Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Factors Affecting Community Participation In Young Adults With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Molly Bathje

Dissertations

Young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) participate less frequently in communities than other disabled and non-disabled peers (Verdonschot, de Witte, Reichrath, Buntinx, & Curfs, 2009) even though they express a desire to participate (Kampert & Goreczny, 2007) and federal policy mandates community inclusion (Haertl, 2014). Participation in one’s community is linked to health and quality of life (World Health Organization, 2002). The broad goal of this three paper dissertation is to contribute to a deeper understanding of what facilitates and impedes community participation for young adults with IDD by (1) developing a new conceptual model, (2) evaluating a …

Evaluating Cardiovascular Dysfunction During Increased Activity And Exercise Rehabilitation Following Incomplete Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury In The Adult Rat., Kathryn A. Harman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in whole-body dysfunction. While the majority of SCI research is focused on improving locomotor function after injury, cardiovascular (CV) disease continues to be the leading cause of morbidity in the chronic SCI patient population. The combination of injury-induced destruction of autonomic pathways, maladaptive plasticity within lumbosacral circuits, and the progressive decline in physical fitness contribute to the poor CV status of SCI individuals. Currently, there is little emphasis on implementing appropriately-timed acute rehabilitation techniques aimed to curtail maladaptive remodeling and improve CV outcomes. Furthermore, no pre-clinical or clinical studies have investigated the most appropriate time-course …

Patient Experiences Of Recovery After Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation: A Qualitative Study, Jenny L. Toonstra, Dana Howell, Robert A. English, Carl G. Mattacola

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Context: The recovery process after autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) can be challenging for patients and clinicians alike due to significant functional limitations and a lengthy healing time. Understanding patients' experiences during the recovery process may assist clinicians in providing more individualized care.

Objective: To explore and describe patients' experiences during the recovery process after ACI.

Design: Qualitative study.

Setting: Orthopaedic clinic.

Patients or Other Participants: Participants from a single orthopaedic practice who had undergone ACI within the previous 12 months were purposefully selected.

Data Collection and Analysis: Volunteers participated in 1-on-1 semistructured interviews to describe their recovery experiences after ACI. …

Effect Of Heavy Lifting With A Head Strap On The Pelvic Floor Across The Menstrual Cycle, Yvonne Biswokarma

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) occurs in 10% of women in Nepal, even 6% of nulliparous women have symptomatic POP.1 This may be linked to the heavy lifting tasks performed by women using a head strap.2 This study explored the impact of hormonal changes on the pelvic floor when performing these tasks during each phase of the menstrual cycle. Methods: The study included 22 female Nepali participants with a mean age of 27.4(3.6) years; all were from rural villages and frequently carried with a head strap. Using intravaginal pressure transducers (IVT), the mean change in intraabdominal pressure (IAP) was found …

Conquering The Kitchen: Cooking And Older Adult Male Caregivers, Miranda Jenkins, George Kukich

Older Adult

Older adult men who have taken on an unfamiliar role as a caregiver find themselves at a loss with how to conduct meal preparation and cooking (Russell, 2007). The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of a specialized cooking class on the perceptions of older adult male caregivers. Method: This mixed method, retrospective study analyzed surveys from subjects who attended a cooking class designed specifically for male caregivers. Participants were 60 years of age or older and were required to be living in one of nine participating local counties. Results: The participants reported that the course expanded …

Letter To The Editor Regarding “Clinical Effectiveness And Safety Of Powered Exoskeleton-Assisted Walking In Patients With Spinal Cord Injury: Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis”, Marcel P. Dijkers, Katherine G. Akers, Sujay S. Galen, Diane E. Patzer, Phuong T. Vu

Library Scholarly Publications

No abstract provided.

Temporary Nerve Block At Selected Digits Revealed Hand Motor Deficits In Grasping Tasks, Aude Cateron, Kerry Mcpartlan, Christina Gioeli, Emily Reid, Matt Turturro, Barry Hahn, Cynthia Benson, Wei Zhang

Publications and Research

Peripheral sensory feedback plays a crucial role in ensuring correct motor execution throughout hand grasp control. Previous studies utilized local anesthesia to deprive somatosensory feedback in the digits or hand, observations included sensorimotor deficits at both corticospinal and peripheral levels. However, the questions of how the disturbed and intact sensory input integrate and interact with each other to assist the motor program execution, and whether the motor coordination based on motor output variability between affected and non-affected elements (e.g., digits) becomes interfered by the local sensory deficiency, have not been answered. The current study aims to investigate the effect of …

Development, Validation And Application Of A New Fornix Template For Studies Of Aging And Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease, Christopher A. Brown, Nathan F. Johnson, Amelia J. Anderson-Mooney, Gregory A. Jicha, Leslie M. Shaw, John Q. Trojanowski, Linda J. Van Eldik, Frederick A. Schmitt, Charles D. Smith, Brian T. Gold

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

We developed a merged younger-older adult template of the fornix and demonstrated its utility for studies of aging and preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). In Experiment 1, probabilistic tractography was used to reconstruct the fornix in younger and older adults and successful streamlines were then averaged to create a merged template in standard space. The new template includes the majority of the fornix from the hippocampal formation to the subcallosal region and the thalamus/hypothalamus. In Experiment 2, the merged template was validated as an appropriate measure for studies of aging, with comparisons against manual tracing measures indicating identical spatial coverage in …

Methylphenidate And Memory And Attention Adaptation Training For Persistent Cognitive Symptoms After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial, Brenna C. Mcdonald, Laura A. Flashman, David B. Arciniegas, Robert J. Ferguson, Li Xing, Jaroslaw Harezlak, Gwen C. Sprehn, Flora M. Hammond, Arthur C. Maerlender, Carrie L. Kruck, Karen L. Gillock, Kim Frey, Rachel N. Wall, Andrew J. Saykin, Thomas W. Mcallister

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this multicenter, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of two cognitive rehabilitation interventions (Memory and Attention Adaptation Training (MAAT) and Attention Builders Training (ABT)), with and without pharmacologic enhancement (i.e., with methylphenidate (MPH) or placebo), for treating persistent cognitive problems after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Adults with a history of TBI at least four months prior to study enrollment with either objective cognitive deficits or subjective cognitive complaints were randomized to receive MPH or placebo and MAAT or ABT, yielding four treatment combinations: MAAT/MPH (N=17), ABT/MPH (N=19), MAAT/placebo (N=17), and ABT/placebo (N=18). …

Influence Of Posture-Cuing Shirt On Tennis Serve Kinematics In Division Iii Tennis Players, Joseph Zappala, Caroline Orrego, Emily Boe, Heather Fechner, Derek Salminen, Daniel Cipriani

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Objective: Injuries to the shoulder complex are common in overhead athletes, often related to kinematics of the shoulder complex. This study evaluated the influence of a posture-cuing shirt on internal rotation velocity of the shoulder during a tennis swing and to determine this influence on shoulder external rotation position. Methods: Nine healthy competitive college tennis players from a Division III college participated in this study. High speed motion capture allowed for 3-D analysis of shoulder kinematics during a tennis serve. Two conditions were evaluated while the athletes performed a high velocity tennis serve: standard tennis shirt and a …

When The Challenges Of Aging And Visual Impairment Collide: Working Together To Build A Toolbox Of Rehab Ideas Of Best Care For Older Adults, Regula H. Robnett, Kathy Clarrage

Occupational Therapy Faculty Presentations

Workshop/presentation by Regi Robnett, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA, professor in the UNE Department of Occupational Therapy and Kathy Clarrage, COMS, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the State of Maine. Given at the North East Chapter of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation for the Blind and Visually Impaired (NEAER) conference, this presentation encouraged health care providers to work as a team to care for older, visually impaired adults. The professional audience included orientation and mobility specialists, vision rehabilitation therapists, low vision specialists, administrators in the field of blindness, social workers in the field of blindness and vocational rehabilitation counselors.

Exercise As A Form Of Medicine, Steven J. Elmer

TechTalks

My research goals are to find better ways to restore musculoskeletal function, maintain health, and improve mobility in healthy and clinical populations. Students in my laboratory (engineering, kinesiology, physical therapy) investigate how humans move and implement new exercise interventions to improve physical conditioning and performance. We work with populations ranging from individuals living with a spinal cord injury to adults recovering from ACL surgery to elite athletes. Applications for our research range from basic aspects of muscle contraction to applied human performance in a variety of settings including rehabilitation, ergonomics, and sport.

The Debt Burden Of Entry-Level Physical Therapists In Florida, Steven Benton Ambler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the education, autonomy, and high demand for physical therapists both nationally and in Florida, recent graduates have seen steadily rising education costs with disproportionate changes in income once they have graduated and entered the workforce. The growing debt burden of physical therapists entering the workforce, coupled with the growth in projected need and stagnant wages, raises concern about where and how entry-level physical therapists will practice and if these choices will be affected by their debt burden. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional survey study was to identify the debt profile of entry-level physical therapists and explore the relationship …

Effect Of Lighting On Performance Of Tasks Requiring Near Vision In Older Adults, Karen Leigh James

Occupational Therapy Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

With age, more light is needed in order to function, but the effect of lighting on occupational performance has received little attention in occupational therapy. The purpose of the study was to determine if lighting affects older adults’ ability to perform selected occupational tasks, which require near vision and if lighting levels affects their perceived effort while performing selected occupational tasks. A quasi-experimental, repeated measures design was used with a convenience sample recruited from a retirement community. Thirty participants met the inclusion criteria, which included visual and cognitive screening. The mean age of the 30 participants was 83 years, and …

Standing Balance And Spatiotemporal Aspects Of Gait Are Impaired Upon Nocturnal Awakening In Healthy Late Middle-Aged And Older Adults, Amanda L. Mcbean, Raymond P. Najjar, Ronald A. Schuchard, Courtney D. Hall, Cheng-Ann Wang, Ban Ku, Joseph M. Furman

ETSU Faculty Works

Study Objectives: Nocturnal awakenings may constitute a unique risk for falls among older adults. We describe differences in gait and balance between presleep and midsleep testing, and whether changes in the lighting environment during the midsleep testing further affect gait and balance.

Methods: Twenty-one healthy, late middle-aged and older (64.7 ± 8.0 y) adults participated in this repeated-measures design consisting of four overnight laboratory stays. Each night, participants completed baseline visual acuity, gait, and balance testing. After a 2-h sleep opportunity, they were awakened for 13 min into one of four lighting conditions: very dim white light (< 0.5 lux); dim white light (∼28.0 lux); dim orange light (∼28.0 lux); and white room-level light (∼200 lux). During this awakening, participants completed the same sequence of testing as at baseline.

Results: Low-contrast …

A Retrospective Study Of Handwriting Skills Of Kindergarten Students, Danielle Benter, Dawn Fields, Catherine Nichols

Pediatrics

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to guide teachers and occupational therapist in recognizing handwriting needs in order to provide appropriate early intervention support for handwriting.

METHOD: 218 kindergarten students in a public school district were screened for handwriting ability using the Handwriting Without Tears and the Public School’s copy screeners. Students were assessed three times during the 2014 to 2015 school year on letter memory, line placement, letter orientation, copy legibility, and copy placement skills.

RESULTS: The results indicated that winter scores were a better predictor of spring scores. Significant effects in four out of five variables were …

Occupational Therapy Services And Clinical Decision Making In Oncology Care: A Mixed Methods Approach, Sheila M. Longpre'

Occupational Therapy Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to explore the types and patterns of occupational therapy services implemented with clients who are cancer survivors, which utilized a mixed methods approach, specifically an explanatory sequential design. The Occupational Therapy Practice Inventory (OTPI) was used to gather information regarding the type and patterns of occupational therapy services provided for clients receiving oncology care. The results of the OTPI were analyzed and used to further develop semi-structured questions for exploring the perspectives of occupational therapy practitioners who practice in the area of oncology in the United States. The data were analyzed to generate a …

Assets And Barriers To Osteoarthritis, Allison K. Wiles

Scholars Week

Osteoarthritis has remained a prevailing health concern in our society for many years. OA is most commonly seen in middle aged men and women suffering from pain and stiffness in the hip, knee, and thumb areas. Risk factors for OA include age, obesity, previous joint injuries, overuse of joint areas, and weak muscles. If not treated, OA could lead to permanent discomfort and pain, and potentially develop into depression, lowered quality of life, or a need for long-term home health care.

By providing photo footage of every day health care issues, Photo voice persuades community members to change habits and …

Mind And Body Training To Improve Functioning And Coping With Chronic Pain: A Pilot Study, Olga Valieva, Leah M. Welsh, Betty Amuzu, Niraj Nijhawan, Jessica J.F. Kram

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: Patients with chronic pain are often crippled by psychological distress, depression and fear. These patients also can develop altered pain perception, with enhanced brain activity in pain-responsive regions and those associated with anxiety/depression. Exercise and meditation can impact pain-reducing brain areas and positively influence pain characteristics.

Purpose: To alter pain center activity by reducing the activation of the higher brain and deactivation of the lower brain with somatocognitive and meditative practices, with secondary aim of reducing anxiety/depression and improve overall quality of life.

Methods: We conducted a pilot study on mentally competent adult women with stable chronic pain who …

Wearable Imu For Shoulder Injury Prevention In Overhead Sports, Samir A. Rawashdeh, Derek A. Rafeldt, Timothy L. Uhl

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Body-worn inertial sensors have enabled motion capture outside of the laboratory setting. In this work, an inertial measurement unit was attached to the upper arm to track and discriminate between shoulder motion gestures in order to help prevent shoulder over-use injuries in athletics through real-time preventative feedback. We present a detection and classification approach that can be used to count the number of times certain motion gestures occur. The application presented involves tracking baseball throws and volleyball serves, which are common overhead movements that can lead to shoulder and elbow overuse injuries. Eleven subjects are recruited to collect training, testing, …

Predicting Walking Ability And Prosthetic Candidacy Following Lower Extremity Amputation: Systematic Review, Treatment Pathway And Algorithm, Scott Love

Student Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study is a systematic review (SR) of existing literature to examine characteristics of persons with amputation which predict walking ability and prosthetic candidacy following lower extremity amputation (LEA). The identification, synthesis and summary of this evidence could assist in developing clinical practice guidelines, including a physical rehabilitation treatment pathway and a clinical algorithm. The importance of this project is the establishment to further develop evidence based LEA clinical practice guidelines. This evidence will assist the healthcare team in decision making, specifically considering evidence and patient-centric predictive characteristics.

Background: Currently, there is no multi-disciplinary physical …

Differential Item Functioning In The Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Pediatric Short Forms In A Sample Of Children And Adolescents With Cerebral Palsy., Wendy J. Coster, Pengsheng Ni, Mary D. Slavin, Pamela A. Kisala, Ratna Nandakumar, Mary Jane Mulcahey, David S. Tulsky, Alan M. Jette

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

AIM: The present study examined the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Mobility, Fatigue, and Pain Interference Short Forms (SFs) in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) for the presence of differential item functioning (DIF) relative to the original calibration sample.

METHOD: Using the Graded Response Model we compared item parameter estimates generated from a sample of 303 children and adolescents with CP (175 males, 128 females; mean age 15y 5mo) to parameter estimates from the PROMIS calibration sample, which served as the reference group. DIF was assessed in a two-step process using the item response theory-likelihood ratio-differential …

The Short-Term And Long-Term Effects Of Biofeedback-Assisted Relaxation Therapy In Patients With Heart Failure: A Randomized Control Study, Tsuey-Yuan Huang, Debra K. Moser, Shiow-Li Hwang

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Relaxation techniques can reduce sympathetic nervous system activation and stress, potentially improving heart failure patients’ physical and psychological outcomes.

Purpose: To examine the effects of biofeedback-assisted relaxation (BFAR) therapy in patients with heart failure.

Methods: A prospective randomized control study was conducted. Participants in the treatment group received BFAR therapy, while participants in the control group received standard of care. Short-term outcomes were physical symptoms and psychosocial variables measured at baseline and 3 months; long-term outcomes were cardiac events and mortality assessed at 12 months.

Results: Fifty-two heart failure patients participated in the study: 23 (mean age 60.0 ± …

Mind Mapping: A Strategy To Promote Interprofessional Collaboration Among Health Science Students, Catherine Maher, Pt, Dpt, Genevieve Pinto Zippo, Pt, Edd

JCIPE Conference

Purpose/Background:

This presentation will provide participants with an understanding of what mind mapping is and engage participants in a discussion and hands on experience of how mind mapping can be used to prepare students for interprofessional collaborative practice and integrate patient centered models of care. Managing a patient’s plan of care requires health care practitioners to share and integrate data in order to formulate a plan of care. How to engage with other disciplines is often developed during student’s clinical educational experiences. Assisting and engaging students during the academic portion are essential to prepare them for interprofessional collaborative practice. Mind …

The Dip: Orchestrating A Clinical Immersion Experience In Interprofessional Education, Karen M. Sames, Otd, Otr/L, Faota, Rebecca L. Mcgill, Edd, Rn

JCIPE Conference

Research Question:

Do health professions students who participate in an interprofessional education experience report improved teamwork skills?

Exploring The Critical Thinking Skills Of Respiratory Care Students And Faculty, Bshayer Ramadan Alhamad

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Introduction: Today, with the increased demands in health care, working as a competentrespiratory therapist requires being a highly skilled, critically thinking professional. Although students are expected to learn how to think critically mostly in the academic environment from their faculty, only a paucity of studies has assessed the critical thinking of respiratory care students, with none, to our knowledge, assessing that of faculty. Therefore, the purpose of this mixed method study was to (1) assess the overall critical thinking skill levels of both respiratory care students and faculty, (2) investigate whether respiratory care faculty have stronger overall critical thinking skills …

The Benefits Of Alternative And Augmentative Communication: A Quality Of Life Issue, Richard Dressler, Lauren Bland, Meghan Baumgartner

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

This article summarizes the need for alternate forms of communication for those who are unable to use verbal speech. The importance of allied health professionals in understanding alternative communication is critical in patient care. The authors describe the various forms of augmentative and alternate communication devices that can be used to help a non-verbal individual communicate their wants, needs, and thoughts. Financial and social consequences for using these devices is discussed.

Multiple-Modality Exercise And Mind-Motor Training To Improve Cardiovascular Health And Fitness In Older Adults At Risk For Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Narlon Cassio Boa Sorte Silva, Micheal A. Gregory, Dawn P. Gill, Robert Petrella

Lifestyle Research Team

Background:The effects of multiple-modality exercise on arterial stiffening and cardiovascular fitness has not been fully explored. Objectives: To explore the influence of a 24-week multiple-modality exercise program associated with a mind-motor training in cardiovascular health and fitness in community-dwelling older adults, compared to multiple-modality exercise (M2) alone.

Methods: Participants (n=127, aged 67.5 [7.3] years, 71% females) were randomized to either M4 or M2 groups. Both groups received multiple-modality exercise intervention (60 min/day, 3 days/week for 24-weeks); however, the M4 group underwent additional 15 min of mind-motor training, whereas the M2 group received 15 min of balance training. Participants …

Do Scapular Kinematics Alter During The Performance Of The Scapular Assistance Test And Scapular Retraction Test: A Pilot Study, W. Ben Kibler, Thomas J. Cunningham, Natalie L. Myers, Timothy L. Uhl

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Objective: To describe to what degree and in what plane biomechanical alterations occur during the performance of the Scapular Retraction test (SRT) and Scapular Assistance Test (SAT).

Design: Laboratory Pilot Study

Participants: Eight symptomatic and 7 asymptomatic subjects were instrumented with electromagnetic sensors.

Main Outcome Measures: The SRT and SAT were performed with the scapula stabilized and unstabilized. The scapular kinematic variables of posterior tilt, internal rotation, upward rotation, protraction, and elevation were measured during both tests.

Results: Descriptive analysis of scapular kinematics suggested that posterior tilt was primarily increased during both clinical tests in both groups. Both groups decreased …

The Effect Of Exercise On Cognitive Function As Measured By Impact Protocol: Aerobic Vs. Anaerobic, John Brutvan Ma, Atc, Kimberly S. Peer Edd, Atc, Fnata, Jacob E. Barkley Phd, Jay Jonas Ms, Atc

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

Background: Exercise has long played a critical role in the recovery from athletic injuries. Of recent, concussion research has escalated creating new insights into the treatment of and rehabilitation from concussion syndromes. As part of the concussion research, multiple uses of the ImPACT tool have evolved to measure cognitive function. However, combining the variables of cognitive improvement as measured by the ImPACT protocol with aerobic and anaerobic exercise has not been investigated. Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to assess the influence of acute bouts of aerobic versus resistance exercise on cognitive function of college-aged participants as measured …