Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

The Effectiveness Of Cervical Traction And Exercise In Decreasing Neck And Arm Pain For Patients With Cervical Radiculopathy: A Critically Appraised Topic, Shelby Baez, Johanna M. Hoch, Timothy L. Uhl

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Clinical Question:

Is there evidence to suggest intermittent cervical traction with cervical and scapular strengthening exercises is more effective in decreasing neck and arm pain when compared with cervical and scapular strengthening exercises alone in nonoperative patients with cervical radiculopathy?

Clinical Bottom Line:

There is currently inconsistent, high-quality evidence that suggests that the use of intermittent cervical traction in addition to strengthening exercises is more effective at decreasing pain in nonoperative patients with cervical radiculopathy when compared with strengthening alone. Future research should continue to examine long-term outcomes associated with cervical radiculopathy patients who use intermittent cervical traction as an …

Reliability And Validity Of A Biomechanically Based Analysis Method For The Tennis Serve, Natalie L. Myers, W. Ben Kibler, Leah Lamborn, Belinda J. Smith, Tony English, Cale A. Jacobs, Timothy L. Uhl

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Background: An observational tennis serve analysis (OTSA) tool was developed using previously established body positions from three-dimensional kinematic motion analysis studies. These positions, defined as nodes, have been associated with efficient force production and minimal joint loading. However, the tool has yet to be examined scientifically.

Purpose: The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine the inter-observer reliability for each node between two health care professionals (HCPs) that developed the OTSA, and secondarily to investigate the validity of the OTSA.

Methods: Two separate studies were performed to meet these objectives. An inter-observer reliability study preceded the …

Prediction Of Acute And Recurrent Ankle Sprains In Athletes, Ryan S. Mccann

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Ankle sprains are not only among the most common sport-related injuries, but also associated with a high rate of recurrence. While prevention is a favorable approach to reducing the incidence of index and recurrent ankle sprains, identifying individuals at greater risk may improve allocation of preventative resources. This dissertation aimed to accomplish the following through three aims: 1) determine the ability of baseline clinical tests to predict acute lateral ankle sprain (LAS) in an understudied athletic population, 2) describe the degree of residual impairments and activity limitations in athletes returning to play from a LAS, and 3) determine the ability …

The Effect Of One-On-One Intervention In Athletes With Multiple Risk Factors For Injury, Kathryn Schwartzkopf-Phifer

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Background: Lower extremity (LE) musculoskeletal injuries in soccer players are extremely common. These injuries can result in many days of lost time in competition, severely impacting players and their respective teams. Implementation of group injury prevention programs has gained popularity due to time and cost-effectiveness. Though participation in group injury prevention programs has been successful at reducing injuries, programs often target a single injury and all players do not benefit from participation. Players with a greater number of risk factors are most likely to sustain an injury, and unfortunately, less likely to benefit from a group injury prevention program. …

Chronic Ankle Instability And Aging, Kyle B. Kosik

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Lateral ankle sprains are the most common musculoskeletal injury among the general population and U.S. military personnel. Despite the common perception of being a minor injury, at least 1 out of 3 individuals with a previous ankle sprain will develop chronic ankle instability (CAI). This clinical phenomenon creates a significant barrier for patients to return to their prior level of physical function. Specifically, CAI is associated with reductions in physical activity level, leading to decreases in lower health-related quality of life and increase risk of developing of post-traumatic ankle osteoarthritis. Current evidence has largely focused on characterizing the mechanical and …