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Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons

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Physical Therapy

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

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Full-Text Articles in Rehabilitation and Therapy

Effect Of Whole-Body Vibration On Center-Of-Mass Movement During Standing In Children And Young Adults, Huaqing Liang, Matthew Beerse, Xiang Ke, Jianhua Wu May 2017

Effect Of Whole-Body Vibration On Center-Of-Mass Movement During Standing In Children And Young Adults, Huaqing Liang, Matthew Beerse, Xiang Ke, Jianhua Wu

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

Whole body vibration (WBV) can affect postural control and muscular activation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the center-of-mass (COM) movement of children and young adults before, during, immediately after, and 5min after 40-s WBV in quiet standing. Fourteen young adults (mean age 24.5 years) and fourteen children (mean age 8.1 years) participated in the study. A full-body 35-marker set was placed on the participants and used to calculate COM. Forty-second standing trials were collected before, during, immediately after, and 5min after WBV with an frequency of 28Hz and an amplitude of <1mm. Two visual conditions were provided: eyes-open (EO) and eyes-closed (EC). COM variables included time-domain measures (average velocity, range, sway area and fractal dimension), frequency-domain measures (total power and median frequency), and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) scaling exponent in both anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) directions. Results show that during WBV both children and adults increased average velocity and median frequency, but decreased range and the DFA scaling exponent. Immediately after WBV both groups increased the range, but showed pre-vibration values for most of the COM variables. Comparing to adults, children displayed a higher COM velocity, range, fractal dimension, and total power, but a lower DFA scaling exponent at all phases. The results suggest that both children and adults can quickly adapt their postural control system to WBV and maintain balance during and after vibration. Children display some adult-like postural control during and after WBV; however, their postural development continues into adolescence.


Use Of Item Response Analysis To Investigate Measurement Properties And Clinical Validity Of Data For The Dynamic Gait Index, Yi-Po Chiu, Stacy L. Fritz, Kathye E. Light, Craig A. Velozo Jun 2006

Use Of Item Response Analysis To Investigate Measurement Properties And Clinical Validity Of Data For The Dynamic Gait Index, Yi-Po Chiu, Stacy L. Fritz, Kathye E. Light, Craig A. Velozo

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

Background and Purpose. The Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) is a standardized clinical assessment that aids in evaluating a subject’s ability to modify gait in response to changing demands. The purpose of this study was to use Rasch measurement theory to examine whether the DGI rating scale meets suggested psychometric guidelines, whether the hierarchical order of DGI tasks is consistent with a clinically logical testing procedure, and whether the DGI represents a unidimensional construct. Subjects. Subjects were 84 community-dwelling male veterans (age range=64–88 years; mean±SD=75±6.47 years). Methods. Data were retrieved retrospectively from the participants’ clinical records. The Rasch measurement model with …