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 33 OF 262 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOther2017Ventilatory threshold may be a more specific measure of aerobic capacity than peak oxygen consumption rate in persons with stroke.Topics in stroke rehabilitationThe breathing threshold measure was less tied to walking speed than peak oxygen use in 59 people with chronic stroke. This may mean it reflects aerobic capacity more specifically. Peak oxygen use can look artificially low when walking is impaired. The rating method was reliable.
• PTOTSLPCohort2017Impact of Cognition on Burn Inpatient Rehabilitation Outcomes.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationHigher cognitive scores at burn rehab admission were associated with greater total function gain and lower early acute transfer chance. Each extra cognitive point was linked to 0.7 more FIM points and a 24% lower chance of transfer within 3 days.
• PTOther2017Design and validation of a low cost, high-capacity weighing device for wheelchair users and bariatrics.Assistive technology : the official journal of RESNAA low-cost wheelchair-accessible scale prototype matched a calibrated scale closely in 45 participants, with the smallest differences in manual wheelchair users. It was rated safe and easy, but remains a prototype.
• PTCohort2017A comparison of outcomes of asymmetry in infants with congenital muscular torticollis according to age upon starting treatment.Journal of physical therapy scienceInfants with congenital muscular torticollis who began ultrasound, massage, manual stretching and passive stretching before six weeks had a larger reduction in sternocleidomastoid thickness difference than those starting later. Head tilt and overall scores improved too. No single component can be credited.
• PTCohort2017Relationships Between Age at Menarche, Walking Gait Base of Support, and Stance Phase Frontal Plane Knee Biomechanics in Adolescent Girls.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationEarlier first period was linked to a wider walking stance and inward knee bending during walking in 46 healthy adolescent girls. This may help therapists spot higher knee-injury risk, but the study did not test injuries.
• PTCohort2017Implications of pain in functional activities in immediate postpartum period according to the mode of delivery and parity: an observational study.Brazilian journal of physical therapyPain at rest was mild and similar in both groups, but 42 cesarean women and 34 vaginal women reported pain-related activity limits.
• PTOther2017The effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on the pain and function of patients with degenerative knee arthritis.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 20 adults with degenerative knee arthritis, over four weeks, adding shock wave therapy to heat pack, interference current, and ultrasound produced greater reductions in pain and function scores than the same physical therapies alone.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2017The Canadian occupational performance measure for patients with stroke: a systematic review.Journal of physical therapy scienceThe Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) shows good reliability in stroke patients but correlates poorly with standard assessments. It captures unique patient goals but requires adequate communication skills, so use it alongside other measures, not alone.
• PTOTQualitative2017Starting a new conversation: Engaging Veterans with spinal cord injury in discussions of what function means to them, the barriers/facilitators they encounter, and the adaptations they use to optimize function.Disability and health journalNine Veterans with spinal cord injury described function as doing what they want and being independent. They said tools, transportation, therapy and caregivers helped; wheelchairs and inaccessible surfaces hindered; they used creative adaptations.
• PTSystematic Review2017The development of an evidence-based clinical checklist for the diagnosis of anterior knee pain.The South African journal of physiotherapyA checklist for anterior knee pain combines pain with squatting, kneeling, stairs or sitting and tests to exclude other knee problems. Squatting reproduced pain in 91% of patients, but the paper did not report testing the checklist.
• PTOTSurvey2017Predictors of perceived barriers to physical activity in the general adult population: a cross-sectional study.Brazilian journal of physical therapyLack of motivation and time were the most common barriers to physical activity. People with partners reported fewer barriers, while those with lower education or income reported more. These associations describe who perceives barriers, not whether interventions work.
• PTOTSystematic Review2017A systematic review of high quality randomized controlled trials investigating motor skill programmes for children with developmental coordination disorder.Clinical rehabilitationFor children with developmental coordination disorder, individualized task-oriented training, including Neuromotor Task Training and motor imagery with practice, had the strongest support. Wii, core stability, table tennis, Tae Kwon Do and aquatic therapy did not.
• PTOther2017Levels of physical activity in people with chronic pain.The South African journal of physiotherapyPeople with chronic pain took fewer steps and walked shorter distances than matched controls, but both groups were mostly inactive.
• PTOTCohort2016A prospective observational study of outcomes from rehabilitation of elderly patients with moderate to severe cognitive impairment.Clinical rehabilitation64 of 116 elderly patients with moderate to severe cognitive impairment improved daily living scores after rehabilitation. The moderate and severe groups did not differ in how many improved.
• PTOther2017Passive stiffness of the ankle and plantar flexor muscle performance after Achilles tendon repair: a cross-sectional study.Brazilian journal of physical therapyOverall ankle stiffness and calf torque and work did not differ between groups, but at least 12 months after Achilles repair the operated side had lower passive stiffness and greater side-to-side stiffness and calf work asymmetry.
• PTNarrative Review2017Reassurance for patients with non-specific conditions - a user's guide.Brazilian journal of physical therapyReassurance is harder than it looks. Negative test results may not calm patients, and brief education can reduce some fears but not worry, catastrophising or depression. Tell patients what you know, and avoid platitudes that may add concern.
• PTRCT2017Predictors of Change in Physical Function in Older Adults in Response to Long-Term, Structured Physical Activity: The LIFE Study.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationOlder adults who walked more at baseline showed greater improvement in walking speed and physical performance. In the exercise group, more center attendance was also associated with better function. Older age, less activity, and lower baseline function were associated with poorer response.
• PTOTQualitative2017A qualitative investigation of recovery after femoral fracture in Rett syndrome.Child: care, health and developmentCaregivers of females with Rett syndrome after femoral fracture described subtle, individual pain signs, delayed diagnosis, high stress, strained trust with schools or respite, and that independent walkers recovered while assisted walkers often lost mobility.
• PTCohort2017Comparing airways clearance techniques in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchiectasis: positive expiratory pressure or temporary positive expiratory pressure? A retrospective study.Brazilian journal of physical therapyIn a pulmonary rehab program, PEP mask and temporary PEP had similar after-treatment breathing and blood-gas results. Neither clearly outperformed the other, so the technique alone cannot be credited.
• PTPilot2017Effectiveness of a Home-Based Eccentric-Exercise Program on the Torque-Angle Relationship of the Shoulder External Rotators: A Pilot Study.Journal of sport rehabilitationIn 10 healthy participants, a 6-week home eccentric shoulder program showed greater eccentric energy absorption at terminal internal rotation, but isometric strength did not change across angles. The study had no control group.
• PTOther2017Sarcopenia and Physical Function in Middle-Aged and Older Stroke Survivors.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationStroke survivors walking independently had 14.3% to 17.9% sarcopenia by four definitions. In matched pairs, stroke survivors had 13.2% and controls 5.3%. Limb lean mass was related to walking speed and peak oxygen uptake.
• PTCohort2017Abnormal loading and functional deficits are present in both limbs before and after unilateral knee arthroplasty.Gait & postureThe main measure of load on the other knee did not show a change after unilateral knee replacement. Gait remained abnormal in both legs, and pre-operative gait function was linked to post-operative recovery.
• PTRCT2017Observational practice of incentive spirometry in stroke patients.Brazilian journal of physical therapyVideo instructions and therapist demonstration did not differ during a learning task for incentive spirometry. People after stroke made more errors and needed more attempts than healthy people.
• PTOther2017Predicting Motor Sequence Learning in Individuals With Chronic Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairFor people with chronic stroke and healthy controls, how fast they improved on a joystick tracking task was related to how well they retained it 24 hours later. In stroke, arm function predicted retention. Predicted trials to plateau did not separate the groups.
• PTOther2017Reliability and validity of active and passive pectoralis minor muscle length measures.Brazilian journal of physical therapyA caliper method gave consistent pectoralis minor muscle length measures at rest, with active shoulder blade lift, and with passive shoulder stretch in 34 pain-free young adults. Both lengthening methods increased length beyond rest.
• PTOther2017Predictive equations for maximal respiratory pressures of children aged 7-10.Brazilian journal of physical therapyThe equations for Brazilian children aged 7-10 explained only 13.9%, 14.1%, 15.0% and 21.6% of maximal respiratory pressure values, so weight, height and age alone are weak guides.
• PTOTRCT2017Step Activity and 6-Minute Walk Test Outcomes When Wearing Low-Activity or High-Activity Prosthetic Feet.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationSwapping between low-activity and high-activity prosthetic feet made no difference in how far K3/K4 amputees walked in six minutes or how many steps they took daily. These common outcome measures cannot detect the functional differences between these foot types.
• PTOTSystematic Review2016How have research questions and methods used in clinical trials published in Clinical Rehabilitation changed over the last 30 years?Clinical rehabilitationRehabilitation trials published over decades grew, but many still lacked clear primary outcomes, blinding, follow-up, or missing-data handling. Read them cautiously: samples were often small, and methodological improvements were modest.
• PTOTRCT2016Short-term effects of goal-setting focusing on the life goal concept on subjective well-being and treatment engagement in subacute inpatients: a quasi-randomized controlled trial.Clinical rehabilitationAdding life goals to structured goal-setting did not improve general emotional well-being or function more than structured goals alone. Therapists rated engagement higher than both control groups, and anxiety was lower than no structured goal-setting.
• PTOther2016The development and validation of a novel outcome measure to quantify mobility in the dysvascular lower extremity amputee: the amputee single item mobility measure.Clinical rehabilitationA one-question mobility measure tracked dysvascular amputees from surgery to 12 months. It aligned with a standard mobility measure, prosthetic use, satisfaction, and amputation level, and improved over time, but six-week scores did not predict later mobility.
• PTRCT2016Promoting physical activity in low back pain patients: six months follow-up of a randomised controlled trial comparing a multicomponent intervention with a low intensity intervention.Clinical rehabilitationSix months after rehab, Movement Coaching did not lead to higher total physical activity than a low intensity intervention. Both groups had lower total activity at follow-up, and the Movement Coaching group had a greater decline in total, transport and workplace activity.
• PTRCT2016Determinants of pain and functioning in knee osteoarthritis: a one-year prospective study.Clinical rehabilitationNormal anxiety scores at baseline predicted better pain and function over follow-up. Depression did not. This was a prognostic analysis, not a treatment trial.
• PTOTCase Report2017Restoration of Vision After Brain Injury Using Magnet Glasses.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationMagnetic glasses lifted a droopy eyelid, letting a patient with brain injury use an already deviated eye. She reported seeing more of the room, and mobility and dressing support improved.
• PTRCT2017Effects of underwater ultrasound therapy on pain, inflammation, hand function and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis - a randomized controlled trial.Brazilian journal of physical therapyUnderwater ultrasound reduced pain and blood marker CRP versus sham in rheumatoid arthritis, but pain benefit faded by 3 months and most hand function outcomes did not improve.
• PTOther2017Altered spatiotemporal characteristics of gait in older adults with chronic low back pain.Gait & postureOlder adults with chronic low back pain walked slower and negotiated stairs slower than matched pain-free peers. When walking fast, they used a wider step base, and wider steps plus double support time were associated with slower stair performance.
• PTOther2017Construct and discriminant validity of STarT Back Screening Tool - Brazilian version.Brazilian journal of physical therapyThe Brazilian STarT Back questionnaire agreed with disability scores, but only weakly with fear-avoidance beliefs about work and physical activity. It can help flag low back pain patients with more disability, not fear beliefs alone.
• PTOTSurvey2017Knee pain in adolescents: prevalence, risk factors, and functional impairment.Brazilian journal of physical therapy22.6% of adolescents reported knee pain in the past week. Pain was more common in older teens and in those not doing school physical education. Girls with knee pain reported greater functional impairment.
• PTCohort2017Complex and Simple Clinical Reaction Times Are Associated with Gait, Balance, and Major Fall Injury in Older Subjects with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationIn older adults with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, slower simple reaction time and less accurate complex reaction time were linked to shorter single-leg stance and uneven-surface step width variability; major injury data involved two DPN subjects.
• PTOther2017Shoulder pain in adolescent athletes: prevalence, associated factors and its influence on upper limb function.Brazilian journal of physical therapyShoulder pain was common among adolescent athletes, especially older teenagers and judo or handball players. Athletes with pain reported worse upper limb function and had greater internal rotation deficits and lower right external rotation.
• PTPilot2017Exercise training for people following curative intent treatment for non-small cell lung cancer: a randomized controlled trial.Brazilian journal of physical therapyIn 17 people after lung cancer treatment, 8 weeks of supervised walking, cycling and strength training increased exercise capacity compared with usual activities with weekly phone calls. No differences were seen in physical activity, muscle force, quality of life, fatigue, anxiety, depression or lung function.
• PTOther2017Determining Levels of Upper Extremity Movement Impairment by Applying a Cluster Analysis to the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity in Chronic Stroke.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn 247 people with chronic stroke, Fugl-Meyer upper limb scores grouped into severe, severe-moderate, moderate-mild, and mild impairment patterns. Reflex items did not change the grouping, so they may be left out when classifying movement impairment.
• PTPilot2017Effect of Aerobic Exercise Training on Mood in People With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Study.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationIn 10 high-functioning adults with chronic traumatic brain injury, 12 weeks of vigorous aerobic exercise was associated with lower overall mood disturbance, especially fatigue. This small uncontrolled pilot cannot prove exercise works.
• PTOther2017Could peak oxygen uptake be estimated from proposed equations based on the six-minute walk test in chronic heart failure subjects?Brazilian journal of physical therapyWalking-distance equations did not accurately estimate maximal oxygen use in 36 adults with chronic heart failure. Three underestimated by 15-51%; the fourth averaged close but individual errors were too wide to predict a patient's true capacity.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2016What are the barriers and facilitators to goal-setting during rehabilitation for stroke and other acquired brain injuries? A systematic review and meta-synthesis.Clinical rehabilitationPatients tended to want broad, long-term goals; staff tended to set short, impairment-focused goals. Use early therapist-led goal-setting when patients prefer it, and shift to patient-led goals after discharge.
• PTOther2017Construct Validity of the Prosthetic Limb Users Survey of Mobility (PLUS-M) in Adults With Lower Limb Amputation.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationSelf-reported PLUS-M mobility scores tracked other mobility questionnaires and performance tests, and increased with clinician-assigned functional level in adults with one lower limb amputation.
• PTOTCohort2017How Receptive Are Patients With Late Stage Cancer to Rehabilitation Services and What Are the Sources of Their Resistance?Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationMost patients with late-stage lung cancer refused rehabilitation even when distressed by their limitations. The main barrier was believing they did not need help. Clinicians should expect resistance and discuss why therapy matters before referring, rather than assuming distress drives uptake.
• PTCohort2017Postural control strategies differ in normal weight and overweight infants.Gait & postureOverweight infants reached sitting at the same age as normal weight infants. They moved more side-to-side but had less overall movement while sitting. The study did not follow developmental outcomes.
• PTSurvey2017Assessment of knowledge in palliative care of physical therapists students at a university hospital in Brazil.Brazilian journal of physical therapyPhysical therapists at a Brazilian hospital knew basic palliative care concepts, but many reported team training gaps and some did not use pain scales. This describes knowledge, not evidence that training improves patient outcomes.
• PTNarrative Review2017Core outcome sets for research and clinical practice.Brazilian journal of physical therapyCore outcome sets standardize a minimum set of results to measure in trials and practice. For low back pain and osteoarthritis, agreed domains include pain, physical function, and quality of life or patient global assessment. They aid comparison, not treatment proof.
• PTOTOther2017Gait, dual task and history of falls in elderly with preserved cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and mild Alzheimer's disease.Brazilian journal of physical therapyA dual-task Timed Up and Go test separated mild Alzheimer's disease from preserved cognition and mild cognitive impairment. Usual walking speed did not separate the groups. More people with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer's disease reported falls, but not more falls each.