Physical Therapy Commons^™

Exploring The Effect Of Early Motor Delay And Physical Therapy Interventions On The Parent-Child Relationship, Rebecca Molinini

Theses and Dissertations

Emotional availability (EA) or the ability of the parent-child dyad to engage emotionally and partake in congruent and mutually enjoyable interactions, is essential for familial health and well-being. EA is considered the “connective tissue” of healthy parent-child relationships and is associated with secure attachment, maternal mental health, and children’s adaptive development. Most evidence supporting the integral role of EA on healthy outcomes is supported by typically developing populations in which adults present with a social or biological risk factor such as experiencing past traumas of adversities with mental health. In line with the transactional model of development, children are equal …

The Environment Of Interprofessional Education In Graduate Education: Exploring Professional Programs Of Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant, And Physical Therapy, Allison R. Kaczmarek

Theses and Dissertations

Interprofessional education (IPE) is an educational approach of increasing popularity in professional schools for the preparation of a collaborative ready healthcare workforce. The accrediting bodies of professional education programs in occupational therapy (OT), physician assistant (PA), and physical therapy (PT) have incorporated standards for outcomes addressing IPE. Although they have endorsed the Health Professions Accreditors Collaborative (HPAC) consensus document on quality IPE, we do not have a contemporary snapshot of the IPE environments in the curriculum of their accredited programs. This dissertation, a collection of three distinct inquiries, has two aims: first, to provide a description of IPE as it …

Tummy Time In Infancy: Real-World Assessments And Associations With Developmental Outcomes In Early Childhood, Ketaki Inamdar

Theses and Dissertations

Tummy time or awake, supervised, prone play is an important developmental play position in infancy. Engaging in more than 15 minutes of tummy time per day is associated with a lower risk of plagiocephaly, lower body mass index, and achievement of higher motor scores in full-term and at-risk preterm infants. However, there are significant gaps in the measurement of tummy time in current literature. Conventionally used subjective parent reports have not been validated against gold standard direct observation, and the feasibility and real-world validity of objective solutions such as wearable sensors has not been examined in full-term and at-risk preterm …

Relationship Of Demographic Characteristics Of Occupational And Physical Therapists Towards Their Knowledge And Attitude On Person-Centered Care In Skilled Nursing Facilities, Sadashiv R. Aggarwal

Theses and Dissertations

The study aimed to assess the relationship of specific demographic characteristics of occupational (OTs) and physical therapists (PTs) with their knowledge and attitudes towards principles of Person-Centered Care (PCC) in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). The study further examined if knowledge and/or attitudinal differences exist between OTs and PTs towards PCC. The proposed descriptive study used the Person-Centered Care theory, which is a holistic (bio-psychosocial-spiritual) health care delivery approach. PCC delivers services that are respectful and individualized, allowing negotiation of care, and offering choice through a therapeutic relationship where persons receiving care are empowered to be involved in health decisions at …

“It’S Supposed To Be Super Easy And It’S Not”: Black And Latinx Student Experiences In The Doctor Of Physical Therapy Admissions Process, Melissa Yeung

Theses and Dissertations

Data provided by the Physical Therapy Central Application System (PTCAS) suggests that despite the large numbers of applicants to Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs on an annual basis, a gap remains between the number of White and Black and Latinx applicants who are offered admission to DPT programs. Efforts made by DPT programs to increase the diversity of their incoming cohorts include the use of holistic review processes and enrichment programs to recruit more diverse classes. However, research suggests that the undergraduate experiences of students of color have an impact on their aspirations to graduate and professional schools, and …

Supporting Play Exploration And Early Developmental Intervention Versus Usual Care To Enhance Development Outcomes During The Transition From The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit To Home: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Stacey C. Dusing, Tanya Tripathi, Emily C. Marcinowski, Leroy R. Thacke, Lisa F. Brown, Karen D. Hendricks-Muñoz

Physical Therapy Publications

Background

While therapy services may start in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) there is often a gap in therapy after discharge. Supporting Play Exploration and Early Development Intervention (SPEEDI) supports parents, helping them build capacity to provide developmentally supportive opportunities starting in the NICU and continuing at home. The purpose of this single blinded randomized pilot clinical trial was to evaluate the initial efficacy of SPEEDI to improve early reaching and exploratory problem solving behaviors.

Methods

Fourteen infants born very preterm or with neonatal brain injury were randomly assigned to SPEEDI or Usual Care. The SPEEDI group participated in …

Influence Of Muscle Strength On Mobility In Critically Ill Adult Patients On Mechanical Ventilation, Audrey R. Roberson

Theses and Dissertations

Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting are prone to develop muscle weakness and the causes are multi-factorial. Muscle strength in adult, critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation decreases with immobility. The influence of muscle strength on different muscle groups and its influence on progressive mobility in the adult, critically ill patient on mechanical ventilation has not been examined. Identifying muscle strength in this patient population can benefit overall muscle health and minimize muscle deconditioning through a progressive mobility plan. The objective of this dissertation was to describe muscle strength in different muscle groups and to describe the influence …

An Innovative Use Of Technology And Associative Learning To Assess Prone Motor Learning And Design Interventions To Enhance Motor Development In Infants, Tanya Tripathi

Theses and Dissertations

Since the introduction of the American Academy of Pediatrics Back to Sleep Campaign infants have not met the recommendation to “incorporate supervised, awake “prone play” in their infant’s daily routine to support motor development and minimize the risk of plagiocephaly”. Interventions are needed to increase infants’ tolerance for prone position and prone playtime to reduce the risk of plagiocephaly and motor delays. Associative learning is the ability to understand causal relationship between events. Operant conditioning is a form of associative learning that occurs by associating a behavior with positive or negative consequences. Operant conditions has been utilized to encourage behaviors …

Can Real-Time Visual Feedback During Gait Retraining Reduce Metabolic Demand For Individuals With Transtibial Amputation?, Elizabeth R. Esposito, Harmony S. Choi, Benjamin J. Darter, Jason M. Wilken

Physical Therapy Publications

The metabolic demand of walking generally increases following lower extremity amputation. This study used real-time visual feedback to modify biomechanical factors linked to an elevated metabolic demand of walking in individuals with transtibial amputation. Eight persons with unilateral, traumatic transtibial amputation and 8 uninjured controls participated. Two separate bouts of real-time visual feedback were provided during a single session of gait retraining to reduce 1) center of mass sway and 2) thigh muscle activation magnitudes and duration. Baseline and post-intervention data were collected. Metabolic rate, heart rate, frontal plane center of mass sway, quadriceps and hamstrings muscle activity, and co-contraction …

Altering A Runner’S Foot Strike Using A Modified Elliptical Trainer, Daniel Shull

Theses and Dissertations

One possible solution to common running related injuries is to transition runners from a rearfoot strike during initial contact to a midfoot strike. Natural rearfoot strike runners were studied to see if a modified elliptical trainer could be used to alter their running pattern to that of a midfoot strike runner. Their results were compared to subjects who ran on a non-modified elliptical trainer. After training on the modified elliptical trainer, subjects demonstrated a decrease in foot angle at initial contact when attempting to run with a midfoot strike. Training did not affect all kinetic metrics or stride frequency. However, …

Infant Hand Preference And The Development Of Cognitive Abilities, George F. Michel, Julie M. Campbell, Emily C. Marcinowski, Eliza L. Nelson, Iryna Babik

Physical Therapy Publications

Hand preference develops in the first two postnatal years with nearly half of infants exhibiting a consistent early preference for acquiring objects. Others exhibit a more variable developmental trajectory but by the end of their second postnatal year, most exhibit a consistent hand preference for role-differentiated bimanual manipulation. According to some forms of embodiment theory, these differences in hand use patterns should influence the way children interact with their environments, which, in turn, should affect the structure and function of brain development. Such early differences in brain development should result in different trajectories of psychological development. We present evidence that …

In-Shoe Plantar Pressure System To Investigate Ground Reaction Force Using Android Platform, Ahmed A. Mostfa

Theses and Dissertations

Human footwear is not yet designed to optimally relieve pressure on the heel of the foot. Proper foot pressure assessment requires personal training and measurements by specialized machinery. This research aims to investigate and hypothesize about Preferred Transition Speed (PTS) and to classify the gait phase of explicit variances in walking patterns between different subjects. An in-shoe wearable pressure system using Android application was developed to investigate walking patterns and collect data on Activities of Daily Living (ADL). In-shoe circuitry used Flexi-Force A201 sensors placed at three major areas: heel contact, 1st metatarsal, and 5th metatarsal with a PIC16F688 microcontroller …

Male And Female Runners Demonstrate Different Sagittal Plane Mechanics As A Function Of Static Hamstring Flexibility, D. S. Blaise Williams Iii, Lee M. Welch

Physical Therapy Publications

Background:

Injuries to runners are common. However, there are many potential contributing factors to injury. While lack of flexibility alone is commonly related to injury, there are clear differences in hamstring flexibility between males and females.

Objective:

To compare the effect of static hamstring length on sagittal plane mechanics between male and female runners.

Method:

Forty subjects (30.0±6.4 years) participated and were placed in one of 4 groups: flexible males (n=10), inflexible males (n=10), flexible females (n=10), and inflexible females (n=10). All subjects were free of injury at the time of data collection. Three-dimensional kinematics and kinetics were collected while …

The Importance Of Saccular Function To Motor Development In Children With Hearing Impairments, Mary S. Shall

Physical Therapy Publications

Children with hearing deficits frequently have delayed motor development. The purpose of this study was to evaluate saccular function in children with hearing impairments using the Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP). The impact of the saccular hypofunction on the timely maturation of normal balance strategies was examined using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (Movement ABC). Thirty-three children with bilateral severe/profound hearing impairment between 4 and 7 years of age were recruited from a three-state area. Approximately half of the sample had one or bilateral cochlear implants, one used bilateral hearing aids, and the rest used no amplification. Parents reported …

Frontal Plane Pelvic Drop In Runners: Causes And Clinical Implications, Evie Neff Burnet

Theses and Dissertations

Running is becoming an increasingly popular sport; however, runners have a high rate of injury and are therefore often treated in the orthopedic or sports medicine setting. One current focus of these patients' treatment is gluteus medius muscle (GM) strengthening and gait retraining, with the goal of decreasing frontal plane pelvic drop. Unfortunately, there is a research void assessing the role of GM function on pelvic drop, and the effect of an increased pelvic drop on running performance. The specific aims of this research were to investigate a link between frontal plane pelvic drop and (1) isometric GM torque, (2) …

Visual Contributions To The Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex During Balance Recovery Tasks, Mark D. Diehl

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: The Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) is quantified by computing the ratio of head angular velocity and eye angular velocity (VOR Gain). This measure only includes head angular movements; linear translations are not accounted for. These investigations postulate an alternative method of VOR quantification, one that assesses retinal image stability during head angular and linear movements (Foveal fixation (FF)). This method was used to assess the role of vision in balance reactions. Methods: Experiment 1 : Ten Young subjects were fitted with an eye tracker linked to an EM kinematic recording system. This allowed for the recording of head, trunk and …

Influences On Health Related Quality Of Life In Community Dwelling Adults Aged 60 Years And Over, Hilary Beth Greenberger

Theses and Dissertations

Interest in patient-reported health care outcomes such as health related quality of life (HRQL) has increased dramatically over the past two decades. Typically, HRQL has been conceptualized as having at least three domains: physical, psychological, and social functioning. Although research has attempted to identify factors that influence HRQL,few studies have simultaneously examined how various factors impact HRQL in the elderly. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a causal model to identify factors influencing HRQL. The constructs and observed variables hypothesized to influence HRQL included medical burden, housing satisfaction, socioeconomic status,religion/spirituality, age, gender, and marital status.Three hundred …

Age-Related Differences In The Movement Patterns Of Adolescents 11, 14, And 17 Years Of Age Rising To Standing From Supine On A Bed, Jeanne O'Neil Mccoy

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to determine: 1) if movement patterns (MP5) described for young adults rising from bed depict adolescents' MP5, 2) if there are age-related differences in MP5 adolescents use to perform this task, 3) most common MP combinations (MCMPCs) of each age group, and 4) if individuals are likely to progress through proposed sequences in the same order.

Sixty 11-, 14-, or 17-year-olds were videotaped during 10 trials of rising. MP5 demonstrated in each of four body regions were classified, and MP frequencies and MCMPCs were determined.

One new "near" arm MP was observed. Age-related MP …

An Assessment Of Pain Responses During Stages Of Pregnancy, Ann H. Dunbar

Theses and Dissertations

As physical therapists are becoming more involved with the pregnant population both in traditional patient care as well as in childbirth education, a better understanding of the influence of pregnancy on the pain system is needed. The purpose of this study was to determine if an endogenous analgesia system is present in pregnant humans as has been shown to be present in animals (Ginzler, 1980). Women's affective and intensity responses were measured during late pregnancy, labor and post-partum. Using a repeated measures design, fifteen women responded to thermal stimuli (43-52 degrees C) by marking a visual analogue scale. No significant …

Health Locus Of Control Belief And Health Behavior In Patients With Job Related Injuries, Elnora H. Allen

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between an individual's health locus of control belief and four variables: previous job injury experience, the duration of work absence due to previous job injury, appointment keeping behavior, and the wage replacement ratio. Seventy-two subjects with job related injuries referred to an industrial physical therapist were administered the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC). There was an uneven distribution of subjects according to MHLC belief patterns with more subjects demonstrating a "pure internal" health locus of control belief. No significance (Q > .05) was found between our four variables associated with a job injury and …

Age And Experience Differences In Posture And Movement Of Children While English Horseback Riding At A Walk, Mary Katherine Belissary

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to: (1) describe posture and movement of non-disabled children while English horseback riding at a walk, (2) propose a developmental sequence for each of three components of body posture and movement: the upper extremity the lower extremity, and the head and trunk, and (3) describe age differences in posture and movement while riding.

The study was designed as a cross-sectional descriptive study. Thirty children without disabilities: ten five-year-olds who had never received formal riding lessons; ten seven- and eight-year-olds who had received six months or less of formal riding lessons; and ten nine and …

Illness Behaviour Questionnaire As A Predictor Of Problematic And Aproblematic Patients With A Painful Upper Extremity, Suzanne S. Seay

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure the illness behavior of acute and chronic upper extremity pain patients using the Illness Behaviour Questionnaire (IBQ), to determine' the rehabilitation outcome by pre-set criteria, and to determine the effectiveness of the seven scales of the IBQ in predicting the problem pain patient. Each subject completed a self-administered test packet which included the IBQ. Each was identified by the investigator as a problematic or as a problematic patient using information in the medical chart. Patients entering the study with acute pain (n=12) had less pain upon discharge and returned more quickly to …

Firo-B Profiles Of Physical Therapy Students And Their Performances In Clinical Education, Nora Donohue

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine if there was a relationship between physical therapy students' personalities and their preferences in clinical education. Associated problems addressed by the research were to determine if there were differences in personality measures between the physical therapy students as well as differences from one another in how they rank ordered a list of clinical education methods and behaviors.

Thirty-four senior physical therapy students who had completed the academic and clinical requirements of the curriculum rank ordered a list of twenty clinical education methods and behaviors which was compiled from factors cited in the …

Translation Of The Tibia During Isometric Contraction Of The Quadriceps, Charles V. Connors

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine in normal knees, and in knees with anterior cruciate ligament absence, what effect maximal voluntary isometric contraction of the quadriceps has on translation of the tibia on the femur. Ten subjects with bilaterally normal knees, and nine subjects with one normal knee and the contralateral knee having an arthroscopic finding of absent anterior cruciate ligament were tested. Tibial translation was measured with a dial indicator at 15, 45 and 60 degrees of knee flexion. There was a measurable anterior translation of the tibia in all knees. An analysis of variance with post …

The Effect Of Three Different Types Of Feedback On The Amount Of Force Generated During Isometric Contraction Of The Triceps Brachii Muscle, Cindy I. Buchanan

Theses and Dissertations

This study was undertaken in order to investigate the effect of different feedback variables on isometric strength performance. The variables studied were auditory EMG biofeedback, knowledge of results, and verbal cues.

Nineteen normal adult women volunteered as subjects for the study. Each subject performed nine isometric contractions of the triceps brachii muscle against the resistance of a cable tensiometer. One of three different types of feedback was given during each contraction in order to motivate subjects to generate as much force as possible. Feedback variables were applied in random order; each variable was used three times. Peak force readings were …

Metastatic Patterns And Functional Disability In Disseminated Breast Carcinoma, Stephen Adam Gudas

Theses and Dissertations

Thirty female outpatients with metastatic breast carcinoma were evaluated using two operational models constructed for the purpose of assessing and assigning a quantitative score for (A) extent of metastatic disease and (B) level of functional disability. These patients were drawn from the population of patients with disseminated breast carcinoma attending the medical oncology clinics at the Medical College of Virginia Tumor Clinics for a 49 day period in 1975. The data from this patient sample were used to test several hypotheses.

Each patient underwent an initial screening procedure designed to clearly identify those patients with disseminated disease. This was followed …