Physiotherapy Commons^™

Attentional Focus During Balance Training In Idiopathic Parkinson’S Disease (Pd): A Randomized Clinical Trial, Alyssa Davis, Rebecca Hatlevig, Amanda Richards, Leslee Rosenlof

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of various attentional focus strategies on balance in people with PD. Forty-nine adults with idiopathic PD were randomized into one of four groups (internal focus, external focus, no focus, and control). The three intervention groups participated in a month-long balance program. The outcomes measured were the Sensory Organization Test, Berg Balance Scale, self selected gait velocity, Dynamic Gait Index, Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale and obstacle course completion time. These outcomes were measured at baseline, post intervention, 2-weeks post intervention, and 8-weeks post intervention. Statistical analyses yielded no significant differences among …

Duration Of The Effects Of Three Static Stretching Conditions With Or Without A Dynamic Warm-Up In College Age Adults, Spencer Blackwell, Andrew Blomberg, Jonathan Griffith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the stretching duration (15, 30, 60 seconds) with or without a dynamic warm-up that resulted in the longest lasting acute effects in hamstring flexibility.

Subjects. Forty subjects (17 male, 23 female) (age: 20-35 years) were selected to participate in this study using a sample of convenience from university graduate students.

Methods. This study contained 7 treatment conditions in which each subject completed in random order. Three groups consisted of a 5-minute treadmill warm-up at a self-selected velocity (SSV) followed by one of three stretching durations (15, 30, or 60 sec). …

Kinesio Taping On Short-Term Changes In Shoulder Strength In Healthy Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Dario A. Callegari, Cristobal E. Cordova, Julia R. Dunievitz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Study Type: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction:

Kinesio tape is an elastic tape used in various settings and it is purported to assist in strengthening weakened muscles. The mechanism behind this claim is neuromuscular facilitation. The purpose of this study was to determine if the claims of Kinesio tape would be supported in its role in strength enhancing properties.

Methods:

Twenty-nine healthy, untrained male and female college-aged individuals participated in this study. Two baseline measurements assessing shoulder external rotation (ER) strength were collected using isokinetic dynamometry. Subjects were then randomized into two groups, Kinesio tape with ER strengthening (KT-Ex) and …

Chronic Lower Back Pain: A Maladaptive Perceptions Model, Benedict M. Wand

Physiotherapy Conference Papers

High quality evidence suggests that current approaches to the management of CLBP show only limited effectiveness; one explanation of this finding is that current models of management are misdirected or incomplete. This talk proposes a model of CLBP underpinned by data on the psychological contributors to the LBP experience and recent evidence of neuroplastic changes in the brains of people with CLBP (see below). The model suggests that maladaptive cognitive perception about the nature of the back problem and future consequences drive behaviours that might bring about maladaptive neuroplastic changes. These central nervous system changes may enhance sensitivity, influence normal …

Moving In An Environment Of Induced Sensory-Motor Incongruence Does Not Influence Pain Sensitivity In Healthy Volunteers: A Randomised Within-Subject Cross-Over Experiment, Benedict M. Wand, Lareina Szpak, Pamela George, Max Bulsara, Neil E. O'Connell, G Lorimer Moseley

Physiotherapy Conference Papers

A mismatch between the brain's motor control and sensory systems has been suggested as one mechanism whereby maladaptive neuroplastic changes contribute to the experience of chronic pain. Several studies have investigated this hypothesis by artificially inducing a state of sensory-motor incongruence using mirrors. The data to date appear to suggest that creating an environment of sensori-motor incongruence induces various sensory changes and feeling of peculiarity, however the effect on pain is less clear. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that healthy participants would demonstrate reduced pain thresholds and report greater intensity of pain in a condition …

Treatment-Based Classification Of Low Back Pain – Who Are The Unclear Classifications?, T R. Stanton, J M. Fritz, A T. Apeldoorn, Benedict M. Wand, M J. Hancock

Physiotherapy Conference Papers

A recent focus in low back pain research has been to identify patient subgroups that respond best to certain treatments. To integrate these subgroup findings into a useable form, a treatment-based classification algorithm for LBP was created.^1,2 To allow the algorithm to be comprehensive – eg, provide a classification for all patients – additional criteria are provided to assist therapists’ decisions for patients who do not clearly meet a treatment subgroup (unclear classifications).

Recent research found that approximately 34% of patients will receive unclear classifications using the algorithm.³ It has also been shown that the reliability of the …

Functional Changes In The Primary Somatosensory Cortex In Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (Crps): A Systematic Review, Flavia Di Pietro, Tasha R. Stanton, Luke Parkitny, James H. Mccauley, Martin Lotze, Benedict M. Wand, G Lorimer Moseley

Physiotherapy Conference Papers

The brain plays a key role in CRPS. A widely-studied brain region in pain research is the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), a somatotopic map of our body’s surface which functionally reorganises in pain [1]. Changes in the S1 representation of the CRPS-affected body part have contributed to new CRPS treatments, e.g. graded motor imagery. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine whether CRPS is associated with: a) a change in the size of the S1 representation of the affected body part; b) altered S1 activity, in terms of activation levels and latency of responses.

Discovering Which Experiences Physiotherapy Students Identify As Learning Facilitators In Practical Laboratories: An Action Research Project, J Francis-Coad, A Hill

Physiotherapy Conference Papers

Purpose: Students enrolled in courses that focus on patient contact participate in practical laboratories to learn clinical skills but this can be challenging in a pre-clinical environment. A simulated case based format using role play in small groups is commonly undertaken. Students may find it difficult to actively engage in learning and effective role playing without prior clinical experience. The aim of this study was to discover what type of experiences facilitated student learning in practical laboratory sessions.

Method: Design: Action research study.

Participants: Thirty two undergraduate second year physiotherapy students who were engaging in practical laboratories.

Data …

Low Back Pain-Related Beliefs And Self-Reported Practice Behaviours Among Final-Year Cross-Discipline Health Students, A Briggs, H Slater, A Smith, A Parkin-Smith, K Watkins, Benedict Wand, J Chua

Physiotherapy Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Low Dose Ct Vs Plain Abdominal Radiography For The Investigation Of The Acute Abdomen, Long K. Nguyen, Daniel D. Wong, Daniel M. Fatovich, Justin M. Yeung, Jennifer Persaud, Christopher J. Wood, David De Vos, Richard M. Mendelson

Physiotherapy Papers and Journal Articles

Background: To compare low-dose abdominal computed tomography (LDCT) with plain abdominal radiography (AR) in the primary investigation of acute abdominal pain to determine if there is a difference in diagnostic yield, the number of additional investigations required and hospital length of stay (LOS).

Methods: This randomized controlled trial was approved by the institutional review board, and informed consent was obtained. Patients presenting to the emergency department with an acute abdomen and who would normally be investigated with AR were randomized to either AR or LDCT. The estimated radiation dose of the LDCT protocol was 2–3 mSv compared to 1.1 mSv …

Effect Of Lower Body Positive Pressure On Cardiovascular Response At Various Degrees Of Head Up Tilt, Vladimir Ilyich Kostas

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Various models of simulated weightlessness and resulting cardiovascular effects have been researched in the last 50 years of space exploration. Examples of such models are the Alter-G (Alt-G) treadmill used for body unweighting and head-up-tilt (HUT) model each providing similar cardiovascular effects, but differing in their stimulation of vestibular centers . Advantages of using the Alt-G include: use of lower body positive pressure (LBPP) to simulate hypogravity, it acts as a countermeasure to alleviate negative cardiovascular effects of standing and provides a constant vestibular stimulus. In addition, the Alt-G shorts themselves may be providing a certain degree of LBPP, acting …

Assessing The Therapeutic Effect Of 630 Nm Light-Emitting Diodes Irradiation On The Recovery Of Exercise-Induced Hand Muscle Fatigue With Surface Electromyogram, Dandan Yang, Xiaoying Wu, Wensheng Hou, Xiaolin Zheng, Jun Zheng, Yingtao Jiang

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

This paper aims to investigate the effect of light emitting diode therapy (LEDT) on exercise-induced hand muscle fatigue by measuring the surface electromyography (sEMG) of flexor digitorum superficialis. Ten healthy volunteers were randomly placed in the equal sized LEDT group and control group. All subjects performed a sustained fatiguing isometric contraction with the combination of four fingertips except thumb at 30% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) until exhaustion. The active LEDT or an identical passive rest therapy was then applied to flexor digitorum superficialis. Each subject was required to perform a re-fatigue task immediately after therapy which was the same …