Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Walking With Poles Improves Step Length Of Simulated Prosthetic Gait, Marissa Elquist, Daniel Perez, Jonathan Garcia, Brady Owens

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Individuals with lower limb loss often demonstrate gait deviations which cause instability and asymmetry. Walking with poles has been shown to improve stride length and stability in older adult and other patient populations. The enhanced arm involvement in bipedal walking with poles has the potential to facilitate interlimb coordination among arms and legs, and therefore is likely to improve prosthetic gait. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of walking poles on temporal gait parameters and the center of mass (COM) displacement during prosthetic and simulated prosthetic gait. It was hypothesized that walking with poles would improve …

Effects Of Altered Somatosensory Input On Lower Limb Mechanics Via Different Shoes And Barefoot Walking In Individuals With Chronic Post-Stroke Hemiparesis, Aaron Abraham Simon, Jynelle Marie Guerrero Arches, Megan Leigh Keohane, Wee Jin Jed Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

[Purpose/Hypothesis] Stroke is a leading cause of disability that results in various neurological deficits. Stroke can cause impaired somatosensory input, which results in decreased balance and gait speed, ultimately increasing fall risks. Therapies to increase somatosensory input have shown promise for people with stroke as well as other neurological populations. However, few studies have systematically investigated varying somatosensory input via different footwear to improve walking in people post-stroke. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of altering somatosensory input via different types of footwear (i.e., barefoot, self-selected shoes, and memory foam shoes) on gait kinetics and ankle …

Effects Of Bimodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation On Modulation Of Spinal Circuitry In People With Chronic Post-Stroke Hemiparesis, John Patrick Gan, Rafael Cabrera, Lana Laudermilch, Benjamin Wolkenhauer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Stroke can lead to gait abnormalities such as foot drop. Foot drop can result from decreased corticospinal tract input to the ankle dorsiflexors and/or from exaggerated stretch reflexes on the soleus due to reduced reciprocal inhibition from spinal reflex pathways. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) attempts to modulate corticospinal tract input and spinal reflex pathways by delivering electrical signals to parts of the brain. The degree of neuromodulation from tDCS can be measured through the Hoffman Reflex (H-reflex)—a tool used to estimate alpha motor neuron excitability which is increased in individuals post-stroke. Purpose: The primary purpose of this study …

The Effects Of Somatosensory Input On Gait In Individuals Post-Stroke, Victor Hung, Amanda Reilly, Rachel Wood, Nikita Yuskov

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background and Purpose: Stroke is a leading cause of disability that results in various neurological deficits, one of which is hemiplegia. This deficit alters the gait cycle, resulting in decreased propulsion force by plantar flexor muscles, decreased activation of dorsiflexor (DF) muscles, and increased coactivation of antagonistic ankle muscles. Stroke also leads to altered somatosensory input which results in decreased balance and gait speed, ultimately increasing fall risk. Therapies targeting increased somatosensory input have been shown to be beneficial in stroke as well as other neurological populations. However, no known studies have investigated the acute effects of local vibration to …

Can A Prescribed Walking Program With Or Without Monitoring Impact Dizziness In The Older Adults? A Pilot Study, Amie Marie Jasper

Department of Physical Therapy Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background. Dizziness, a common complaint among older adults, is associated with multiple falls, loss of function and independence, and reduced balance confidence. The Clinical Practice Guideline for Peripheral Vestibular Hypofunction recommends walking for endurance as a component of vestibular rehabilitation (VR). However, studies on VR in the olderadults do not include walking in the intervention.

Research Design: 1) A pragmatic, randomized, experimental design to evaluate the impact of walking on vestibular outcomes, length of stay, and number of visits, and to examine whether pedometers increase the adherence of older adults with vestibular issues to a walking program; 2) a descriptive …

The Effects Of External Focus Of Attention Exercise Rehabilitation On Dual Task Walking In Parkinson's Disease, Eric N. Beck

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Parkinson’s disease impairs control of well-learned movements, and therefore, individuals with Parkinson’s disease are forced to walk with greater conscious control. This causes difficulties while walking and completing a secondary task simultaneously (dual tasking), in that distractions from conscious control of walking increase the risk of falls and injury. Although, attention-based exercise may be a potential avenue to decrease the demands associated with walking in Parkinson’s disease. For example, an external focus of attention (on manipulated objects) has been found to recruit the networks that are important for walking with little conscious control (automatic control networks). In contrast, an internal …

Comparing Functional Motor Control And Gait Parameters In Children With Autism To Those Of Age-Matched Peers Who Are Typically Developing, Patricia Stevenson, Samantha Novotny, Jillian May, Christopher Ancell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to compare motor performance of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to that of age-matched peers who are typically developing (TD) on motor control tasks plus symmetry and variability of gait parameters across four walking conditions. A sample of convenience of children with ASD (n=6) and peers who are TD (n=6) were recruited. Motor control was assessed using initiation and completion times on the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Gait parameters were collected using a computerized walkway under four trial conditions: 1) walking at self-selected velocity (SSV); 2) walking during a tray-carrying task …

Motion Analysis And Electromyographic Analysis Of Ambulation With Assistive Devices, Tracy Foltz, Danielle Jwanouskos, Steven Pederson

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the amount of muscle activity of the rectus abdominis and external obliques during the gait cycle with the use of forearm crutches and three different weight bearing statuses. Subjects: Seven female adults were recruited from the University of North Dakota Physical Therapy program. Inclusion criteria: between the ages of 19 and 40 years of age, current physical therapy students, and healthy with no current upper or lower extremity injuries.

Instrumentation: The EMG data was collected by the Noraxon Telemyo 900 telemetry unit and analyzed using the MyoResearch XP software. Six Vicon …

An Electromyographic And Motion Analysis Of Forward And Backward Walking, Sarah Dekrey, Lori Guderian, Kerry Hendricksen, Glenda Scott

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Backward walking is a common intervention in the rehabilitation of lower extremity injuries. Despite its popularity, there is limited research available on the EMG activity during backward walking at an incline when compared to forward walking. In this study, we recorded EMG activity in four muscles of the lower extremity and utilized motion analysis to evaluate the knee range of motion when walking forward and backward on a treadmill at 0 and 15 percent grade inclines.

Overall, our results indicated a greater increase in muscle activity during backward walking than forward walking. Walking backward at a 15 percent grade incline …

An Electromyographic Analysis Study Of Forward And Backward Walking, Heidi Schwartz

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Backward walking, a closed kinetic chain exercise, has become an increasingly popular intervention following lower extremity injuries secondary to suggested increases in muscle activity. Despite its use, there is limited research available relative to walking at inclines, forwards or backwards above 24 and 15 percent respectively. For this study we recorded EMG activity in six muscles while walking forward and backward on a treadmill at 0, 25, and 35 percent inclinations.

In general, our results indicated a greater increase in muscle activity during BW than FW. BW at 35 percent inclination elicited the greatest EMG increase within the rectus femoris …

An Electromyographic Analysis Study Of Forward And Backward Walking, Carrie M. Voeller

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Backward walking, a closed kinetic chain exercise, has become an increasingly popular intervention following lower extremity injuries secondary to suggested increases in muscle activity. Despite its use, there is limited research available relative to walking at inclines, forward or backward, above 24 and 15 percent respectively. For this study we recorded EMG activity in six muscles while walking forward and backward on a treadmill at 0,25, and 35 percent inclinations.

In general, our results indicated a greater increase in muscle activity during BW than FW. BW at 35 percent inclination elicited the greatest EMG increase within the rectus femoris (47%), …

An Electromyographic Analysis Study Of Forward And Backward Walking, Elizabeth Frye

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Backward walking, a closed kinetic chain exercise, has become an increasingly popular intervention following lower extremity injuries secondary to suggested increases in muscle activity. Despite its use, there is limited research available relative to walking at inclines, forward or backward, above 24 and 15 percent respectively. For this study we recorded EMG activity in six muscles while walking forward and backward on a treadmill at 0, 25, and 35 percent inclinations.

In general, our results indicated a greater increase in muscle activity during BW than FW. BW at 35 percent inclination elicited the greatest EMG increase within the rectus femoris …

An Electromyographic Analysis Study Of Forward And Backward Walking, Jennifer C. Coauette

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Backward walking, a closed kinetic chain exercise, has become an increasingly popular intervention following lower extremity injuries secondary to suggested increases in muscle activity. Despite its use, there is limited research available relative to walking at inclines, forwards or backwards above 24 and 15 percent respectively. For this study we recorded EMG activity in six muscles while walking forward and backward on a treadmill at 0, 25, and 35 percent inclinations.

In general, our results indicated a greater increase in muscle activity during BW than FW. BW at 35 percent inclination elicited the greatest EMG increase within the rectus femoris …

An Electromyographic Study Of Backward Walking In Normals And In Subjects Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair, Matthew Johnson

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Physical therapy strives to incorporate innovative and efficient protocols for rehabilitation of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgeries. Research supports the benefits of closed kinetic chain exercises (distal segment of extremity is fixed) over the traditional open kinetic chain exercises (distal segment not fixed). It is theorized that backward walking on inclined surfaces will recruit the knee musculature to a greater extent than forward walking, but there is little research to support this theory. The purpose of this study was to utilize electromyography during treadmill walking to analyze the muscle activity in the lower extremity of individuals were normal and who …

An Electromyographic Study Of Forward And Backward Walking In Normals And In Subjects Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair, Christopher C. Kraemer

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Physical therapy strives to incorporate innovative and efficient protocols for rehabilitation of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgeries. Research supports the benefits of closed kinetic chain exercises (distal segment of extremity is fixed) over the traditional open kinetic chain exercises (distal segment not fixed). It is theorized that backward walking on inclined surfaces will recruit the knee musculature to a greater extent than forward walking, but there is little research to support this theory. The purpose of this study was to utilize electromyography during treadmill walking to analyze the muscle activity in the lower extremity of individuals were normal and who …

The Effect Of Backward Treadmill Walking On Lower Extremity Kinetics, Scott Billing

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Many physical therapy diagnoses require minimal anterior loading of the knee in their rehabilitation protocols. These include, but are not limited to, tibial plateau fractures, patellofemoral pain, patellar fractures, quadriceps tendinitis, and status post anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. In the clinical setting, backward walking (BW), or "retro-walking," is often used during the rehabilitation of such diagnoses. We propose backward walking will initiate greater hamstring recruitment due to the kinematics and kinetics of this gait pattern and thereby result in less anterior knee stress. It is the purpose of this research project to determine if hamstring recruitment can increase in a …