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 34 OF 262 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOther2017Multifidi Muscle Characteristics and Physical Function Among Older Adults With and Without Chronic Low Back Pain.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationOlder adults with chronic low back pain who had more fat within a deep back muscle scored worse on walking, balance, stairs and self-reported function. Muscle size did not explain function. This relationship was seen only in older adults with pain.
• PTOther2017Does electrode placement influence tens-induced antihyperalgesia in experimental inflammatory pain model?Brazilian journal of physical therapyIn rats with inflamed knee joints, low-frequency TENS reduced pain responses to pressure whether electrodes were placed on the knee, opposite knee, back, or acupoints. By day five, the effect had faded.
• PTOther2017Different pain responses to distinct levels of physical activity in women with patellofemoral pain.Brazilian journal of physical therapyWomen with patellofemoral pain who did intense physical activity reported more pain than those doing moderate activity. A loaded stair-climbing protocol raised pain and made it similar between the pain groups, while unloaded stairs did not.
• PTOTOther2017A Screening Tool to Identify Spasticity in Need of Treatment.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationExperts and 20 patients with spasticity helped develop a 13-item patient questionnaire. Most patients completed and interpreted items as intended. It is a screening aid, not a replacement for clinical evaluation.
• PTQualitative2017Continuity of care in hospital rehabilitation services: a qualitative insight from inpatients' experience.Brazilian journal of physical therapyPatients in hospital rehabilitation reported breaks in continuity when therapists lacked prior information, changed providers, gave conflicting advice, missed sessions, or left them without post-discharge instructions.
• PTRCT2017Application of shortwave diathermy to lower limb increases arterial blood flow velocity and skin temperature in women: a randomized controlled trial.Brazilian journal of physical therapyIn healthy women, 20 min of shortwave diathermy raised popliteal artery blood flow and skin temperature, and the flow rise persisted 20 min after stopping. Microwave diathermy raised skin temperature but did not increase popliteal artery flow.
• PTOther2017Factor and Rasch analysis of the Fonseca anamnestic index for the diagnosis of myogenous temporomandibular disorder.Brazilian journal of physical therapyThe Fonseca index for myogenous TMD did not behave as a single score. It split into separate symptom groups, and the jaw and TMJ group was the main one.
• PTOTCohort2017Patient Satisfaction and Prognosis for Functional Improvement and Deterioration, Institutionalization, and Death Among Medicare Beneficiaries Over 2 Years.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationMedicare beneficiaries in the top quartile for satisfaction with access to care were less likely to functionally deteriorate, be institutionalized, or die over two years. High satisfaction with care coordination was linked to lower institutionalization risk only.
• PTCohort2016Seizure burden and neurodevelopmental outcome in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn neonates with moderate or severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, seizures alone did not predict abnormal development. High seizure burden, over 40 minutes total or over 13 minutes in one hour, was associated with abnormal outcome at 24 to 48 months.
• PTOther2017Measurement properties of the Human Activity Profile questionnaire in hospitalized patients.Brazilian journal of physical therapyThe Human Activity Profile questionnaire gave stable scores when hospitalized patients repeated it after 48 hours. Its inactive, moderately active, or active classes were similar to those from a commonly used activity questionnaire.
• PTOther2017Comparison of cervical muscle thickness between asymptomatic women with and without forward head posture.Brazilian journal of physical therapyAmong asymptomatic women, most cervical muscles were similar between those with and without forward head posture. Only the sternocleidomastoid was thicker in the forward-posture group, so posture alone did not show broad muscle differences.
• PTOTCohort2017Nested Cohort Study to Identify Characteristics That Predict Near-Term Disablement From Lung Cancer Brain Metastases.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn lung cancer patients with brain metastases, whole-brain radiation, cerebellar tumors, and new or expanding lesions predicted sharp drops in mobility. These factors flag patients who need immediate rehabilitation referral to prevent disablement.
• PTOther2017Energy expenditure and cost of walking and stair climbing in individuals with chronic stroke.Brazilian journal of physical therapyStroke walkers used less oxygen per minute than healthy controls. Limited walkers used more oxygen per metre walking. On stairs, both stroke groups used more oxygen per metre than controls. During walking, those at or above 0.8 m/s had costs similar to controls.
• PTPilot2017Exploring the impact of visual and movement based priming on a motor intervention in the acute phase post-stroke in persons with severe hemiparesis of the upper extremity.Disability and rehabilitationFive people with flaccid hands after acute stroke tolerated a 45-minute virtual mirror and movement priming plus pinch training session. Four showed improved pinch-force tracking, but without a control group these gains cannot be attributed to the intervention.
• PTSurvey2017Investigation of musculoskeletal symptoms in a manufacturing company in Brazil: a cross-sectional study.Brazilian journal of physical therapyUpper-limb pain or discomfort was common among metal-product manufacturing workers. Repetitive tasks and missing short work breaks were associated with upper-limb symptoms, but the study cannot show cause.
• PTOther2017Soft tissue artifact causes significant errors in the calculation of joint angles and range of motion at the hip.Gait & postureSkin markers on the hip and thigh gave large movement errors and underestimated hip range of motion compared with X-ray bone tracking in 11 healthy adults. The tested model changes did not consistently fix the angles.
• PTOTOther2017Linear and nonlinear analysis of postural control in frailty syndrome.Brazilian journal of physical therapySway measures did not separate frail, pre-frail, and non-frail older adults after sitting and rising. Frail participants had more falls and longer TUG and sit-to-stand times, so the clinical findings were clearer than the lab findings.
• PTOther2017Measuring hip flexor and extensor strengths across various postures using a fixed belt.Journal of physical therapy scienceHip flexor strength and left hip extensor strength were higher when healthy adults were measured sitting at 90 degrees than in manual muscle testing postures. The right hip extensor strength did not differ by posture.
• PTOTOther2017Hip, knee, and ankle kinematics during activities of daily living: a cross-sectional study.Brazilian journal of physical therapyHealthy adults used far more hip and knee motion for self-care than for walking or stairs. Crouching and getting out of the bath required up to 101 degrees of hip flexion and 149 degrees of knee flexion, exceeding typical post-surgery limits.
• PTOther2017Safety of early performance of the six-minute walk test following acute myocardial infarction: a cross-sectional study.Brazilian journal of physical therapyEarly six-minute walk tests after uncomplicated heart attacks were completed by all 152 patients. Severe complications occurred in 3.9%, but none led to death, and the up to 4 days and after 4 days groups did not differ.
• PTOTSLPCohort2016Sociodemographic Disparities in Intervention Service Utilization in Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFamilies using public insurance received fewer weekly hours of individual therapy than those with private insurance. Non-English speaking families also received fewer hours. Children of Black mothers entered classroom services earlier than White children, though this may reflect differences in prior diagnoses or childcare needs rather than superior access.
• PTOTNarrative Review2016On the assessment of coordination between upper extremities: towards a common language between rehabilitation engineers, clinicians and neuroscientists.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationClinicians and engineers currently use incompatible definitions and metrics for upper-limb coordination, preventing standardized assessment. This review proposes a common taxonomy to align terminology, aiming to bridge the gap between clinical functional measures and robotic assessment tools.
• PTOTRCT2016Technology-assisted stroke rehabilitation in Mexico: a pilot randomized trial comparing traditional therapy to circuit training in a Robot/technology-assisted therapy gym.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobot gym therapy matched traditional therapy for arm function but improved leg movement scores more. The groups differed sharply in age, with the robot group much younger. The robot gym allowed one therapist to supervise six patients at once, potentially doubling daily treatment volume.
• PTPilot2016Model-based variables for the kinematic assessment of upper-extremity impairments in post-stroke patients.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationMovement variables from post-stroke reaching separated recovery into inefficiency, speed, and inaccuracy, and changed during robot-assisted training. The study did not prove the robot caused improvement.
• PTRCT2017Reliable sagittal plane kinematic gait assessments are feasible using low-cost webcam technology.Gait & postureIn 21 healthy adults, a low-cost webcam system gave good to excellent repeatability for sagittal-plane hip and knee measurements across speeds, except stance-phase knee excursion at 1 mph when using actual toe-off events.
• PTOther2017Dual task interference on postural sway, postural transitions and gait in people with Parkinson's disease and freezing of gait.Gait & posturePeople with Parkinson's and freezing of gait lost more walking speed and stride length when also counting backward by 3, compared with those without freezing. Standing sway and turning showed no extra problem with the second task.
• PTSurvey2017Discrepancy between self-awareness and actual diagnosis and treatment of the conditions among adolescent with scoliosis in middle-school age.Journal of physical therapy scienceStudents with a positive forward bend test (>5 degrees trunk rotation) reported a scoliosis diagnosis more often (6.26% compared with 4.08%), but 53.63% of diagnosed students reported no treatment.
• PTOther2017Reliability of center of pressure measures for assessing the development of sitting postural control through the stages of sitting.Gait & postureBody sway measures while sitting were only moderately consistent across stages and repeat trials. They did not clearly outperform session-to-session checks, so they may help track sitting change but are not a dependable standalone diagnostic.
• PTOTSurvey2017Using the World Health Organization's Disability Assessment Schedule (2) to assess disability in community-dwelling stroke patients.The South African journal of physiotherapyCommunity stroke survivors 6 to 12 months after stroke reported severe to extreme difficulty walking long distances, self-care, household tasks and community participation. No demographic group showed a clear pattern of participation restrictions.
• PTRCT2017Interlimb transfer of motor skill learning during walking: No evidence for asymmetric transfer.Gait & postureNo evidence that transfer was greater from one leg to the other was found in healthy adults after one leg practiced foot trajectory tracking on a treadmill. Transfer occurred with visual feedback, but not without visual feedback.
• PTRCT2017Acute effects of different foam rolling volumes in the interset rest period on maximum repetition performance.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoPassive rest between sets of knee extensions produced more repetitions than foam rolling the quadriceps for 60, 90, or 120 seconds. Foam rolling for 120 seconds produced fewer repetitions than 60 or 90 seconds.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2017What environmental factors influence resumption of valued activities post stroke: a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative findings.Clinical rehabilitationEnvironmental factors reported to help stroke survivors resume valued activities included adapted equipment, accessible transport, home changes, information and social support. Negative attitudes, long distances and unstable conditions were reported to hinder them. Evidence is mostly qualitative.
• PTOther2016Identifying candidates for targeted gait rehabilitation after stroke: better prediction through biomechanics-informed characterization.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding paretic propulsion to baseline walking speed better predicted who improved after FastFES gait training. The best outcomes were seen in slower walkers who still had some ability to push off with the affected leg, rather than those with the lowest propulsion.
• PTPilot2016Performance-based robotic assistance during rhythmic arm exercises.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobot assistance during circular arm exercises made movements smoother during assisted trials than unassisted trials in stroke patients, while assistance did not rise over time. This is a technical pilot, not proof of lasting recovery.
• PTOTSurvey2016Evaluation of upper extremity neurorehabilitation using technology: a European Delphi consensus study within the EU COST Action Network on Robotics for Neurorehabilitation.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationEuropean experts agreed on four face-to-face upper-limb assessments per programme, separate from treatment and lasting up to three hours, using technology data plus validated clinical measures. They did not agree on many specific measures.
• PTOTOther2016Quantifying dimensions of physical behavior in chronic pain conditions.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWearable sensors showed that pain intensity relates to overall physical behavior, not just activity amount. Patients with moderate to severe pain moved less and had lower movement complexity. A global composite score captured this link, though individual metrics did not.
• PTOther2017Rehabilitation Research at the National Institutes of Health:: Moving the Field Forward (Executive Summary).Physical therapyThis executive summary outlines research priorities discussed at an NIH conference. It contains no patient data or clinical trial results, so it offers no evidence to support or discourage specific therapeutic interventions.
• PTOther2017A study of physical activity comparing people with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease to normal control subjects.Disability and rehabilitationPeople with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease took fewer steps each day than matched controls, despite similar daily energy expenditure. They also broke up inactive periods into shorter bouts and moved from inactive to active more often.
• PTOTSLPCohort2017Two-year follow-up of outcomes related to scarring and distress in children with severe burns.Disability and rehabilitationSeverely burned children saw pain, itch, and mobility improve over two years, but distress about facial scarring and foot function persisted in nearly half. Girls reported more pain and sleep problems than boys. Body image concerns remained high throughout the study period.
• PTOTSLPOther2017Comparison of abdominal muscle activity and peak expiratory flow between forced vital capacity and fast expiration exercise.Journal of physical therapy scienceHealthy young men blew faster and activated deep abdominal muscles more strongly during fast expiration exercises than during standard forced vital capacity tests. This suggests fast expiration may better target speed-specific muscle activation, though clinical effects remain untested.
• PTOther2017Use of Mobile Device Accelerometry to Enhance Evaluation of Postural Instability in Parkinson Disease.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationA waist-mounted mobile device recorded body-sway movement as consistently as a lab force platform. In mild to moderate Parkinson disease, its sway measures detected instability on hard balance tests when standard balance scores did not.
• PTOTSLPCohort2017Characteristics of patients with hemiparetic stroke who yield highly reliable muscle strength measurements.Journal of physical therapy scienceStroke patients with a Functional Independence Measure cognitive score of 19 or higher produced consistent muscle strength measurements. Below this threshold, results were too variable to trust. Clinicians should check this score before relying on dynamometer data for treatment planning.
• PTOther2017Effects of prone trunk extension exercise using different fixations and with and without abdominal drawing-in maneuver in healthy individuals.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn healthy men doing prone trunk extension, adding thoracolumbar fixation and abdominal drawing-in raised upper-back extensor activity and reduced lower-back extensor activity compared with pelvic fixation. No patient outcomes were tested.
• PTOTPilot2017Telehealth monitor to measure physical activity and pressure relief maneuver performance in wheelchair users.Assistive technology : the official journal of RESNAA wheelchair sensor under the user's own cushion correctly classified 225 of 240 lab pressure relief attempts and detected 2112 pushes when the push-rim measured 2162, but it was not tested in real-world use or for health outcomes.
• PTRCT2017Association Between 6-Minute Walk Test Distance and Objective Variables of Functional Capacity After Exercise Training in Elderly Heart Failure Patients With Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Randomized Exercise Trial.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn 47 older patients with preserved-ejection-fraction heart failure, change in 6-minute walk distance did not track change in peak oxygen uptake or ventilatory threshold over 16 weeks; the no-exercise group also improved walk distance by 9% from baseline.
• PTOther2017Transformative learning experience for physical therapy students through a community health promotion project for mothers of hearing-challenged children.Journal of physical therapy scienceThree mothers of hearing-challenged children had normal fitness and attention test results, but reported back pain history and busy caregiving. Twenty physical therapy students described that the mothers often focused on the children rather than their own exercise.
• PTRCT2017Association Between Maximal Bench Press Strength and Isometric Handgrip Strength Among Breast Cancer Survivors.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIsometric handgrip strength was only modestly related to maximal bench press strength and overestimated it by 4.7 kg on average. Do not use handgrip alone to judge breast cancer survivors' bench press strength.
• PTCohort2016Program Interruptions and Short-Stay Transfers Represent Potential Targets for Inpatient Rehabilitation Care-Improvement Efforts.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationShort-stay transfers affected 22.3% of stroke, 21.8% of TBI, and 31.6% of SCI stays; program interruptions affected 0.9%, 0.8%, and 1.4%. Acute-care transfers were reported for complications, and some were potentially preventable.
• PTSurvey2017Interrelationship between the general characteristics of Korean stroke patients and the variables of the sexual functions: random forest and boosting algorithm.Journal of physical therapy scienceIllness duration, age, and education level were the strongest characteristics linked to sexual function, muscle tone, and motor or sensory changes in Korean stroke survivors. This supports asking about these factors, but does not show treatment works.
• PTOTSurvey2017Cross-Sectional Assessment of Factors Related to Pain Intensity and Pain Interference in Lower Limb Prosthesis Users.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn lower limb prosthesis users, problematic pain was common. More painful sites were linked to worse pain and more interference. Back and residual limb pain showed the strongest links.