Other Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Exploring The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Long-Term Recovery For Individuals Post-Covid-19: A Doctoral Capstone Experience, Holly Bull

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Effects On Adherence And Comprehension With Video Demonstration Support Versus Traditional Home Exercise Programs: Culminating Project, Emily E. Morales

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

This culminating project examines the need for video-supported home exercise programs (HEP) in outpatient hand therapy clinics in South Jersey by developing a YouTube channel. This YouTube channel will consist of HEPs for common upper extremity diagnoses including proper demonstration of each exercise and clear concise written instructions within a playlist correlating to diagnosis. Advance clinical skill in hand therapy is the main goal for this capstone project. An analysis was completed evaluating adherence and comprehension when clients are prescribed traditional HEP to HEP supported by a video demonstration. The ultimate goal of this project was to establish an easily …

Maintaining Physical Activity During Covid-19: The Influence Of Psychosocial Variables In Individuals With Back Pain, Heidi Stabbert

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Stressor events, such as COVID-19, may trigger adaptive or maladaptive pain management strategies among individuals with persistent low back pain (LBP). Individuals with lower fear avoidance, depression and anxiety, and greater positive affect and quality of life may better maintain positive pain management strategies during stressor events. This study investigated psychosocial characteristics of individuals with LBP who demonstrated adaptive pain management strategies during COVID-19, indicated by maintenance of physical activity (PA). Individuals with persistent LBP (age 22.4 (3.4) years, n=25) from an existing longitudinal cohort participated. Participants completed a baseline survey prior to COVID-19 quantifying demographics, pain characteristics, the Physical …

Designing And Evaluating An Intervention To Target Functional Movement, Flexibility, And Strength In Paddle Whitewater Raft Guides, Leah Irwin

All Theses

According to the Outdoor Industry Association (2020), about 3.4 million people across the United States went whitewater-rafting in 2019. The majority of the research on whitewater rafting has focused on guest injuries, with less attention on the whitewater raft guides, who have an arduous job and are at risk for shoulder, back, and hip injuries. In addition to these injuries, rafting guides also experience bilateral imbalances from utilizing a dominant guiding side. One way to prevent these types of injuries and imbalances is to improve functional movement, strength, and range of motion (ROM). The goal of this study was to …

Accuracy Of Body Mass Index In Categorizing Weight Status In Children With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Michele Polfuss, Bethany Forseth, Dale A. Schoeller, Chiang-Ching Huang, Andrea Moosreiner, Paula E. Papanek, Kathleen J. Sawin, Kimberley Zvara, Linda Bandini

Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications

PURPOSE:

To identify the accuracy of Body Mass Index (BMI) to categorize body weight in a sample of children with spina bifida and Down syndrome as compared to typically developing peers.

METHODS:

A secondary analysis of 32 children with spina bifida, Down syndrome or no chronic illness. A calculated BMI was plotted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention age- and sex-specific BMI growth charts to determine each child’s weight status. Percentage of body fat, obtained by labeled water, was plotted on two different body fat percentile reference curves, one derived from a whole body measure (DXA) of body …

Development And Implementation Of An Evidence-Based Guideline For Spinal Cord Injury/Disorder Patients Requiring Colonoscopy, Tanya D. Young

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of preventable cancer death in the United States. Spinal cord injury/disorder (SCI/D) patients present with unique challenges for maximizing bowel prep and successful attainment of screening and therapeutic colonoscopy procedures. Current practice for bowel prep regimens does not take into consideration the specific needs of the SCI/D population resulting in significant patient dissatisfaction.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was in adult patients with spinal cord injuries/disorders requiring colonoscopy (P), how does the development and implementation of evidence-based guidelines for the care of the spinal cord injury/disorder patient …

Dextromethorphan-Quinidine Is Helpful For Pseudobulbar Affect Disorder In Stroke Patients, Michael Francis, Mira Hamame, Md, Mariam Nasrallah, Md, Alison Nesbitt, Do, James Peter Meza, Md, Phd

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

An informed consent article using

Hammond FM, Alexander DN, Cutler AJ, et al. PRISM II: an open-label study to assess effectiveness of dextromethorphan/quinidine for pseudobulbar affect in patients with dementia, stroke or traumatic brain injury. BMC Neurology. 2016;16:89. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-016-0609-0

for a patient with pseudobulbar affect following stroke

Kinematic Assessment Of Turning And Walking Tasks Among Stroke Survivors By Employing Wearable Sensors And Pressure Platform, Masoud Abdollahi, Pranav Madhav Kuber, Christopher Hoang, Michael Shiraishi, Rahul Soangra, Ehsan Rashedi

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Stroke survivors often experience reduced movement capabilities due to alterations in their neuromusculoskeletal systems. Modern sensor technologies and motion analyses can facilitate the determination of these changes. Our work aims to assess the potential of using wearable motion sensors to analyze the movement of stroke survivors and identifying the affected functions. We recruited 10 participants (5 stroke survivors, 5 healthy individuals) and conducted a controlled laboratory evaluation for two of the most common daily activities: turning and walking. Among the extracted kinematic parameters, range of trunk and sacrum lateral bending in turning were significantly larger in stroke survivors (p-value<0.02). However, no statistical difference in mean angular velocity and range of motion for trunk/sacrum/shank flexion-extension were obtained in the turning task. Our results also indicated that during walking, while there was no difference in swing time, double support portion of gait among the stroke group was significantly larger (p-value = 0.001). Outcomes of this investigation may help in designing new rehabilitation programs for stroke and other neurological disorders and/or in improving the efficacy of such programs.Clinical Relevance— This study may provide a better insight on the detailed functional differences between stroke survivors and healthy individuals which in turn could be used to develop a more efficient rehabilitation program for stroke community.

Conservative Management Of Low Back Pain, Se Won Lee, Dan Nguyen, Denny Mack, Eric Aguila, Mary Thomas, Karyn Doddy

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Low back pain (LBP) is frequently encountered in outpatient clinics and affects individual patients and society in general with decreased physical function, quality of life, disability, and/or economic burden. Although most acute LBP resolves on its own, recurrent and chronic LBP is a common reason for outpatient clinic visits. This review explores pragmatic approaches to LBP in the clinical setting, focusing on recognizing prognostic factors, initial approaches to evaluation, including selective imaging, and conservative management including patient education, therapeutic exercises and bracing.

Prediction Of Fall Risk Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults Using A Wearable System, Thurmon Lockhart, Rahul Soangra, Hyunsoo Yoon, Teresa Wu, Christopher W. Frames, Raven Weaver, Karen A. Roberto

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Falls are among the most common cause of decreased mobility and independence in older adults and rank as one of the most severe public health problems with frequent fatal consequences. In the present study, gait characteristics from 171 community-dwelling older adults were evaluated to determine their predictive ability for future falls using a wearable system. Participants wore a wearable sensor (inertial measurement unit, IMU) affixed to the sternum and performed a 10-m walking test. Measures of gait variability, complexity, and smoothness were extracted from each participant, and prospective fall incidence was evaluated over the following 6-months. Gait parameters were refined …

Music Therapy For Pain Management In Children, Rebecca C. Pinchot

The University Honors Program

An evidence-based practice literature search was done to determine if music therapy during painful procedures could decrease distress in children. Literature was obtained from two electronic databases. Twenty-five articles were initially found through the search engines. Five of these articles were further evaluated based upon relevance to the research question. The studies were evaluated through consistent methods including setting, sample, purpose, design, findings, and limitations. Each study strength on the evidence hierarchy was identified. Four studies had moderately strong evidence while one study had moderately weak evidence. Each had significance for the use of music as a pain management technique, …

Self-Paced Treadmills Do Not Allow For Valid Observation Of Linear And Nonlinear Gait Variability Outcomes In Patients With Parkinson’S Disease, Maryam Rohafza, Rahul Soangra, Jo Armour Smith, Niklas König Ignasiak

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Due to the imposed constant belt speed, motorized treadmills are known to affect linear and nonlinear gait variability outcomes. This is particularly true of patients with Parkinson’s Disease where the treadmill can act as an external pacemaker. Self-paced treadmills update the belt speed in response to the subject's walking speed and might, therefore, be a useful tool for measurement of gait variability in this patient population. This study aimed to compare gait variability during walking at self-paced and constant treadmill speeds with overground walking in individuals with PD and individuals with unimpaired gait.

Methods

Thirteen patients with Parkinson’s Disease …

Impact Of Pro Bono Clinic On Attitudes, Beliefs, And Confidence Towards Cultural Competence In First-Year Doctoral Physical Therapy Students, Scarlett Morris, Ruiping Xia, Troy Klaassen, Trey Johnson

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Cultural competence is an essential skill for healthcare providers in our increasingly ethnically diversified society. There is an unmet need for educating future culturally competent physical therapists. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of pro bono clinic on cultural competence in first-year doctoral physical therapy students. Method: Forty-two participants completed a survey before and after attending three individual sessions of mentored pro bono clinical experiences during their first semester. The survey assessed participants’ attitudes and beliefs (Part I), and self-perceived level of confidence (Part II) towards cultural competence. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were performed. Results: The …

Cryotherapy, Emma E. Bedell

Student Publications

Rest and recovery are vital for athletes to give their bodies time to repair and strengthen between workouts. Whole-body cryotherapy involves exposing the body to vapors that reach ultra-low temperatures, ranging from -200°F to -300°F. There are several possible beneficial mechanisms from whole-body cryotherapy that support a fast recovery such as muscle temperature decrease, reduction in muscle damage, reduction in inflammation, reduction in heart rate and cardiac output, peripheral vasoconstriction, reduction in peripheral edema formation, and pain-relieving effects. This paper dissects the adaptations cryotherapy provides in athletic recovery, and additionally notes some draw backs of this cooling technique.

Kaatsu Training, Efrain De Leon Angon

Student Publications

This paper explores the use of blood flow restriction training as a rehabilitation tool in physical therapy and as a training method for the general population such as the fact that BFR training can be an alternative option for individuals who cannot tolerate high-load resistance training due to injury or surgery. This allows BFR training to be used by a wide spectrum of ages and physical capacities. However, the safety of BFR is still being questioned as well as its effects on well-trained athletes.

Mobile Phone Sensors Can Discern Medication-Related Gait Quality Changes In Parkinson's Patients In The Home Environment, Albert Pierce, Niklas König Ignasiak, Wilford K. Eiteman-Pang, Cyril Rakovski, Vincent Berardi

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) experience daytime symptom fluctuations, which result in small amplitude, slow and unstable walking during times when medication attenuates. The ability to identify dysfunctional gait patterns throughout the day from raw mobile phone acceleration and gyroscope signals would allow the development of applications to provide real-time interventions to facilitate walking performance by, for example, providing external rhythmic cues. Patients (n = 20, mean Hoehn and Yahr: 2.25) had their ambulatory data recorded and were directly observed twice during one day: once after medication abstention, (OFF) and once approximately 30 min after intake of their medication …

Does Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation Impact Asymmetry And Dyscoordination Of Gait In Parkinson’S Disease?, Deepak K. Ravi, Christian R. Baumann, Elena Bernasconi, Michelle Gwerder, Niklas K. Ignasiak, Mechtild Uhl, Lennart Stieglitz, William R. Taylor, Navrag B. Singh

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Background. Subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is an effective treatment for selected Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. Gait characteristics are often altered after surgery, but quantitative therapeutic effects are poorly described. Objective. The goal of this study was to systematically investigate modifications in asymmetry and dyscoordination of gait 6 months postoperatively in patients with PD and compare the outcomes with preoperative baseline and to asymptomatic controls without PD. Methods. A convenience sample of thirty-two patients with PD (19 with postural instability and gait disorder (PIGD) type and 13 with tremor dominant disease) and 51 asymptomatic controls participated. Parkinson patients …

The Challenge Of Water Entries, Andrea S. Andrews, Shayne D. Baker

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The authors presented a poster at the International Life Saving Foundation's World Conference on Drowning Prevention 2019 in Durban, South Africa titled, "Finding an Aquatic Voice," that was the basis for this article. The conference theme was "Growing Global Drowning Prevention Capacity,” and the aim of our poster’s contribution to the conference was to explore internal reasons for the variable capacity of water-wary persons to engage in water experiences which often manifest as a “water entry and exit conundrum." The paper provides critical decision points associated with these issues to encourage further reflective practice by aquatic professionals. The …

Do Water Safety Lessons Improve Water Safety Knowledge?, Michael J. Tipton, Joseph Muller, Cristian Abelairas Gomez, Jo Corbett

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

A person, usually a child or young adult, dies by drowning every 90 seconds around the planet. Most drowning prevention initiatives do not assess the efficacy of the intervention. In this study, thirteen- to fourteen-year-olds had their level of water safety knowledge (covering cold shock, rips and tides) assessed before, just after, and 3-6 months after one, 25-minute water safety lesson on these topics. We evaluated the knowledge gained and retained on water safety “awareness” (i.e., knowledge of risks) and “confidence” in terms of knowing what to do in an emergency. The results demonstrated that the lesson significantly increased water …

Effects Of Rucksack Military Accessory On Gait Dynamic Stability, Seong H. Moon, Christopher W. Frames, Rahul Soangra, Thurmon Lockhart

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Various factors are responsible for injuries that occur in the U.S. Army soldiers. In particular, rucksack load carriage equipment influences the stability of the lower extremities and possibly affects gait balance. The objective of this investigation was to assess the gait and local dynamic stability of the lower extremity of five subjects as they performed a simulated rucksack march on a treadmill. The Motek Gait Real-time Interactive Laboratory (GRAIL) was utilized to replicate the environment of the rucksack march. The first walking trial was without a rucksack and the second set was executed with the All-Purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment …