Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Treatment For Cervicobrachial Pain Syndrome; A Comparison Of Direct And Indirect Manual Therapies, Brianna Palmer

Critically Appraised Topics (CAT)

An appraisal was made on a randomized controlled trial by Allison et al, which compared direct and indirect manual therapies for treating cervicobrachial pain syndrome. The direct therapy group (NT) received neural mobilizations, and the indirect therapy group (AT) received joint mobilizations for the glenohumeral joint and thoracic spine.

Per the Northwick Park Questionnaire and the Short Form-McGill Pain Questionnaire, decreases in pain were statistically significant for both groups from pre-assessment to post-assessment, but not between groups. When using the Visual Analog Scale, a statistically significant improvement was found for both groups over the treatment period, though only the NT …

Can The Upper Limb Tension Test 1 (Ultt1) Stand Alone In Diagnosing Median Nerve Compression In Adult Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (Cts)?, Brianna Palmer

Critically Appraised Topics (CAT)

An appraisal was made on a validity study by Vanti et al, regarding the upper limb neurodynamic test 1 (ULTT1) for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The selected paper included current patients at an occupational medicine clinic with suspected CTS and referral for nerve conduction study (NCS).

Using Wainner’s Criteria to indicate a positive ULTT1, calculated sensitivity was 0.9167 and specificity was 0.150. In limiting criteria for a positive test by requiring provocation of 1^st-3^rd digits only, the sensitivity decreased to 0.5417, however specificity increased to 0.70.

This study was effective in defining the inclusion criteria for …

Parkinson's Disease And Forced Exercise In A Community Setting: A Feasibility Study, Alati Gagne, Sarabeth Makins, James Walrath

Research Posters

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that increases an individual’s fall risk. In recent studies, an 8-week tandem bike forced exercise program was effective in reducing overall Parkinsonian symptoms. The feasibility of a tandem bike forced exercise program in a community setting has not been studied previously, and no published study has evaluated balance and health outcomes after participation in a forced exercise program. This six week tandem bike forced exercise protocol, conducted in a community setting for individuals with Parkinson’s disease, aimed to assess the feasibility of such a protocol, and to assess resultant balance and health outcomes.

The Physiological Effects Of Exercising Alone Versus With A Partner, Tyler Chamberlin, Kristen Green, Patrick Robichaud

Research Posters

The general population is in constant pursuit for sources of motivation to maintain a consistent workout routine. Research demonstrates increased motivation when exercising with a partner but does not investigate any physiological effects. The objective of this study was to investigate changes in heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and time in target HR zone when exercising alone compared to exercising with a same-sex partner. The study was conducted in the Physical Therapy lab at the University of New England in Portland, Maine, utilizing an experimental 2x9 repeated measures research design. Forty-one graduate students were …

Telecommuting As The Director Of Clinical Education (Dce) In A Doctoral Physical Therapy Program, Sally Mccormack Tutt

Physical Therapy Faculty Posters

Poster describing a case study created to help determine the feasibility of allowing the Director of Clinical Education to telecommute from Florida to Maine as a unique way to retain a valued core faculty member of the DPT department. Concludes there are benefits to departments considering this method of job performance, including: decreasing the turnover of quality faculty at an institution, reducing stress of a vacancy on the department and other faculty, decreasing the cost associated with searching for and hiring a new faculty member, and providing students with consistency with regards to the teaching and advising they receive from …