Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Nebraska Sex Trafficking Survivors Speak – A Qualitative Research Study, Shireen S. Rajaram, Sriyani Tidball

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

This exploratory, qualitative research study was conducted by researchers Dr. Shireen S. Rajaram in the College of Public Health at University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and Ms. Sriyani Tidball in the College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL), and was funded by the Women’s Fund of Omaha. The purpose of this study was to document the perspectives of adult women survivors of sex trafficking about the “3Ps” paradigm: to identify strategies to prevent sex trafficking, provide protection and support for survivors and prosecution of the perpetrators to reduce the demand for sex …

Assessing Student Self-Perception Of Confidence In The Evaluation And Treatment Of The Neurologically Involved Across The Lifespan, Kristen Barta, Megan Flores

Physical Therapy Collection

PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to investigate student confidence in the evaluation and treatment of a person with a neurological condition through the use of Patient Oriented Integrated Neurological Treatment (POINT) labs. We hypothesized that POINT labs would significantly improve students' confidence in evaluation and treatment this population.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: As part of their curriculum, physical therapy students at the University of St. Augustine are required to participate in POINT labs during their Neuromuscular III and Pediatric PT classes. The POINT labs are divided into an adult and pediatric section, in which the students evaluate …

Prehabilitation Impact On Post-Operative Risk, Readmission Rates And Patient Satisfaction, Pamela Fields

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Prehabilitation programs may improve 30-day readmission rates, post-operative infections and patient satisfaction in obese total joint replacement (TJR) patients. Joint replacement patients who participate in prehabilitation have improved physical function and patient satisfaction. In an effort to improve TJR patients’ mobility and recovery, a prehabilitation performance improvement project was implemented at a local wellness center.

Method: The Institute of Healthcare Improvement, Triple Aim Initiative (IHI, TAI) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) performance improvement goals provided the project foundation (IHI, 2015; CMS; 2015). The physical exercise routine utilized in this program was identified as appropriate for use with …

Oxytocin Receptor (Oxtr) Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Indirectly Predict Prosocial Behavior Through Perspective Taking And Empathic Concern, Christa C. Christ, Gustavo Carlo, Scott F. Stoltenberg

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Engaging in prosocial behavior can provide positive outcomes for self and others. Prosocial tendencies contribute to the propensity to engage in prosocial behavior.The oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) has also been associated with prosocial tendencies and behaviors. There has been little research, however, investigating whether the relationship between OXTR and prosocial behaviors is mediated by prosocial tendencies.This relationship may also vary among different types of prosocial behavior. The current study examines the relationship between OXTR, gender, prosocial tendencies, and both altruistic and public prosocial behavior endorsement. Students at a midwestern university (N = 398; 89.2% Caucasian; M …

Validation Of A Pressure Pain Threshold Scale In Patients Diagnosed With Myofascial Pain Syndrome And Fibromyalgia, Scott William Cheatham

Department of Physical Therapy Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: Palpation is an examination technique used to diagnose and treat myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) and fibromyalgia (FM). Currently, there is no validated technique for classifying the results. A valid and reliable pressure pain threshold scale (PPTS) may provide a means for clinicians to grade, document, and report findings. The purpose of this dissertation was to validate a PPTS in patients diagnosed with MPS and FM. Design and Methods: An observational study. Participants who met the inclusion criteria were placed into three equal groups: MPS, FM, and control. All participants underwent one, two-part testing sessions using the American College of …

Sensory Closet Program Design For Alzheimer's And Dementia Population, Grace V. Willard

MOT Student Capstones

Background: The prevalence of individuals with Alzheimer's and dementia is growing exponentially in long term care facilities, with restraints and seclusion becoming the method of intervention when behaviors arise (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2015). North Carolina is moving to decrease the amount of physical restraints and psychotropic medication usage in long term care to decrease harm caused to the residents. Project Purpose: This project intends to design a sensory integration closet program for use in a long-term care facility to facilitate a decrease in behavior outbursts and correlating psychotropic medication usage in residents with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Coinciding training …

Using Occupational Adaptation: A Telerehabilitation Program For The Homebound Elder, Amber Armstrong

MOT Student Capstones

Executive Summary The objectives of this project were to design a type of telerehabilitation program for the homebound elder that could be utilized by occupational therapy practitioners in the home health setting, design a program that is practical, easy and convenient for the occupational therapy staff to utilize, and to include adaptive equipment/durable medical equipment that is common and relevant for this population and setting. The program is for client and caregiver education on proper use of common adaptive equipment and durable medical equipment (tub transfer bench, 3-in-1 commode, sock aid, reacher). To accomplish this objective, the student created videos …

Examining The Validity Of The Preschool Kitchen Task Assessment, Christine Kim, Angelica Soltis

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Background and purpose. Executive function (EF) skills are necessary to set a strong foundation for play development, school readiness and social participation in young children. However, few ecologically valid assessments are available to detect potential executive function deficits in preschool aged children. The Preschool Kitchen Task Assessment (PKTA) is a new tool that measures EF in preschool aged children. The PKTA was adapted from the Kitchen Task Assessment and The Children Task Assessment by Christine Berg, Ph.D., OTR/L. This study aimed to validate the PKTA as an ecological assessment of EF in preschool aged children.

Subjects. Twenty-four typically developing children …

The Effects Of Instrument Handle Design On Forearm Muscle Activity During Scaling By Dental Hygienists, Jessica Rae Suedbeck

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 4 different commercially available instrument handle designs (A. 16 grams and 12.7 mm diameter; B. 23 grams and 11.1 mm diameter; C. 21 grams and 7.9 mm diameter; D. 18 grams and 6.35 mm diameter) on the muscle activity of four forearm muscles during a simulated scaling experience. Methods: A convenience sample of 27 dental hygienists used a Columbia 13/14 curet with four different instrument handles to scale artificial calculus. While scaling, each participant’s muscle activity was measured using surface electromyography (sEMG). Participants completed an end user opinion …

Effects Of Body Weight Loading On Arch Height, Anastasia Bjelopetrovich

Honors Theses

Deformation of the medial longitudinal arch under body weight loading is often assessed using the Arch Height Index Measurement System. This system assesses change in arch height between sitting and standing, estimated to be 10 and 50% of body weight, respectively. However, body weight forces during ambulation exceed these loads, therefore limiting our understanding of arch deformation under ambulatory load ranges. Thus, the study aims were 1) to assess if sitting and standing arch height differed from that seen under 10 and 50% body weight using a force target-matching procedure, and 2) to characterize the relationship between arch deformation and …

Fall Risk Assessment Of Older Adults With Dementia Attending Goodwill Easter Seals Adult Day Services Programs, Jamie Wynk

Honors Theses

Background and Purpose: Elderly individuals, especially those with dementia, are at an increased risk for falls. These falls can result in extremely serious injuries. However, little is known as to what factors put an Alzheimer’s patient most at risk for falls. This study seeks to determine which known fall risk factors are experienced by adults with dementia who attend adult day services. By understanding what risk factors put an individual at an increased likelihood for falls, a specific intervention can be designed to prevent falls in this population.

Participants: To be included in this study, participants had to …

Investigating Student Approaches To Learning With Structured Or Unstructured Client Collaboration, Cara E. Masselink

Masters Theses

As a profession, occupational therapists pride themselves on providing client-centered treatment. It is hypothesized that increased structured client collaboration as well as incorporating reflective journaling in the fieldwork setting (to meet the students at their level of learning) will improve student's critical thinking skills, and encourage them to seek deeper learning techniques to ensure they are providing 'best practice' occupational therapy for the client and his/her family. In this pilot study, the learning approaches of students in two existing University-based clinic programs were measured over the course of one semester. The treatment group was required to participate in structured, intentional …

Effects Of Local Blood Flow On Muscle Stiffness, Megan E. White, Aaron J. Engel, Greg Bashford

UCARE: Research Products

Muscle injuries, in the form of strains or even tears, affect millions of people each year through undue tension on muscles during everyday activities, work tasks, or physical activity including sports or working out. These injuries can take from a few weeks to even months to heal, with patients having to deal with inflammation, swelling, and pain throughout the healing process. Scar tissue also forms when the muscle is injured, which regenerates throughout the healing process, but never fully recovers to its state prior to injury. This scar tissue is thought to make the muscle more prone to subsequent injury, …

An Analysis Of Women’S Access To Acute Opioid Detoxification Services In Maine: Identifying The Barriers To Treatment, Karen E. Conley

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The lack of treatment facilities and services for opioid use disorder in Maine, combined with an increased prevalence of addiction, creates a potential for health inequity between men and women that may be intensified by barriers in access to care. This capstone study utilized detoxification screening inquiry forms and data obtained from the Milestone Foundation’s acute opioid detoxification program to assess and categorize barriers to access by gender. A barriers model was developed based on existing literature and was to identify potential associations among and between the known barriers to accessing treatment. Barriers were described as internally or externally based, …

Vestibular Rehabilitation For Peripheral Vestibular Hypofunction: An Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline, Courtney D. Hall, Susan J. Herdman, Susan L. Whitney, Stephen P. Cass, Richard A. Clendaniel, Terry D. Fife

ETSU Faculty Works

Background: Uncompensated vestibular hypofunction results in postural instability, visual blurring with head movement, and subjective complaints of dizziness and/or imbalance. We sought to answer the question, “Is vestibular exercise effective at enhancing recovery of function in people with peripheral (unilateral or bilateral) vestibular hypofunction?” Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed in 5 databases published after 1985 and 5 additional sources for relevant publications were searched. Article types included meta-analyses, systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case control series, and case series for human subjects, published in English. One hundred thirty-five articles were identified as relevant to …

Treatment For Vestibular Disorders: How Does Your Physical Therapist Treat Dizziness Related To Vestibular Problems?, Courtney D. Hall, Susan J. Herdman, Susan L. Whitney, Stephen P. Cass, Richard A. Clendaniel, Terry D. Fife

ETSU Faculty Works

Dizziness is very common, but it is never normal. Dizziness can make performing daily activities, work, and walking difficult. Many people get dizzy when they turn their head, which can cause problems with walking and makes people more likely to fall. Most of the time dizziness is not from a life-threatening disease. Often dizziness is because of a disorder of the vestibular (or inner ear balance) system. People can get vestibular disorders from infections in the ear, problems with the immune system, medications that harm the inner ear, and rarely from diabetes or stroke because of a lack of blood …

Spine Biomechanics Associated With The Shortened, Modern One-Plane Golf Swing, R. Barry Dale, Jason Brumitt

Faculty Publications - College of Physical Therapy

The purpose of this study was to compare kinetic, kinematic, and performance variables associated with full and shortened modern backswings in a skilled group of modern swing (one-plane) golfers. Shortening the modern golf backswing is proposed to reduce vertebral spine stress, but supporting evidence is lacking and performance implications are unknown. Thirteen male golfers performed ten swings of each swing type using their own 7-iron club. Biomechanical-dependent variables included the X-Factor kinematic data and spine kinetics. Performance-related dependent variables included club head velocity (CHV), shot distance, and accuracy (distance from the target line). Data were analysed with repeated measures …

The Effect Of Magnification Loupes On Posture During Instrumentation By Dental Hygienists, Emily Anne Ludwig

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of dental magnification loupes on posture during instrumentation. Methods: A convenience sample of twenty-seven righthanded dental hygienists with no history of injuries or disabilities of the head, neck, and trunk regions was enrolled. Baseline posture calibration was taken. Accelerometers were placed on four locations of the head and trunk (occipital pole of head, cervical vertebrae: C5, thoracic vertebrae: T5, lumbar vertebrae: L1) to measure changes in posture. Accelerations in three axes were recorded (anterior/posterior (AP), medial/lateral (ML), vertical (VT)). Mean accelerations of the three axes were used to compute …

Is Preoperative Functional Status A Predictor Of Postoperative Mortality, Morbidity And Quality Of Life In Open Heart Patients?, A. Kate Macphedran

Dissertations

The very nature of mortality and morbidity surrounding cardiac surgery is complex with numerous risk factors involved and researchers have found functional status to be a stronger predictor of outcomes than the admitting diagnosis. Preoperative functional status, however, is not measured by any of the cardiac risk scores. Functional status can be objectively measured using validated outcome tools such as the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument (LLFDI). In 3 studies, the impact and association of functional status changes over time was explored in patients who have undergone elective open heart surgery. Analyses in Study 1 demonstrated significantly improved functional status …

Occupational Needs Of Female Ex-Offenders During Community Reentry, Leah N. Sowers

MOT Student Capstones

Purpose: The objective of the capstone project was to identify the most significant areas of occupation in which female ex-offenders participate and to determine ways in which occupational therapy could benefit the participants of Transitional Options for Women (TOFW), a transitional housing program that provides a safe environment and eight-step life-skills program for ex-offenders. This objective reflected a need in assisting the staff of TOFW in understanding areas of occupation the participants utilize and rely on during their transition from prison or jail into the community. The project was completed through provision of a community resource manual reflecting identified areas …