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 94 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTSurvey2021A survey study of the attitudes and experiences of adults with intellectual disability regarding participation in research.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRAdults with intellectual disability reported strong interest in research participation, driven by trust in researchers and the belief that such research is important. Those with prior positive research experiences showed significantly higher trust and willingness to participate again, suggesting that respectful, accessible engagement builds lasting confidence.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Cervical musculoskeletal impairments in migraine.Archives of physiotherapyMigraineurs with neck pain are not a uniform group. Some have true cervical dysfunction, while others have pain referred from migraine sensitisation. Treating the neck helps only the former. Assess carefully for combined impairments and avoid tests that aggravate hypersensitivity.
• PTOTOther2021Development of an exercise programme for balance abilities in people with multiple sclerosis: a development of concept study using Rasch analysis.Archives of physiotherapyBalance exercises for multiple sclerosis are not one single skill. They split into three distinct types: standing still, shifting weight, and stepping or walking. Each type has its own difficulty scale, so you must pick exercises from the specific area your patient struggles with.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021Nutrient adequacy, dietary patterns and diet quality among children with and without intellectual disabilities.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRChildren with intellectual disabilities ate far fewer vegetables than typical peers, but overall diet quality was poor in both groups. Most children missed key nutrients like vitamin D and calcium regardless of disability status. Snack intake correlated with higher BMI in children with ID.
• PTOTSLPCohortGenotype-Phenotype Correlation Study in a Large Series of Patients Carrying the p.Pro51Ser (p.P51S) Variant in COCH (DFNA9) Part II: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study of the Vestibular Phenotype in 111 Carriers.Ear and hearingIn 111 carriers of the DFNA9 p.P51S variant, cervical VEMP thresholds rose first, starting in the third decade. Caloric responses and posterior semicircular canal gains followed in the fourth and fifth decades. Lateral and superior canal gains deteriorated last, in the sixth decade.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Content validation of common measures of functioning for young children against the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and Code and Core Sets relevant to neurodevelopmental conditions.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceNo single standard assessment for young children with neurodevelopmental conditions covers enough of the ICF framework to be comprehensive on its own. Clinicians need to use a battery of measures alongside clinical reasoning to get a complete picture of a child's functioning.
• PTOTOther2022TWIICE One powered exoskeleton: effect of design improvements on usability in daily life as measured by the performance in the CYBATHLON race.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationOne experienced pilot with spinal cord injury completed a daily-life obstacle course 40% faster with the updated TWIICE One exoskeleton. Design changes to the foot and control modes improved performance, but data from a single athlete cannot predict outcomes for typical patients.
• PTOTCase Report2022Benefits of the Cybathlon 2020 experience for a prosthetic hand user: a case study on the Hannes system.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationOne amputee trained for a prosthetic race improved more in function and embodiment than another who only used the device at home. The racing pilot felt the hand was more part of his body, while the home-use pilot’s balance worsened.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2022Short and long-term effects of robot-assisted therapy on upper limb motor function and activity of daily living in patients post-stroke: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn adults after stroke, robot-assisted upper-limb training improved motor control and daily activity right after treatment compared with non-robotic therapy, but the advantage was not still present at follow-up.
• PTOTNarrative Review2022Soft robotics and functional electrical stimulation advances for restoring hand function in people with SCI: a narrative review, clinical guidelines and future directions.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSoft robotic gloves and functional electrical stimulation show promise for hand recovery in spinal cord injury, but most devices remain experimental prototypes with limited clinical validation. Clinicians should view these technologies as emerging aids rather than established treatments.
• PTOTRCT2022Myoelectric interface training enables targeted reduction in abnormal muscle co-activation.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationMyoelectric training reduced abnormal muscle co-activation in responders, but only for the most severely coupled muscle pair. The overall number and composition of arm muscle synergies did not change, suggesting the brain adjusts specific muscle weights rather than rebuilding entire movement patterns.
• PTOTOther2021Electromyographic Evaluation of Early-Stage Shoulder Rehabilitation Exercises Following Rotator Cuff Repair.International journal of sports physical therapyMost early shoulder exercises exceeded safe loading limits in healthy volunteers. Only the pendulum, table slide, and assisted wall slide kept supraspinatus activation low. Clinicians should not assume passive exercises are safer than active-assisted ones for protecting the cuff.
• PTOTRCT2022Association Between Measures of Muscle Strength and Performance of Daily Activities in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis.Journal of rehabilitation medicineIsokinetic peak strength predicted walking, chair-rise and stair-climb performance better than estimated 1-RM in knee OA. The expected activity-specific pattern for 1-RM was not found. These two strength measures reflect different constructs.
• OTCohort2022Neurocognitive functioning of children with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities and psychiatric disorders: profile characteristics and predictors of behavioural problems.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRChildren with mild intellectual disabilities and psychiatric disorders showed major weaknesses in processing speed and working memory. However, these cognitive deficits did not predict behavioural problems. Verbalising during tasks and better visual-spatial skills were linked to internalising symptoms, while no consistent pattern emerged for externalising behaviours.
• PTOTCohort2022Longer Daily Duration of Supervised Rehabilitation after Laparoscopic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer Improves Activities of Daily Living.Journal of rehabilitation medicinePatients receiving over 40 minutes of daily supervised rehabilitation after colorectal cancer surgery showed greater improvement in activities of daily living at 14 days than those receiving less. This observational data suggests longer daily therapy time correlates with better functional recovery.
• PTOTSLPRCT2022Effects of Additional Individually Tailored Interventions on Sick-Leave and Symptoms in Patients with Exhaustion Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of rehabilitation medicineAdding tailored interventions like graded activity, sleep CBT, or memory training to standard care did not reduce sick leave or burnout symptoms more than standard care alone after 15 months. Standard treatment appears effective on its own, suggesting extra individual therapies may not add further benefit.
• OTQualitative2022Experiences of Students, Teachers, and Parents Participating in an Inclusive, School-Based Informal Engineering Education Program.Journal of autism and developmental disordersStudents on the autism spectrum described a school-based engineering club as a space where their focused interests were valued rather than pathologized. This strength-based approach supported their autonomy, engagement, and peer relationships, according to student, teacher, and parent reports.
• PTOTSLPRCT2022Effects of ATLAS 2030 gait exoskeleton on strength and range of motion in children with spinal muscular atrophy II: a case series.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationThree non-ambulatory children with SMA type II showed increased lower limb strength and range of motion after ten sessions with the ATLAS 2030 exoskeleton. Hip extension and knee flexion improved most. Without a control group, these gains cannot be separated from natural variation or concurrent stretching.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2021Mechanisms of Aminoglycoside- and Cisplatin-Induced Ototoxicity.American journal of audiologyAminoglycosides and cisplatin enter inner ear hair cells through specific ion channels, causing permanent hearing and balance loss. Inflammation, noise exposure, and certain co-administered drugs significantly worsen this damage. Clinicians should monitor high-risk patients closely during and after treatment.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021The prevalence and incidence of early-onset dementia among adults with autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAdults with autism enrolled in Medicaid were diagnosed with early-onset dementia at a younger age and had a significantly higher risk of developing it than the general Medicaid population. The risk was highest for those with co-occurring intellectual disability, but remained elevated for those with autism alone.
• PTOTCohort2021Sport Specialization, Physical Performance and Injury History in Canadian Junior High School Students.International journal of sports physical therapySport specialization was not linked to higher injury odds or worse physical performance in Canadian junior high students. However, girls and students with more total sports hours had higher odds of reporting a previous injury, regardless of specialization level.
• OTSLPOther2022Brief Report: Initial Evidence of Depressive Symptom Disparities among Black and White Transition Age Autistic Youth.Journal of autism and developmental disordersBlack autistic transition-age youth reported higher depressive symptoms than White autistic peers, but rates of clinical depression did not differ. The sample was small, so these findings suggest a need for further research rather than a confirmed disparity.
• PTOTOther2022Application of a virtual reality tracker-based system to measure seated postural stability in stroke patients.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA virtual reality tracker gave fair to excellent repeat results for most seated sway measures, but quiet sitting was unreliable. It separated stroke patients from controls mainly on unstable surfaces and tracked clinical balance through trunk speed.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Finnish Version of the Eating Assessment Tool (F-EAT-10): A Valid and Reliable Patient-reported Outcome Measure for Dysphagia Evaluation.DysphagiaThe Finnish EAT-10 is a reliable, 30-second screening tool for dysphagia. A score of 3 or more flags likely swallowing problems. It correlates well with clinical severity ratings, though it is a weaker predictor of specific aspiration events on endoscopy.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Effect of sex chromosome number variation on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, executive function, and processing speed.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren with Turner syndrome showed broader deficits in attention, hyperactivity, and executive function than controls. Children with Klinefelter syndrome showed specific weaknesses in working memory and attention problems, but not hyperactivity. These distinct profiles suggest different clinical management strategies for each condition.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2022Teacher Characteristics, Knowledge and Use of Evidence-Based Practices in Autism Education in Ireland.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMost Irish primary teachers have low knowledge of autism evidence-based practices, relying instead on traditional methods. Teachers with more training and frequent access to allied health support report higher knowledge and use of these practices.
• PTOTCase-Control2022Increased foot strike variability during turning in Parkinson's disease patients with freezing of gait.Gait & posturePeople with Parkinson's who freeze take shorter, wider turns with less foot contact and more variability. Freezing happens most often in the middle of a turn, where the body must change direction fastest, suggesting this phase is a key target for therapy.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022COVID-19 risk: Adult Medicaid beneficiaries with autism, intellectual disability, and mental health conditions.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAdults with autism, intellectual disability, or mental health conditions on Medicaid had significantly higher odds of living in congregate settings, receiving in-home care, and having severe comorbidities like obesity and chronic lung disease, increasing their COVID-19 exposure and severity risk.
• PTOTRCT2022Intermittent theta burst stimulation modulates biceps brachii corticomotor excitability in individuals with tetraplegia.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIntermittent theta burst stimulation increased biceps excitability in people with tetraplegia but not in healthy controls. The response varied based on individual motor threshold ratios, suggesting this stimulation could prime the nervous system before therapy for some patients.
• PTOTPilot2022Development of a single device to quantify motor impairments of the elbow: proof of concept.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA robotic device measured elbow weakness, synergy, elasticity, and spasticity in ten stroke patients within one hour. Every patient showed at least one impairment outside the healthy range. The device is feasible for quantifying these deficits, but it is not yet proven reliable or valid.
• PTOTRCT2022Comparative Effectiveness of Robot-Assisted Training Versus Enhanced Upper Extremity Therapy on Upper and Lower Extremity for Stroke Survivors: A Multicentre Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of rehabilitation medicineRobot-assisted training was not better than enhanced occupational therapy for arm movement, but it did produce a small, likely non-clinical improvement in leg movement scores. Both groups improved equally in daily independence. The arm benefit was non-inferior, not superior, so robots are a substitute, not an upgrade.
• PTOTOther2022Egocentric vision-based detection of surfaces: towards context-aware free-living digital biomarkers for gait and fall risk assessment.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA waist-mounted camera with AI software successfully identified walking surfaces like carpet, wood, and pavement in older adults' homes. This technology could help therapists pinpoint specific environmental hazards, such as slippery tiles or uneven ground, that contribute to fall risk in daily life.
• OTQualitative2022A Mixed Reality Cognitive Orthosis to Support Older Adults in Achieving Their Daily Living Activities: Focus Group Study With Clinical Experts.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesExperts identified that older adults with dementia struggle primarily with initiating and planning tasks, not just memory. They viewed mixed reality headsets as promising for providing visual cues and safety warnings during activities like cooking, though stigma and cost remain barriers.
• PTOTSLPOther2021The Reliability and Validity of a Clinical Measurement Proposed to Quantify Humeral Torsion.International journal of sports physical therapyPalpating the biceps forearm angle was consistent when the same clinician repeated it, but it correlated only moderately with ultrasound and showed wide disagreement in individual values. Use it for side-to-side comparisons only when imaging is unavailable.
• PTOTOther2021Guidelines for the conservative treatment of spinal deformities - Questionnaire for a Delphi consensus.The South African journal of physiotherapy130 international clinicians agreed on 46 conservative treatment statements for spinal deformities. They favoured specific scoliosis exercises and bracing over general approaches, with rigid braces preferred to soft ones, and treatment intensity matched to growth risk.
• PTOTRCT2022The impact of external and internal focus of attention on visual dependence and EEG alpha oscillations during postural control.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn healthy young adults balancing on a rocker board with misleading visual cues, focusing attention on the board itself reduced sway and visual reliance. Focusing on the feet did not improve balance compared to standard instructions.
• PTOTOther2022Skilled Nursing Facility Organizational Characteristics Are More Strongly Associated With Multiparticipant Therapy Provision Than Patient Characteristics.Physical therapyIn 2018, only 3% of Medicare skilled nursing facility patients received group or concurrent therapy. Facility ownership, region, staffing, and therapy volume were associated with it more than patient impairment.
• OTSLPCohort2022Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) given for poor feeding in at-risk infants also improves their motor abilities.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineInfants who achieved full oral feeds after taVNS paired with bottle-feeding showed greater gains in head and neck control than those who did not. Responders improved their motor scores by an average of 1.7 points, while non-responders showed no change.
• PTOTCohort2022Relationships Among Environmental Variables, Physical Capacity, Balance Self-Efficacy, and Real-World Walking Activity Post-Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairLiving in a more deprived neighborhood was linked to fewer daily steps after stroke. This link was partly explained by lower balance confidence. Physical capacity did not change this relationship, and living situation showed no association.
• OTRCT2022A preliminary randomized, controlled trial of executive function training for children with autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practice10 hours of computer executive-function training plus coaching changed children's brain response during a conflict task, but did not improve lab or parent-reported executive function. A reduction in repetitive behaviors was not a planned main result.
• PTOTPilot2022Acceptability and deliverability of an auditory rhythmical cueing (ARC) training programme for use at home and outdoors to improve gait and physical activity post-stroke.Archives of physiotherapyStroke survivors safely completed a home and outdoor gait training programme using a low-cost metronome. They found the exercises easy to follow, felt safe, and all would recommend the programme, though it did not measure actual walking improvements.
• OTSLPSurvey2022Predictors of Satisfaction with Autism Treatment Services During COVID-19.Journal of autism and developmental disordersCaregivers of autistic children reported lower satisfaction with speech, occupational, and behavioral therapy when delivered via telehealth compared to in-person. However, higher caregiver stress predicted higher satisfaction with psychotherapy and occupational therapy. These are associations from a survey, not proof of cause.
• OTOther2022Experience of adults with upper-limb difference and their views on sensory feedback for prostheses: a mixed methods study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdults with upper-limb differences said the value of prosthetic sensory feedback would be trust in the device, not a new sensation. They wanted reliable, comfortable, adjustable feedback that complements vision and socket cues.
• PTOTSystematic Review2022Active Conservative Management of Primary Spinal Syringomyelia: A Scoping Review and Perspectives for an Activity-based Clinical Approach.Journal of rehabilitation medicineEvidence for active conservative management of primary spinal syringomyelia is extremely limited and low quality. Seven heterogeneous studies, mostly case reports, suggested physiotherapy may improve pain and function, but intervention details were often missing and no causal link was proven.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2022Capturing and Operationalizing Participation in Pediatric Re/Habilitation Research Using Artificial Intelligence: A Scoping Review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesArtificial intelligence tools currently measure only observable behavior, failing to capture how children actually feel or think during therapy activities. These tools also rely on data from autistic boys, meaning they cannot yet assess the full experience of participation for all patients.
• OTCase-Control2022Real-world executive functioning for autistic children in school and home settings.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic children were rated as having greater everyday executive function difficulties at school and at home, especially shifting between activities. Age-related differences appeared mainly in school, and ratings tracked adaptive behavior in the same setting.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2022Pathway of care for visual and vestibular rehabilitation after mild traumatic brain injury: a critical review.Brain injuryOnly eight low-quality studies describe care pathways for visual and vestibular symptoms after mild brain injury. Sequential referral is common, but evidence for combined treatment is limited to case reports. Standardized protocols and timing for referral remain undefined.
• OTSLPSurvey2022Experience of Autistic Children and Their Families During the Pandemic: From Distress to Coping Strategies.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMost parents and many autistic children found the pandemic stressful. Parents reported routines, understanding needs, and social contact helped; lost services, isolation, and school demands hindered. Children valued electronics, while parents often saw too much access as a barrier.
• PTOTOther2022mHealth Apps for Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation: Systematic Search in App Stores and Content Analysis.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesMost musculoskeletal rehab apps lack evidence and fail to support adherence. Only 11% cited research, and 75% had no patient-reported outcomes. Few offered two-way clinician communication or safety warnings, limiting their usefulness for safe, tailored home exercise programs.
• OTOther2022Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder of All Ages, Levels of Symptom Severity and General Cognitive Ability Display Low Processing Speed Index Scores Warranting Special Educational Assistance.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism and no intellectual disability had low processing speed scores. The low scores were present across ages, general ability, symptom severity and uneven verbal and reasoning score profiles. This suggests school support may be needed regardless of those differences.