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 90 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPSurvey2021Limiting potential COVID-19 contagion in squatting public toilets.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoMost Chinese public toilet users prefer squatting toilets but worry about water splash contamination. They strongly support installing foot-controlled covers to reduce spread of viruses like COVID-19, preferring foot operation over hand contact for hygiene.
• OTCohort2022Psychosocial Adjustment in Emerging Adults With and Without Spina Bifida: A 14-Year Follow-up Study.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPAt 22-23 years, emerging adults with spina bifida were less likely to be married, dating, working or studying, and had fewer friends and family supports, but reported similar emotional symptoms and relationship quality.
• PTOTCohort2022Association Between Intracompartmental Pressures in the Anterior Compartment of the Leg and Conservative Treatment Outcome for Exercise-Related Leg Pain in Military Service Members.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationIn military service members with chronic exercise-related leg pain, anterior compartment pressure measured 1 minute after exercise did not predict who returned to duty after conservative care. A lower patient-rated leg status score at intake did predict failure.
• PTOTCase Series2022Effect of a Rehabilitation Program After Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Transplantation for Advanced Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationTen patients with advanced hip osteonecrosis who received cell transplantation and 12-week rehab maintained improved pain, range of motion, and strength for 10 years. Five hips did not collapse, but five progressed, with two requiring replacement surgery. No control group means this cannot prove the rehab caused the improvements.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Rehabilitation definition for research purposes. A global stakeholders' initiative by Cochrane Rehabilitation.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineCochrane Rehabilitation defined 'rehabilitation' for research as a multimodal, collaborative process targeting capacity and context to optimize functioning. This excludes single interventions provided outside a full rehabilitation cycle, clarifying which studies actually test rehabilitation versus isolated treatments.
• PTOTOther2021Indian (Marathi) version of the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI): Translation and validation in patients with adhesive capsulitis.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoThe Marathi version of the SPADI questionnaire is a reliable and valid tool for assessing shoulder pain and disability in patients with adhesive capsulitis. It showed excellent consistency and correlated strongly with physical range of motion, making it suitable for clinical use in this population.
• PTOTOther2021Development and Results of an Implementation Plan for High-Intensity Gait Training.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTAn implementation plan helped physiotherapists deliver high-intensity gait training in stroke rehab. Clinicians prioritized the training and reduced other interventions, while patients reported high satisfaction. Because there was no control group, this describes a process change rather than proving the plan caused improved walking.
• PTOTCohort2021Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination Clinical Use to Recommend Therapist Assessment of Functional Hand Asymmetries.Pediatric physical therapy : the official publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy AssociationHINE asymmetry score 4 or higher in infants 3-12 months flagged infants for therapist HAI assessment. It caught all infants with a 3-point hand difference and correctly cleared 88% of those without that difference. For 2-point differences, it did not catch all infants.
• PTOTQualitative2021A qualitative investigation into the results of a discrete choice experiment and the impact of COVID-19 on patient preferences for virtual consultations.Archives of physiotherapyPatients chose virtual orthopaedic rehabilitation when travel, pain, cost or COVID risk made face-to-face hard. They still wanted in-person first assessments, complex or painful symptoms, and trusted therapist relationships.
• PTOTQualitative2021Therapeutic Alliance: Patients' Expectations Before and Experiences After Physical Therapy for Low Back Pain-A Qualitative Study With 6-Month Follow-Up.Physical therapyPatients expected exercises and a specific diagnosis but valued reassurance and active listening most. Trusting the therapist and understanding pain was not dangerous helped them manage symptoms and return to activity. This describes patient experience, not proof that these interactions cause recovery.
• PTOTCase-Control2021Dual goals of trunk restriction and stability are prioritized by individuals with chronic low back pain during a volitional movement.Gait & posturePeople with active low back pain stood up by restricting trunk movement and using more knee and ankle motion. Despite this 'knee strategy', they maintained stability similar to healthy controls by generating greater braking forces with their leg muscles.
• PTOTOther2021Is the dynamic gait index a useful outcome to measure balance and ambulation in patients with cerebellar ataxia?Gait & postureThe Dynamic Gait Index reliably and validly measures balance and walking in ambulatory adults with cerebellar ataxia. Scores from different therapists and repeated tests matched closely. This gives clinicians a standardized activity-level outcome for tracking progress in this population.
• PTOTSystematic Review2022Overground robotic training effects on walking and secondary health conditions in individuals with spinal cord injury: systematic review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationOverground exoskeleton training in spinal cord injury reported walking-speed improvements in small, low-quality studies, but the evidence was too inconsistent to show it beats usual therapy. Skin lesions, falls and fractures occurred.
• OTSLPCohort2022Empathy and Anxiety in Young Girls with Fragile X Syndrome.Journal of autism and developmental disordersGirls with fragile X syndrome reported higher empathy and anxiety than matched peers. High cognitive empathy linked to lower separation anxiety. This suggests understanding others' perspectives may buffer against distress, offering a target for future support.
• OTRCT2022Upper Limb Training with a Dynamic Hand Orthosis in Early Subacute Stroke: A Pilot Randomized Trial.Journal of rehabilitation medicineA dynamic hand orthosis worn for 30 min during 4 weeks of daily upper limb training did not improve arm and hand function more than training alone in 30 people after stroke.
• PTOTRCT2022Bimanual motor skill learning with robotics in chronic stroke: comparison between minimally impaired and moderately impaired patients, and healthy individuals.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationChronic stroke patients learned a complex bimanual robotic task over three days, but moderate-impairment patients improved less than healthy controls. Minimal-impairment patients showed an intermediate progression and generalized less to a new path.
• PTOTRCT2022Fall arrest strategy training improves upper body response time compared to standard fall prevention exercise in older women: A randomized trial.Clinical rehabilitationAdding upper body fall-arrest training to standard exercise improved right-arm response speed in older women. Both groups improved balance and strength similarly, but only the fall-arrest group reacted faster to touch targets.
• OTSLPOther2022Are Autistic and Alexithymic Traits Distinct? A Factor-Analytic and Network Approach.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic and alexithymic traits are distinct, not the same thing. This means a patient's difficulty identifying emotions is not automatically a core symptom of their autism. Assess both separately to understand their specific needs.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2022College as a Developmental Context for Emerging Adulthood in Autism: A Systematic Review of What We Know and Where We Go from Here.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic college students report feeling academically prepared but struggle with time management, sensory overload, and social isolation. Interventions exist but are multi-component and often lack control groups, making it hard to know which specific supports actually help students stay enrolled.
• PTOTSystematic Review2022Measurement Properties of Aerobic Capacity Measures in Neuromuscular Diseases: A Systematic Review.Journal of rehabilitation medicineEvidence for aerobic capacity tests in neuromuscular diseases is very low. Maximal oxygen uptake testing is often incomplete, and the six-minute walk test predicts it poorly in spinal muscular atrophy. Do not rely on these scores to track patient progress or prescribe exercise intensity without caution.
• OTSLPCohort2022Impact of School Closures due to COVID-19 on Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Japan.Journal of autism and developmental disordersSchool closures increased aggressive behavior and externalizing problems in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, with anxiety and depression rising only in those with intellectual disability. Most children showed small changes, but some deteriorated markedly.
• OTOther2021Investigating the structure of trait rumination in autistic adults: A network analysis.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceSelf-critical thoughts and questioning why one has problems were the most central symptoms in the rumination network. Sadness and guilt acted as the strongest bridges linking these ruminative patterns to depressive symptoms in autistic adults.
• PTOTOther2021Between-site equivalence of turning speed assessments using inertial measurement units.Gait & postureTurning speed measured by sensors was equivalent across two sites for 6 of 21 outcomes. A custom clinical turning course showed the most consistency, while a one-minute walk test showed none. Site differences in environment may affect head and trunk measurements more than pelvis.
• PTOTOther2021Influence of motor instruction words on body movements in step-over motions.Journal of physical therapy scienceTelling a healthy young adult to raise their thigh 'high' lifts the foot about 2 cm more than saying 'firmly'. The effect is tiny and the participants were therapists, not patients, so this does not yet change clinical practice.
• PTOTOther2021Concurrent validity of the step time and walking speed obtained from the smartphone application CareCoaching in independent, community-dwelling older adults.Journal of physical therapy scienceA smartphone app accurately measured step time but overestimated walking speed in community-dwelling older adults. Step time agreement was excellent, while walking speed agreement was only moderate to good, with errors increasing as participants walked faster.
• OTCase Series2022Robotic Table and Serious Games for Integrative Rehabilitation in the Early Poststroke Phase: Two Case Reports.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesTwo people early after stroke added robotic table game training to usual physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Both showed gains in arm function, but the table's contribution cannot be separated from usual therapy or natural recovery.
• PTOTCase-Control2022Cancer survivors post-chemotherapy exhibit unique proprioceptive deficits in proximal limbs.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationCancer survivors treated with oxaliplatin showed specific deficits in matching force without visual feedback, but not in reaching or posture. These proximal proprioceptive errors correlated with self-reported motor dysfunction, suggesting force matching may be a more sensitive clinical measure than standard distal symptom surveys.
• PTOTCohort2022Using Smartwatches to Observe Changes in Activity During Recovery From Critical Illness Following COVID-19 Critical Care Admission: 1-Year, Multicenter Observational Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesSmartwatch data showed step counts rose from 4359 to 7914 per day over 12 months in COVID-19 survivors. Resting heart rates dropped by 10 beats per minute. The MDT site group increased steps by 176% versus 42% in controls, though baseline activity differed.
• PTOTSLPRCT2022Effects of Visual Feedback During Balance Training on Knee Function and Balance Ability in Postoperative Patients After Knee Fracture: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of rehabilitation medicineAdding visual feedback training to routine rehab for knee fracture patients improved balance scores after 8 weeks. However, knee function and gait scores showed no difference between groups at 4 weeks, suggesting the benefit is specific to balance stability rather than immediate functional recovery.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2021Is Dysphagia Under Diagnosed or is Normal Swallowing More Variable than We Think? Reported Swallowing Problems in People Aged 18-65 Years.DysphagiaSelf-reported swallowing problems on the EAT-10 were common in healthy adults aged 18-65, with 17% scoring above the clinical cutoff. However, many people with high scores reported no difficulties, while others with low scores described significant concerns. The tool often fails to match patient experience.
• PTOTCase-Control2021The study of respiratory muscles activation during respiratory muscle strength effort in adult females with chronic neck pain.Journal of physical therapy scienceWomen with chronic neck pain generated lower maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressures than healthy controls. They recruited upper trapezius, anterior scalene, and intercostal muscles more heavily during breathing efforts, suggesting inefficient respiratory mechanics linked to cervical musculoskeletal changes.
• OTSLPCohort2021What are the odds? Predicting the likelihood of a negative episode in a sample of toddlers with autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIgnoring a toddler's request for help or jumping in before they ask made a negative episode more likely. Specific comforting actions did not change the odds. Watch for the child's cues and wait for them to ask before stepping in.
• PTOTCohort2021Factors affecting early knee-flexion range of motion after total knee arthroplasty.Journal of physical therapy sciencePatients who could flex their knee more before surgery, had better quadriceps strength after surgery, and had slower pre-op walking tests were more likely to reach 110 degrees of flexion two weeks after total knee replacement. Pre-op stiffness and post-op muscle weakness were key barriers.
• PTOTOther2021Determination of the conceptual structures of the disturbed activities of daily living due to Katakori by evaluating patients' values or perceptions using a patient-elicitation technique.Journal of physical therapy sciencePeople with Katakori, a Japanese term for neck and shoulder stiffness, identified 24 distinct ways it disturbs daily life. The most common issues were using computers and phones, while caring for children was rated the most burdensome. Existing questionnaires missed these specific problems.
• PTOTPilot2021Quality of life and life-space mobility after total knee arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a pilot case-controlled study.Journal of physical therapy scienceFive months after knee replacement, patients with rheumatoid arthritis had similar muscle strength and walking speed to those with osteoarthritis. However, they went out of town significantly less often and reported worse daily life function. Physical recovery did not translate into broader life participation.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2021Factors affecting the interest of rehabilitation professionals indirectly supporting preventive care projects.Journal of physical therapy scienceRehabilitation professionals with more experience, leadership roles, and prior indirect support activity were significantly more interested in indirect support. Those focused on direct support were younger, had less experience, and were predominantly physical therapists. Interest in indirect support correlated with seeing community resources as part of their professional responsibility.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Spasticity-related pain in children/adolescents with cerebral palsy. Part 1: Prevalence and clinical characteristics from a pooled analysis.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineSpasticity-related pain is common in children with cerebral palsy, affecting over 80% of those with lower limb spasticity and nearly 70% with upper limb spasticity. Pain intensity increases with physical demand, being highest during exercises and hard tasks rather than at rest.
• PTOTOther2022Reliability and Validity of a New Diagnostic Device for Quantifying Hemiparetic Arm Impairments: An Exploratory Study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineA new robotic device reliably measures elbow strength, spasticity, and joint stiffness in stroke and CP patients. It matches clinical tests well for these areas. However, it is less accurate for measuring abnormal movement synergy, especially in adults with CP.
• PTOTSurvey2022Patient engagement in cosmetic designing of prostheses: current practice and potential outcome benefits.Prosthetics and orthotics internationalMost prosthetists offer cosmetic design choices, and patients who are given these options report feeling more empowered by their prosthesis. This empowerment correlates with higher satisfaction and more consistent wear time, suggesting that involving patients in aesthetic decisions supports engagement with the device.
• PTOTOther2022A novel tablet-based application for assessment of manual dexterity and its components: a reliability and validity study in healthy subjects.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn healthy adults, a 20-minute tablet app gave repeatable scores for finger recognition, rhythm, sequences and line tracking, but not for unwanted finger movements. It detected age-related slowing, yet did not match Box and Block or Moberg pick-up.
• PTOTSLPCase Series2022Dynamic Standing Exercise using the Innowalk Device in Patients with Genetic and Acquired Motor Impairments.Journal of rehabilitation medicineIn 46 patients with severe motor impairments, Innowalk dynamic standing was linked to reported improvements in joint mobility, body stability, and bowel function. No adverse effects were recorded. However, with no control group, these benefits cannot be separated from standard therapy.
• PTOTOther2022Mind your step: Target walking task reveals gait disturbance in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationPeople with incomplete spinal cord injury could step onto moving targets but moved their body center less smoothly than controls. Their ability to adapt worsened with higher injury levels, linking this lab task to real-world walking limitations.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Substance use and misuse patterns and disability status in the 2020 US National Alcohol Survey: A contributing role for chronic pain.Disability and health journalAdults with disabilities were less likely to drink but more likely to misuse prescription drugs and use nicotine daily. Chronic pain accounted for 17–38% of the link between disability and substance use, suggesting unmanaged pain drives self-medication rather than disability itself.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Executive function as measured by the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-2: children and adolescents with Williams syndrome.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRChildren with Williams syndrome show severe executive function deficits, particularly in cognitive regulation. Inhibit difficulties predict attention problems, while Shift difficulties predict anxiety. These parent-reported deficits are unrelated to intellectual ability but strongly linked to poor adaptive living skills.
• PTOTOther2022Physical activity and vascular comorbidity in Black and White persons with multiple sclerosis: A cross-sectional study.Disability and health journalBlack persons with MS accumulated less moderate-to-vigorous physical activity than white persons after accounting for socioeconomic and clinical differences. Moderate-to-vigorous activity correlated with fewer vascular comorbidities in white participants only. No such association was found for black participants.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Excess healthcare spending associated with fractures among adults with cerebral palsy.Disability and health journalAdults with cerebral palsy who fracture incur excess healthcare costs, largely in the first three months. Vertebral column fractures drove the highest costs for this group, unlike hip fractures in the general population. This highlights a critical window for post-fracture intervention.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022A national profile of substance use disorder among Medicaid enrollees on the autism spectrum or with intellectual disability.Disability and health journalSubstance use disorder prevalence rose fastest among Medicaid enrollees with autism between 2008 and 2012. Depression doubled the risk of substance use disorder across all groups. Cannabis was the most common substance for those with autism, while alcohol dominated for those with intellectual disability.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Greater Cognitive-Motor Interference in Individuals Post-Stroke During More Complex Motor Tasks.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTPeople post-stroke slowed down significantly more than healthy adults during a dual-task Timed Up-and-Go, but their counting accuracy stayed stable. Healthy adults slowed down less but made more counting errors. The complex TUG reveals motor interference in stroke without cognitive cost.
• PTOTSLPPilot2022Perceptions of function and recovery among persons with stroke and care partners.Rehabilitation psychologyMost stroke survivors rated their recovery higher than their partners did, and partners often viewed daily tasks as harder for them. These gaps were linked to higher caregiver strain and depression. Screening both partners' perceptions helps identify couples at risk.
• PTOTOther2021A demand-capacity mismatch between rehabilitation need and service provision as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic? Early clinical observations from a large teaching hospital in London.PhysiotherapyTherapists predicted far more patients needed bedded rehabilitation or institutional care than national discharge plans expected. For COVID-19 patients, 23% were predicted to need these resources, compared to the 5% assumed in national guidance.