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 26 OF 262 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOther2016Green tea and exercise interventions as nondrug remedies in geriatric patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 120 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, green tea, treadmill exercise, infliximab, or combination groups were reported to improve disease activity and bone markers over 6 months. The study did not clearly assign treatments, so it cannot show green tea or exercise caused the benefit.
• PTOther2016Association of ACTN3 polymorphisms with BMD, and physical fitness of elderly women.Journal of physical therapy scienceOlder women with the ACTN3 RR genotype had higher trunk, pelvis and spine bone density, but strength, walking, balance and endurance did not differ by genotype.
• PTRCT2016The effect of abdominal drawing-in exercise and myofascial release on pain, flexibility, and balance of elderly females.Journal of physical therapy scienceAbdominal drawing-in and myofascial release did not differ in pain, flexibility, or balance among older women with low back pain. Both groups reported less pain after eight weeks.
• PTOther2016Effects of circuit exercise on autonomic nerve system of survivors after surgery of breast cancer.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter 8 weeks, breast cancer survivors doing circuit exercise did not show a clear within-group change in heart-rate variability. Compared with controls, some measures were higher, but controls declined. It was a small study without described randomisation.
• PTOTSurvey2016Analysis of stress, musculoskeletal disorders, and fatigue among broadcasting actors.Journal of physical therapy scienceMost broadcasting actors reported high psychosocial stress and fatigue. Regular exercise was linked to lower stress and fatigue. Smoking correlated with higher psychosocial stress and fatigue but not occupational stress. Job demands and insecurity were the primary occupational stressors.
• PTOther2016The association between the body composition and lifestyle affecting pulmonary function in Japanese workers.Journal of physical therapy scienceMore visceral fat was linked to lower lung function in 97 healthy Japanese male workers. More fat-free mass was linked to better airflow, but lifestyle measures did not remain associated after age and height were considered.
• PTSLPOther2016The correlation of respiratory muscle strength and cough capacity in stroke patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn stroke patients receiving general physical therapy, including neurological treatment, cough peak flow gains after inspiratory and expiratory muscle training tracked most closely with expiratory strength gains. Both cough peak flow and respiratory muscle strength increased.
• PTOTSurvey2016Evaluation of sensory processing abilities following stroke using the adolescent/adult sensory profile: implications for individualized intervention.Journal of physical therapy scienceStroke survivors mostly resembled healthy adults on sensory processing. They differed in low registration, sensation seeking, and sensation avoiding, not in sensory sensitivity. The profile describes patterns, not treatment effects.
• PTOther2016Effect of exercise therapy on cytokine secretion in the saliva of bedridden patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn bedridden patients, saliva cytokine peaks rose after assisted arm and leg movement. IL-6, IL-8, IL-15 and IL-17 increased above pre-exercise values, but pneumonia or recovery outcomes were not measured.
• PTOther2016The change of pain and lumbosacral sagittal alignment after sling exercise therapy for patients with chronic low back pain.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter 12 weeks, sling exercise patients reported lower pain than physical therapy patients, and pelvic tilt decreased while pelvic incidence increased. This points to sling exercise as a possible option for chronic low back pain.
• PTOTOther2016The effect of performing a dual-task on postural control and selective attention of older adults when stepping backward.Journal of physical therapy scienceOlder adults had slower reactions, more errors, and greater sway when stepping backward. Adding a tone task made reaction times slower in both groups, but sway did not differ between single and dual task.
• PTOther2016Relation between muscle fiber conduction velocity and exerted dynamic characteristics of muscular tension in patients with hemiplegia caused by stroke.Journal of physical therapy scienceThe affected leg in 13 people after stroke had slower electrical conduction in muscle fibers and weaker, slower ankle dorsiflexion force. On the affected side, slower conduction tracked with weaker, slower force, but the unaffected side showed no such link.
• PTRCT2016The effect of exercise types for rotator cuff repair patients on activities of shoulder muscles and upper limb disability.Journal of physical therapy scienceBoth open-chain and closed-chain shoulder exercises after rotator cuff repair improved muscle activity and reduced arm disability over three weeks. The groups changed muscle fatigue measures differently, but disability scores did not differ.
• PTOTSLPRCT2016Effect of task-oriented training and high-variability practice on gross motor performance and activities of daily living in children with spastic diplegia.Journal of physical therapy scienceAdding task-oriented or high-variability practice to standard treatment improved gross motor skills and daily living independence in children with spastic diplegia. High-variability practice also improved cognition, while task-oriented training did not.
• PTCohort2016Correlations between MRI findings and outcome of capsular distension in adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder.Journal of physical therapy scienceMRI capsule thickness and fat replacement grades did not predict better pain or passive motion outcomes after ultrasonography-guided capsular distension plus physical therapy in 57 patients. All groups improved, but capsular distension and physical therapy were given together, so neither can be credited alone.
• PTRCT2016The effect of combined exercise with slings and a flexi-bar on muscle activity and pain in rotator cuff repair patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter rotator cuff repair, adding sling and Flexi-Bar exercise to TENS and continuous passive motion reduced pain more, lowered upper trapezius activity more, and raised lower trapezius, infraspinatus and serratus anterior activity more. The added exercise cannot be separated into sling or Flexi-Bar parts.
• PTRCT2016Effect of Wiihabilitation on strength ratio of ankle muscles in adults.Journal of physical therapy scienceWii Fit training lowered the ankle dorsiflexion-to-plantarflexion strength ratio in healthy men. Plantarflexor strength rose 42% and dorsiflexor strength rose 17.27%, shifting the balance toward the calf muscles.
• PTOTOther2016Influence of sacral sitting in a wheelchair on the distribution of contact pressure on the buttocks and back and shear force on the ischial region.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn healthy young adults, slumping into sacral sitting lowered peak pressure on the buttocks but raised shear force on the ischial region. This shift moves risk from direct pressure to friction, a factor that contributes to pressure ulcers in frail wheelchair users.
• PTOTCase-Control2017Effectiveness of robotic-assisted gait training in stroke rehabilitation: A retrospective matched control study.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoAdding RAGT to traditional physiotherapy did not produce a larger gain in daily living independence than traditional physiotherapy alone. It was associated with larger gains in walking, mobility, and balance.
• PTOther2017Evaluation of psychometric properties of Tinetti performance-oriented mobility assessment scale in subjects with knee osteoarthritis.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoIn 25 people with knee osteoarthritis, the Tinetti POMA scores stayed stable over 5 days, but they only matched other balance and mobility tests moderately. Many participants scored at the top, so it may not detect change in mild cases.
• PTOther2017Are the average gait speeds during the 10meter and 6minute walk tests redundant in Parkinson disease?Gait & postureFor people with Parkinson disease, comfortable short-distance walking speed closely matched long-distance walking speed, especially at moderate stages. The comfortable short test may estimate the long test. Fast short-distance speed still gave separate information.
• PTOther2016Relationships between blood pressure and health and fitness-related variables in obese women.Journal of physical therapy scienceAmong 1,201 Korean middle-aged women, higher blood pressure was linked to higher weight, fat, BMI and basal metabolic rate. In obese women, higher systolic BP linked to lower sit-up and jump performance; in normal-weight women, higher BP linked to lower cardiorespiratory fitness.
• PTOTOther2016Effects of orthotic insoles on adults with flexible flatfoot under different walking conditions.Journal of physical therapy scienceWearing orthotic insoles for 3 months reduced pressure on the middle of the foot in adults with flexible flatfoot. While their walking pattern did not fully match that of people with normal feet, the insoles improved how the foot handled load, especially when walking down stairs.
• PTOTCohort2016The relationship between physical activity levels and metabolic syndrome in male white-collar workers.Journal of physical therapy scienceMale white-collar workers with low physical activity had a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome (25.2%) than those with moderate (13%) or high (14.3%) activity. Low activity was linked to a 2.03-fold greater risk of metabolic syndrome compared to high activity.
• PTCase Report2016Effect of the Schroth method of emphasis of active holding on Cobb's angle in patients with scoliosis: a case report.Journal of physical therapy scienceFor a small group of patients with idiopathic scoliosis, individually applied Schroth exercises were followed by lower pain scores and smaller Cobb angles. These are observations in a few people, not evidence that the method works.
• PTOther2016Characteristics of tasks utilized for evaluation of judgment errors in the elderly.Journal of physical therapy scienceOlder adults misjudged their abilities. They predicted shorter reaches and faster obstacle walking than they actually did. Obstacle-course errors differed between fallers and non-fallers, but this study did not test whether any task prevents falls.
• PTOther2016External rotation elastic bands at the lower limb decrease rearfoot eversion during walking: a preliminary proof of concept.Brazilian journal of physical therapyElastic bands that pull the lower limb into external rotation reduced rearfoot eversion during walking in 17 healthy adults. It did not test people with foot or knee symptoms or whether symptoms change.
• PTRCT2016Effects of neurofeedback training on the cervical movement of adults with forward head posture.Journal of physical therapy scienceNeurofeedback training did not change head posture or neck motion. It improved Neck Disability Index scores in people with forward head posture, so it may ease symptoms rather than correct posture.
• PTCase Report2016Abnormal bias in subjective vertical perception in a post-stroke astasia patient.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn one man who could not stand after stroke, wall-based body-tilt training was added to ongoing gait and rehabilitation. Better vertical perception and longer standing followed. He stood 34 seconds with eyes open without a cane. One case is not proof.
• PTOther2016Comparison of electromyographic activities of lumbar iliocostalis and lumbar multifidus muscles during stabilization exercises in prone, quadruped, and sitting positions.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn healthy adults, prone trunk extension produced the most lumbar muscle activity. Quadruped opposite arm and leg lifts produced lower, asymmetric multifidus activity than prone. Seated arm exercises produced the least multifidus activity.
• PTRCT2016Effects of neurofeedback training on the brain wave of adults with forward head posture.Journal of physical therapy scienceFour weeks of neurofeedback increased frontal beta and sensory motor rhythm in adults with forward head posture, compared with control. Attention and posture outcomes were not reported.
• PTSurvey2016Characteristics of coping strategies and the relationships between coping strategies and stress reactions in physical therapy students during clinical practice.Journal of physical therapy scienceFemale physical therapy students had higher stress scores than male students. Buck-passing was associated with severe stress reactions after clinical practice.
• PTSystematic Review2016Causative factors and rehabilitation of patellar tendinopathy: A systematic review.The South African journal of physiotherapyFor patellar tendinopathy, the review reported eccentric exercise in 10 included studies and linked risk factors to tendon overload from training load, jump technique and flexibility or strength problems, but it did not pool outcomes.
• PTOTPilot2016An experiment to classify the clinical fear seen during aerobic movement acquisition in adults with visual impairment.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 15 adults with visual impairment, autonomic measures identified fear during squat training, but subjective reports did not correlate with perceived danger. This suggests physiological monitoring may detect anxiety that patients do not verbally report, though the study was too small to confirm clinical utility.
• PTSystematic Review2016Effects of pilates on patients with chronic non-specific low back pain: a systematic review.Journal of physical therapy scienceFor chronic non-specific low back pain, Pilates reduced pain more than minimal intervention, but not more than other exercise; only some gains reached clinically important difference.
• PTOther2016Analysis of the influential factors of maximal-effort expiratory capacity of elderly women.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn older women, age was the strongest factor tied to lower breathing capacity; height was linked to measures of air volume, while weight was not when age and height were considered.
• PTOTOther2016Correlation between rounded shoulder posture, neck disability indices, and degree of forward head posture.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn healthy college students, a more forward head posture was significantly linked to greater neck disability, but not to rounded shoulder posture. This suggests neck pain may stem from head position itself rather than accompanying shoulder rounding in this group.
• PTOther2016Impact of the difference in the plantar flexor strength of the ankle joint in the affected side among hemiplegic patients on the plantar pressure and walking asymmetry.Journal of physical therapy scienceStroke patients with weaker affected-side ankle plantar flexors showed greater walking asymmetry: shorter affected-side gait lines and lower affected-side forefoot and midfoot pressures than the unaffected side. This was an observational comparison, not a treatment trial.
• PTOther2016Physical and balance performance following exercise induced muscle damage in male soccer players.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter repeated sprints, male soccer players had worse balance, speed, agility and jumps. Performance was worst at 24 hours and close to baseline by 72 hours.
• PTOther2016The effects of exercise on the GAP-43 expression in the spinal cord of arthritis-induced rats.Journal of physical therapy scienceTreadmill exercise increased a spinal cord protein linked to nerve repair in rats with knee arthritis. It does not show exercise reduces pain in people.
• PTOTCase Report2016Application of a tri-axial accelerometry-based portable motion recorder for the quantitative assessment of hippotherapy in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.Journal of physical therapy scienceThree children and adolescents with cerebral palsy showed improved walking speed, step length, and balance control after two years of weekly hippotherapy. A portable motion recorder detected these gains immediately after sessions and over time. This small case series supports hippotherapy's potential benefits but cannot prove efficacy for the broader CP population.
• PTOTOther2017Stride variability measures derived from wrist- and hip-worn accelerometers.Gait & postureWrist-worn accelerometers can track walking rhythm and activity levels as well as hip-worn devices in healthy older adults. However, they cannot reliably measure stride-to-stride variability. Use wrist data for general activity counts, but do not expect it to detect subtle inconsistencies in walking.
• PTCase-Control2016The effect of lumbar-pelvic alignment and abdominal muscle thickness on primary dysmenorrhea.Journal of physical therapy scienceWomen with primary dysmenorrhea had greater scoliosis and lordotic angle and thinner abdominal muscles than the normal group. The study compared groups, so it cannot show these differences caused pain.
• PTRCT2016Influence of biofeedback weight bearing training in sit to stand to sit and the limits of stability on stroke patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceStroke inpatients doing biofeedback weight-bearing training stood up and sat down faster and increased stability limits compared with functional weight-bearing training. Both groups also had standard physical therapy including CNS development therapy before the experiment, so the biofeedback component cannot be separated.
• PTPilot2016Pilot study of effective methods for measuring and stretching for pectoral muscle tightness in breast cancer patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceMeasuring and stretching with the arm at 90° or 135° gave larger shoulder horizontal abduction differences and greater improvement than at 45° after a 4 week program that also included gentle shoulder range of motion. Pain, function and quality of life did not differ.
• PTOTCase Report2016Combined treatment with paraffin, manual therapy, pegboard and splinting in a patient with post-traumatic stiff hand.Archives of physiotherapyA woman with a stiff post-traumatic hand showed improved motion, pain and function after 9 weeks of daily paraffin, manual therapy, pegboard and splinting, then outpatient therapy. No conclusion can be drawn about which component caused change.
• PTProtocol2016Effects of comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation on functional capacity and cardiovascular risk factors in Brazilians assisted by public health care: protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Brazilian journal of physical therapyNo results are available. This is a protocol for a planned randomized trial comparing comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation with exercise-only rehabilitation or wait-list control in Brazilian public health care.
• PTOther2016Relationship between atherosclerosis and knee osteoarthritis as graded by radiography and ultrasonography in females.Journal of physical therapy sciencePostmenopausal women with more severe knee osteoarthritis had thicker carotid artery walls than women with milder knee osteoarthritis. The study found a link, not a cause.
• PTOther2016An analysis of pulmonary function in different lying positions in the 20's normal adults.Journal of physical therapy scienceMeasured vital capacity was largest lying on the back and smallest lying face down in healthy young adults. Side-lying values were between them. This is a positioning observation, not proof that a treatment improves breathing.
• PTSurvey2016Knowledge of the pelvic floor in menopausal women and in peripartum women.Journal of physical therapy scienceWomen around childbirth and women after menopause rated their pelvic floor knowledge as limited. Many felt badly informed and wanted more information. Postmenopausal women often received pelvic floor education late.