Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Central Somatosensory Changes And Altered Muscle Synergies In Subjects With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Deficiency, Carol Courtney, Rose Marie Rine, Penny G. Kroll

Rose Marie Rine P.T., Ph.D.

To clarify the mechanisms of compensation in subjects with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency (ACL-D), we examined proprioception, quadriceps strength, somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and muscle responses during gait in varied combinations of speed and incline. Seventeen subjects with ACL-D were grouped by functional level and report of giving way. Seven subjects without ACL-D served as a control sample for muscle response measures. ACL-D subjects with quadriceps weakness experienced giving way and could not resume sport activities. Those without weakness fell into one of two groups: (1) copers, who had full return to previous activity and no giving way despite proprioceptive …

Identification Of Functional Parameters For The Classification Of Older Female Fallers And Prediction Of ‘First-Time’ Fallers, Niklas König Ignasiak

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Falls remain a challenge for ageing societies. Strong evidence indicates that a previous fall is the strongest single screening indicator for a subsequent fall and the need for assessing fall risk without accounting for fall history is therefore imperative. Testing in three functional domains (using a total 92 measures) were completed in 84 older women (60–85 years of age), including muscular control, standing balance, and mean and variability of gait. Participants were retrospectively classified as fallers (n = 38) or non-fallers (n = 42) and additionally in a prospective manner to identify first-time fallers (FTFs) (n = 6) within a …

Fall Risk Prediction Using Wearable Wireless Sensors, Thurmon Lockhart, Chris Frame, Rahul Soangra, John Lach

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Wearable wireless sensors and nonlinear dynamics identify postural characteristics relevant to balance control and dynamic stability, revealing predictive risk of falls among older adults.

The Fenzian Unit: Applications To Physical Therapy And Beyond, Jeshua Paul Spadino Mr.

Senior Honors Theses

The field of physical therapy includes many different treatment options in the form of exercises and modalities. The development of a low electrical stimulation signal through the Fenzian unit has provided a new outlook on healing. This device gives information to and receives information from the central nervous system (CNS) through electro-biofeedback and is separated into its own category of modalities. The device can be used to treat a wide range of ailments, all with no adverse effects. This makes it a promising tool in the medical field. It is currently being validated as an authentic medical device through clinical …

Comparison Of Functional Network Connectivity For Passive-Listening And Active-Response Narrative Comprehension In Adolescents, Yingying Wang, Scott K. Holland

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Comprehension of narrative stories plays an important role in the development of language skills. In this study, we compared brain activity elicited by a passive-listening version and an active-response (AR) version of a narrative comprehension task by using independent component (IC) analysis on functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 21 adolescents (ages 14–18 years). Furthermore, we explored differences in functional network connectivity engaged by two versions of the task and investigated the relationship between the online response time and the strength of connectivity between each pair of ICs. Despite similar brain region involvements in auditory, temporoparietal, and frontoparietal language networks …

Classifying Lower Extremity Muscle Fatigue During Walking Using Machine Learning And Inertial Sensors, Jian Zhang, Thurmon Lockhart, Rahul Soangra

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Fatigue in lower extremity musculature is associated with decline in postural stability, motor performance and alters normal walking patterns in human subjects. Automated recognition of lower extremity muscle fatigue condition may be advantageous in early detection of fall and injury risks. Supervised machine learning methods such as Support Vector Machines (SVM) have been previously used for classifying healthy and pathological gait patterns and also for separating old and young gait patterns. In this study we explore the classification potential of SVM in recognition of gait patterns utilizing an inertial measurement unit associated with lower extremity muscular fatigue. Both kinematic and …

Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Modulates Inflammation And Scarring After Ligament Injury, Connie S. Chamberlain, Ellen M. Leiferman, Kayt E. Frisch, Sarah E. Duenwald-Kuehl, Stacey L. Brickson, William L. Murphy, Georffrey S. Baer, Ray Vanderby

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Ligaments have limited regenerative potential and as a consequence, repair is protracted and results in a mechanically inferior tissue more scar-like than native ligament. We previously reported that a single injection of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) delivered at the time of injury, decreased the number of M2 macrophage-associated inflammatory cytokines. Based on these results, we hypothesized that IL-1Ra administered after injury and closer to peak inflammation (as would occur clinically), would more effectively decrease inflammation and thereby improve healing. Since IL-1Ra has a short half-life, we also investigated the effect of multiple injections. The objective of this study was to …

Trunk Coordination In Dancers And Non-Dancers, Danielle N. Jarvis, Jo Armour Smith, Kornelia Kulig

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Variability, or how a task changes across trials, may reveal differences between athletes of differing skill levels. The purpose of this study was to examine trunk and lower extremity (LE) single joint kinematic variability and inter-segmental coordination variability in dancers and non-dancers during bipedal vertical dance jumps (sautés). Twenty healthy females, ten with no formal dance training and ten professional dancers, performed 20 consecutive sautés. Single joint kinematic variability was assessed using mean standard deviation of angular displacement, and inter-segmental coordination variability was assessed using angular deviation of the coupling angle between segments. Within the context of the standard error …

Potential For Using Smartphone Accelerometers In Non-Laboratory Environments, Rahul Soangra, Thurmon Lockhart, Christopher W. Frames, Jian Zhang, Seong Hyun Moon, Jongsoon Park

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

In recent years, there has been rising interest in using accelerometers as an alternative instrument to measure the center of pressure. Accelerometers are inexpensive, small, sensitive, and can be readily used in non-laboratory environments. In addition to this, smartphones with built-in accelerometers add to their capability with real-time processing of data from sensors. Clinicians and researchers are currently in disagreement from whether these measurements provide the same physiological information about the participant’s balance. In this study, twelve participants were asked to wear smartphone on their right ASIS using a belt clip and stand still on the forceplate. The data was …

The Helminthological Society Of Washington 2013 Anniversary Award: Larry S. Roberts, Sherman S. Hendrix

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Dr. Roberts was born in the great state of Texas, and much of his early life is murky, but snakes are often mentioned. Larry received his Bachelor’s degree at Southern Methodist University; his Master of Science at the University of Illinois; and his Doctorate in the Department of Pathobiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. Larry’s doctoral research, published in Experimental Parasitology, documented the early development and crowding effect of the tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, in the rat small intestine. His publication on this subject opened the door to the golden age of cestode physiology and biochemistry …

Can Helmet Design Reduce The Risk Of Concussion In Football?, Steven Rowson, Stefan M. Duma, Richard M. Greenwald, Jonathan Beckwith, Jeffrey J. Chu, Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Jason P. Mihalik, Joe Crisco, Bethany J. Wilcox, Thomas W. Mcallister, Arthur C. Maerlender, Steven P. Broglio, Brock Schnebel, Scott Anderson, P. Gunnar Brolinson

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Of all sports, football accounts for the highest incidence of concussion in the US due to the large number of athletes participating and the nature of the sport. While there is general agreement that concussion incidence can be reduced through rule changes and teaching proper tackling technique, there remains debate as to whether helmet design may also reduce the incidence of concussion. A retrospective analysis was performed of head impact data collected from 1833 collegiate football players who were instrumented with helmet-mounted accelerometer arrays for games and practices. Data were collected between 2005 and 2010 from 8 collegiate football teams: …

Winning And Losing: Differences In Reward And Punishment Sensitivity Between Smokers And Nonsmokers, Laura E. Martin, Lisa S. Cox, William M. Brooks, Cary R. Savage

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Smokers show increased brain activation in reward processing regions in response to smoking-related cues, yet few studies have examined secondary rewards not associated with smoking (i.e., money). Inconsistencies exist in the studies that do examine secondary rewards with some studies showing increased brain activation in reward processing brain regions, while others show decreased activation or no difference in activation between smokers and nonsmokers. Aims: The goal of the current study is to see if smokers process the evaluation and delivery of equally salient real world rewards similarly or differently than nonsmokers. Methods: The current study employed functional magnetic resonance …

Agreement In Gait Speed From Smartphone And Stopwatch For Five Meter Walk In Laboratory And Clinical Environments, Rahul Soangra, Thurmon E. Lockhart

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Gait speed is suggested as an independent predictor of post-operative morbidity and mortality in elderly cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients. Society of thoracic surgeons has recently classified gait speed as the only important indicator of health for CVD patients. It has been seen that patients with slow gait speed above 70 years of age, taking more than 6 seconds to walk 5 meters are particularly at high risk for adverse outcomes. Twelve young participants walked in their self-selected, slow and fast speed with five reflective markers at sternum and heels and toes of both feet in laboratory environment. A smartphone was …

The Influence Of Hip Strength On Lower-Limb, Pelvis, And Trunk Kinematics And Coordination Patterns During Walking And Hopping In Healthy Women, Jo Armour Smith, John M. Popovich, Kornelia Kulig

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Study Design

Cross-sectional laboratory study.

Objectives

To compare peak lower-limb, pelvis, and trunk kinematics and interjoint and intersegmental coordination in women with strong and weak hip muscle performance.

Background

Persons with lower extremity musculoskeletal disorders often demonstrate a combination of weak hip musculature and altered kinematics during weight-bearing dynamic tasks. However, the association between hip strength and kinematics independent of pathology or pain is unclear.

Methods

Peak hip extensor and abductor torques were measured in 150 healthy young women. Of these, 10 fit the criteria for the strong group and 9 for the weak group, representing those with the strongest …