OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Research for occupational therapy

Papers an occupational therapist can act on, across daily living, mental health, hand therapy, paediatrics and rehabilitation, each read in full rather than from its abstract.

10,853 PAPERS · PAGE 121 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTOther2023The adaptive ability performance test (ADAPT): A factor analytic study in clients with intellectual disabilities.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDA Dutch proxy questionnaire for adults with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning grouped 62 daily skills into eight scales, such as self-care, money, social skills and responsible choices, with similar interpretation across new users.
• PTOTCohort2023Quantitative assessment of plantar pressure patterns in relation to foot deformities in people with hereditary motor and sensory neuropathies.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationPlantar pressure patterns differ clearly across four foot deformity categories in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Root mean square deviation and fifth metatarsal head pressure ratio best distinguish severity and varus deformity, offering objective measures for clinical evaluation and surgical monitoring.
• PTOTRCT2023Motor Activated Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Potential Neuromodulation Approach for Post-Stroke Motor Rehabilitation: A Pilot Study.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPairing ear stimulation with movement did not beat unpaired stimulation for stroke arm recovery. Both groups improved similarly. The trial was too small to prove which method works better, so do not change your practice based on this pilot alone.
• PTOTCohort2023Predictors of life-space mobility in patients with fracture 3 months after discharge from convalescent rehabilitation ward: a prospective longitudinal study.Journal of physical therapy scienceFor older adults discharged home after fracture, three-month life-space mobility was predicted by fall-related self-efficacy, motor function, age, and gender, not by walking speed or balance tests. Patients with lower fear of falling and better mobility scores moved more widely after discharge.
• PTOTSurvey2023Female athlete triad cross-sectional study of soccer players by level of competition.Journal of physical therapy scienceMost female soccer players reported menstruation as bothersome or affecting performance, yet only a few used low-dose pills. Players with a history of amenorrhea had later menarche. Lower-level players expressed a stronger desire to lose weight than top-league athletes.
• OTCohort2023Brain regions associated with Brunnstrom and functional independence measure scores in patients after a stroke: a tract-based spatial statistics study.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter stroke, motor severity was linked to damage in main motor pathways, while cognitive independence was linked to damage in wider connecting pathways. This suggests motor and cognitive deficits involve partly separate brain systems.
• PTOTOther2023Cross-cultural validation of the Italian Spine Youth Quality of Life questionnaire: the ISYQOL international.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineThe 16-item ISYQOL International measures quality of life in adolescents with scoliosis reliably across seven countries and languages. It removes four problematic items from the original version, providing a valid, cross-culturally equivalent tool for clinical assessment.
• PTOTCohort2023Higher knee flexion moment during walking is associated with a lower risk of knee pain developing among the elderly after 24 months.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineOlder adults with a higher knee flexion moment while walking had less frequent knee pain after two years. No association was found at twelve months, and knee adduction moment trends suggested higher risk. This challenges the idea that more sagittal loading is harmful.
• PTOTCohort2023Influence of history of falls and physical function on obstacle-straddling behavior.Journal of physical therapy scienceOlder adults with a history of falls or poor balance stepped more slowly and bent their hips more when crossing obstacles than those with good balance. They relied on large hip movements to clear the obstacle, likely because their legs could not generate enough forward push.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2023Factors influencing participation in home, school, and community settings by children and adolescents with neuromuscular disorders: A qualitative descriptive study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren with neuromuscular disorders valued decision-making and planning as participation, even when they could not perform tasks. They relied on adapted equipment and peer inclusion to maintain confidence, while inaccessible community spaces caused withdrawal.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Role of Oral Intake, Mobility, and Activity Measures in Informing Discharge Recommendations for Hospitalized Inmate and Noninmate Patients With COVID-19: Retrospective Analysis.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesBaseline swallowing and mobility scores did not predict discharge outcomes for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Older age made a normal diet less likely, but being incarcerated, female, or of 'Other' race predicted returning to the same facility, likely due to social factors rather than clinical function.
• PTOTSLPPilot2023Mental health problems among transition-aged youth with physical disabilities: an initial evaluation.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesMost transition-aged youth with physical disabilities reported mental health risks, particularly in self-esteem and somatization. Females and those with more functional issues were significantly more likely to score in the at-risk range. Screening for these specific areas is warranted.
• PTOTOther2023Reliability, Validity, and Responsiveness of the Patient-Specific Functional Scale for Measuring Mobility-Related Goals in People With Multiple Sclerosis.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTThe Patient-Specific Functional Scale reliably tracks mobility goals in multiple sclerosis. A score improvement of 2.5 points signals the patient feels much better. This tool captures personal goals that standard walking tests miss, making it useful for tracking individual progress.
• PTOTCohort2023Validity of temporo-spatial characteristics of gait as an index for fall risk screening in community-dwelling older people.Journal of physical therapy scienceGait speed under 0.83 m/s and a heel strike angle under 15.8 degrees helped identify older adults who had fallen in the past year. These simple walking metrics from portable sensors may screen for fall risk, though the test missed many non-fallers.
• PTOTCohort2023Predictive discriminative accuracy of walking abilities at discharge for community ambulation levels at 6 months post-discharge among inpatients with subacute stroke.Journal of physical therapy scienceWalking tests at discharge predict community ambulation six months later. A 6-minute walk distance of 299 meters or a walking speed of 0.94 meters per second best identified patients who would become unlimited community walkers. These cut-offs help set realistic goals for subacute stroke patients.
• OTSLPQualitative2023A preliminary exploration of different coping strategies used by Korean immigrant parents of autistic children in high versus low family quality of life ratings.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceKorean immigrant parents with high family quality of life actively sought information and community support to reduce guilt and build hope. Parents with low quality of life faced language barriers, felt isolated, and struggled with stigma and denial. This describes experiences, not proven treatments.
• PTOTOther2023Occupational and Physiotherapy modalities used to support interdisciplinary rehabilitation after concussion: A Scoping Review.Journal of rehabilitation medicineConcussion rehabilitation in adults mainly used vestibular, neck, exercise, education and coping strategies. Physiotherapists were involved more often than occupational therapists, who appeared in only two studies. No included study specifically targeted early post-concussion care.
• PTOTQualitative2023The impact of rehabilitation on the community life of stroke survivors in Accra, Ghana.The South African journal of physiotherapyStroke survivors in Ghana reported improved self-care after six months of physiotherapy, but most could not return to work or socialize. They avoided public life due to embarrassment about visible disabilities, not just physical limits. This highlights a gap in psychosocial support within current rehabilitation services.
• OTCohort2023Reliability and validity of the Spanish adaptation of the Functional Independence Measure + Functional Assessment Measure.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineThe Spanish FIM+FAM measured functional independence after stroke consistently. Two raters agreed almost perfectly, and scores tracked other disability and mobility measures. It is best used for overall independence, not as a detailed cognitive or communication test.
• OTQualitative2023"Giving the patients less work": A thematic analysis of telehealth use and recommendations to improve usability for autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults and families found telehealth scheduling complex and anxiety-inducing. They preferred using patient portals for registration to avoid phone tag, but wanted clear instructions and reminders. Staff time constraints made phone-based check-ins difficult, leading to missed pre-visit troubleshooting.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2023Exercise dosage to facilitate the recovery of balance, walking, and quality of life after stroke.The South African journal of physiotherapyHigh-dose aerobic exercise in hospital settings significantly improved walking capacity after stroke, but did not improve balance. Combining aerobic and resistance training improved quality of life. Therapists should prescribe at least 120 minutes per week at 60% heart rate reserve for walking recovery.
• PTOTOther2023Novel evaluation of upper-limb motor performance after stroke based on normal reaching movement model.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA new method estimates a stroke patient's normal reaching ability using their stronger arm, then maps the weaker arm's performance against this personal baseline. It identifies specific directions and distances where movement is most impaired, offering a visual guide for targeted robotic training.
• PTOTCohort2023Impairments of the arm and hand are highly correlated during subacute stroke.Journal of rehabilitation medicineArm and hand impairments in subacute stroke are highly correlated, with most patients scoring within one point of each other on clinical scales. Clinicians should not assume the hand is worse than the arm; assessing one segment often provides sufficient information about the other.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022The Effects of Tinnitus and Tinnitus Annoyance on Need for Recovery After Work: Results of the Netherlands Longitudinal Study on Hearing.Ear and hearingAfter adjusting for distress, somatization, and hearing disability, having tinnitus or being annoyed by it was not associated with a higher need for recovery after work. The apparent link in unadjusted data disappeared once these psychological and auditory factors were accounted for.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Assessing visuospatial processing in cerebral visual impairment using a novel and naturalistic static visual search task.Research in developmental disabilitiesChildren with cerebral visual impairment took significantly longer and made more errors finding toys in cluttered virtual scenes, even when their eyesight was normal. They struggled most when items were crowded or spread over a wide area. This supports reducing visual clutter and spacing items out.
• OTSLPOther2023Maladaptive behaviors in children with autism and parental hopelessness: The moderating role of parental reflective functioning.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren’s maladaptive behaviors, especially autism-specific symptoms like tics or ignoring others, predicted higher parental hopelessness. This link was strongest in parents with lower reflective functioning, meaning those who struggle to interpret their child’s behavior through mental states were most at risk.
• OTCase-Control2023Mammillary body abnormalities and cognitive outcomes in children cooled for neonatal encephalopathy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyAmong cooled children without cerebral palsy, 11 of 32 had mammillary body abnormalities on MRI, and these children scored lower on all cognitive domains than controls and cooled children without abnormalities.
• PTOTPilot2023Autonomous Control of Music to Retrain Walking After Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairOne 30-minute session of automated, music-based gait training improved walking symmetry and reduced energy cost in 10 stroke survivors. The system adjusted music tempo and beat salience in real time based on foot sensors, offering a potential way to deliver skilled gait rehab without a therapist present.
• PTOTCase Report2023Case report: training neck and head control in children with chronic paralysis due to acute flaccid myelitis.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesThree children with chronic paralysis from acute flaccid myelitis gained head control through intensive activity-based therapy. They progressed from needing passive head support to holding their heads upright for one to two minutes. This shows recovery is possible, but does not prove the treatment works for others.
• PTOTSurvey2023Relevance of hazards in exoskeleton applications: a survey-based enquiry.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationExoskeleton misalignments were the most frequent issue, affecting daily use for a quarter of respondents. Unintended motion was rated the most severe risk. Experts blamed poor training and sensor failures. Most hazards were rated rare and minor, likely because devices were tested in controlled clinical settings.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Sleep problems in autism: Sex differences in the school-age population.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic girls had the highest rates of sleep problems, affecting 84.4% compared to 65.8% of autistic boys and about 43% of typically developing children. Anxiety predicted poor sleep in boys, but not in girls.
• PTOTCohort2023Natural Walking Intensity in Persons With Parkinson Disease.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTHigh daily step counts in Parkinson's disease do not guarantee moderate intensity walking. Most participants accumulated minutes at very low intensities, with few reaching the 150-minute weekly target. Clinicians should ask patients directly about brisk walking rather than relying solely on step counts.
• PTOTOther2023System identification: a feasible, reliable and valid way to quantify upper limb motor impairments.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobotic elbow perturbations took about 25 min and were tolerable, but stiffness measures were inconsistent and only weakly matched the impairment tests.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2023Technologies in Home-Based Digital Rehabilitation: Scoping Review.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesMost digital rehab tools are already in use, but many lack proven effectiveness or safety for unsupervised home use. Clinicians must verify that a technology suits the patient's specific physical and cognitive abilities before recommending it.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Teacher- and parent-reported trajectories of maladaptive behaviors among individuals with autism and non-spectrum delays.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAcross ages 9 to 18, hyperactivity and irritability improved for most participants, but social withdrawal stayed stable. Participants with lower verbal intelligence or more autism features started with higher symptom levels and improved less over time, regardless of teacher or parent report.
• OTSLPCohort2022Facial expression recognition is linked to clinical and neurofunctional differences in autism.Molecular autismFacial expression recognition tests split autistic people into two groups: those with typical recognition and those with significant difficulties. The low-recognition group had more severe social symptoms and distinct brain activity patterns, suggesting these tests could help target interventions to the right patients.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2023Proportional Recovery After Stroke: Addressing Concerns Regarding Mathematical Coupling and Ceiling Effects.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairStroke recovery is not just a measurement problem, according to this review. Baseline upper limb impairment still predicts how much function returns, but the Fugl-Meyer scale cannot measure recovery above its top score.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2023Alternative Flexibility Training.International journal of sports physical therapyStatic stretching remains effective for increasing range of motion. Resistance training and foam rolling also improve range of motion, but static stretching offers additional benefits like pain reduction and balance improvements, particularly when other methods are not suitable.
• OTCohort2023Grasp Analysis in the Home Environment as a Measure of Hand Function After Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairHome video showed people with cervical spinal cord injury used different grasp types at different rates. More non-prehensile grasp use went with lower hand strength and self-care scores, while more power grasp went with higher scores.
• OTSLPOther2023Predictors of individual differences in minimally verbal peer communication exchanges following peer-oriented social intervention.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with higher baseline social communication difficulties or restricted behaviors showed less progress in peer interactions. However, those with greater sensory or executive challenges sometimes improved more with intervention, suggesting specific barriers might respond well to structured peer support.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Accelerated Cognitive Decline Associated With Hearing Loss and Bilateral Vestibulopathy: Insights From a Prospective Cross-Sectional Study Using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status Adjusted for the Hearing Impaired in the DFNA9 Population.Ear and hearingDFNA9 patients over 55 scored significantly lower on cognitive tests than matched controls, particularly in attention and memory. Under 55, differences were not significant after correction. Six older patients scored low enough to be flagged for mild cognitive impairment risk.
• PTOTQualitative2023Participation in everyday life for young people with chronic pain in Saudi Arabia: "you feel lacking in life and you feel that time is flying by".Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesYoung people with chronic pain described pain as a heavy burden that limited walking, sleep, mood, concentration, and social contact. They tried to keep daily life going with medication, distraction, rest, family help, and avoiding triggers.
• PTOTCohort2023Education and employment as young adults living with spina bifida transition to adulthood in the USA: A study of the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry.Developmental medicine and child neurologyYoung adults with spina bifida in a US registry had low employment rates. Any employment was associated with higher education, sacral-level leg function, bowel continence, private insurance, and recent non-shunt surgery.
• PTOTCohort2023Rural-urban disparities in healthcare factors and long-term health outcomes in individuals with pediatric-onset spinal cord injury.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesAdults with pediatric-onset spinal cord injury living in rural areas reported more pressure injuries, urinary tract infections, bowel incontinence, hospitalizations, and sleep difficulties than their urban counterparts. They also faced lower employment and insurance rates. However, there were no differences in depression, anxiety, or life satisfaction between the groups.
• OTSLPOther2023Psychiatric inpatient admissions and discharges of people with intellectual disabilities: A time series analysis of English national data.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDInpatient numbers for people with intellectual disabilities in England fell by 21-24%, missing the 35-50% target. Community nursing staff declined sharply. Care and treatment reviews were associated with more admissions, though post-admission reviews linked to more discharges.
• OTSLPCohort2023The effect of medical/therapeutic clowns on the playfulness of children with intellectual disabilities.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDChildren with intellectual disabilities showed increased observed playfulness after weekly medical clown sessions. Those who received the intervention for six months improved more than those who received it for three months. Teachers reported children initiating play and engaging more with peers.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2023Development of the self-regulation assessment and content validation using cognitive interviews in a multicultural post-rehabilitation population.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesPatients found the new self-regulation tool relevant but some items confusing due to vague wording. Revisions clarified questions about asking for help and understanding limitations. The tool was not tested for accuracy in measuring self-regulation, only for how well patients understood it.
• PTOTCohort2023Spatiotemporal Parameters of Gait Among Adolescent Athletes with Concussion When Performing a Visuospatial Cognitive Task.International journal of sports physical therapyAdolescent athletes with concussion showed varied gait deficits during a dual-task test. Females in the acute phase had high rates of abnormal dual-task cost, while males showed fewer. Chronic cases still displayed deficits in some individuals, suggesting symptom resolution alone may not ensure safe return to play.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Influence of visual symptoms on posturographic performance after stroke.CoDASStroke survivors with visual symptoms showed significantly worse balance when relying on vision, unlike those without such symptoms. This suggests these patients struggle to use visual cues for stability. Assessing visual complaints is crucial before prescribing balance exercises that rely on sight.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Effects of Diagnostic Tibial Nerve Block and Selective Tibial Nerve Neurotomy on Spasticity and Spastic co-contractions: A Retrospective Observational Study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineSelective tibial nerve neurotomy significantly improved active ankle dorsiflexion and reduced spastic co-contractions in patients with spastic equinovarus foot. These benefits persisted beyond six months for the soleus muscle but declined over time for the soleus-gastrocnemius complex. Diagnostic nerve blocks predicted spasticity outcomes but not functional gains.