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 29 OF 262 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTPilot2016Preliminary validation of an exercise program suitable for pregnant women with abnormal glucose metabolism: inhibitory effects of Tai Chi Yuttari-exercise on plasma glucose elevation.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 12 young nonpregnant women wearing a weighted backpack, seated Tai Chi in a 60-minute session after a sugary meal lowered plasma glucose by 1.66 mg/dl, while resting raised it by 9.42 mg/dl. This is a preliminary signal, not evidence for pregnant patients.
• PTOther2016Inter- and intra-rater agreement of static posture analysis using a mobile application.Journal of physical therapy scienceDifferent examiners and the experienced examiner on repeat visits produced similar results for several posture measurements from this posture app, especially head tilt and lateral hip shift. Hip tilt and rib cage shift were less consistent. Minimal clothing helped upper-body landmark measurements.
• PTOther2016Effect of short-term fatigue, induced by high-intensity exercise, on the profile of the ground reaction force during single-leg anterior drop-jumps.Journal of physical therapy scienceFatigue from hard cycling shortened the time to peak landing force in male athletes. Peak force and loading rate changes were not significant. This is a landing pattern linked to fatigue, not evidence of injury prevention.
• PTOTOther2016Reliability and validity of the sequential weight-shifting test: a new functional approach to the assessment of the sitting balance of older adults.Journal of physical therapy scienceA new seated weight-shifting test gave moderately consistent results when repeated a week later in older adults who needed help walking. It also tracked reach, grip strength, mobility, and breathing measures. It needs force platforms, so it is not a simple clinic test.
• PTRCT2016Effects of modified Pilates on variability of inter-joint coordination during walking in the elderly.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 20 older adults, 8 weeks of modified Pilates plus regular treatment increased hip-knee coordination variability compared with regular treatment alone. Knee-ankle variability and single-joint variability did not change.
• PTOther2016Calf muscle activity alteration with foot orthoses insertion during walking measured by fine-wire electromyography.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn ten healthy young men, shoes plus arch-supporting insoles lowered tibialis posterior activity during propulsion compared with barefoot walking, but did not change peroneus longus or flexor digitorum longus activity.
• PTOTCase Series2016Characteristics of physical activity in patients with critical limb ischemia.Journal of physical therapy scienceStep counts did not correlate with age, leg strength, skin blood flow, or quality-of-life scores in 12 patients with critical limb ischemia, although average daily steps were 2,323.
• PTOther2016Comparison of the psychometric properties of two balance scales in children with cerebral palsy.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 40 children with cerebral palsy, Fullerton Advanced Balance tasks were harder than Pediatric Balance Scale tasks. The hardest was walking with head turns. The easiest was sitting with back unsupported and feet supported on the floor.
• PTSurvey2016Awareness, perceptions and beliefs about physiotherapy held by physicians working in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.Journal of physical therapy science49% of surveyed Saudi physicians never referred patients to physiotherapy, and 58% held negative views. At least 55% were not comfortable referring without prescriptions.
• PTOTCohort2016Relationship between manual dexterity and the unified parkinson's disease rating scale-motor exam.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn patients with Parkinson's disease, lower scores on a simple block-moving test closely matched higher scores on the standard motor exam. A low block test score suggests significant motor impairment, offering a quick functional check for upper limb dexterity.
• PTPilot2016Effects of aerobic and anaerobic exercise on spatial learning ability in hypothyroid rats: a pilot study.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn hypothyroid rats, anaerobic ladder exercise and aerobic treadmill exercise increased open field movement and reduced time to find a hidden platform.
• PTOther2017Kinematic head and trunk strategies used by hemiplegic stroke patients crossing over obstacles of different heights.Journal of physical therapy scienceStroke patients crossing a 20%-height obstacle showed more head forward bending than with no obstacle, and more head side bending and pelvis rotation on the non-paretic side than at 10% height. At 10%-height, head, trunk, and pelvis motion did not clearly increase.
• PTOTOther2017A comparison of the shoulder and trunk muscle activity according to the various resistance condition during push up plus in four point kneeling.Journal of physical therapy sciencePushing a leg against backward resistance during a knee push-up plus increases serratus anterior and external oblique activity. Pushing against inward resistance increases internal oblique activity. Therapists can select resistance direction to target specific stabilizing muscles.
• PTOTCohort2017Does grip strength on the unaffected side of patients with hemiparetic stroke reflect the strength of other ipsilateral muscles?Journal of physical therapy scienceGrip strength on the unaffected side of stroke patients correlated significantly with the strength of seven other muscle groups. Measuring grip alone may offer a quick estimate of overall unaffected-side strength, though correlations were moderate.
• PTRCT2017Effects of diaphragm breathing exercise and feedback breathing exercise on pulmonary function in healthy adults.Journal of physical therapy scienceHealthy adults improved both slow vital capacity and forced vital capacity after either feedback breathing or diaphragm breathing. Forced vital capacity after exercise differed between groups, but the study does not make clear which exercise should be preferred.
• PTOTOther2017The effect of visual field condition on kinetic in upper extremities and e.m.g in lower extremities while performing reaching in normal adults.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn healthy young adults, reaching speed was highest with both eyes open. Shoulder joint angles and lower-limb muscle activity showed no reported difference across visual conditions.
• PTOTOther2017Effects of observation of hand movements reflected in a mirror on cortical activation in patients with stroke.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter mirror therapy, EEG responses in stroke patients changed. Mirror viewing altered alpha and beta activity differently from direct hand viewing. The study did not measure hand function or daily tasks, so it does not show functional recovery.
• PTPilot2017Underwater treadmill training and gait ability in the normal adult.Journal of physical therapy scienceUnderwater treadmill training increased step length, velocity, and cadence in healthy young men. The study lacked a control group and followed only 20 participants, so it cannot confirm whether this method improves gait ability or outperforms standard training.
• PTSurvey2017Physiotherapy postgraduate studies in South Africa: Facilitators and barriers.The South African journal of physiotherapyAmong 425 physiotherapists in South Africa surveyed, 20.5% had a postgraduate degree. Cost or lack of financial support, lack of time and family commitments were common barriers. Expertise, personal goals and patient care were common reasons to study.
• PTOther2017The effects of new taping methods designed to increase muscle strength.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn healthy men, the insertion-to-origin gluteus taping package produced the highest immediate hip extension torque, while the origin-to-insertion package produced the lowest. The tape components cannot be separated.
• PTOTCase Series2017Effects of two-handed task training on upper limb function of chronic hemiplegic patients after stroke.Journal of physical therapy scienceTwo chronic stroke patients practised everyday two-handed tasks for 12 sessions. Both had larger and faster brain-to-hand responses and small hand-function gains, but this cannot show the training works.
• PTPilot2017A preliminary study of the measurement of overload applied to the foot support of a wheelchair and a seated postural support device.Journal of physical therapy scienceForce plates under device foot supports recorded strong horizontal pushes from spasticity, not only downward weight. One participant reached 525 N, exceeding the 500 N standard for a 40 kg user. This is a three-person preliminary measurement, not proof devices fail.
• PTOther2017A study of the relationships of changes in pain and gait after tourniquet-induced ischemia-reperfusion in rats.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn rats, tourniquet-induced ischemia-reperfusion caused significant pain sensitivity and gait changes for up to 7 days. Pain thresholds dropped significantly for 4 days, while toe extension and heel height remained reduced throughout the week.
• PTOther2017The immediate effect of neuromuscular joint facilitation on the rotation of the tibia during walking.Journal of physical therapy scienceImmediately after NJF, 12 healthy young adults showed less internal tibial rotation and more external tibial rotation during walking; a repeat walk without NJF showed no change.
• PTSurvey2017Gender-related differences in lower limb alignment, range of joint motion, and the incidence of sports injuries in Japanese university athletes.Journal of physical therapy scienceFemale university athletes had more lower limb injury history (64.3% vs 46.1%) and foot/ankle injury (34.3% vs 20.8%), plus larger knee alignment angle, more hip internal rotation, and lower foot arch. This does not prove cause.
• PTOther2017Effect of minimizing arm swing while walking on the trunk and gluteal muscles.Journal of physical therapy scienceMinimizing arm swing during treadmill walking was linked to lower latissimus dorsi muscle activity and higher gluteus medius muscle activity in 13 healthy men. Gluteus maximus did not change. This measured muscle activity, not patient outcomes.
• PTOther2017Effects of posture on chest-wall configuration and motion during tidal breathing in normal men.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 15 healthy men, posture changed rib-cage breathing motion: sitting increased vertical and front-to-back motion, side-lying increased side-to-side motion. Tidal volume did not change, and abdomen moved similarly front-to-back in all postures.
• PTOther2017Effect of a pelvic wedge and belt on the medial and lateral hamstring muscles during knee flexion.Journal of physical therapy sciencePelvic wedge and belt increased medial hamstring activity during prone knee flexion compared with no pelvic control, but lateral hamstring activity did not change. Nine healthy men were tested, so this does not show clinical benefit.
• PTPilot2017Repeated 3-minute stair climbing-descending exercise after a meal over 2 weeks increases serum 1,5-anhydroglucitol levels in people with type 2 diabetes.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn seven men with type 2 diabetes continuing medication and diet therapy, two 3-minute stair bouts after each meal for two weeks raised a blood marker of recent glucose spikes by 11.5%. Fasting glucose and insulin resistance did not change.
• PTCohort2017A study on asymmetry in infants with congenital muscular torticollis according to head rotation.Journal of physical therapy scienceInfants with congenital muscular torticollis improved in overall assessment scores and head tilt after six months of ultrasound, massage, manual stretching, and passive stretching. More severe rotation asymmetry started with worse scores. No control group means the study cannot show which component caused change.
• PTCase Series2017Effects of exercise therapy during dialysis for elderly patients undergoing maintenance dialysis.Journal of physical therapy scienceMuscle strength, chair-stand count, and dialysis efficiency showed no clear improvement, but quality of life scores improved in seven older dialysis patients who exercised during dialysis for 3 months.
• PTRCT2016An analysis on muscle tone and stiffness during sling exercise on static prone position.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 30 healthy women, sling suspension in prone position lowered back muscle tone and stiffness within 5 to 10 minutes, while prone on table alone raised them. This is a tissue measure, not proof of pain relief.
• PTOther2016Correlation among proprioception, muscle strength, and balance.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 24 female college students, knee position sense, force sense, quadriceps strength, and quadriceps-to-hamstring ratio were related to balance scores, but the relationships varied with knee angle.
• PTOTSLPOther2016What do the relationships between functional classification systems of children with cerebral palsy tell us?Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 327 children with spastic cerebral palsy, motor, hand-use, and communication classifications moved together, especially in quadriplegia. Better motor and hand-use levels were associated with being an effective communicator.
• PTOther2017Effects of simplified lymph drainage on the body: in females with menopausal disorder.Journal of physical therapy science19 women with menopausal symptoms had lower saliva cortisol, lower DHEA, and lower symptom ratings after one 30-minute whole-body manual lymph drainage session; no control group means the effect is uncertain.
• PTOther2017Effects of spiral taping on proprioception in subjects with unilateral functional ankle instability.Journal of physical therapy scienceSpiral taping applied to the unstable ankle improved active joint position sense in healthy young adults with functional ankle instability. Accuracy improved significantly at 20° of plantar flexion and inversion, but not at 10° of inversion.
• PTOther2017A kinematic analysis of the lower limb with regard to restricted spinal motion during gait.Journal of physical therapy scienceWearing a thoracolumbosacral orthosis changed lower limb joint angles during walking in 40 healthy young men, especially on stairs. Some hip and knee angles differed, but no clinical gait outcome was measured. This lab study was not evidence that braces improve patient walking.
• PTCohort2017Effects of increased physical activity on body composition, physical functions, vascular functions, HR-QOL, and self-efficacy in community-dwelling elderly people.Journal of physical therapy scienceMeeting a 1,300-step/day increase target for 6 months did not change body composition, vascular function, strength, balance, or walking speed. It was associated with better role and emotional quality-of-life scores, but only 18 participants achieved the target and 29 did not.
• PTRCT2017Factors Associated With Ambulatory Activity in De Novo Parkinson Disease.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTPeople with early Parkinson disease who were not on dopaminergic medication and were not regular exercisers averaged 5,362 ± 2,890 steps/day. Higher step count was associated with higher fitness, no fear of falling, lower motor signs, recent diagnosis, and having a cardiovascular condition.
• PTOTCase Report2017Effects of interactive metronome training on postural stability and upper extremity function in Parkinson's disease: a case study.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn one woman with Parkinson's disease, balance and hand scores improved during interactive metronome training, but this case report cannot show the training caused them.
• PTOther2017Sagittal plane spinal mobility is associated with dynamic balance ability of community-dwelling elderly people.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 31 community-dwelling elderly people, greater lumbar flexion was linked to longer functional reach, greater thoracic extension to faster Timed Up and Go, and entire-spine extension to faster walking.
• PTOther2017Toe functions have little effect on dynamic balance ability in elderly people.Journal of physical therapy scienceToe grip strength was associated with better performance on timed walking and stepping tests in 78 ambulant older adults, but toe range, pain and hallux valgus angle mattered little. The overall impact of toe functions on dynamic balance was small.
• PTRCT2017Therapeutic effects of massage and electrotherapy on muscle tone, stiffness and muscle contraction following gastrocnemius muscle fatigue.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter calf fatigue, both TENS alone and TENS plus massage lowered calf muscle tone and stiffness and increased calf muscle contraction one day after treatment. There was no significant difference between the two groups over time.
• PTRCT2017The effects of pre-exercise vibration stimulation on the exercise-induced muscle damage.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 30 healthy young men, five minutes of 60-Hz biceps vibration before eccentric elbow exercise had higher pressure-pain threshold values and lower blood CK and LDH at 24, 48, and 72 hours than no vibration or vibration after exercise.
• PTCase-Control2017A comparison of the balance and gait function between children with Down syndrome and typically developing children.Journal of physical therapy scienceChildren with Down syndrome had significantly poorer balance and shorter, slower gait than typically developing peers. Unlike their peers, their balance did not improve with age, suggesting the need for continued physical therapy intervention after they learn to walk.
• PTOther2017The validity of an accelerometer-based method for estimating fluidity in the sit-to-walk task in a community setting.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 17 older women, a waist accelerometer matched lab timing for sit-to-walk and estimated how smoothly they stood up and started walking. The method may be usable outside a lab.
• PTOther2017The effects of Tai Chi on waist circumference and blood pressure in the elderly.Journal of physical therapy scienceA 6-week group program with Tai Chi lowered waist circumference by 1.8 cm and systolic blood pressure by 16.6 mmHg in older adults compared with control. The design was nonrandomized, so this suggests possible benefit but not proof.
• PTCase Report2017The effects of therapeutic exercise using PNF on the size of calcium deposits, pain self-awareness, and shoulder joint function in a calcific tendinitis patient: a case study.Journal of physical therapy scienceOne woman with calcific tendinitis had smaller calcium deposit area, lower pain score, and better shoulder movement after 20 PNF sessions over two weeks. This is one case, not proof the exercise caused the change.
• PTCohort2017Effectiveness of new sedation and rehabilitation methods for critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter adding sedation vacation, propofol with dexmedetomidine, default wheelchair orders, nurse-therapist collaboration, and seven-day rehab, ventilated patients got out of bed, stood, and walked sooner and had shorter emergency ward stays.
• PTCase Report2016Using musculoskeletal modeling to evaluate the effect of ankle foot orthosis tuning on musculotendon dynamics: a case study.Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technologyA custom ankle-foot orthosis set in plantar flexion with heel alignment tuning reduced gastrocnemius operating length and improved swing knee flexion and walking speed in a person with left hemiplegia after stroke. Knee extension in stance did not improve.