Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Impact Of Afo (Ankle Foot Orthosis) Design On Calf Circumference, Robert H. Meier, David C. Ruthsatz, Daniel Cipriani

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Preliminary research suggests the use of a kinetic return ankle foot orthosis is associated with small but significant shortterm increases in calf circumference, which in turn suggests this type of device might reduce or protect against the risk of disuse muscle atrophy.

The Influence Of Hip Strength On Lower-Limb, Pelvis, And Trunk Kinematics And Coordination Patterns During Walking And Hopping In Healthy Women, Jo Armour Smith, John M. Popovich, Kornelia Kulig

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Study Design

Cross-sectional laboratory study.

Objectives

To compare peak lower-limb, pelvis, and trunk kinematics and interjoint and intersegmental coordination in women with strong and weak hip muscle performance.

Background

Persons with lower extremity musculoskeletal disorders often demonstrate a combination of weak hip musculature and altered kinematics during weight-bearing dynamic tasks. However, the association between hip strength and kinematics independent of pathology or pain is unclear.

Methods

Peak hip extensor and abductor torques were measured in 150 healthy young women. Of these, 10 fit the criteria for the strong group and 9 for the weak group, representing those with the strongest …

Clinical Reasoning In First- And Third-Year Physical Therapist Students, Sarah Gilliland

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Background and Purpose. The development of clinical reasoning skills is a crucial component of professional physical therapist education. Prior research has described reasoning patterns in novice and expert practitioners, yet little is known about how professional physical therapist (PT) students develop clinical reasoning skills. The purpose of this study was to explore how first-year PT students perform clinical reasoning in comparison to third year PT students in their final semester.

Subjects. A simple random sample of 6 first-year (mean age 23.1 years) and 6 third-year (mean age 27 years) Doctor of Physical Therapy students were recruited.

Methods. …

Trunk Coordination In Dancers And Non-Dancers, Danielle N. Jarvis, Jo Armour Smith, Kornelia Kulig

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Variability, or how a task changes across trials, may reveal differences between athletes of differing skill levels. The purpose of this study was to examine trunk and lower extremity (LE) single joint kinematic variability and inter-segmental coordination variability in dancers and non-dancers during bipedal vertical dance jumps (sautés). Twenty healthy females, ten with no formal dance training and ten professional dancers, performed 20 consecutive sautés. Single joint kinematic variability was assessed using mean standard deviation of angular displacement, and inter-segmental coordination variability was assessed using angular deviation of the coupling angle between segments. Within the context of the standard error …

Agreement In Gait Speed From Smartphone And Stopwatch For Five Meter Walk In Laboratory And Clinical Environments, Rahul Soangra, Thurmon E. Lockhart

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Gait speed is suggested as an independent predictor of post-operative morbidity and mortality in elderly cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients. Society of thoracic surgeons has recently classified gait speed as the only important indicator of health for CVD patients. It has been seen that patients with slow gait speed above 70 years of age, taking more than 6 seconds to walk 5 meters are particularly at high risk for adverse outcomes. Twelve young participants walked in their self-selected, slow and fast speed with five reflective markers at sternum and heels and toes of both feet in laboratory environment. A smartphone was …

Data Note: Are Young Adults With Intellectual Disabilities Getting Work Experiences From Participating In The Vocational Rehabilitation Program?, Alberto Migliore, Jean Winsor

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

To learn about whether young adults with intellectual disabilities in the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program are getting work experience, we examined the age at application of people with intellectual disabilities who exited the VR program in 2012.

Data Note: Vocational Rehabilitation Closure Trends For Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities: A Snapshot Of Five U.S. Territories, Jean Winsor, Daria Domin

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Beginning in FY2013, the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities requested that each Project of National Significance include the five primary territories of the United States in data collection and analysis efforts. The five territories included in this analysis are American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the United States.

Service Provider Promising Practice - Via Of The Lehigh Valley (Pennsylvania): Partnership With Local Schools To Provide Customized Employment, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Via of the Lehigh Valley is a CRP headquartered in Bethlehem, PA. Since 2008, Via and local high schools have provided customized employment services so that transition-age students graduate into well-matched, meaningful careers. Via’s transition program is supported by funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The energy of students and their families has also driven the search for innovative employment services. Via’s work with schools began with hosting weekend trainings for families, sponsored by the Pennsylvania DD Council. Families learned systems navigation and advocacy skills, and followed up with special education directors at their children’s high schools to advocate …

Service Provider Promising Practice - Able Opportunities And The Work Independence Network (Washington): Creating An Individual Placement Model Focusing On The Needs Of Both Job Seekers And Employers, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Able Opportunities is a certified vendor for the state of Washington’s Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Developmental Disabilities Administration, Division of Developmental Disability, and Department of Labor and Industry. The Work Independence Network (WIN) began in 2005 as a partnership between Able Opportunities, Harrison Medical Center, and Kitsap County Developmental Disabilities to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) find jobs. Through WIN, Able Opportunities strives to meet the needs of both job seekers and employers through the use of innovative business model tools, including cost-benefit analysis and production charts. WIN’s goal is to help people with disabilities find meaningful …

Potential For Using Smartphone Accelerometers In Non-Laboratory Environments, Rahul Soangra, Thurmon Lockhart, Christopher W. Frames, Jian Zhang, Seong Hyun Moon, Jongsoon Park

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

In recent years, there has been rising interest in using accelerometers as an alternative instrument to measure the center of pressure. Accelerometers are inexpensive, small, sensitive, and can be readily used in non-laboratory environments. In addition to this, smartphones with built-in accelerometers add to their capability with real-time processing of data from sensors. Clinicians and researchers are currently in disagreement from whether these measurements provide the same physiological information about the participant’s balance. In this study, twelve participants were asked to wear smartphone on their right ASIS using a belt clip and stand still on the forceplate. The data was …

The Helminthological Society Of Washington 2013 Anniversary Award: Larry S. Roberts, Sherman S. Hendrix

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Dr. Roberts was born in the great state of Texas, and much of his early life is murky, but snakes are often mentioned. Larry received his Bachelor’s degree at Southern Methodist University; his Master of Science at the University of Illinois; and his Doctorate in the Department of Pathobiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. Larry’s doctoral research, published in Experimental Parasitology, documented the early development and crowding effect of the tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, in the rat small intestine. His publication on this subject opened the door to the golden age of cestode physiology and biochemistry …

Can Helmet Design Reduce The Risk Of Concussion In Football?, Steven Rowson, Stefan M. Duma, Richard M. Greenwald, Jonathan Beckwith, Jeffrey J. Chu, Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Jason P. Mihalik, Joe Crisco, Bethany J. Wilcox, Thomas W. Mcallister, Arthur C. Maerlender, Steven P. Broglio, Brock Schnebel, Scott Anderson, P. Gunnar Brolinson

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Of all sports, football accounts for the highest incidence of concussion in the US due to the large number of athletes participating and the nature of the sport. While there is general agreement that concussion incidence can be reduced through rule changes and teaching proper tackling technique, there remains debate as to whether helmet design may also reduce the incidence of concussion. A retrospective analysis was performed of head impact data collected from 1833 collegiate football players who were instrumented with helmet-mounted accelerometer arrays for games and practices. Data were collected between 2005 and 2010 from 8 collegiate football teams: …

Winning And Losing: Differences In Reward And Punishment Sensitivity Between Smokers And Nonsmokers, Laura E. Martin, Lisa S. Cox, William M. Brooks, Cary R. Savage

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Smokers show increased brain activation in reward processing regions in response to smoking-related cues, yet few studies have examined secondary rewards not associated with smoking (i.e., money). Inconsistencies exist in the studies that do examine secondary rewards with some studies showing increased brain activation in reward processing brain regions, while others show decreased activation or no difference in activation between smokers and nonsmokers. Aims: The goal of the current study is to see if smokers process the evaluation and delivery of equally salient real world rewards similarly or differently than nonsmokers. Methods: The current study employed functional magnetic resonance …

Developing Bilateral And Spatial Concepts In Primary School-Aged Children: An Empirical Evaluation Of The Anker Bilateral Spatial System, Janet Richmond Dr, M Taylor Dr, S Evans

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Visual-spatial and visual-motor perceptual difficulties contribute to school-aged learning problems. Hence, a need exists to address children’s visual-spatial and visual-motor perceptual difficulties as early as possible in the child’s school career. Thus, this study reports on the evaluation of the Anker Bilateral Spatial System’s (ABSS) effectiveness in remediating primary school children’s perceptual difficulties.

Method: Thirty-one children (17 boys and 14 girls) aged 6 to 12 years who had been identified by their classroom teacher as having observable visual-spatial and visual-motor perceptual difficulties participated in a 10-week pre/posttest intervention study. The study’s pre/posttest assessments included the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor …

Effect Of An Herbal/Botanical Supplement On Recovery From Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: A Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial, Corey A. Rynders, Judy Y. Weltman, Sara D. Rynders, James Patrie, John Mcknight, Frank I. Katch, Jay Hertel, Arthur Weltman

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Faculty Publications

Background: We examined the effects of a proprietary herbal/botanical supplement (StemSport, Stemtech, San Clemente, CA.) suggested to increase circulating stem cells, decrease inflammation, and attenuate exercise induced muscle damage on recovery from delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

Methods: Sixteen subjects (male = 7, female = 9; age 23.8 ± 10 years; height 171.9 ± 10 cm, mass 72.2 ± 15 kg) were randomized in a crossover, double-blind, placebo controlled trial to receive a placebo or StemSport supplement (6150 mg/day) for 14 days. DOMS was induced on day 7 for both placebo and active conditions in the non-dominant elbow flexor group …

Effectiveness Of Diathermy In Comparison With Ultrasound Or Corticosteroids In Patients With Tendinopathy: A Critically Appraised Topic, Philip A. Szlosek, John Taggart, Julie M. Cavallario, Johanna M. Hoch

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Faculty Publications

Clinical Scenario: Many therapeutic modalities have been used to treat the pain and inflammation commonly associated with tendinopathies. One modality that has been used to treat patients with tendinopathies is diathermy. Focused Clinical Question: Is there evidence to suggest that diathermy is more or equally as effective at reducing pain in patients with tendinopathy when compared with ultrasound or corticosteroid treatments? Summary of Search, "Best Evidence" Appraised, and Key Findings: The literature was searched for randomized control trials (RCTs) that investigated the effects of diathermy treatments in comparison with ultrasound or corticosteroid treatments on pain in patients with tendinopathy. Three …

Appalachian And Pacific Crest Trail Hikers: A Comparison Of Benefits And Motivations, Eddie Hill, Edwin Gómez, Marni Goldenberg, Barbara Freidt, Stephanie Fellows, Laura Hill

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Faculty Publications

The Appalachian Trail (AT) and Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) are two scenic trails named in the National Trails System Act of 1968. Recently, trails and footpaths have been used to promote such benefits as healthy lifestyles, sense of community, and an increased quality of life. The purpose of this study was to compare the motivations and benefits from hikers of the AT and the PCT. Grounded in Driver’s benefits model and means-end theory, and using an Internet questionnaire, 766 usable questionnaires were collected. Significant differences were found between AT and PCT users who: hike to prevent a worse health condition; …

Measuring The Effectiveness Of The Leave No Trace Peak Program, Jennifer Miller, Eddie Hill, Amy Shellman, Ron Ramsing, Ben Lawhon

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Faculty Publications

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics developed the Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids (PEAK) program to teach children the seven Leave No Trace principles. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the PEAK program. A significant increase was found between the pre-test (M = 3.41, SD = .34) and the post-test (M = 3.61, SD = .36) with the post-test scores being significantly higher, F(1, 140) = 11.15, p<.01. No significant difference was found between the pre-test (M = 3.48, SD = .35), post-test (M = 3.63, SD = .35), and 8-month post-test (M = 3.38, SD = .41). The 8-month post-test indicated a drop in scores, though not statistically significant, below the pre-test. Results supported the PEAK program’s effectiveness, in the short-term, in teaching children the Leave No Trace principles. However, longer-term retention was not supported.

Anomia Treatment Platform As Behavioral Engine For Use In Research On Physiological Adjuvants To Neurorehabilitation, Diane Kendall, Anastasia Raymer, Miranda Rose, Joellen Gilbert, Leslie J. Gonzalez Rothi

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to create a "behavioral treatment engine" for future use in research on physiological adjuvants in aphasia rehabilitation. We chose the behavioral target anomia, which is a feature displayed by many persons who have aphasia. Further, we wished to saturate the treatment approach with many strategies and cues that have been empirically reported to have a positive influence on aphasia outcome, with the goal being to optimize the potential for positive response in most participants. A single-subject multiple baseline design with replication across eight participants was employed. Four men and four women, with an average …

An Evidence-Based Practice Educational Intervention For Athletic Trainers: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Cailee E. Welch, Bonnie L. Van Lunen, Dorice A. Hankemeier

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context: As evidence-based practice (EBP) becomes a necessity in athletic training, Web-based modules have been developed and made available to the National Athletic Trainers' Association membership as a mechanism to educate athletic trainers (ATs) on concepts of EBP.

Objective: To assess the effect of an educational intervention on enhancing knowledge of EBP among ATs.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Web-based modules and knowledge assessment.

Patients or Other Participants: A total of 164 of 473 ATs (34.7% response rate), including professional athletic training students, graduate students, clinical preceptors, educators, and clinicians, were randomized into a control group (40 men, 42 women) …

Health-Related Quality Of Life In Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability, Megan N. Houston, Bonnie L. Van Lunen, Matthew C. Hoch

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context: Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) have reported decreased global and regional function. Despite the identification of functional deficits in those with CAI, more research is required to determine the extent to which CAI influences the multidimensional profile of health-related quality of life.

Objective: To determine whether global, regional, and psychological health-related outcomes differ between individuals with and without CAI.

Design: Case-control study.

Setting: Laboratory.

Patients or Other Participants: Twenty-five participants with CAI (age = 21.9 ± 2.5 years, height = 170.8 ± 8.6 cm, mass = 69.8.0 ± 11.7 kg) were sex- and limb-matched to 25 healthy participants …

Differences In Symptoms Among Adults With Canal Versus Otolith Vestibular Dysfunction: A Preliminary Report, Lisa Farrell, Rose Marie Rine

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

Despite the importance of symptomatology in the diagnosis of vestibular dysfunction, the qualitative nature of the symptoms related to semicircular canal (canal) versus otolith dysfunction is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to compare symptoms, and their severity, in individuals with canal versus otolith peripheral vestibular dysfunction. A subjective tool, the Descriptive Symptom Index (DSI), was developed to enable categorization of symptoms as rotary, linear, imbalance or falls, and nondistinct. Fourteen adults were recruited and grouped based on vestibular function testing: canal only dysfunction, otolith only dysfunction, or canal and otolith dysfunction. Also, the Dizziness Handicap Inventory …

A Randomized Clinical Trial On The Effects Of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy, Joint Mobilizations And Exercise On Plantar Heel Pain In Patients With Plantar Fasciitis, Paolo Sanzo, Elizabeth Oakley

Faculty Publications

Plantar fasciitis (PF) is the most common cause of heel pain today impacting on the patient’s walking ability, work tolerance, and ability to participate in active sport. Two million people in the United States (US) are treated for PF yearly with heel pain accounting for 11 to 15% of visits to medical professionals. It is estimated that 10% of the US population will develop PF during their lifetime. Treatment for PF may include a variety of interventions ranging from conservative treatment to surgical interventions. One of the suggested treatments for PF is the use of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ECSWT). ECSWT …