Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Greater Number Of Weekly Stairs Climbed Is Associated With Lower Low Back Pain Prevalence Among Female But Not Male Physical Therapists, Amy H. Amabile, Sharon L. Larson, Lisa T. Hoglund, John P. Guarnieri, Maureen Mcdonald, Madeline R. Reich

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Certain cardiovascular health benefits of stair climbing are now widely accepted, but no prior studies have as yet been found linking the quantity of stairs climbed to low back pain (LBP) morbidity. Low back pain is a common musculoskeletal impairment, and research has begun to show an association between LBP and gluteus maximus (GM) weakness. With stair climbing being the activity which most activates GM, the aim of the present research was to assess the relationship between stair ambulation and LBP prevalence. The hypothesis of this cross-sectional study was that individuals with LBP would report a significantly lower numbers …

Apoe4, Age, And Sex Regulate Respiratory Plasticity Elicited By Acute Intermittent Hypercapnic-Hypoxia, Jayakrishnan Nair, Joseph F. Welch, Alexandria B. Marciante, Tingting Hou, Qing Lu, Emily J. Fox, Gordon S. Mitchell

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

Rational

Acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH) shows promise for enhancing motor recovery in chronic spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. However, human trials of AIH have reported significant variability in individual responses.

Objectives

Identify individual factors (eg, genetics, age, and sex) that determine response magnitude of healthy adults to an optimized AIH protocol, acute intermittent hypercapnic-hypoxia (AIHH).

Methods

In 17 healthy individuals (age = 27 ± 5 yr), associations between individual factors and changes in the magnitude of AIHH (15, 1-min O2 = 9.5%, CO2 = 5% episodes) induced changes in diaphragm motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitude and inspiratory mouth occlusion pressures …

Physiological Factors Of Female Runners With And Without Stress Fracture Histories: A Pilot Study., Therese E Johnston, Colleen Dempsey, Frances Gilman, Ryan Tomlinson, Ann-Katrin Jacketti, Jeremy Close

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Female runners are at increased risk of stress fractures (SFs) compared with men. Literature is lacking with regard to best practice for preventing and treating SFs in women. The purpose of the study was to compare physiological measures and running-related factors between women of various ages and running abilities with and without a history of running-related SFs.

HYPOTHESIS: Women with and without SF histories will differ with regard to medical and menstrual history, bone health, body composition, nutrition, and running history.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 2.

METHODS: A total of 20 female runners with …

Perceptions Of Risk For Stress Fractures: A Qualitative Study Of Female Runners With And Without Stress Fracture Histories., Therese E Johnston, Jeremy Close, Phil Jamora, Susan F Wainwright

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: To gain insight into perceived factors related to bone health and stress fracture (SF) prevention for female runners and to understand their experiences within the medical community.

DESIGN: Cohort qualitative study.

SETTING: University health system.

PARTICIPANTS: Forty female runners, 20 who had SF histories and 20 age-and-running-distance matched women without SF.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Women participated in audiotaped qualitative semi-structured interviews. For women with a SF history, questions sought their perspectives on factors that they felt contributed to SF, experiences with the medical community, and changes made post SF. For women without a SF history, questions sought perspectives on …

Trunk Motion Visual Feedback During Walking Improves Dynamic Balance In Older Adults: Assessor Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial., Eric Anson, Lei Ma, Tippawan Meetam, Elizabeth Thompson, Roshita Rathore, Victoria Dean, John Jeka

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Virtual reality and augmented feedback have become more prevalent as training methods to improve balance. Few reports exist on the benefits of providing trunk motion visual feedback (VFB) during treadmill walking, and most of those reports only describe within session changes.

RESEARCH QUESTION: To determine whether trunk motion VFB treadmill walking would improve over-ground balance for older adults with self-reported balance problems.

METHODS: 40 adults (75.8 years (SD 6.5)) with self-reported balance difficulties or a history of falling were randomized to a control or experimental group. Everyone walked on a treadmill at a comfortable speed 3×/week for 4 weeks …

Locomotor Adaptation Is Influenced By The Interaction Between Perturbation And Baseline Asymmetry After Stroke., Christine M. Tyrell, Erin Helm, Darcy S. Reisman

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

Stroke survivors without cerebellar involvement retain the ability to adapt to the split-belt treadmill; however it has been suggested that their rate of adaptation may be slowed compared to those who are neurologically intact. Depending on limb placement, the split-belt treadmill can be configured to either exaggerate baseline asymmetry, or reduce it, which may affect the behavior of adaptation or de-adaptation. The objectives of this study were to characterize the rate and magnitude of locomotor (de)adaptation in chronic stroke survivors compared to healthy matched subjects, and to evaluate whether exaggeration or reduction of baseline asymmetry impact the responses. Seventeen stroke …

The Graded Redefined Assessment Of Strength Sensibility And Prehension: Reliability And Validity., Sukhvinder Kalsi-Ryan, Dorcas Beaton, Armin Curt, Susan Duff, Milos R Popovic, Claudia Rudhe, Michael G Fehlings, Mary C Verrier

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

Abstract With the advent of new interventions targeted at both acute and chronic spinal cord injury (SCI), it is critical that techniques and protocols are developed that reliably evaluate changes in upper limb impairment/function. The Graded Redefined Assessment of Strength Sensibility and Prehension (GRASSP) protocol, which includes five subtests, is a quantitative clinical upper limb impairment measure designed for use in acute and chronic cervical SCI. The objectives of this study were to: (1) establish the inter-rater and test-retest reliability, and (2) establish the construct and concurrent validity with the International Standards of Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI), …

Aging Enhances Serum Cytokine Response But Not Task-Induced Grip Strength Declines In A Rat Model Of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders., Dong L Xin, Michelle Y Harris, Christine K Wade, Mamta Amin, Ann E Barr, Mary F Barbe

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: We previously reported early tissue injury, increased serum and tissue inflammatory cytokines and decreased grip in young rats performing a moderate demand repetitive task. The tissue cytokine response was transient, the serum response and decreased grip were still evident by 8 weeks. Thus, here, we examined their levels at 12 weeks in young rats. Since aging is known to enhance serum cytokine levels, we also examined aged rats.

METHODS: Aged and young rats, 14 mo and 2.5 mo of age at onset, respectfully, were trained 15 min/day for 4 weeks, and then performed a high repetition, low force (HRLF) …

Test-Retest Reliability Of Temporal And Spatial Gait Characteristics Measured With An Instrumented Walkway System (Gaitrite)., Cornelis J T Van Uden, Marcus P Besser

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of temporal and spatial gait measurements over a one-week period as measured using an instrumented walkway system (GAITRite). METHODS: Subjects were tested on two occasions one week apart. Measurements were made at preferred and fast walking speeds using the GAITRite system. Measurements tested included walking speed, step length, stride length, base of support, step time, stride time, swing time, stance time, single and double support times, and toe in-toe out angle. RESULTS: Twenty-one healthy subjects participated in this study. The group consisted of 12 men and 9 women, …

Test-Retest Reliability Of Temporal And Spatial Gait Characteristics Measured With An Instrumented Walkway System (Gaitrite®), Cornelius J.T. Van Uden, Marcus P. Besser

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

Background
The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of temporal and spatial gait measurements over a one-week period as measured using an instrumented walkway system (GAITRite®).

Methods
Subjects were tested on two occasions one week apart. Measurements were made at preferred and fast walking speeds using the GAITRite® system. Measurements tested included walking speed, step length, stride length, base of support, step time, stride time, swing time, stance time, single and double support times, and toe in-toe out angle.

Results
Twenty-one healthy subjects participated in this study. The group consisted of 12 men and 9 women, …