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 164 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSurvey2025The prevalence and risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders among Indonesian dental professionals.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesAlmost all dental staff reported musculoskeletal issues, with back and waist pain most common. Poor posture and prolonged sitting worsened symptoms, while short breaks and exercise helped. No link was found between symptoms and job role, age, or working hours.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Elevated parkinsonism symptoms in autism during middle and older adulthood are linked with psychosocial, physical health, and mental health outcomes.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic adults aged 40-83 who screened positive for parkinsonism reported lower physical, environmental, and autism-specific quality of life, plus more memory, sleep, and depression issues. These links persisted when excluding those on antipsychotics, but daily living skills findings did not.
• OTSLPCase-Control2025Real-Life Functioning in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome in Relation to Neurocognitive Abilities and Psychotic Symptoms: A Comparison With Idiopathic Schizophrenia.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRAdults with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and psychosis have similar social functioning to those with idiopathic schizophrenia. Negative symptoms, specifically asociality, predicted poor interpersonal relationships regardless of genetic cause, suggesting social rehabilitation should target these symptoms directly.
• PTOTSystematic Review2025Longitudinal relationship between hip displacement and hip function in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: A scoping review.Developmental medicine and child neurologyThe link between hip displacement and daily function in children with cerebral palsy remains unclear. Most studies measure physical impairment rather than activity or participation, and surgical interventions obscure natural history. Clinicians cannot rely on current data to predict functional outcomes from hip structure alone.
• PTOTCohort2024Analysis of fall risk factors and environmental hazards for older adults in Japan: assessing fall situations and locations.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn Japanese day-care homes, falls clustered in bedrooms, hallways, and entrances. Not using an assistive device predicted hallway and entrance falls, while Parkinson’s disease, orthopedic conditions, and cane use predicted bedroom falls.
• PTOTSLPOther2024Associations Between Childcare Physical Activity and Sedentary Time and Early Childhood Developmental Outcomes: A Compositional and Isotemporal Substitution Analysis.Child: care, health and developmentPreschoolers who spent more time in energetic play during childcare had fewer internalising symptoms and better movement skills. Replacing light activity with energetic play or sitting was linked to fewer symptoms. No links were found for cognitive scores. These are cross-sectional associations, not proof that play prevents mental health issues.
• PTOTOther2024Comparison of four quick and reliable methods of assessing body fat appropriate for clinical settings among young, middle-age, and older healthy male and female adults.Journal of physical therapy scienceSkinfold measurements underestimated body fat in older men and women, while BMI and circumference methods often overestimated it compared to bioelectrical impedance. Accuracy varied by age and sex, so no single quick method was consistently correct for all groups.
• PTOTSLPPilot2024Motion capture-based evaluation of lower chopstick stability.Journal of physical therapy scienceTen sessions of chopstick training with the non-dominant hand improved grip stability in healthy adults. Most gains appeared after five days, with no further improvement by day ten. This offers a short, measurable protocol for therapists working on hand dexterity.
• PTOTCohort2025ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) Symptoms Are Associated With Chronic Pain Interference: Results From a Prospective Cohort Study.Child: care, health and developmentYoung adults with more ADHD symptoms after an acute pain episode were more likely to report moderate-to-severe pain interference 6 months later. Pain catastrophizing was also linked to ongoing interference. This is an association, not proof that treatment helps.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Estimation of elbow flexion torque using equilibrium optimizer on feature selection of NMES MMG signals and hyperparameter tuning of random forest regression.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesA new algorithm estimates elbow flexion torque from muscle vibration signals in healthy young men. It reduced the number of features needed by 33% and improved prediction accuracy on unseen data, but has not yet been tested in patients with muscle weakness.
• OTSLPCohort2025Children's social preference for teachers versus peers in autism inclusion classrooms: An objective perspective.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with autism moved faster toward teachers and were approached faster by teachers than peers were. They also spent less time in social contact with peers. Teachers did not replace peer interaction, but peer engagement remained lower for children with autism.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Adults With Intellectual Disabilities and Incontinence: Assessment and Toileting Issues.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRStandard incontinence questionnaires are often unusable for adults with intellectual disabilities due to complex wording and high rates of 'don't know' responses. Open-ended questions and accessible tools are needed to accurately identify toileting issues and avoid diagnostic overshadowing.
• PTOTCohort2024Association between phase angle and level of independence in daily living among institutionalized super older females requiring nursing care.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn institutionalized women over 80, a lower body composition marker (phase angle) was linked to less independence in daily tasks. This marker reflects cellular health and nutrition. It suggests this simple measurement could help identify frailty in care settings, though it does not prove cause.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2024Complex Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in a 4-Year-Old With Repaired Critical Congenital Heart Disease and Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPIn a 4-year-old with repaired heart disease and autism, guanfacine worsened aggression, but clonidine plus stimulant medication reduced elopement and meltdowns. Cardiac monitoring was essential. This single case shows how to manage complex symptoms, not that these drugs work for everyone.
• PTOTCohort2024Effect of preoperative physical activity on postoperative outcomes in esophageal cancer.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn patients undergoing esophageal cancer surgery, higher preoperative walking activity was associated with better postoperative physical activity, exercise tolerance, and daily living independence at discharge.
• PTOTRCT2025Combined effects and timing of robotic training and botulinum toxin on upper limb spasticity and motor function: a single‑blinded randomized controlled pilot study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn this small pilot, delaying robotic training until four weeks after botulinum toxin injection produced the greatest motor function gains. Spasticity reduction depended on the toxin alone, not the timing of the robot.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Impact of Frailty on Post-Treatment Dysphagia in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer.DysphagiaPatients with head and neck cancer who were frail before treatment had worse swallowing quality of life and higher toxicity-related dysphagia scores at every check up to 24 months after treatment. Frailty status was associated with worse outcomes, but both frail and non-frail patients deteriorated significantly.
• OTQualitative2025Perceptual Experiences of Autistic People With an Intellectual Disability and People With Williams Syndrome: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDAutistic adults with intellectual disability described processing many sights and sounds at once, sometimes helpfully and sometimes overwhelming. Some adults with Williams syndrome reported anxiety from sudden noises and described background noise as happenstance rather than by design. These are accounts, not measured capacity.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025To Identify and Compare ActivPAL Objectively Measured Activity Levels With Self-Reported Activity From the International Physical Activity Questionnaire in Older Adults With Intellectual Disability.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDSelf-reported activity questionnaires badly misrepresent real movement in older adults with intellectual disability. They overestimate vigorous activity by 93% and underestimate mild activity by 57% compared to wearable sensors. Use objective measures, not patient recall, to assess baseline fitness.
• PTOTSLPOther2025The REAsmash serious game for the post-stroke diagnosis of distractor inhibition: contrast between immersive and non-immersive virtual reality test versions.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicinePost-stroke participants were slower than healthy controls on a serious game testing distractor inhibition. Immersive VR caused slower responses than non-immersive screens. However, the pattern of errors remained consistent across both VR types and groups, suggesting the test measures the same cognitive skill regardless of the device used.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Submovements in manual tracking: people with Parkinson's disease produce more submovements than age-matched controls.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationPeople with Parkinson's made more small corrective movements and had larger timing and position errors than controls during manual tracking. This held true across all tested speeds. Older adults without Parkinson's showed similar error patterns to younger adults regarding movement smoothness.
• PTOTSLPMeta-Analysis2025Non-invasive cerebral and spinal cord stimulation for motor and gait recovery in incomplete spinal cord injury: systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationPooled non-invasive brain and spinal stimulation improved lower limb strength and gait, but this benefit vanished when broken down by technique. rTMS helped strength more than walking; tDCS effects were small. Spinal stimulation data was too sparse to conclude anything.
• OTOther2025The association of upper limb sensorimotor capacity, everyday inpatient behavior, and the effects of neurorehabilitation in persons with multiple sclerosis and stroke: a mixed-design study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn inpatient rehab, people with MS or stroke made fewer upper-limb movements per minute than healthy adults. Everyday movement matched lab tests only weakly, and rehab gains did not clearly translate into daily behavior.
• OTSurvey2025Associations between disability status and stressors experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic among women with a recent live birth, 2020.Disability and health journalPostpartum women who reported a lot of difficulty or inability in seeing, hearing, walking, remembering, self-care, or communication had more pandemic stressors than women without disability, especially food insecurity and partner-related strain.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Health service utilization among autistic youth in Aotearoa New Zealand: A nationwide cross-sectional study.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic youth in New Zealand used mental health services, psychotropic medication and hospital care at much higher rates than matched non-autistic peers, but used accident compensation services less. Those with intellectual disability had even higher non-psychiatric hospital use.
• PTOTSLPRCT2024Effects of simultaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation and static stretching on flexibility and strength: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of physical therapy scienceCombining electrical stimulation with stretching improved forward bending distance more than stimulation alone, but it did not improve ankle flexibility or strength. The added stretch helped hamstring range of motion immediately, with no adverse events reported.
• OTOther2024Effects of the wheelchair sitting posture on gluteal pressure.Journal of physical therapy scienceLeaning forward against a table while sitting in a wheelchair lowered maximum gluteal pressure compared to upright sitting. Placing feet on the floor instead of the footrest lowered pressure further and increased contact area. These findings come from healthy young adults, not older wheelchair users.
• OTSurvey2025Understanding the barriers to hiring autistic people as perceived by employers in the United Kingdom.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceEmployers are willing to hire autistic people but lack knowledge on adjustments and workplace policies. Previous hiring experience was the strongest predictor of intent. Perceived knowledge did not match actual knowledge, suggesting education alone is insufficient without practical support and structural changes.
• PTOTQualitative2025Human interactions remain at the heart of rehabilitation with advanced technology: a practice-embedded longitudinal qualitative study with allied health clinicians.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationClinicians integrating robotics, virtual reality and sensors described uptake as heavy learning, emotional work and expectation management. They said advanced technology helped more repetitions and engagement, but conventional therapy stayed essential for daily life.
• PTOTQualitative2025Services Addressing Mental Health Needs of Youth in Physical Rehabilitation: Perspectives of Clinicians, Youth and Family Members.Child: care, health and developmentIn physical rehabilitation, youth, parents and clinicians described mental health care as under-resourced. Key gaps were missing psychologists, short or restricted sessions, and lost services at transition. Trust and team links helped.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Contextual Determinants of Health Disparities in Utilization of Community-Based Rehabilitation Services Among Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries With Traumatic Brain Injury.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationWhere older TBI patients live shapes whether they get home or clinic rehab. High unemployment and rural living linked to less home care and less outpatient care respectively. Severe housing problems linked to more outpatient care. Context matters for access.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025'Who Listens to the Listener, Who Cares for the Carer?' A Cross-Sectional Study of Social Connectedness and Sleep Experiences of Young Siblings of Neurodivergent People.Child: care, health and developmentYoung siblings of neurodivergent people describe loneliness as having no one who understands their caring role. They carry anxiety about the future and fear burdening parents, so they rarely seek help. Most report sleep problems stem from worry, not their sibling's night waking.
• OTOther2025Trait and state mathematics anxiety in autistic and non-autistic school-aged boys.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn 110 boys aged 8 to 16, autistic boys reported more worries and less pleasant feelings during a timed math task, and scored lower, even though their long-term math anxiety questionnaire did not differ from non-autistic boys.
• PTOTCohort2025Rehabilitation training robot using mirror therapy for the upper and lower limb after stroke: a prospective cohort study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobot training did not improve daily living independence more than standard therapy. It increased shoulder flexor strength in upper-limb users and hip, knee, and ankle strength in lower-limb users. Brain scans showed connectivity changes in both groups. Standard care remains the benchmark for functional independence.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Environmental Barriers are Associated With Rehabilitation Needs 10 to 15 Years After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Veterans Affairs TBI Model Systems Study.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationVeterans with traumatic brain injury reported more unmet rehabilitation needs 10 to 15 years later when they faced environmental barriers. Attitudes of others, discrimination, and lack of accessible services were the strongest links, even after accounting for cognitive disability.
• OTSLPQualitative2025'It depends entirely on the nature of those supports': Community perceptions of the appropriateness of early support services for autistic children.Autism : the international journal of research and practice50.2% said early supports are okay, and 48.2% said it depends. Participants said supports should respect childhood, affirm autism and fit families.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Emergency department utilization by spina bifida patients in Florida 2016-2020.Journal of rehabilitation medicineYoung adults with spina bifida in Florida used the emergency department most, especially those aged 20 to 29. Common reasons included infections, seizures, and bowel issues. These presentations suggest gaps in routine outpatient care during the transition from paediatric to adult services.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024Cognitive Changes Up to 4 Years After Cochlear Implantation in Older Adults: A Prospective Longitudinal Study Using the RBANS-H.Ear and hearingCognitive scores improved significantly one year after cochlear implantation but returned to baseline levels by four years. Quality of life and hearing gains persisted longer. Without a control group, practice effects from repeated testing may explain the early cognitive rise, so do not assume the implant caused lasting cognitive improvement.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2024Effectiveness of Distance Educational Programs for parents of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: an integrative review.CoDASParent education programs using distance delivery reported gains in communication, routines, and behavior for children with autism, but evidence came from six small, mixed studies. Treat this as promising, not proven.
• PTOTOther2024"I feel more confident": a mixed methods evaluation of the influence of Good Life with osteoarthritis Denmark (GLA:D®) on physical activity participation, capability, barriers, and facilitators in people with knee osteoarthritis.Brazilian journal of physical therapyGLA:D® reduced fear of knee damage and improved confidence and function, but physical activity participation did not increase. Therapists should not assume improved confidence translates to more activity; address persistent pain, motivation, and environmental barriers separately.
• OTSLPOther2025Structure and dynamics of anxiety in people with ASD and ID: A network analysis.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchIn adults with autism and intellectual disability, anxiety and autism symptoms formed a single mixed network rather than separate clusters. Fear of being touched or pushed acted as a central bridge, linking social behaviors like smiling or being friendly to anxiety symptoms.
• PTOTQualitative2025'It can be very complicated': A qualitative analysis of clinicians' practices and perspectives on treating adolescents with nonspecific persistent back pain.Clinical rehabilitationClinicians treating adolescents with persistent back pain prioritised function over pain reduction. They found success depended on aligning goals with both the teen and their parents, as parental buy-in determined attendance. Treatment varied by clinician training, with many relying on exercise before addressing psychosocial factors.
• PTOTSLPOther2025The effects of family directed power mobility on self-care, mobility, and social function in very young children with severe multiple developmental impairments.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesTwelve children with severe mobility impairments used modified ride-on toys for three months. Caregivers reported improvements in self-care, mobility, and social function. All children learned to operate the device, even those with cortical visual impairment or who could not follow commands.
• PTOTOther2024Relationships between life-space mobility, physical function, and empowerment in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Journal of physical therapy scienceLife-space mobility was not related to empowerment scores in stable outpatients with COPD. It was related to 6-minute walk distance and %FVC.
• PTOTCohort2024Prediction of gait independence by using the phase angle in postoperative patients with proximal femoral fractures: a retrospective study.Journal of physical therapy scienceA simple body composition test measuring phase angle predicted which older hip fracture patients would regain walking independence. Phase angle scores above 4.04 degrees in men and 3.82 degrees in women strongly associated with walking independently at discharge, outperforming muscle mass measures.
• PTOTOther2024Correlation between postural stability and fall risk in trans-femoral amputees due to muscle fatigue.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter a 30-minute sit-to-stand task, people with transfemoral amputations showed significantly worse balance and higher fall risk scores. Controls did not show a significant change in fall risk. Strong correlations between poor balance and fall risk were found in the amputee group.
• PTOTOther2024Relationship between respiratory sarcopenia and respiratory muscle weakness in community-dwelling older adults: a preliminary cross-sectional study.Journal of physical therapy scienceCommunity-dwelling older adults with respiratory sarcopenia had lower skeletal muscle mass and trunk muscle mass than those with respiratory muscle weakness or robust status. However, respiratory function did not differ between these groups, suggesting the condition affects body composition more than lung capacity.
• PTOTSLPOther2024Characteristics of upper limb joint mechanics with increased cane dependence during walking.Journal of physical therapy scienceHealthy young men walking with a cane bearing 20% of body weight showed significantly higher positive joint work at the shoulder and elbow compared to no cane. Wrist work did not increase further from 10% to 20% load. This mechanical stress pattern was not observed in clinical populations.
• PTOTCohort2024Individual joint contributions to forward propulsion are not related to stability during walking in young or older adults.Gait & postureOlder adults who rely more on their hips for forward propulsion show greater side-to-side stability, but this hip shift has no clear link to forward-backward stability. The change in propulsion strategy appears related to lateral balance control rather than general instability.
• PTOTOther2025A motor unit action potential-based method for surface electromyography decomposition.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA new surface EMG decomposition method identifies more motor units than standard techniques, especially during complex movements. It runs much faster, taking about one second to process twelve seconds of data compared to over four hundred seconds for the standard method.