Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

The Effect Of Horseback Riding Activity On The Tibialis Anterior, Vastus Lateralis, And Rectus Abdominis Of A Paraplegic, Laurie A. Price

Masters Theses

Horses are now being used in various programs under various conditions. The use of horses for therapy and recreation for the physically and mentally disabled first began in Germany and Switzerland. The United States now has many schools and different riding programs as well.

Riding seems to be especially beneficial to those with neurological impairments. Treatment of paraplegia is very limited but recreational activities are advancing. The use of the horse is beneficial for paraplegics emotionally as well as physically. Measurements and evaluations of these benefits are lacking. This project analyzes and measures the physical benefits of horseback riding on …

Continuous Passive Motion After Knee Arthroscopy, Lisa Bauman

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of continuous passive motion (CPM) after arthroscopy. A CPM machine was used one hour following knee surgery. Statistical analysis was performed to determine differences in knee range of motion (ROM), strength and circumference, at time intervals preoperatively, one, seven, and twenty-eight days following surgery. The analysis of variance revealed no significant difference between the CPM and control groups for any parameter. A significant interaction effect between treatment and time was demonstrated one day after surgery for extension, joint line circumference, and midthigh circumference; and 28 days after surgery for the …

The Effects Of Added Purpose On Fine Motor Performance In Learning Disabled Children, Sarah Lynn Austin

Masters Theses

The idea that occupations which offer added levels of purpose elicit a high quality of performance is widely accepted within occupational therapy. In this experiment involving fine motor performance, fifty-three learning disabled children were randomly assigned to two groups. It was hypothesized that children cutting out a circle, presented as a wheel which would complete a paper truck, would cut more accurately than those who cut out the same circle without the suggestion of it being used as a wheel. Accuracy was assessed by measuring the area of the children's cutting errors. The experimental design included the use of a …

Leisure Satisfaction Of Alcoholics And Cocaine Addicts, Tamera F. Stanback

Masters Theses

A role for occupational therapists is to help substance abuse clients achieve a healthy balance across occupational performance areas, including leisure. The literature suggests that alcoholics have deficits in leisure, but cocaine addicts have not yet been studied systematically in terms of leisure. This study compared twenty alcoholics from two Midwestern in-patient treatments centers to fourteen unmatched cocaine addicts at the same centers in terms of their leisure satisfaction. Then, nine male subjects from each group were matched in terms of age and family status, and t-test comparisons were made once again. The Leisure Satisfaction Scale was used as a …

Reliability And Validity Of The Body Mechanics Obstacle Course Evaluation, Louise Sinclair-Eastman

Masters Theses

A review of the literature suggests that the way in which an individual performs activities, or body mechanics, can affect the amount of stress placed on the low back. Several clinical programs treat patients with low back pain by teaching proper body mechanics. Although body mechanics obstacle course evaluations are used by occupational therapists to assess patients, there has been no published information regarding the reliability and validity of these evaluations. The purpose of this study was to establish the validity and reliability of one version, the Body Mechanics Obstacle Course (BMOC).

Content validity was established by reviewing the literature …

Muscle Stress And The Use Of Body Mechanics, Kathleen Ann Keeler

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the amount of lower back muscle stress produced during lifting tasks, using variations in weight and postures. Electromyographic activity of the erector spinae muscles at the L4-5 vertebral level was measured.

Thirty healthy female subjects participated in the study. Each subject lifted loads of two given weights using both the stooped and squat lifting postures. Electromyographic activity was recorded and averaged throughout each lift.

Results indicated that increased weight resulted in increased stress on the erector spinae muscles, regardless of posture. The squat lifting posture was found to be more stressful on …

The Purposeful Use Of An Object In The Development Of Skill With A Prosthesis, Hon Keung Yuen

Masters Theses

Theoretically, perceptual information from the interaction with an object and its surfaces (an affordance) facilitates the development of motor skill. This study investigated the use of an affordance in learning control of flexion and extension of an above-elbow training prosthesis. Fifty-two male college students were randomly assigned to two training procedures: two, 1.5-minute periods of a joining dots activity with a flashlight attached to the hook of the prosthesis (affordance group), and practice moving the prosthesis at the elbow joint (no-affordance group) for the same amount of time. To assess generalization of skill to a different task, each subject traced …

The Effects Of Group Incentive Plans On Individual Performance, Karen Geralyn Stoneman

Masters Theses

A simulated work environment was utilized to study the effects of group incentive plans on individual performance on an assembly task. The subjects in the study were college students who worked in groups of a small size, a medium size, or a large size. A reversal design was utilized in which the first condition was an individual incentive condition, the second was a group incentive condition, and the final was the return to an individual incentive condition.

The results showed: (a) individual performance did not significantly change when individuals were switched from an individual to a group incentive plan; (b) …

Congruence Between Type Of Activity And Volition And Its Relationship To Life Satisfaction In Nursing Home Residents, David De Noble

Masters Theses

This study examines the relationship between life satisfaction and the volition subsystem of 32 older adults who reside in nursing homes. Specifically, it attempts to measure congruence or the perception of the individual that the inherent characteristics of an activity "fit" his or her sense of personal causation, values and interests. The study examines the relationship between this congruence and life satisfaction.

Results of the study identified positive correlations between congruence and life satisfaction. Correlations between congruence of volition subsystem components and activity were at a statistically significant level (p <.05) for personal causation, values and total volition. Correlations between congruence of volition subsystem components and some specific activities were also found.

Effect Of Choice Making On A Self-Care Activity In Mentally Retarded Adults And Adolescents, Martin S. Rice

Masters Theses

Of central importance to occupational therapy is the issue of motivation in activity. The purpose of this study was to look at the effects of choice on motivation during an activity undertaken by mentally retarded adults and adolescents. Each subject was given a choice of five wrinkled T-shirts that had sports logos on them. The subject chose one but was then asked to iron the T-shirt before he took it to keep. With counterbalancing for order of presentation, each subject also experienced not having a choice between five T-shirts and then ironing the one given to him. The amount of …

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Balancing Activity And Rest, Lynn A. Lowe

Masters Theses

Fatigue is a major symptom of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), along with joint pain, stiffness and functional impairment. Balancing activity and rest in order to decrease fatigue is frequently mentioned by health professionals as an important strategy in the management of the disease. One hundred and three adult men and women with RA were surveyed via a written questionnaire about their experience of fatigue, four types of rest, employment status, duration of illness, age, sex, and advice about rest. Frequencies related to these variables are reported. Some rest variables were found to be significantly correlated with age and fatigue. No significant …

A Comparison Of An Ideal And A Real Quality Of Work Life Program, Noreen Goldschmidt

Masters Theses

The purposes of this study were to examine the differences between: (a) a real and idealized Quality of Work Life program; (b) individual groups and the idealized Quality of Work Life program, and (c) groups surveyed.

Two departments were surveyed to obtain perceptions of a Quality of Work Life program existing within a utility company located in the state of Michigan.

Percentages were calculated on the Agree and Strongly Agree response alternatives for all items included on the survey. For the three comparisons made the difference in percent was tested at the.05 level of significance. The results indicated that the …

The Effects Of Activity Group Structure On Cohesion, Engagement, And Affective Meanings In Acute-Care Psychiatric Patients, Hope L. Brucki

Masters Theses

Through activity analysis, occupational therapists identify various components of group structure and group processes for use in therapeutic activities. This study compared the effects of individual activity group structure (members engage in individual projects) and common activity group structure (members share a common project) in a sample of 38 acute-care psychiatric patients. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of eight theme-oriented poster-making groups, four for each experimental condition. Cohesion among group members was measured by the Group Environment Scale (GES), engagement was assessed by the Group Climate Questionnaire-Short Form (GCQ-S), and affective meanings were evaluated by Osgood's short-form semantic differential …

Effectiveness Of A Video Recorded Ocean Scene Technique As A Relaxation Therapy, David M. Ford

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a video recorded ocean scene as a relaxation technique by comparing it with an established method, progressive relaxation training (Jacobson, 1938) on their ability to affect the following physiological measurements: systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse, and respiration.

Thirty female elementary school teachers participated in this study and were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: Video Recorded Ocean Scene Group, Progressive Relaxation Training Group, and Self Directed Relaxation Group (used as control). The general protocol for each treatment group consisted of a forty minute session with …

Ipsilateral Electromyographic Activity Of Shoulder Muscles During Unilateral Maximal Resistance Of Grasp In The Prone-On-Elbows Position, Bryan John Wodaski

Masters Theses

This study reports the relationship between electrical output of the deltoid muscle and the pectoral is major muscle (clavicular portion) ipsilaterally, following maximal resistance to grasp of the non-dominant hand while in the prone-on-elbows position. Forty-two normal college students were recruited from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental subjects' shoulder muscles' electrical activity was measured for changes from baseline to maximal contraction during two trials. The control group was measured in the same manner but they were not asked to contract their hand against resistance. For both groups electrical activity was …

Group Structure And Humor, Effects On Group Cohesion And Affective Meaning, Mary Ellen Rus

Masters Theses

The ability to identify therapeutic components of an activity is an important skill of occupational therapists trained in activity analysis. This study examined potentially significant factors in activity analysis: the use of humor and group structure. Four groups (two with a parallel structure and two with a project structure) participated in a hat making activity designed to elicit humor. Four groups (two with a parallel structure and two with a project structure) participated in a bookmark making activity. Subjects' affective responses were measured by Osgood's short-form semantic differential, and the cohesion among group members was assessed by the Group Environmental …

Attendant Care And Occupational Therapy, Barbara Barrett Lucas

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the current status and future potential of the relationship between attendant care and occupational therapy. Survey results showed that a large number of occupational therapists and in independent living centers, and that there is potential for an increase of occupational therapy involvement in attendant care.

Interest And Pupil Dilation: A Print Advertising Pre-Test, Roy Douglas Adler

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Areas Of Knowledge And Skills Essential To Occupational Therapists In Clinical Psychiatry --A Critical Study Of 395 Performance Examples, Elizabeth A. Boles

Masters Theses

Introduction

Occupational therapy, an allied medical discipline, has experienced rapid growth in the slightly more than forty years of its existence. The impetus given to this field through the training of World War I reconstruction aides, the forerunners of professional occupational therapists, has been described by Willard and Spackman.¹ These authors state that the inauguration of the first collegiate training program took place at Milwaukee Downer College in 1913. By 1921 a national professional organization had been formed,² and by 1938 four schools of occupational therapy had been accredited, based on standards set up by the American Medical …