Physical Therapy Commons^™

Direction Of Attentional Focus In Prosthetic Training: Current Practice And Potential For Improving Motor Learning In Individuals With Lower Limb Loss, Alexander Bonczyk, Maria Katrina Tillada Dimapilis, Sarah Partridge, Samantha Ruiz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objective: Adopting an external focus of attention has been shown to benefit motor performance and learning. However, the potential of optimizing attentional focus for improving prosthetic motor skills in lower limb prosthesis (LLP) users has not been examined. In this study, we investigated the frequency and direction of attentional focus embedded in the verbal instructions in a clinical prosthetic training setting.

Methods: Twenty-one adult LLP users (8 female, 13 male; 85% at K3 level; mean age=50.5) were recruited from prosthetic clinics in the Southern Nevada region. Verbal interactions between LLP users and their prosthetists (mean experience=10 years, range=4-21 years) during …

Association Between Patient Ability In Activities Of Daily Living At Hospital Admission And Key Indicators, Stephanie Rosen, Amber Steele

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Illness and inactivity in the hospital frequently leads to disability that can reduce quality of life and increase costs. Early identification of people with limitations in activities of daily living (ADL) who are at risk for poor outcomes such as increased length of stay (LOS), hospital acquired conditions (i.e., falls and pressure injuries (PIs)), and discharge away from home can facilitate appropriate intervention. The Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care Inpatient Activity Short Form (AM-PAC IASF), a reliable and valid tool to measure ADL limitations, is scored at admission for all patients in our hospital. The purpose of this study …

Physical Therapy After Amputation In Community Dwelling Older Adults: A Quantitative And Qualitative Interview Study, Amanda Ferraro, Jennifer Gorton, Lindsey Horn, Michaela Kubo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose/Hypothesis: To investigate participation in physical therapy in older adults after lower extremity limb loss. The secondary objective was to examine the associations between physical therapy attendance, fear of falling avoidance behavior, self-perceived prosthetic mobility, and mental well-being. Number of Subjects: 64 Materials and Methods: Community-dwelling older adults with amputation were recruited and individually interviewed. The data collection consisted of four surveys (Physical Therapy after Amputation Patient Perception Survey, Short-Form Health Survey [SF-36v2], Prosthetic Evaluation Questionnaire [PEQ, mobility group], and Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior Questionnaire [FFABQ]). Participants' demographic characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Participant comments were qualitatively categorized. …

Physiotherapy Is Associated With Improvements In Gait And Balance In Individuals With Cognitive Impairment: A Retrospective Analysis, Steven Jackson, Elbert Chen, Jason Phan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that individuals with cognitive impairment (CI) exhibit significant motor impairments; however, these motor impairments receive little treatment attention compared to more prominent CI. Moreover, there is a lack of evidence about physiotherapy (PT) in individuals with CI. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine if PT was effective at improving gait and balance in individuals with Alzheimer disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: Retrospective data of 173 individuals with CI conditions and an initial evaluation for PT were extracted from electronic records from January 2016 …

Neuromuscular Adaptations Following Slope Walking In Individuals Post-Stroke, Eric Akoopie, Brooke Conway Kleven, Trisha Koch

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: The excitability of the H-reflex pathway in the non-impaired nervous system can be augmented by altering the different parameters of a walking task, specifically slope. We sought to examine the adaptations in soleus H-reflex excitability and foot force control following an acute bout of upslope or downslope treadmill walking in people post-stroke compared to those who are non- impaired. Methods: We recruited 12 individuals with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis and 9 age-similar non- neurologically impaired individuals. Each subject was tested over 2 sessions separated by at least 7 days. For each session, subjects walked at a self-selected walking speed on …

Stride Length-Speed Relationship During Body Weight Supported Running, Carmen Chona

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine if body weight support influences the stride length-speed relationship. Additionally, the purpose was to determine if impact characteristics of running are influenced by body weight support and speed. Subjects (n=10; 6 female, 4 male) volunteered to participate in this study. All subjects were injury free and were comfortable running on a treadmill for 30 minutes. Subjects ran on a lower body positive (LBPP, Alter-G, G-Trainer) treadmill for 4 conditions of body weight (100, 40, 30 and 20% of body weight) and 4 running speeds (100, 110, 120 and 130% of the preferred …

The Effect Of Balance Training With An Innovative Approach Compared To Traditional Balance Exercises, Brian Curtis Waite

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of an X Box 360 KinectTM game as a modality for improving balance. Specifically, this study explores the use of the Target Kick mini game on Kinect SportsTM as a tool for VR rehabilitation. Subjects (N=18, age 23.3 ±2.87 yrs, mass 71.83 ±15.25 kg, height 168.4 ±7.79 cm) with no lower extremity injury were randomly placed into three groups (X Box n = 6, Traditional n = 6, and Control n = 6). The X Box (XBOX) group performed ten minutes of balance training by playing an X Box game …