Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Drug Policy In Sports, Autumn Wimbush

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

I always wanted to look at how drugs impacted high school athletes and how many of them actually start using drugs. With the research I found, I hoped to analyze why athletes aren’t gettng tested and why associations aren’t trying to test them. With my research I found that most leagues and associaNons don’t take the right precautions to testing their athletes. High school athletes feel pressured to do better because of scholarships and competitions. The pressure causes many athletes to start using performance-­‐enhancing drugs and several leagues are still trying to figure out how to end the epidemic.

Use Of Functional Manual Therapy And A Strengthening Program In The Treatment Of A 41-Year-Old Female With Low Back And Sciatica Pain: A Case Report, Justin Jones

All Capstone Projects

Background and Purpose: Although low back pain is a common diagnosis treated in physical therapy clinics, there is disagreement in the literature as to the preferred interventions for this patient population. The purpose of this case report is to describe the outcome of a patient with acute onset of low back and sciatica pain with a treatment directed towards Functional Manual Therapy and a strengthening program based on initial examination findings.

Case Description: The patient was a 41 year-old female secretary with four day history of low back and sciatica pain that initiated after straining during a bowel movement. The …

Treatment Of A 41 Year Old Male Status/Post Mva With Radicular Symptoms In The Left Arm And Scapula: A Case Report, Eric Bihl

All Capstone Projects

Background and Purpose: Motor vehicle accidents with a whiplash mechanism of injury are one of the most common causes of neck injuries, with an incidence of perhaps 1 million per year in the United States. The purpose of this case report was to examine the progress of a patient with symptoms of cervical radiculopathy through a conservative treatment approach.

Case Description: The patient was a 41 year old (y.o.) male status/post (s/p) a rear end collision 1 month prior and was experiencing neck pain and radicular left arm and scapular numbness and tingling. Interventions occurred in an outpatient physical therapy …

Physical Therapy Interventions And Functional Outcomes For An 80-Year-Old Female Following Total Knee Replacement And Subsequent Infection: A Case Report, Hailey Corwin

All Capstone Projects

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this case study is to describe the interventions and outcomes of a physical therapy (PT) episode of care in an inpatient skilled nursing facility (SNF) for a subject following a left total knee replacement and subsequent infection.

Case Description: The subject was an 80-year-old Caucasian female who was status post left total knee replacement (TKR) with subsequent infection. The subject presented with left knee pain, limited range of motion (ROM), and impaired function.

Outcomes: Increased active range of motion (AROM) of left knee, increased balance, increased ambulation distance, improved performance on Tinetti-POMA, and increased …

Outcomes After A Comprehensive Inpatient Rehabilitation Treatment Program For A Patient With A Right Pontine Stroke: A Case Report, Traci Rzeszutko

All Capstone Projects

Background/Purpose: A stroke occurs as a result of decreased blood flow to the brain and can cause serious limitations in mobility, balance, coordination, and strength resulting in functional limitations. The purpose of this case study is to examine the effects of a comprehensive acute inpatient rehabilitation program focusing on gait, balance, lower extremity strengthening, neuromuscular control, bed mobility, coordination, and stair training on a 67-year-old male after a right pontine stroke with a medical history that includes a right stroke eight years ago.

Case Description: The subject was a 67-year-old male with a diagnosis of right pontine stroke. The subject …

Decision Making About Rural Physiotherapy Service Provision Varies With Sector, Size And Rurality, Robyn Adams, Anne Jones, Sophie Lefmann, Lorraine Sheppard

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Introduction: Decisions about physiotherapy service provision occur within the context of organisations, locations, and settings. The uniqueness of rural communities means it is important to consider contextual factors when making decisions about rural health services. As literature describing decision making about rural physiotherapy services is limited, this study sought perspectives on service level decision making (SLDM) from a range of stakeholders. The research approach needed to support consideration of both location and the broader health system. Method: A sequential mixed methods approach within a systems theory-case study heuristic provided the framework to explore rural physiotherapy SLDM. The investigation site, a …

Student Adjustment To College: Examining The Impact Of An Outdoor Orientation Program, Timothy Posey, Eddie Hill, Edwin Gomez, Mike Mcfall, Shea Humenik, Dakota Clifford

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

This pilot study examined the impact of an outdoor orientation program (First Ascent) on participants’ level of transference, resilience, well-being and transition to college. Pre and posttest instruments were administered during a four- day college outdoor orientation program, as well as an open-ended series of questions. Nonparametric tests revealed significant differences from the pre- and posttest of the measures on skill transference and resiliency. Additional, individual items from each questionnaire were examined.

Treatment Of A 65 Year Old Deconditioned Female Admitted With Complications Resulting From Morbid Obesity: A Case Report, David Sarvin

All Capstone Projects

Background/Purpose: Obesity is a growing concern among the population of adults and children living in the United States. It costs the medical industry a great deal of money each year treating these patients, especially in those individuals classified as morbidly obese. The purpose of this study is to assess effectiveness of a cardiovascular based treatment plan on a deconditioned subject who suffers from complications resulting from morbid obesity.

Case Description: The patient described in this case study is a 65 year old Caucasian female admitted to the skilled nursing facility with complications resulting from morbid obesity, among other co-morbidities.

Interventions/Ouctomes …

Physical Therapy Applications For Individuals With Neurologic Dysfunction, Charlotte Chatto, Jeff Mastromonico

Nursing and Health Sciences Open Textbooks

This textbook for the Integration for Practice: Neuromuscular course is a multimedia PDF with videos embedded. The videos make the file size of the PDF almost 600MB, which is a large download but preserves offline use of videos.

Topics include interventions and assessment for patients with Guillain-Barre and spinal cord injury, respiratory assessment and interventions, and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation.

NOTE: Because this is a video-integrated PDF, your web browser's preview functions will not work with this file. If your browser opens the file instead of downloading it, please right-click the "Download" button to download the PDF properly.

Hydatid Cyst Of Thoracic Spine: A Rare Cause Of Paraplegia, Rahul Soangra, Mool Chand Soangra

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Primary spinal hydatid cysts are uncommon and extradural involvement is rare. We report an unusual case of Paraplegia due to hydatid disease of primary site of infection extra spinal muscles in thoracic region from T5 to T8 level extending into a daughter cyst at T9 level, is main cause of acute Paraplegia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an extradural round cystic lesion in the spinal canal filling the posterior and left postero-lateral expect at T9 level, markedly compressing the cord. The cyst was removed after laminectomy and opening of the dural sac, with excision of extraspinal mass in left paravertebral …

Piecing The Puzzle Together With The Use Of Physical Therapy, Mikayla Pruitt

Honors Projects

For my Honors Project I decided to create a set of exercise cards for children with autism. The front of each card had a picture symbolizing the exercise/activity, and on the back included directions, supplies and tips to complete the activity. The following is a selection of a few exercise cards from each of the four exercise sections, as well as the title card, table of contents cards, information cards, and source cards.

Usefulness Of The Managemed Screen (Mms) And The Screening For Self-Medication Safety Post Stroke (S5) For Assessing Medication Management Capacity For Clients Post-Stroke, Jessica J. Bolduc, Regula H. Robnett

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Occupational therapists need to efficiently and accurately screen a client’s medication management capacity, especially for clients post-stroke. Most therapists are not aware of, nor do they utilize specific assessments for, medication management capacity. The purpose of this pilot study was to compare the results of the ManageMed Screen (MMS), the Screening for Self-Medication Safety Post Stroke (S5), and the Montreal Assessment of Cognition (MoCA) on a population of rehabilitation clients post-stroke to determine the usefulness of the medication assessment tools in clinical practice. These screens were designed for use in occupational therapy practice among other healthcare professions: the MMS was …

Staff Perceptions Of The Barriers To Mobilizing Icu Patients, Simone Dafoe, Kathy Stiller, Marianne Chapman

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Whilst early progressive mobilization is known to be safe and beneficial for patients in an intensive care unit (ICU), barriers still exist to its implementation. As part of a broader quality improvement project that had the overall aim of increasing the frequency of mobilization in our ICU, we conducted a survey of ICU staff to investigate their perceptions of the barriers to the early progressive mobilization of ICU patients. Method: A prospective survey of ICU staff in an Australian, tertiary care, public hospital ICU was undertaken. A total of 93 medical, nursing, and physiotherapy staff participated. A purpose-designed survey …

Walking Speed: The Functional Vital Sign, Addie Middletown, Stacy Fritz, Michelle M. Lusardi

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

Walking speed (WS) is a valid, reliable, and sensitive measure appropriate for assessing and monitoring functional status and overall health in a wide range of populations. These capabilities have led to its designation as the “sixth vital sign”. By synthesizing the available evidence on WS, this scholarly review article provides clinicians with a reference tool regarding this robust measure. Recommendations on testing procedures for assessing WS, including optimal distance, inclusion of acceleration and deceleration phases, instructions, and instrumentation are given. After assessing an individual's WS, clinicians need to know what this value represents. Therefore, WS cut-off values and the corresponding …

Mindfulness: Being Present In The Moment, Stephanie Ann Stathas, Christine Frazer

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

This article serves to enlighten childbirth educators’ knowledge about mindfulness and the mother-baby benefits associated with incorporating mindfulness- based interventions into practice. Jon Kabat-Zinn, who developed the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program, brought the concept of mindfulness into the world of healthcare and mainstream society. Mindfulness is the practice of bringing awareness to the here and now using a variety of methods. Nancy Bardacke has taken the practice of mindfulness further and developed a program for expecting mothers, known as Mindfulness Based Childbirth and Parenting. This program has been shown to reduce stress responses that may be harmful to a …

A Study Examining Practice Style Traits Of Physical Therapists: Do They Explain Practice Behaviors And Knowledge Translation?, Kristen M. Johnson

Student Dissertations

Background: The advancement of evidence-based practice (EBP) has generated a flurry of outcome measures (OMs) and continuing education courses to assist in the creation and tailoring of this knowledge to the clinical environment. Despite the development of these resources, little is known about the attributes and behaviors of the physical therapist for knowledge translation (KT) into clinical practice.

Purpose: To determine the practice style traits of physical therapists who attended an evidence-based continuing education course on Oms and to determine their perceived barriers, facilitators, attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, and prerequisites for KT.

Methods: Seventy-nine physical therapists completed two standardized, validated surveys …

Immune Function And Muscle Adaptations To Resistance Exercise In Older Adults: Study Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Nutritional Supplement, Richard A. Dennis, Usha Ponnappan, Ralph L. Kodell, Kimberly K. Garner, Christopher M. Parkes, Melinda M. Bopp, Kalpana P. Padala, Charlotte A. Peterson, Prasad R. Padala, Dennis H. Sullivan

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Immune function may influence the ability of older adults to maintain or improve muscle mass, strength, and function during aging. Thus, nutritional supplementation that supports the immune system could complement resistance exercise as an intervention for age-associated muscle loss. The current study will determine the relationship between immune function and exercise training outcomes for older adults who consume a nutritional supplement or placebo during resistance training and post-training follow-up. The supplement was chosen due to evidence suggesting its ingredients [arginine (Arg), glutamine (Gln), and β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate (HMB)] can improve immune function, promote muscle growth, and counteract muscle loss. …

The Use Of Pbl In An Interprofessional Education Course For Health Care Professional Students, Kristine M. L'Ecuyer, David Pole, Sheila A. Leander

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

A problem-based learning (PBL) framework was utilized in a series of six interprofessional team seminars (IPTS) for postbaccalaureate students from seven health professions. The goal of IPTS was to develop a collaborative practice-ready workforce prepared to respond to patient care needs through use of concrete examples, skills development, critical thinking, and problem solving in safe, faculty-facilitated small groups. The collaborative nature of PBL closely correlates with teaching methodologies of the IPTS series. This study analyzed critical reflection assignments of nursing students in accelerated programs to determine the effectiveness of IPTS at preparing students for interprofessional collaborative practice. Findings indicated that …

Blockade Of Neurokinin-1 Receptors In The Ventral Respiratory Column Does Not Affect Breathing But Alters Neurochemical Release, Clarissa Muere, Suzanne Neumueller, Samantha Olesiak, Justin Miller, Matthew Hodges, Lawrence Pan, Hubert Forster

Physical Therapy Faculty Research and Publications

Substance P (SP) and its receptor, neurokinin-1 (NK1R), have been shown to be excitatory modulators of respiratory frequency and to stabilize breathing regularity. Studies in anesthetized mice suggest that tonic activation of NK1Rs is particularly important when other excitatory inputs to the pre-Bötzinger complex in the ventral respiratory column (VRC) are attenuated. Consistent with these findings, muscarinic receptor blockade in the VRC of intact goats elicits an increase in breathing frequency associated with increases in SP and serotonin concentrations, suggesting an involvement of these substances in neuromodulator compensation. To gain insight on the contribution to breathing of endogenous SP and …

Differential Effects Of Cardiovascular And Resistance Exercise On Functional Mobility In Individuals With Advanced Cancer: A Randomized Trial, Amy J. Litterini, Vickie Fieler, James T. Cavanaugh, Jeannette Lee

Physical Therapy Faculty Posters

Objective: To compare the effects of resistance and cardiovascular exercise on functional mobility in individuals with advanced cancer.
Design: Prospective, 2-group pretest-posttest pilot study with randomization to either resistance or cardiovascular exercise mode.
Setting: Comprehensive community cancer center and a hospital-based fitness facility.
Demographics: Volunteer sample of individuals with advanced cancer recruited through the cancer center, palliative care service, rehabilitation department, and a local hospice.
Outcome Measures: Functional mobility was assessed using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB); self-reported pain and fatigue were assessed secondarily using visual analog scales. Data were analyzed using a split plot 2x2 analysis of variance …