PHYSICAL THERAPY

Research for physical therapy

Papers a physiotherapist can act on — musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiorespiratory and paediatric practice — each read in full and summarised without overstating what it found.

13,066 PAPERS · PAGE 24 OF 262 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPQualitative2016Rural South Africans' rehabilitation experiences: Case studies from the Northern Cape Province.The South African journal of physiotherapyTwo rural people with physical disabilities received very little rehabilitation. A child had no stimulation, wheelchair, incontinence supplies, or caregiver training. An adult lost wheelchair use after a broken chair was not replaced for more than a year.
• PTOther2017Accuracy of inclinometer functions of the activPAL and ActiGraph GT3X+: A focus on physical activity.Gait & postureFor healthy adults in short lab trials, thigh activPAL classified sitting and standing more accurately than waist or wrist ActiGraph. All devices classified stepping well overall, but ActiGraph error was high for stairs and for walking while typing on the wrist.
• PTSurvey2017Physiotherapy management of knee osteoarthritis in Nigeria-A survey of self-reported treatment preferences.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoNigerian physiotherapists surveyed about knee osteoarthritis preferred heat and cold therapy over exercise. Most would use x-rays for diagnosis and combine multiple treatments rather than following guidelines that emphasize exercise and self-management.
• PTRCT2017Long-term effects of lateral wedge orthotics on hip and ankle joint space widths.Gait & postureLateral wedge insoles did not differ from neutral insoles in hip or ankle joint space width changes over 36 months. Both groups had hip narrowing, and ankle joint spaces did not change, so no wedge-specific hip or ankle change was shown.
• PTQualitative2017Exploring peer-mentoring for community dwelling older adults with chronic low back pain: a qualitative study.PhysiotherapyOlder adults with chronic low back pain, physiotherapists and potential peer mentors described peer mentoring as potentially helpful after discharge from physiotherapy, especially through empathy, but wanted flexible matching, training and monitoring.
• PTOther2016Is handgrip strength normalized to body weight a useful tool to identify dynapenia and functional incapacity in post-menopausal women?Brazilian journal of physical therapyIn 136 non-frail postmenopausal women, handgrip divided by body weight was associated with better alternate-step, chair-stand, and one-leg stance scores. Cut-points separated low-strength groups, but this cross-sectional study cannot show it predicts functional decline.
• PTOther2016Ultrasound imaging in women's arm flexor muscles: intra-rater reliability of muscle thickness and echo intensity.Brazilian journal of physical therapyUltrasound can track muscle thickness and echo intensity in young women's arm flexors, but changes under 2.82 mm or 10.23 echo intensity units may be measurement error. Use these limits before calling a change real.
• PTOTCase-Control2016Study of acceleration of center of mass during sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit in patients with stroke.Journal of physical therapy sciencePatients with stroke took longer and showed reduced center of mass acceleration during sit-to-stand compared to healthy controls. During stand-to-sit, only side-to-side acceleration and time differed. This suggests training should address all balance directions for standing up, but focus on side-to-side stability for sitting down.
• PTOther2016Effect of backpack shoulder straps length on cervical posture and upper trapezius pressure pain threshold.Journal of physical therapy scienceBackpack strap length affected neck angle and upper trapezius pain sensitivity, but the paper's text and table disagree about whether long straps made them worse.
• PTOther2016Use of social media among Italian physiotherapists: a new opportunity for the profession or an unfavorable trend toward guruism?Archives of physiotherapyThe author argues that Italian physiotherapy Facebook groups suffer from low expert participation and unverified clinical advice, creating a risk of biased knowledge. No formal data or outcomes are reported, so there is no evidence to guide clinical decisions.
• PTOTOther2016Factors associated with attitudes and beliefs of elders with acute low back pain: data from the study Back Complaints in the Elders (BACE).Brazilian journal of physical therapyIn elders with acute low back pain, higher disability, more depressive symptoms, and lower expectation of returning to activities were associated with more negative back-pain beliefs. The study cannot show these factors caused the beliefs.
• PTRCT2016Effectiveness of prophylactic non-invasive ventilation on respiratory function in the postoperative phase of pediatric cardiac surgery: a randomized controlled trial.Brazilian journal of physical therapyProphylactic CPAP after pediatric cardiac surgery did not improve most respiratory function measures or shorten hospital and ICU stay. Peak expiratory flow was higher on postoperative day 1, but the difference did not persist.
• PTCohort2016Altered dynamic postural control during gait termination following concussion.Gait & postureAt the first post-concussion test, athletes with concussion changed how they stopped walking. They shifted foot pressure less sideways while braking and more forward while transitioning. Controls did not change. This is a lab finding, not a bedside test yet.
• PTCohort2016Implementation of the physical function ICU test tool in a resource constrained intensive care unit to promote early mobilisation of critically ill patients- a feasibility study.Archives of physiotherapyIn a Zimbabwe ICU, mobilisation was feasible with no adverse events, and PFIT-s scores rose from 5.3 to 7.1 in patients completing the test. Sedation delayed start in 13 discharged patients, and cardiovascular instability in 7.
• PTOTOther2016Effects of trunk stability on isometric knee extension muscle strength measurement while sitting.Journal of physical therapy scienceWhen sitting is fully stabilized with straps, handheld dynamometer readings for knee extension strength match those from a gold-standard machine. Without this stability, handheld readings are likely underestimated due to body compensation. Ensure patients are strapped in securely to get accurate strength measures.
• PTOTSLPRCT2016Effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on the shoulder joint functional status of patients with calcific tendinitis.Journal of physical therapy scienceAdding shock wave therapy to standard physical therapy improved shoulder function more than physical therapy alone in patients with calcific tendinitis. Scores rose steadily over 12 weeks, with no reported side effects, though the study design limits certainty.
• PTOther2016Immediate effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation on gait in stroke patients in relation to the lesion site.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter a single session of rhythmic auditory cues, walking speed and stride length increased in patients with cerebellum, pons and medulla, or thalamus lesions. In putamen or corona radiata lesions, the increases were not clear.
• PTOther2016Kinematic analysis of tandem gait on a sine wave walkway.Journal of physical therapy scienceWalking a narrow sine-wave line made healthy adults turn the knee opposite to the hip during direction changes. The study only measured movement in young healthy people and did not test treatment or patients.
• PTOTSystematic Review2016Effect of corticosteroid injections versus physiotherapy on pain, shoulder range of motion and shoulder function in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.The South African journal of physiotherapyPhysiotherapy and steroid injections both improve pain, motion and function in subacromial impingement syndrome. Steroid injections showed a small short-term advantage in function at 6-7 weeks, but this difference disappeared by 6 months. There is no evidence that injections are superior to physiotherapy in the medium or long term.
• PTRCT2016Effects of manual therapy on shoulder pain in office workers.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 38 office workers with shoulder and neck pain, manual therapy and shoulder stabilization exercises both made muscles less sensitive to pressure after 6 weeks. Manual therapy had larger gains in some muscles, but both groups improved.
• PTSystematic Review2016Conceptualisation of community-based rehabilitation in Southern Africa: A systematic review.The South African journal of physiotherapySouthern African literature described community-based rehabilitation as centred on people with disabilities and families, with grassroots, mid-level and professional workers. It did not test what these programmes do for patients.
• PTMeta-Analysis2016A systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies examining the relationship between mobility and cognition in healthy older adults.Gait & postureHealthy older adults with faster gait, better balance and better chair-rise performance tended to score better on memory, thinking speed and other cognitive tests. The associations were mostly small and cross-sectional, so they do not prove that mobility changes cause cognition changes.
• PTOther2016In-vivo quantification of dynamic hip joint center errors and soft tissue artifact.Gait & postureFunctional hip joint center estimates are more accurate than predictive ones during movement. Using X-ray tracking instead of skin markers reduced functional method errors to 1.3 mm, proving that soft tissue movement is the main source of error.
• PTOther2016Risk of falls in Brazilian elders with and without low back pain assessed using the Physiological Profile Assessment: BACE study.Brazilian journal of physical therapyOlder Brazilian adults with low back pain had a moderate fall-risk score, while those without pain had a mild score. They also reported more falls, swayed more, reacted slower and had weaker thigh muscles.
• PTOTOther2016Profile of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease classified as physically active and inactive according to different thresholds of physical activity in daily life.Brazilian journal of physical therapyAcross three daily-activity thresholds, COPD patients called active walked farther, had better body composition and lung function, and reported less daily-life limitation. The number called active changed with threshold, so the label depends on the cut-off.
• PTCase Report2016The effects of backward walking training on balance and mobility in an individual with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury: A case report.Physiotherapy theory and practiceOne woman with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury improved balance and mobility after 18 backward walking sessions. Her Berg Balance score rose from 20/56 to 37/56, but walking independence did not change.
• PTOther2016Differences in respirogram phase between taekwondo poomsae athletes and nonathletes.Journal of physical therapy scienceYoung male taekwondo poomsae athletes had a different forced breathing curve than nonathletes, with a larger inspiratory area and higher expiratory slopes. The study compares groups and does not test a treatment.
• PTOther2016Comparison of bone density on the dominant and nondominant sides between healthy elderly individuals and stroke patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceHealthy elderly controls showed no side-to-side difference in heel bone density. Stroke patients had lower bone density on the paretic side than the nonparetic side, and their side-to-side difference was larger than in controls.
• PTOther2016Assessing gait and balance impairment in elderly residents of nursing homes.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn nursing home residents, slower Timed Up and Go and lower Tinetti POMA scores were linked with more falls over the last year. Berg Balance did not track falls, and One-Legged Stance could be used in only 46%.
• PTRCT2016The weight-bearing exercise for better balance program improves strength and balance in osteopenia: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of physical therapy sciencePostmenopausal women with osteopenia who did a six-week weight-bearing balance program had higher hip and knee strength and better balance scores than women who received no treatment. Hip extensor strength did not show a clear between-group difference.
• PTOther2016Ipsilateral patterns of the rotational range of motion of the hip in healthy Japanese adults.Journal of physical therapy science222 healthy Japanese adults showed hip rotation patterns that differed by sex: males more often had external rotation greater than internal rotation, females more often had internal rotation greater. Left and right sides did not differ. The difference was common, not proof of disease.
• PTOther2016A study on the reliability of measuring dynamic balance ability using a smartphone.Journal of physical therapy scienceA smartphone sensor on the lower back gave repeatable acceleration readings for dynamic balance in 30 healthy young adults, especially with eyes closed; gyroscope readings were less consistent, particularly with eyes closed.
• PTOther2016Correlation between hip function and knee kinematics evaluated by three-dimensional motion analysis during lateral and medial side-hopping.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 16 limbs of healthy male rugby players, side-hop landing differed by direction: lateral landing had more knee abduction, medial landing had more external rotation. Hip internal rotation range was linked to greater knee external rotation and abduction loads during lateral landing only.
• PTOther2016The effect of feedback respiratory exercise on muscle activity, craniovertebral angle, and neck disability index of the neck flexors of patients with forward head posture.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter two weeks, feedback breathing exercise and McKenzie exercise changed neck muscle activity, raised the craniovertebral angle and lowered neck disability in people with forward head posture. Feedback breathing changed SCM activity and neck disability more than McKenzie.
• PTProtocol2016Effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle intervention for low back pain and osteoarthritis of the knee: protocol and statistical analysis plan for two randomised controlled trials.Brazilian journal of physical therapyNo results are reported. This is a study plan for two randomised trials of telephone weight management and lifestyle coaching for low back pain and knee osteoarthritis, so there is no finding to act on.
• PTRCT2016The effect of gluteus medius strengthening on the knee joint function score and pain in meniscal surgery patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceFor meniscal surgery patients with weak hip abductors, combining hip abduction with squat training improved knee function and reduced pain more than either exercise alone.
• PTOTSLPCohort2016Prediction of destination at discharge from a comprehensive rehabilitation hospital using the home care score.Journal of physical therapy scienceA home care score of 11 or more predicted returning home in Japanese rehabilitation patients. For patients with a FIM score of 54 or less, the home care score was still useful. Both scores were higher at discharge than at admission.
• PTOTCohort2016Effectiveness of the back school program for the performance of activities of daily living in users of a basic health unit in Porto Alegre, Brazil.Journal of physical therapy scienceA Back School program improved how people with chronic pain performed daily tasks like lifting and writing, and reduced pain and disability scores. Sitting posture did not improve. Without a control group, natural recovery cannot be ruled out.
• PTPilot2016Clinical usefulness of brain-computer interface-controlled functional electrical stimulation for improving brain activity in children with spastic cerebral palsy: a pilot randomized controlled trial.Journal of physical therapy scienceBoth groups showed increased brain-wave activity after six weeks. The supplied table marks within-group changes, so it does not show BCI-FES was better than FES.
• PTRCT2016The effect of intervention according to muscle contraction type on the cerebral cortex of the elderly.Journal of physical therapy scienceFour weeks of eccentric knee exercises increased brain activity in motor areas and rectus femoris muscle activity more than concentric exercises in healthy older adults. This suggests eccentric training may better stimulate the nervous system, though functional improvements were not measured.
• PTOther2016Comparison of hamstring-to-quadriceps ratio between accelerating and decelerating sections during squat exercise.Journal of physical therapy scienceHamstring-to-quadriceps muscle activity ratio was higher during the slowing-down part of a squat than during the speeding-up part (0.79 vs 0.54) in nine healthy men.
• PTOther2016Comparison of abdominal muscle thickness according to feedback method used during abdominal hollowing exercise.Journal of physical therapy scienceDuring a 15-minute abdominal hollowing exercise, real-time ultrasound feedback showed greater transversus abdominis thickness than manual-contact basic training. Pressure biofeedback did not differ from either method. These were 30 healthy students, not patients.
• PTOther2016Compression of the lungs by the heart in supine, side-lying, semi-prone positions.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn eight healthy people, the heart compressed the lung least in semi-prone positions and most in right side-lying. The scan measured lung compression only, not breathing outcomes, and no patients were studied.
• PTOther2016Comparative assessment of knee extensor and flexor muscle strength measured using a hand-held vs. isokinetic dynamometer.Journal of physical therapy scienceHand-held dynamometer knee strength readings were repeatable and tracked closely with isokinetic readings in healthy adults. Hand-held flexor/extensor ratios did not match isokinetic ratios well.
• PTOther2016Effects of wearing ankle weight on knee joint repositioning sense in the elderly.Journal of physical therapy scienceAnkle weights did not show a reliable improvement in knee position sense in older adults in this small study. Older adults still made larger angle errors than younger adults.
• PTOther2016Advancements in Imaging Technology: Do They (or Will They) Equate to Advancements in Our Knowledge of Recovery in Whiplash?The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyNo original finding to act on. This imaging commentary for whiplash reports no methods or outcomes.
• PTOther2016Effects of upper extremity training in a standing position on trunk alignment in stroke patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 12 stroke patients, upper limb tasks done while standing reduced forward rounding of the upper back more than the same tasks done while sitting. The lower back curve did not show this change.
• PTOther2016Relationship between the duration and trunk inclination and hip angle during car transfer in individuals with tetraplegia.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 11 men with C6 tetraplegia, shorter wheelchair-to-car transfers were linked with more hip flexion, not more trunk lean.
• PTOther2016Characteristics of lower limb muscle activity during upper limb elevation in badminton players.Journal of physical therapy scienceExperienced badminton players lifted the dominant arm faster and used the opposite leg muscle more strongly than non-players. The leg difference was not seen when they lifted the non-dominant arm.
• PTOther2016Changes in the activity of trunk and hip extensor muscles during bridge exercises with variations in unilateral knee joint angle.Journal of physical therapy scienceLifting a bridge with the dominant knee straight rather than bent raised trunk and opposite hip extensor activity, and lowered the hamstring on the straight side. For healthy young men only, this does not prove better function or pain relief.