Digital Commons Network^™

Maximal Strength In Relation To Force And Velocity Patterns During Countermovement Jumps, Michael H. Haischer, John Krzyszkowski, Stuart Roche, Kristof Kipp

Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications

Maximal strength is important for the performance of dynamic athletic activities, such as countermovement jumps (CMJ). Although measures of maximal strength appear related to discrete CMJ variables, such as peak ground reaction forces (GRF) and center-of-mass (COM) velocity, knowledge about the association between strength and the time series patterns during CMJ will help characterize changes that can be expected in dynamic movement with changes in maximal strength. Purpose: To investigate the associations between maximal strength and GRF and COM velocity patterns during CMJ. Methods: Nineteen female college lacrosse players performed 3 maximal-effort CMJs and isometric midthigh pull. GRF …

Resilience Among Older Adults With Multiple Sclerosis: Pattern And Correlates, Dena Sadeghi-Bahmani, Ariel Kidwell, Rachel E. Bollaert, Robert W. Motl

Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications

Background

There is an increasing number of older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) who present with significant challenges associated with aging in conjunction with a chronic, disabling disease. Resilience has been associated with healthy aging in the general population, yet there is limited research on resilience and its correlates among older adults with MS. The current study investigated the difference in resilience between older adults with MS and demographically matched healthy controls. We then examined the associations between resilience and functional, symptomatic, socio-behavioral, and QOL outcomes, along with demographic and clinical characteristics, among only older adults with MS. Method: The …

Hip And Knee Joint Angle Patterns And Kicking Velocity In Female And Male Professional Soccer Players: A Principal Component Analysis Of Waveforms Approach, Archit Navandar, Kristof Kipp, Enrique Navarro

Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications

This study used principal component analysis (PCA) of waveforms to extract movement patterns from hip and knee angle time-series data; and determined if the extracted movement patterns were predictors of ball velocity during a soccer kick. Twenty-three female and nineteen male professional soccer players performed maximal effort instep kicks while motion capture and post-impact ball velocities data were recorded. Three-dimensional hip and knee joint angle time-series data were calculated from the beginning of the kicking leg’s backswing phase until the end of the follow-through phase and entered into separate PCAs for females and males. Three principal components (PC) (i.e., movement …

Critical Race Theory And Cultural Taxation As Frameworks For Analyzing The Lack Of Faculty Diversity In Academic Allied Health Professions Programs, Jaime González

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Allied health professions, including faculty within allied health professions education programs in the United States, are woefully misrepresentative of the US population. Regarding race and ethnicity, there is a substantial and unjust underrepresentation of persons from systemically excluded culture groups, including Latina/o, Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ communities. There may also exist a relative underrepresentation by gender among faculty, especially above the junior academic ranks, and among leaders and administrators in academic allied health professions programs. These disparities in race, ethnicity, and gender among faculty yield significant consequences downstream regarding workforce diversity, and by extension, health inequities among persons from systemically …

Effect Of Simulation Learning On Graduate Student Attitudes Toward Interprofessional Teams And The Team Approach To Care, Norman Cadiz Belleza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to health care reports, more than 250,000 deaths annually are attributed to medical error, prompting interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives as one way to improve healthcare delivery. The problem is that little is known about the effect of simulation learning with standardized patients on occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) students’ attitudes toward IPE. The purpose of this causal-comparative study using a pretest–posttest nonequivalent control group design was to investigate the difference in posttest scores on the Students’ Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education—Version 2 (SPICE-R2) between first-term graduate OT and PT students who participated in a simulation and those …

Lived Experiences Of Mothers Balancing Work And Family In The Restaurant And Food Services Industry, Brandi M. Fannell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women account for over half of restaurant and food service employees in the United States. The hours required to manage obligation to both jobs and families impact work–life balance among this population, which can lead to burnout behaviors such as complaints, turnover, and absenteeism. Guided by both self-efficacy and role conflict theories, a phenomenological study was conducted to understand work–life balance, engagement, and job satisfaction among working mothers in the restaurant and food service industry. Working mothers with children between ages 5 months and 17 years, who were employed full-time at casual restaurants and similar food service organizations, were interviewed …

Bridging The Gap Between Clinical Service And Academic Education Of Hand-Splinting Practice: Perspectives And Experiences Of Thai Occupational Therapists, Anuchart Kaunnil, Veerawat Sansri, Surachart Thongchoomsin, Kannika Permpoonputtana, Mandy Stanley, Piyawat Trevittaya, Chirathip Thawisuk, Peeradech Thichanpiang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

A gap in knowledge about current splinting practice exists between the educational program and clinical service. To bridge this gap, we investigated the perspectives and experiences of Thai occupational therapists regarding contemporary hand splinting practices in clinical use. A mixed-method study was designed. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used. In the first quantitative phase, a survey questionnaire was mailed to occupational therapists. The questions were regarding contemporary hand splinting practices in clinical use at seven hospitals in the capital city of Bangkok and outskirt areas. In the second phase, semi-structured interviews were completed to explore expert occupational therapists' …

Effects Of A Nurse-Led Tai Chi Programme On Improving Quality Of Life, Mental Wellbeing, And Physical Function Of Women With Breast Cancer: Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Carol Chunfeng Wang, Sadie Geraghty, Caitlin Fox-Harding, Calvin Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives:

Quality of life, mental wellbeing, and physical function deteriorate among women with breast cancer. Tai Chi is a moderate form of exercise that may be effective in improving the mental and physical wellbeing, therefore, the quality of life of women with breast cancer. This protocol paper outlines a trial to determine the therapeutic effects of a Tai Chi programme on breast cancer management.

Methods:

The study will be an interventional, single-blind, double-armed, randomized, and controlled trial involving a 12-week Tai Chi programme for women with breast cancer. Forty participants aged 18 years and above who are diagnosed with breast …

“Machine-Dependent”: The Lived Experiences Of Patients Receiving Hemodialysis In Pakistan, Haseeba Shouket, Eyal Gringart, Dierdre Drake, Ulrich Steinwandel

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis in Pakistan. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 24 patients and six healthcare professionals, each participated in a semi-structured interview. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyze interviews’ data. Two superordinate themes, “The experience of hemodialysis” and “The conceptualizations of hemodialysis” as well as six sub-themes were identified. The experience of hemodialysis was related to, the implications of HD procedure on everyday life, social, cognitive, emotional, financial, and occupational influences. While all participants recognized the importance of hemodialysis for their survival, their conceptualizations of the treatment varied. …

Association Between Hispanic Parents’ Attitudes And Knowledge Regarding Obesity And Their Children’S Body Mass Index, Renee Starr, Eva Miller, Roy K. Chen, Ralph Carlson, Veronica I. Umeasiegbu, Bruce J. Reed

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 13.7 million children experience obesity nationally and Hispanic children display the highest occurrences of obesity for all racial/ethnic groups (Hales et al., 2020). Because parents have a significant influence on their children’s overall health, we were interested in examining whether parents’ attitudes and knowledge about obesity impacted their child’s body mass index (BMI) for their age. We surveyed 210 adult Hispanic parents whose children were receiving general healthcare services at a pediatric medical clinic located near the U.S.-Mexico border. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the estimation …

Predictive Effects Of Satisfaction With Life, Self-Esteem, And Loneliness On Alcohol Related Problems In College Students At A Minority-Serving Institution, Roy K. Chen, Wei-Mo Tu, Rebecca R. Sametz, Bryan S. Austin

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

Objective: Little research has focused on the drinking issues at minority serving institutions. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among personal psychological distress, mental well-being, self-esteem, and alcohol-related problems. Participants: 360 undergraduate students were recruited at a public university in the Southwest US. Methods: A cross-sectional design survey was conducted. One-way ANOVA and multiple regression analyses were utilized. Results: Male students experienced more alcohol-related problems than female students. Statistically significant correlations were found among life satisfaction and loneliness, life satisfaction and self-esteem, life satisfaction and alcohol-related problems, and self-esteem and loneliness. The predictor variables accounted for …

The Development And Evaluation Of A Pediatric Interprofessional Education (Ipe) Experience For Occupational And Physical Therapy Graduate Students, Lorry Liotta-Kleinfeld, Nancy Darr, Tamara Lemmonds, Teresa Plummer

Funded Scholarship

Interprofessional competence is needed to improve health care outcomes. The aim of this paper is to describe the development of theoretically grounded interprofessional education (IPE) experiences to advance interprofessional competencies for occupational and physical therapy doctoral students. In addition, a pretest/postest survey was designed to determine the participants’ perceptions of knowledge attainment, roles, and attitudes. Two cohorts of students (N=115) completed surveys pre and post IPE experiences. Statistically significant changes were found on perception of roles and knowledge attainment. Additional studies are needed to determine if IPE leads to behavioral changes in practice and improves patient outcomes.

Corticospinal Activity During A Single-Leg Stance In People With Chronic Ankle Instability, Masafumi Terada, Kyle B. Kosik, Ryan S. Mccann, Colin Drinkard, Phillip A. Gribble

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine whether corticospinal excitability and inhibition of the tibialis anterior during single-leg standing differs among individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI), lateral ankle sprain copers, and healthy controls.

Methods: Twenty-three participants with CAI, 23 lateral ankle sprain copers, and 24 healthy control participants volunteered. Active motor threshold (AMT), normalized motor-evoked potential (MEP), and cortical silent period (CSP) were evaluated by transcranial magnetic stimulation while participants performed a single-leg standing task.

Results: Participants with CAI had significantly longer CSP at 100% of AMT and lower normalized MEP at 120% of AMT compared to …

Editorial: How Can Wearable Robotic And Sensor Technology Advance Neurorehabilitation?, Shuo-Hsiu Chang, Shih-Chiao Tseng, Hao Su, Gerard E Francisco

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Factors Associated With Ventilator Weaning Success And Failure In People With Spinal Cord Injury In An Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting: A Retrospective Study, Radha Korupolu, Hannah Uhlig-Reche, Emmanuel Chigozie Achilike, Colton Reeh, Claudia Pedroza, Argyrios Stampas

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate baseline characteristics, describe pulmonary outcomes, and identify weaning predictors for people with acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) who are dependent on mechanical ventilation at admission to acute inpatient rehabilitation (AIR).

METHODS: The retrospective study was conducted at an AIR facility in the United States. It included 91 adults with acute traumatic SCI from 2015 to 2019 who were dependent on mechanical ventilation.

RESULTS: People who successfully weaned (85%) had fewer days from time of SCI to AIR admission (22 vs. 30,

CONCLUSION: In this retrospective study, there was an increased risk of pneumonia in people with …

Digital Rehabilitation For Hand And Wrist Pain: A Single-Arm Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study, Fabíola Costa, Dora Janela, Maria Molinos, Robert G Moulder, Jorge Lains, Gerard E Francisco, Virgílio Bento, Vijay Yanamadala, Steven P Cohen, Fernando Dias Correia

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Wrist and hand represent the third most common body part in work-related injuries, being associated with long-term absenteeism. Telerehabilitation can promote access to treatment, patient adherence, and engagement, while reducing health care-related costs.

Objective: Report the results of a fully remote digital care program (DCP) for wrist and hand pain (WP).

Methods: A single-arm interventional study was conducted on individuals with WP applying for a DCP. Primary outcome was the mean change in the Numerical Pain Rating Scale after 8 weeks (considering a minimum clinically important change of 30%). Secondary outcomes were: disability (Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, …

Emerging Evidence For Intrathecal Management Of Neuropathic Pain Following Spinal Cord Injury, Jay Karri, James Doan, Christian Vangeison, Marissa Catalanotto, Ameet S Nagpal, Sheng Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A high prevalence of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) suffer from chronic neuropathic pain. Unfortunately, the precise pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have yet to be clearly elucidated and targeted treatments are largely lacking. As an unfortunate consequence, neuropathic pain in the population with SCI is refractory to standard of care treatments and represents a significant contributor to morbidity and suffering. In recent years, advances from SCI-specific animal studies and translational models have furthered our understanding of the neuronal excitability, glial dysregulation, and chronic inflammation processes that facilitate neuropathic pain. These developments have served advantageously to facilitate exploration into …

A Virtual Camp For Adolescents With Developmental Disabilities During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Changes In Physical Activity, Function, And Psychosocial Health, Sarah Creveling

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Adolescents with developmental disabilities (DD) have low levels of physical activity (PA), are more likely to be overweight or obese, and are at an increased risk of developing secondary conditions compared to their typically developing peers. Participation in PA has been linked to a myriad of benefits including improvements in psychosocial health, decreased risk of developing secondary conditions, and opportunities for socialization. Summer camps provide opportunities for adolescents with DD to participate in meaningful activities while being physically active during the summer months when school is out and there is a change in routines, skill and learning loss is a …

Footwear Characteristics: Effects On Dynamic Balance In The Young And Elderly, Joseph Wallace

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Older adults suffer from an increased risk of falling, and falls make up a substantial percentage of injuries and mortality rates in elderly populations. Falls also burden health and long-term care infrastructure and can limit individual independence and overall functioning due to fear of falling. Footwear and orthotic interventions have previously been shown to affect balance in both young and older adult populations and may provide a potential avenue for improving balance and combatting fall rates. Footwear and orthotic interventions are relatively easily implemented, however there is a lack of consistency among current footwear and orthotic literature as well as …

Video Game Rehabilitation For Outpatient Stroke (Vigorous): A Multi-Site Randomized Controlled Trial Of In-Home, Self-Managed, Upper-Extremity Therapy., Lynne V Gauthier, Deborah S Nichols-Larsen, Gitendra Uswatte, Nancy Strahl, Marie Simeo, Rachel Proffitt, Kristina Kelly, Roger Crawfis, Edward Taub, David Morris, Linda Pax Lowes, Victor Mark, Alexandra Borstad

Neuroscience Articles

BACKGROUND: Integrating behavioral intervention into motor rehabilitation is essential for improving paretic arm use in daily life. Demands on therapist time limit adoption of behavioral programs like Constraint-Induced Movement (CI) therapy, however. Self-managed motor practice could free therapist time for behavioral intervention, but there remains insufficient evidence of efficacy for a self-management approach.

METHODS: This completed, parallel, five-site, pragmatic, single-blind trial established the comparative effectiveness of using in-home gaming self-management as a vehicle to redirect valuable therapist time towards behavioral intervention. Community-dwelling adults with post-stroke (>6 months) mild/moderate upper extremity hemiparesis were randomized to receive one of 4 different …

Modelling Muscle Activation Using Emg Signal, Mercy U. Okonna

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

(EMG) is a method for measuring muscle activity by an electrical signal, and is useful in studying motor control, postural control, and in physical therapy. A current research topic is creating an algorithm that can use the EMG signal to reliably classify a muscle as active or inactive. This thesis presents a classification algorithm for leg muscles with a single activation spike while walking. Time is rescaled into steps, which are identified using data from cameras measuring joint angles while walking. The algorithm is based on moving averages and a convex combination of mean signal strength in active and inactive …

The Effects Of Home-Based Exercise Therapy For Breast Cancer-Related Fatigue Induced By Radical Radiotherapy, Georgios Mavropalias, Prue Cormie, Carolyn J. Peddle-Mcintyre, Daniel A. Galvão, Dennis R. Taaffe, Christelle Schofield, Sharon Ray, Yvonne Zissiadis, Robert U. Newton

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Radiotherapy (RT) can lead to cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and decreased health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in breast cancer patients. The purpose of this trial was to examine the feasibility and efficacy of a home-based resistance and aerobic exercise intervention for reducing CRF and improving HRQoL in breast cancer patients during RT. Methods: Women with breast cancer (N = 106) commencing RT were randomized to 12 weeks of home-based resistance and aerobic exercise (EX) or usual care/control (CON). The primary endpoint was CRF, with secondary endpoints of HRQoL, sleep duration and quality, and physical activity. Measurements were undertaken prior to …

Best Practice For Treatment And Prevention Of Ankle Sprains In Ballet Dancers, Sara Bergin

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

Aac Camp As A Pre- And Post- Service Training Model, Joanne Kim

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of participation in an AAC-based day camp as a pre-service training opportunity for students of speech-language pathology and a post-training opportunity for practicing speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Following the conclusion for the most recent iteration of the AAC Academy hosted by the Diagnostic Center of Central California, students and SLPs who volunteered within the past ten years were recruited via email to participate in semi-structured interviews. Upon thematic analysis of the interview transcripts, the following themes were conceptualized: (1) Many volunteers had some interest, if not experience, with AAC prior to …

Spouses Of First Responders: A Narrative Inquiry Of Survival, Recovery And Healing, Jennifer D. Geiger

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The nature of the work of emergency responders (i.e., firefighters, law enforcement, paramedics, and dispatch) includes high stress and direct experiences of traumatic situations. The experience of posttraumatic stress is common. The spouse or significant other is often the first person to see a change in their responder and the person most likely to be sought out for support from the responder, yet there is little support for the spouses or significant others of emergency workers. The purpose of this qualitative study using in-depth interviews and narrative inquiry was to learn about participants’ experiences at the 6-day residential treatment (retreat) …

Educational Level As A Moderator Between Stress And Suicidal Ideation Among Law Enforcement Officers, Sittipong Permsookjit

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement officers are exposed to occupation-related stress at a level greater than any other occupation, save war combatants, such stress can lead to suicidal ideation. There is a growing trend of suicidal ideation among law enforcement officers. This trend will threaten the stability of society if it is allowed to continue. Educational level has been shown to improve quality of life and is considered a quantitative resource. Using the theoretical framework of appraisal theory, this study’s purpose was to examine the moderating effects of educational level on stress and suicidal ideation among law enforcement officers. A total of 72 …

Meaningful Work And Remote Employee Engagement During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Monique Foster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the remote working trend, causing workplace leaders to be challenged and remote employees to feel meaninglessness and lose interest in their work. The subjective nature of meaningful work and enforced remote work is a relatively recent socioeconomic phenomenon, creating a gap in the literature regarding how middle managers foster meaningful work for employees in a remote work environment. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry study was to understand how middle managers fostered meaningful work for employees in a remote work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 10 middle managers …

Organizational Commitment As A Mediator Between Organizational Climate And Employee Silence, Jennifer Sherer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Unethical organizational behavior negatively impacts organizations, and despite the benefits of whistleblowing, some employees are hesitant to report employee misconduct. The specific research problem examined factors that influence employee silence when confronted with employee misconduct. Prior researchers have explored how organizational climate and organizational commitment can contribute to or inhibit the decision to report misconduct. What remained unclear is how these factors may interact on their influence on employee silence. The purpose of this study was to examine whether organizational commitment mediated the relationship between organizational climate and employee silence. The theoretical foundations for this study were the social information …

Knee Cartilage T2 Relaxation Times 3 Months After Acl Reconstruction Are Associated With Knee Gait Variables Linked To Knee Osteoarthritis, Jack R. Williams, Kelsey Neal, Abdulmajeed Alfayyadh, Kendra Lennon, Jacob J. Capin, Ashutosh Khandha, Kurt Manal, Hollis G. Potter, Lynn Snyder-Mackler, Thomas S. Buchanan

Physical Therapy Faculty Research and Publications

Osteoarthritis development after ACL reconstruction (ACLR) is not well understood. Investigators have examined associations between knee biomechanical alterations and quantitative MRI (qMRI) variables, reflective of cartilage health, 12–60 months following ACLR; however, none have done so early after surgery. As part of an exploratory study, 45 individuals (age, 23 ± 7 years) underwent motion analysis during walking and qMRI 3 months after ACLR. For each limb, peak knee adduction moment (pKAM) and peak knee flexion moment (pKFM) were determined using inverse dynamics and peak medial compartment force was calculated using a neuromusculoskeletal model. T₂ relaxation times in the medial …

Safety, Feasibility And Initial Efficacy Of An App-Facilitated Telerehabilitation (After) Programme For Covid-19 Survivors: A Pilot Randomised Study, Jacob J. Capin, Sarah Jolley, Mary Morrow, Meghan Connors, Kristine Hare, Samantha Mawhinney, Amy Nordon-Craft, Michelle R. Rauzi, Sheryl Flynn, Jennifer Stevens-Lapsley, Kristine M. Erlandson

Physical Therapy Faculty Research and Publications

Objectives Determine the safety, feasibility and initial efficacy of a multicomponent telerehabilitation programme for COVID-19 survivors.

Design Pilot randomised feasibility study.

Setting In-home telerehabilitation.

Participants 44 participants (21 female, mean age 52 years) discharged home following hospitalisation with COVID-19 (with and without intensive care unit (ICU) stay).

Interventions Participants were block randomised 2:1 to receive 12 individual biobehaviourally informed, app-facilitated, multicomponent telerehabilitation sessions with a licenced physical therapist (n=29) or to a control group (n=15) consisting of education on exercise and COVID-19 recovery trajectory, physical activity and vitals monitoring, and weekly check-ins with study staff. Interventions were 100% remote and …