. This degeneration causes many different symptoms, which are often grouped into motor, cognitive, and psychiatric domains. Individuals with these disorders can experience symptoms from multiple domains at the same time, but little is known about how these distinct symptoms may impact each other.

In Chapter 2, we explored the intersection of balance and cognitive impairment in individuals with Alzheimer disease (AD). AD is traditionally discussed in the context of the dementia symptoms, but people with AD also experience motor deficits. Falls are a huge …

Measurement Of And Contributors To Developmental Coordination Impairment, Jeffrey D. Konrad

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Movement drives childhood development. As motor skills improve across development, a child becomes capable of greater interactions with their physical and social environment. Children with motor impairments miss out on these interaction opportunities and their development across a variety of domains can suffer. There is accumulating evidence that poor motor competence relates to an array of developmental outcomes such as educational achievement, reading skills, social development, and emotional regulation. Two developmentally important motor impairments are poor motor competence and hyperactivity which are associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Critical to …

Effects Of Blood Flow Restriction During Acute Multi-Joint Eccentric Exercise On Muscle Recovery, Cody Fisher

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Blood flow restriction (BFR) exercise has become an increasingly common modality due to evidence that it may yield positive muscle-related effects from low-intensity exercise. However, eccentric-only exercise in a multi-joint format has not yet been investigated in regard to the BFR influence on muscle recovery characteristics. The purpose of this study was to assess muscle recovery responses via isometric peak force (PF), soreness (i.e., VAS, PPT, PPD), and functional power (i.e., SLHD) following a 5-minute low-load multi-joint eccentric exercise bout with or without blood flow restriction. Thirty participants were randomly assigned into either an eccentric-only (CON) or an eccentric BFR …

Standing Posterior Trunk Rotation With Adaptive Proprioceptive Toss, Jennifer Elvir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a remarkably individualized disease. Nearly every person’s trajectory is unique. One person may experience tremor at an early stage of the disease, while another may experience tremor at a later stage or even not at all. For all PD patients, for certain can expect increasing difficulty as the disease progresses. Parkinson’s disease is responsible for the loss of dopamine which displays itself most notably through motor and cognitive symptom disruption. Although Parkinson’s is a chronic and progressive condition that is irremediable, significant strides have been facilitated to help control and manage the trajectory of the disease. …

Childhood Cancer Survivorship: Navigating A New Normal In Middle Tennessee, Karli M. Beaumont

OTD Capstone Projects

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in partnership with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center offers REACH for Cancer Survivorship, a pediatric cancer survivorship clinic. REACH provides a full range of follow-up care designed to meet the physical, emotional, and practical needs of survivors and continuous surveillance of deleterious effects of cancer and its treatments. The purpose of this project was to meet population and agency needs through research of long- and late-term sequela while advocating for occupational therapy’s role in the oncology population through the proactive therapy and prospective surveillance models. The process of creating this project included synthesizing the literature, …

Prevalence Of Depression In Physical Therapy Environments For Young Adult Populations In The U.S.: A Systematic Literature Review, Audrey N. Baucom

Honors College Theses

Objective: This systematic review aimed to examine interactions of depression symptoms and diagnoses and its prevalence in physical therapy settings among the young adult population ages 18-24 in the United States through current literature and to identify existing literature. Methods: This review followed the PRISMA guidelines to form a systematic review. Ten databases were extensively searched. Results were screened by one researcher and those that met the criteria were verified as inclusive by a second researcher. Results: The search yielded 3,017 results and included two studies. In each study, age was not identified as a prevalent variable in mental health …

Exploring Practices Of Board-Certified Pediatric Clinical Specialst Physical Therapists In Addressing Needs Of Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Olga Chaikovsky

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

ABSTRACT

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex condition affecting multiple domains of development. Physical Therapists (PTs) are members of the interprofessional team addressing the needs of individuals with ASD. A lack of uniformity in evidence-based assessments and practices employed by therapists to address the needs of children with ASD exists in the literature. PTs often implement approaches that are not evidence-based but rather learned from more experienced professionals or discovered by trial and error.

Pediatric clinical specialist physical therapists (PCSPTs) are PTs who possess advanced education and clinical skills in Pediatrics. As pediatric experts, PCSPTs play a major …

Physiotherapists Description Of Patient-Centered Care, And Barriers And Facilitators Experienced To Implementation, Maclean Jordan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Patient-centered care (PCC) is a growing standard for healthcare delivery due to the benefits to patient autonomy. Lacking a cohesive definition in the physiotherapy literature, it is also lacking in implementation. Employing interpretive description with semi-structured interviews, the goal was to understand how physiotherapists drawn from private for-profit clinics in Canada describe PCC, and barriers and facilitators to providing it. Results included requiring person-centered communication in PCC, seeing Health holistically, centering the patient in care, and being a skill that becomes clearer with practice experience. Barriers included: lack of practitioner reflexivity, patient not desiring self-directed care, and limited access to …

Workload Management Strategies To Promote Senior Physical Therapy Faculty Retention In The United States, Amanda Parrish

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Development And Validation Of The Pain Resilience And Optimism Scale (Pros), Wonjin Seo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Numerous self-report questionnaires have been used in pain research to explore patients' experiences. However, these questionnaires often employ negatively worded items that can potentially worsen patients' distress. In response to the emergence of positive psychology, this thesis aimed to develop a new questionnaire that adopts a positive and strengths-focused approach, incorporating resilience, to replace the negative items found in existing tools such as the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). First, the effectiveness of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in measuring resilience following trauma was assessed through a systematic review using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments …

Comparisons Of Unilateral And Limb Symmetry Indexes Between Fixed Dynamometry Testing Modes, Emily E. Frizzell

Honors College Theses

Hamstring muscles strains are extremely common and can vary in severity. The biarticular structure of the hamstring groups is one reason that they are more susceptible to injuries. The recurrence of these injuries is also common even after they have been through a rehabilitation phase in their recovery. This project aims to compare and associate knee flexion and extension muscle performance characteristics between isometric, isotonic, and isokinetic assessment modes. These different modes of assessment will test analyze muscle performance under varying muscle lengths, movement velocities and biomechanical load modes. The data collected from this testing will be analyzed to see …

Sex Differences In The Effects Of Cortisol On Muscle Characteristics: A Meta-Analysis, Natalie Bitetti

CMC Senior Theses

Background: Cortisol plays a central role in both muscle breakdown and growth. These effects are highly dependent on dose and interactions with other hormones. It is known that men and women show considerable differences in their muscle structure and physiology, which are largely driven by hormonal differences. Cortisol release patterns may also vary between the sexes, with current research showing considerable disagreement. The interplay between cortisol and muscle, two highly variable and sexually dimorphic factors, may prove to have different effects in males versus females.

Objective: This meta-analysis integrates existing research on sex differences in cortisol-muscle physiology with existing research …

From Heel To Toe: Investigating Plantar Fasciitis Causes, Diagnosis, And Treatment Strategies, Breanna Littlejohn

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This presentation informs plantar fasciitis patients. The cause of plantar fasciitis is multifactorial but most cases result from overuse stress. The cause of plantar fasciitis is multifactorial but most cases result from overuse stress. The classic presentation is of sharp localized pain at the heel. In some cases, a heel spur may be found. This presentation explains how exercise can improve plantar fasciitis. Reviewing risk factors will help you identify and manage plantar fasciitis when undergoing treatment. Understanding plantar fasciitis is crucial as it is a common and painful condition affecting the bottom of the foot. This inflammation of the …

Limb Speed Perception Accuracy In Neurodegenerative Disease, Brandmeir Lynn Cheryl

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Movement is a fundamental human activity, enabling us to engage with our surroundings. Consequently, a well-operating neuromuscular system is essential for maintaining quality of life. Motion is not only integral for the basic function of daily living, but also plays a significant role in enhancing our physical, mental, and emotional health. The importance of this system becomes abundantly clear when it is compromised, such as with neurodegenerative disease.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), followed by Parkinson’s disease (PD) are the two most common neurodegenerative diseases that profoundly affect millions of individuals worldwide (Lamptey et al., 2022). Characterized by distinct but sometimes overlapping …