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 93 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPCase Series2021Physique, range of motion, and gross muscle strength in hemiplegic para swimmers: a cross-sectional case series.Journal of physical therapy scienceHemiplegic swimmers showed significantly smaller arm circumference and restricted shoulder and ankle range of motion on their affected side compared to swimmers with vision impairment. They also had reduced lower-limb strength on their unaffected side and poor streamlined posture.
• PTOTNarrative Review2022Applications of Digital Health Technologies in Knee Osteoarthritis: Narrative Review.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesDigital tools like apps and video calls often match in-person therapy for pain and function in knee osteoarthritis and replacement. Blended care with real-time feedback and clinician contact appears more effective than self-directed websites alone.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Thirty-Second Single-Leg Stance Identifies Impaired Postural Control in Children After Concussion: A Preliminary Report.Journal of sport rehabilitationA 30-second single-leg stance test identified postural control deficits in children after concussion, even after clinical recovery. This static task was more sensitive than dynamic gait tests for detecting subtle, persistent balance issues in this preliminary study.
• PTOTSLPProtocol2022Redefining a minimal rehabilitation assessment protocol for severe acquired brain injuries.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineThe updated severe acquired brain injury rehabilitation assessment protocol organizes history, clinical tools, and outcome measures by problem areas. It supports shared data but does not show that using it improves patient recovery.
• PTOTCohort2022Investigating the underlying biomechanical mechanisms leading to falls in long-term ankle-foot orthosis and functional electrical stimulator users with chronic stroke.Gait & postureLong-term AFO and FES users with chronic stroke fell significantly more often than non-users during simulated trips. Wearing or removing the device made no difference to fall rates. The users' high fall risk stems from impaired trunk control and an inability to take a second step with the paretic leg.
• PTOTSurvey2022Physical Health Conditions in Persons with Spinal Cord Injury Across 21 Countries Worldwide.Journal of rehabilitation medicineSecondary health problems are near-universal after spinal cord injury, affecting 95.8% of people. Pain, spasticity, sexual dysfunction, and bowel issues were most common. Sexual dysfunction was rated as the most severe problem but had the lowest treatment rate, with only 16.2% of those reporting extreme problems receiving care.
• OTSLPQualitative2022In their own words: The impact of subtle language and communication difficulties as described by autistic girls and boys without intellectual disability.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic children without intellectual disability reported word-finding, listening, group conversation and explaining emotions as breaking down communication. They linked these difficulties to stress, avoidance and missed daily activities, and named written supports and familiar topics as helpful.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2022Autoimmune Neurogenic Dysphagia.DysphagiaDysphagia can be the first sign of an autoimmune neurological disease like myasthenia gravis or inflammatory myopathy. Early identification allows for immunotherapy, which often resolves swallowing issues. Clinicians should maintain a high suspicion for autoimmune causes when dysphagia presents without a clear neurological history.
• OTCohort2022Sensory Processing in Williams Syndrome: Individual differences and changes over time.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMost children with Williams syndrome had parent-reported sensory difficulties, especially with sound, noticing sensory input, discomfort and avoiding stimuli. Over follow-up, fewer systems were impaired, but difficulties noticing sensory input remained common.
• PTOTCohort2022Impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on physical activity and quality of life in adults with lower limb amputation.Prosthetics and orthotics internationalPeople with lower limb amputation wore their prostheses for less time during pandemic restrictions but took slightly more steps overall. Quality of life did not change significantly. The main burden was losing contact with peers and organized activities.
• PTOTCohort2021Effects of yoga on the intervention of levator ani hiatus in postpartum women: a prospective study.Journal of physical therapy sciencePostpartum women doing yoga from week 1 to 12 showed a smaller levator ani hiatus area at week 12 than controls at rest and during straining, but no difference in muscle contraction. This suggests yoga may help pelvic floor structure recover, though long-term effects are unknown.
• PTOTSLPOther2021The reliability of the augmented Lehnert-Schroth and Rigo classification in scoliosis management.The South African journal of physiotherapyClinicians disagree moderately when using the ALS and Rigo classifications to identify scoliosis curve patterns, even when looking at the same X-rays or photos twice. This means pattern-specific treatment plans based on these systems may vary significantly between therapists.
• PTOTOther2021Sex differences in sensory processing in children with autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchGirls with autism had higher parent-reported hearing and balance and motion sensory scores than boys with autism, while typically developing girls and boys did not differ.
• OTSLPQualitative2022Caregiver perspectives on the impact of uncertainty on the everyday lives of autistic children and their families.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceParents of autistic children described school and routine changes as major sources of anxiety. Children reacted with repetitive questions, shutdowns or avoidance, leading to missed education and social opportunities. Parents managed this through extensive preparation, reassurance and family accommodation.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Goal Attainment Scaling: An Idiographic Measure Sensitive to Parent and Teacher Report of IEP Goal Outcome Assessment for Students with ASD.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAn independent observer's goal attainment ratings correlated with parent and teacher reports of progress, but not with standardized behavior scales. This supports using individualized goal tracking for IEPs, while suggesting broad norm-referenced tests miss specific skill changes.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2022A community-engaged approach to examining barriers and facilitators to accessing autism services in Korean immigrant families.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceKorean immigrant parents described barriers to autism services including long waitlists, school dismissals, and stigma. They valued family-centered care, bilingual providers, and community organizations. These findings highlight specific communication and navigation needs for therapists working with this population.
• OTSLPOther2022Cognitive processes in autism: Repetitive thinking in autistic versus non-autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults reported more repetitive thinking than non-autistic controls, but their thoughts were not more restricted, negative, or visual. The study suggests that obsessive thinking, rather than generic repetition, may drive insistence on sameness behaviours.
• PTOTSystematic Review2022Exercise and Rehabilitation in People With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: A Systematic Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationExercise and rehabilitation showed improvements in muscle strength, pain, and function for adults with hypermobile EDS. However, the evidence is weak due to high risk of bias in the included studies, so these benefits are not yet confirmed.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Relationship of Recovery of Contralesional Ankle Weakness With the Corticospinal and Corticoreticular Tracts in Stroke Patients.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationIn stroke patients with severe initial ankle weakness, good recovery was strongly linked to a higher number of nerve fibers in the contralesional corticoreticular tract. This suggests the undamaged side's reticular pathway supports ankle function when the primary motor pathway is completely injured.
• PTOTRCT2022Wearable airbag technology and machine learned models to mitigate falls after stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA fall detection algorithm trained on stroke survivors' movements detected more falls than one trained on healthy controls. This suggests commercial airbag devices, which often use general population data, may miss falls in stroke patients because their movement patterns are different.
• PTOTNarrative Review2021Physiotherapy support for self-management of persisting musculoskeletal pain disorders.The South African journal of physiotherapySelf-management support for chronic pain often fails because patients lack readiness and therapists reinforce unhelpful beliefs. Success requires therapists to act as coaches using motivational interviewing and pain neuroscience education, rather than just delivering exercises.
• PTOTOther2021The reliability of VO2 kinetics during a 6-minute walking test is influenced by walk speed.Journal of physical therapy scienceMeasuring oxygen uptake kinetics during a 6-minute walk test is more reliable when patients walk fast (6.0 km/h) than at a comfortable pace (4.5 km/h). The fast pace produced less variability, while the slow pace had wider limits of agreement.
• OTOther2021Linking Free Text Documentation of Functioning and Disability to the ICF With Natural Language Processing.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesNatural language processing models mapped free-text disability claim notes to ICF Mobility, Self-Care, and Domestic Life codes for many common activities, but the ICF category for looking after one's health was too broad.
• PTOTRCT2022Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Pilot Study.Journal of autism and developmental disordersCerebellar tDCS did not improve motor sequence learning speed in children with DCD. Accuracy showed only an unconfirmed improvement.
• PTOTPilot2022Rehabilitation of Upper Extremity by Telerehabilitation Combined With Exergames in Survivors of Chronic Stroke: Preliminary Findings From a Feasibility Clinical Trial.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesHome-based VR games with clinician video supervision were feasible for 9 chronic stroke survivors. Two of four in the VR group improved motor function enough to be clinically meaningful, matching the conventional hand exercise group. Use requires basic computer skills or caregiver support.
• PTOTRCT2022Bilateral Movement-based Computer Games Improve Sensorimotor Functions in Subacute Stroke Survivors.Journal of rehabilitation medicineAdding 30 minutes of bilateral computer gaming to standard therapy improved arm movement and daily function in subacute stroke survivors more than video exercises alone. The gaming group showed greater gains in upper limb impairment and activity scores, with benefits lasting one month after treatment ended.
• PTOTCohort2022Psychological Distress, Pain and Insurance Claims Negatively Affect Long-Term Health-Related Quality of Life After Road Traffic Injuries.Journal of rehabilitation medicineAt 12 months after road traffic injury, higher early pain, psychological distress and insurance claims were linked with poorer physical and mental quality of life, even after accounting for injury severity.
• PTOTOther2022Physical rehabilitation interventions in children with acquired brain injury: a scoping review.Developmental medicine and child neurologyNine studies mapped physical rehab for children with acquired brain injury, but none reported intervention intensity. While all showed positive body-function gains, the evidence is too heterogeneous to prove which treatments work best or how much practice is needed.
• PTOTOther2022Test-retest reliability of the Arabic translation of the Lower Extremity Functional Status of the Orthotics and Prosthetics Users' Survey.Prosthetics and orthotics internationalThe Arabic translation of the Lower Extremity Functional Status scale is stable over time. Scores from 63 patients remained consistent when retested 5 to 7 days later, allowing therapists to trust changes in a patient's score as real functional shifts rather than measurement error.
• PTOTSystematic Review2022Vestibular Rehabilitation for Peripheral Vestibular Hypofunction: An Updated Clinical Practice Guideline From the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy of the American Physical Therapy Association.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTVestibular physical therapy is strongly recommended for adults with unilateral or bilateral vestibular hypofunction to improve balance, gaze stability, and quality of life. Supervised therapy and specific gaze stabilization exercises with head movement are effective, while eye movement exercises alone are not.
• PTOTOther2021The effect of static stretching on key hits and subjective fatigue in eSports.Journal of physical therapy scienceA 20-second forearm stretch restored finger tapping speed to baseline for the first 10 seconds after fatigue. This benefit appeared in 7 of 15 participants, who were those with higher initial speed. Subjective fatigue scores did not improve.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021Early childhood neurodevelopmental outcome after open prenatal spina bifida aperta repair.Developmental medicine and child neurologyAt 2 years, cognition was low-average at 95.15, still lower than the norm mean of 100. Language and motor were also lower, with motor composite 77.78 and only 50.8% walking with or without devices.
• PTOTSLPOther2021The effect of a concomitant stroop task during sit-to-stand tasks on postural control.Journal of physical therapy scienceHealthy adults showed less body sway while doing a difficult four-word Stroop task during sit-to-stand movements than during an easier single-word task. The more complex cognitive challenge appeared to tighten postural control.
• OTSurvey2022Sociocultural context and autistics' quality of life: A comparison between Québec and France.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults in Quebec reported better autism-specific quality of life than those in France. In both groups, experiencing autism-related abuse was linked to lower quality of life, along with anxiety, mood problems, chronic pain, and not working.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Feasibility of Virtual Reality Exercises at Home for Post-COVID-19 Condition: Cohort Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesMost patients with long COVID found home virtual reality exercises acceptable and usable. They used them for about 95 to 115 minutes weekly. Dizziness was a common side effect. Improvements in physical function were seen, but the study design cannot prove the exercises caused them.
• PTOTOther2022Association Between Temporal Asymmetry and Muscle Synergy During Walking With Rhythmic Auditory Cueing in Survivors of Stroke Living With Impairments.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationListening to a metronome while walking immediately increased stance time on the weaker leg and improved step symmetry in stroke survivors. The change in stance time was the main factor linked to more complex muscle coordination, not changes in joint angles.
• OTSurvey2022Child and Parental Mental Health as Correlates of School Non-Attendance and School Refusal in Children on the Autism Spectrum.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents reported children on the autism spectrum missed 6.3 full days and 3.8 half days over 20 school days. School refusal accounted for 57.2% of full-day absences. Parents not in paid work were linked to more absences.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2022Organization of Rehabilitation Services in Randomized Controlled Trials: Which Factors Influence Functional Outcome? A Systematic Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationInpatient stroke units and home-based cardiac rehab improved function more than general wards or hospital stays. Most other setting changes showed no difference. Service organization matters, but results depend heavily on the specific condition and intervention compared.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2022Use of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Measures in Clinical Research in Patients With Stroke: A Systematic Literature Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationPROMIS measures are widely used in stroke research but rarely follow international guidelines for timing or reporting. Most data comes from US outpatient clinics with high-functioning patients, and inconsistent scoring directions make comparing results across studies impossible.
• PTOTSystematic Review2022Use of activPAL to Measure Physical Activity in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationThe activPAL thigh monitor reliably measures walking, step count, and sitting time in older adults, but it is inaccurate for moderate-to-vigorous activity. Use it to track low-intensity movement and sedentary behavior. Use a different device, such as a wrist-worn accelerometer, if you need to measure exercise intensity.
• PTOTSLPRCT2021Immediate effects of elongation training using an elastic band on the hip abductor muscles.Journal of physical therapy scienceElongation training using an elastic band shifted muscle activity toward the gluteus medius relative to the tensor fasciae latae compared to standard weight-band training. Neither method improved hip strength immediately. The band method may help target the gluteus medius more selectively.
• PTOTPilot2022Adjunctive Inspiratory Muscle Training During a Rehabilitation Program in Patients With Breast Cancer: An Exploratory Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Pilot Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationAdding inspiratory muscle training to rehab for breast cancer survivors improved breathing muscle endurance and daily-life breathlessness versus sham. However, the primary measure of breathlessness during exercise showed no significant difference between groups.
• PTOTOther2022Brain white matter correlates of learning ankle tracking using a wearable device: importance of the superior longitudinal fasciculus II.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationFive days of tracking practice with a wearable sensor improved ankle accuracy in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Better performance was linked to increased integrity of one specific brain pathway, the right superior longitudinal fasciculus II, suggesting this tract supports learning complex foot movements.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2022Sitting on the Sidelines: Disparities in Social, Recreational, and Community Participation Among Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdolescents with autism from lower-income households and those with caregivers having less education participate significantly less in sports, clubs, and paid work. Males with autism join fewer clubs and organized activities than females. These disparities are present during middle and high school.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Exploring Age and Sex Patterns for Rehabilitation Referrals After a Concussion: A Retrospective Analysis.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationWhere a patient enters care after concussion strongly predicted referral to therapy. Sports medicine clinics issued 78.6% of all referrals, while only 7% of patients entering elsewhere received one. Women and those with preexisting comorbidities were also more likely to be referred.
• PTOTQualitative2022Research agenda setting with children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: Lessons learned.Child: care, health and developmentChildren with juvenile arthritis prioritized research on how the condition affects their future schooling, work, and relationships, followed by fatigue, pain, medication administration, and safe sports participation. These priorities differed significantly from those of adults and clinicians.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Improves Function Independent of Comorbidities in Medically Complex Patients.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationMedically complex patients in acute inpatient rehabilitation improved function regardless of most comorbidities. Patients with higher functional gains or efficiency were significantly more likely to go home and less likely to return to acute care, suggesting comorbidity burden alone should not exclude patients from this level of care.
• PTOTSurvey2022Risk Factors Associated With Falls and Fall-Related Injuries Among Wheelchair Users With Spinal Cord Injury.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationWheelchair users with spinal cord injury were more likely to report falls if their injury was more recent or if they had better mobility scores. Better physical quality of life was linked to fewer fall injuries.
• PTOTSLPOther2021The Reliability and Validity of Gluteal Endurance Measures (GEMs).International journal of sports physical therapyTwo new gluteal endurance tests showed high reliability and specificity for gluteal fatigue. However, they did not distinguish between healthy subjects and those with recurrent low back pain. Use these tests to measure gluteal endurance, but not yet to screen for back pain history.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Muscle strength and executive function in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with autism showed lower muscle strength and poorer executive function than healthy peers. Higher muscle strength predicted better executive function specifically in the autism group, but not in healthy children. BMI was unrelated to these outcomes.