Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Quantitative Ultrasound: Measurement Considerations For The Assessment Of Muscular Dystrophy And Sarcopenia, Michael O. Harris-Love, Reza Monfaredi, Catheeja Ismail, Marc R. Blackman, Kevin Cleary

Exercise and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Publications

Diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound has potential clinical utility in characterizing pathological muscle tissue. Sonography has been long proposed as method of assessing muscle damage due to neuromuscular diseases such as muscular dystrophy, and more recently, changes in body and tissue composition associated with muscle wasting disorders such as sarcopenia. The use of quantitative ultrasound as an adjunct diagnostic procedure has different technical challenges than the traditional use of ultrasound in clinical medicine. Operator-dependent technique and variation are critical considerations when obtaining measures of echointensity (i.e., tissue composition estimates) and tissue dimensions (i.e., muscle thickness) – key elements of the ultrasound assessment …

Reliability Of Two Alternative Methods For The Standard Mid-Thigh Isometric Pull, Duane A. Williams, Courtney D. Hall, Patsy Cantor, Jennifer Williams, N. Brown, Ryan Dulling, Ogechi Egbujor

ETSU Faculty Works

The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of two new alternative portable methods for measuring maximal isometric force measures while performing the standard mid-thigh pull. One method, the bar grip method, required the use of the trunk and upper extremity muscles, while the second method, the pelvic belt method, did not. Both methods demonstrated good test-retest reliability via randomized repeated measures over 24-36 hours. Interestingly, the pelvic belt method generally demonstrated average maximal forces up to 65% higher than the bar method. There was a good relationship between both methods. These new alternative methods could provide strength …

Transpinal And Transcortical Stimulation Alter Corticospinal Excitability And Increase Spinal Output, Maria Knikou

Publications and Research

The objective of this study was to assess changes in corticospinal excitability and spinal output following noninvasive transpinal and transcortical stimulation in humans. The size of the motor evoked potentials (MEPs), induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and recorded from the right plantar flexor and extensor muscles, was assessed following transcutaneous electric stimulation of the spine (tsESS) over the thoracolumbar region at conditioning-test (C-T) intervals that ranged from negative 50 to positive 50 ms. The size of the transpinal evoked potentials (TEPs), induced by tsESS and recorded from the right and left plantar flexor and extensor muscles, was assessed following …

A Mosaic Of Creativity In Occupational Therapy, Molly Bathje

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Martha Branson-Banks, OT, provided the cover art for the summer 2014 issue of the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. The piece is titled “Garden with thanks to Klimt” and is one of several mosaic art pieces in her collection of works. She created the piece with art glass and resin on an abandoned door. Her use of a repurposed door represents her belief in the capacity for transformation and beauty within each individual she has treated and taught throughout her career. Martha’s work as an occupational therapist, educator, and artist reminds us of the foundational beliefs of the occupational …

Impact Of International Collaborative Project On Cultural Competence Among Occupational Therapy Students, Divya Sood, Danila Cepa, Sebestina Anita Dsouza, Shovan Saha, Ruby Aikat, Alicia Tuuk

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy (OT) educators recognize a need to ensure that OT students are culturally competent. The researchers developed the International Collaborative Project on Cultural Competence (ICPCC) to help students understand the impact of cultural context on client care. Entry-level MOT students from a university in the US (N = 18) collaborated with BOT students (N = 4) and advanced MOT students (N = 9) from two universities in India using an online course management system WebCT. The study explored the impact of the ICPCC on OT students’ cultural competence and discusses students’ perceptions of culture on the OT process. The …

The Relationship Between Admission Criteria And Fieldwork Performance In A Masters-Level Ot Program: Implications For Admissions, Molly Bathje, Rebecca Ozelie, Elisabeth Deavila

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy (OT) graduate programs strive to produce an effective OT workforce with competent and engaged OT practitioners. Admission into OT graduate programs is an increasingly competitive process, with most programs having more applicants than spaces available. Programs need to select applicants that will be the most successful in meeting graduation requirements, including both academic and clinical components. This pilot study was designed to examine the relationship between admission criteria and fieldwork (FW) performance. The study utilized a retrospective analysis with a convenience sample of 108 students with complete data from a private university in the Midwest. Independent variables of …

Developing Bilateral And Spatial Concepts In Primary School-Aged Children: An Empirical Evaluation Of The Anker Bilateral Spatial System, Janet E. Richmond, Myra Taylor, Sarah Evans

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Visual-spatial and visual-motor perceptual difficulties contribute to school-aged learning problems. Hence, a need exists to address children’s visual-spatial and visual-motor perceptual difficulties as early as possible in the child’s school career. Thus, this study reports on the evaluation of the Anker Bilateral Spatial System’s (ABSS) effectiveness in remediating primary school children’s perceptual difficulties.

Method: Thirty-one children (17 boys and 14 girls) aged 6 to 12 years who had been identified by their classroom teacher as having observable visual-spatial and visual-motor perceptual difficulties participated in a 10-week pre/posttest intervention study. The study’s pre/posttest assessments included the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor …

The Impact Of Fear Of Falling On Functional Independence Among Older Adults Receiving Home Health Services, Katherine A. Lawson, Eugenia Catalina Gonzalez

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Falls are the fifth leading cause of death for adults aged 65 years and older. Several intrinsic and extrinsic fall risk factors have been identified, butthere is less understanding of the impact of a fear of falling on falls. Seventy percent of recent fallers and 40% percent of non-fallers report a fear of falling. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between a fear of falling and a history of falls, as well as the impact on the functional independence of community-dwelling older adults receiving home health services.

Methods: The participants completed the …

Occupational Therapy After Myocardial Or Cerebrovascular Infarction: Which Factors Influence Referrals?, Julia Drosselmeyer, Achim Jockwig, Karel Kostev, Christina Heilmaier

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Cardiovascular diseases remain the number one cause of death worldwide, and many survivors suffer lasting disabilities. Occupational therapy can help such patients regain as much function as possible. However, little is known about the factors influencing referrals to occupational therapy after stroke or myocardial infarction (MI).

Method: Data from the IMS Disease Analyzer^® database were observed for a three-year period. The study population included 7,440 patients who were examined by a cardiologist due to stroke or MI. In addition to baseline characteristics, the presence of certain cardiovascular risk factors or comorbidities was recorded. Cox regression analyses were performed …

Influence Of Home Environment On Participation In Home Activities Of Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Divya Sood, Patti Lavesser, Caren Schranz

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: This study explored the key physical and social factors within the home environment that influence the participation of children with an ASD in home activities.

Method: Step 1 used a correlational research design to identify relationships between the home environment and participation patterns of children with ASD. Twenty-two children, ages 3 to 6 years, with a diagnosis of ASD participated. Data were collected using the Preschool Activity Card Sort (PACS), Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Inventory (HOME), Parenting Stress Index (PSI), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Hollingshead Four Factor Index of Social Status (ISS). In Step 2, …

Questions About Race As A Research Variable, Diane Powers Dirette

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Sertraline Treatment For Young Children With Fxs, Laura Greiss Hess, Peter Mundy, Randi Hagerman

Collected Faculty Scholarship

Phenotypic manifestations for young children with fragile X syndrome (FXS) include: anxiety, sensory processing challenges, global language and communication deficits and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Many of these symptoms can be treated with medications, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However to date a clinical trial has not been conducted for children under five years old.

This study investigated the following question: Are there group differences on developmental outcome measures for those children treated with sertraline compared to placebo?

Update On Adolescent Tobacco Cessation, Madeline Keyser, Lynne J. Goebel

Internal Medicine

Adolescent tobacco use is decreasing in West Virginia, a state which features the Not on Tobacco (NOT) and RAZE programs. This manuscript gives an overview of recent studies in adolescent tobacco cessation, what works and what doesn’t. More research is needed to improve cessation rates in adolescents.

The Waiting Game: A Primary Care Intervention To Improve Access To Specialist Care To Patients With Osteoarthritis, Laura K. Churchill, Dianne Bryant

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

Osteoarthritis (OA) commonly presents in the knee, contributing to pain and impairment in those affected. Given appropriate candidacy, surgical treatment for end-stage knee OA such as total knee replacement (TKR) and high tibial osteotomy (HTO) are highly successful with negligible risk. Just as the population has aged over the past decade, so too has the demand for surgical treatment of OA increasing wait times across Canada. Cipriano et al. identified that wait times for TKR in Ontario are longer than clinically appropriate. Several North American studies have demonstrated that general practitioner referrals to specialists do not result in subsequent surgery. …

Lessons Learned Through Leadership, John L. Melvin, Md, Mmsc

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Faculty Papers

This paper identifies a number of principles I have adopted when assuming leadership roles. They evolved from experiences that suggested they would help me be more effective in these roles. I have found through using them that they are indeed helpful to me as a leader and to the organizations I lead. When comparing notes with other leaders, I find they seem to apply to others as well.

Diagnostic Problem Solving In Male Collegiate Athletic Trainers, Frederick A. Gardin, James M. Mensch

Department of Exercise Science and Physical Education Scholarship and Creative Works

Context: Knowledge and experience may be important factors for understanding expertise based upon a clinician's ability to select and execute an appropriate response as a clinician during injury evaluation.

Objective: To describe how collegiate male certified athletic trainers represent injury-evaluation domain knowledge during a situational interview using a think-aloud protocol.

Design: Qualitative.

Setting: National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and II colleges in National Athletic Trainers' Association District 3.

Patients or Other Participants: A total of 20 male certified athletic trainers (n = 10 with less than 2 years of experience in the college setting and n = 10 with …

The Parkinson's Experience Of Group Physical Activity: Understanding Social Support, Social Comparison, Physical Self-Perceptions, And Posttraumatic Growth, Tammy L. Sheehy

Open Access Theses

Group physical activity programs for clinical populations can provide opportunities for adaptive social interactions, improving perceptions of competence, and may facilitate posttraumatic growth (positive psychological changes resulting from traumatic life experiences). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine how people with Parkinson's experience social interactions and physical challenges in a group physical activity program, and to investigate what role they think those experiences play in posttraumatic growth. The study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology (Smith, Flowers & Larkin, 2009). N= 20 participants ( n = 12 women; age = 56-79 years) in a boxing-based group exercise program …

Service Provider Promising Practice: Job Squad, Inc. (West Virginia) - A Blog That Conveys The Importance Of Community Employment, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Job Squad is a medium-sized CRP that provides services to individuals in 13 counties within West Virginia. In 2005, responding to customer demands, executive director Brenda Hellwig and her staff received training from Griffin Hammis Associates to offer community employment services. Once trained, the career counselors at Job Squad found that their most successful jobs were matches between job seekers and small businesses that needed their skills and could provide natural supports. The team then started the Community Economic Development blog at http:// jobsquadinc.blogspot.com/. This is a platform to communicate with employers,

Family Meanings, Contexts And Hopes Within A Clinical Trial, Laura Greis Hess, Cynthia Carter Ching, Randi Hagerman

Collected Faculty Scholarship

These qualitative analyses are a component of the clinical trial: “Effects of Sertraline Treatment for Young Children with FXS: Examination of Developmental Outcomes and Family Contexts.”

We argue that inclusion of a sociocultural perspective within the context of a clinical trial affords consideration of:

• A dynamic view of development – simultaneous consideration of biological and sociocultural factors (Vygotsky, 1978).
• Application of a bioecological framework and consideration of ever changing nested settings and contexts over time (Bronfenbrenner, 2005)

Mechanisms Of Isometric Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia In Young And Older Adults, Kathy J. Lemley

Dissertations (1934 -)

Pain reduction following exercise (exercise-induced hypoalgesia; EIH) is well-established in young adults. Specific to isometric exercise, the greatest EIH follows low intensity contractions held for long duration. The EIH response of older adults is not known; and the mechanisms for EIH are unclear at any age. This dissertation aimed to address these unknowns through a series of three studies. In study one, repeatability of pressure pain reports (pain threshold and pain ratings) was assessed in healthy older adults, including the impact of psychological factors. Pain reports, measured before and after quiet rest, did not change following quiet rest. Higher state …