THE INDEX

Every paper we have read

Each one summarised from the full article, not its abstract, and kept only if it speaks to physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology or nursing. Newest first.

35,183 PAPERS · PAGE 367 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTCohort2021Chronic Poststroke Deficits in Gross and Fine Motor Control of the Ipsilesional Upper Limb.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationPeople with chronic stroke showed reduced fine and gross motor dexterity in their ipsilesional (same-side) arm. Standard clinical tests like the Nine-Hole Peg Test and Box and Blocks Test can detect these deficits, which often go unnoticed when therapy focuses solely on the contralesional arm.
• PTOTOther2021Navigator Role for Promoting Adaptive Sports and Recreation Participation in Individuals With Disabilities.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationAdults with disabilities and parents wanted adaptive sports support from a person active in adaptive sports, not an app. They valued social connection, mental health, and accessible facilities, but cited cost and limited knowledge as barriers.
• OTRCT2021Effectiveness of a Tailored Work-Related Support Intervention for Patients Diagnosed with Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of occupational rehabilitationEarly tailored work support did not significantly reduce time off work for gastrointestinal cancer patients. The study was underpowered, but patients receiving support returned to work in a median of 190 days compared to 233 days for usual care.
• Other2021Differences in Cytotoxicity of Lidocaine, Ropivacaine, and Bupivacaine on the Viability and Metabolic Activity of Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationIn lab dishes, lidocaine, ropivacaine, and bupivacaine reduced stem cell survival and activity from three donors. Ropivacaine was least harmful. This is not patient evidence.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2021A systematic review of head-up tilt to improve consciousness in people with a prolonged disorder of consciousness.Clinical rehabilitationThere is insufficient high-quality evidence to support using head-up tilt to improve consciousness in adults with prolonged disorders of consciousness. While the Erigo device reduces treatment interruptions from low blood pressure compared to standard tilt-tables, neither device has been proven to enhance alertness.
• PTOTSLPMeta-Analysis2021Effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for treating post-stroke depressive symptoms: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Topics in stroke rehabilitationNon-drug therapies slightly reduced post-stroke depression overall. Music therapy and psychosocial therapy showed small-to-medium benefits, while exercise and multifactorial interventions did not. These effects were small, so these therapies should complement, not replace, standard care.
• PTOTSurvey2021Workforce Reintegration After Work-Related Permanent Impairment: A Look at the First Year After Workers' Compensation Claim Closure.Journal of occupational rehabilitationWorkers with permanent impairment face a difficult first year after compensation claims close. Over half reported their injury made it hard to keep a job, and 13% suffered a new work injury. Those with higher impairment levels had significantly more pain, time off, and medical costs.
• PTOther2021Social and physical environmental factors in daily stepping activity in those with chronic stroke.Topics in stroke rehabilitationIn chronic stroke, lower neighborhood deprivation and working were associated with more daily steps. Social factors also added information, but together these factors explained only 9.2% of differences in steps per day. Walk Score was not associated.
• PTQualitative2021Accommodating patients with obesity and mobility difficulties: Observations from physicians.Disability and health journalPhysicians described routine care for obese patients with mobility difficulty as blocked by missing scales, unsafe transfers, scanners that do not fit, and weight stigma. Accessible exam tables often did not solve the problem.
• PTOTNarrative Review2020Cardiac Rehabilitation During Quarantine in COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges for Center-Based Programs.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationHome-based cardiac rehabilitation appears as effective as center-based care for improving fitness and safety, and may be more sustainable. During quarantine, 15 minutes of daily individualized exercise with remote coaching can help maintain physical function in cardiac patients.
• PTOTSLPOther2020Role of Rehabilitation Department for Adult Individuals With COVID-19: The Experience of the San Raffaele Hospital of Milan.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationThe hospital created separate acute, rehabilitation, and quarantine wards to manage COVID-19 patients. This allowed them to shorten acute stays to 10 days, discharge only patients with negative swabs, and keep staff infection-free by strictly separating care teams and paths.
• PTCohort2020Quantifying Postural Control in Premanifest and Manifest Huntington Disease Using Wearable Sensors.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairWearable sensors detected balance instability in people before Huntington disease became manifest, mainly when eyes were closed on foam. Gaze fixation steadied these participants and controls, but not people with manifest Huntington disease.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2020Transcranial direct current stimulation for improving ambulation after stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptationActive tDCS improved functional mobility and Timed Up and Go scores after stroke, but did not significantly improve walking speed or endurance compared to sham stimulation. The benefit was seen in general walking ability measures rather than specific gait velocity or distance.
• PTCohort2020Analysis of the Microbiota of the Physiotherapist's Environment.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationReusable sponge electrodes in physiotherapy clinics carry heavy bacterial loads, including pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These instruments were significantly more contaminated than treatment tables, hands, or air. Strict cleaning protocols for these reusable devices are essential to prevent cross-infection.
• PTOther2020Repeated Concussions Impair Behavioral and Neurophysiological Changes in the Motor Learning System.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairConcussed athletes retained a newly learned pinch skill less well the next day than non-concussed athletes, whether tested within 2 weeks or more than 1 year after injury. Retention worsened with more prior concussions.
• PTOTRCT2020The effects of small-needle-knife therapy on pain and mobility from knee osteoarthritis: a pilot randomized-controlled study.Clinical rehabilitationSmall needle-knife therapy improved knee pain and Oxford Knee Scores more than the drug Celecoxib at three weeks and three months. However, patients also received massage, acupuncture, and exercise. This pilot cannot separate the needle-knife effect from the standard care.
• PTRCT2020Toward a hybrid exoskeleton for crouch gait in children with cerebral palsy: neuromuscular electrical stimulation for improved knee extension.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn one child with cerebral palsy, electrical stimulation to two knee muscles during stance improved knee extension and range of motion in the more affected leg. This immediate change occurred while wearing an exoskeleton that was not actively assisting movement. It does not prove long-term benefit or that the stimulation alone caused the improvement.
• PTOTSLPOther2020COVID-19 outcomes among people with intellectual and developmental disability living in residential group homes in New York State.Disability and health journalAdults with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in New York group homes had substantially higher COVID-19 case rates and death rates than the general state population. The disparity was greatest near New York City, where case-fatality rates also exceeded the state average.
• PTOTCohort2020Relationship Between Motor Level and Wheelchair Transfer Ability in Spina Bifida: A Study From the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationMost patients with spina bifida maintained their wheelchair transfer ability over time. When transfer ability changed, it tracked directly with shifts in motor level rather than baseline severity. Older age and hip or knee strength changes were key factors in these functional shifts.
• PTOTSLPOther2020Cause of death in adults with Down syndrome in the United States.Disability and health journalAdults with Down syndrome face much higher death risks from choking, pneumonitis, and early-onset dementia. They also have lower cancer death rates. Clinicians should screen for swallowing issues and start dementia checks by age 35.
• PTOTSLPCohortEvaluating the Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Relationships Predicting Suicidal Ideation Following Traumatic Brain Injury.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationSuicidal thoughts after brain injury were linked to depression, substance misuse, and injury severity. Injury severity predicted these thoughts even when depression was absent. Screen all patients for suicidal thoughts, not just those with diagnosed depression.
• SurveyLifetime History of Traumatic Brain Injury With Loss of Consciousness and the Likelihood for Lifetime Depression and Risk Behaviors: 2017 BRFSS North Carolina.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationIn North Carolina adults, a self-reported lifetime brain injury with loss of consciousness was linked to more reports of lifetime depression, binge drinking, smoking, and e-cigarette use. Age at first injury did not show the same pattern.
• CohortRisk Factors for Suicidal Ideation Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A TRACK-TBI Study.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationPatients with psychiatric history or prior TBI were more likely to report suicidal thoughts after mild TBI. Persistent post-concussion symptoms also went with suicidal thoughts, but this link was much weaker after accounting for depression.
• SLPCase-Control2021Reduced Brainstem Volume After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationPatients with mild traumatic brain injury showed reduced brainstem volume compared with controls, but this shrinkage did not correlate with their cognitive scores or symptom severity. Depression levels were strongly linked to subjective complaints, suggesting mood management is a key clinical target.
• PTOTSurvey2021Rates, patterns, and correlates of fitness tracker use among older adults with multiple sclerosis.Disability and health journalAmong older adults with MS, 28% use fitness trackers. Users report slightly more physical activity than non-users, but this association exists only in those who already have higher income, employment, and less disability.
• SLPCase Series2021Neuropsychological Features of Severe Hospitalized Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients at Clinical Stability and Clues for Postacute Rehabilitation.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn 9 severe hospitalized COVID-19 patients tested after clinical stability, 3 had general cognitive decline, 1 had frontal executive decline, and 6 had anxiety. This small case series cannot show treatment effects.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Content Validation of a Practice-Based Work Capacity Assessment Instrument Using ICF Core Sets.Journal of occupational rehabilitationA Dutch work capacity assessment tool covers physical and mental functions well but misses key environmental factors. It lacks items on social support, workplace attitudes, and psychosocial job demands, which are common in core sets for people with chronic conditions.
• PTOTCohort2021The self-assessment INTERMED predicts healthcare and social costs of orthopaedic trauma patients with persistent impairments.Clinical rehabilitationEach one-point higher self-assessment INTERMED score in 136 orthopaedic trauma patients in rehabilitation was associated with 2% higher healthcare costs, 3% higher lost-wage costs and 4% longer work incapacity.
• Other2021Understanding Variation in Postacute Care: Developing Rehabilitation Service Areas Through Geographic Mapping.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationGeographic service areas built from rehabilitation admissions captured slightly more variation in care than those built from acute hospital admissions. This offers researchers a better map for studying where rehab services go, but provides no clinical guidance for treating patients.
• PTOTCohort2021Regional Variations in Rehabilitation Outcomes of Adult Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation Investigation.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAdults with traumatic brain injury discharged after inpatient rehabilitation varied widely by U.S. region. After accounting for patient factors, some regions had higher discharge function scores, longer stays, or lower likelihood of going home.
• Other2021Design of an adjustable wheelchair for table tennis participation.Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technologyA table tennis wheelchair prototype met its design goals: adjustable height and tilt, lockable casters, and an athlete used it in competition. This is a feasibility report for that model user, not evidence that it improves performance or participation.
• SLPQualitative2021Hashtag who's missing? Lessons for genomic databases.Disability and health journalMany autistic people using #NotMssng rejected the idea that they were missing something and said research should focus on support, services, and including autistic voices.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021Emerging health challenges for children with physical disabilities and their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic: The ECHO French survey.Annals of physical and rehabilitation medicineDuring lockdown, rehabilitation services were massively interrupted, leaving parents to deliver therapy at home. This caused a heavy mental load for families and led to negative effects on children's morale, behavior, and physical activity levels.
• OTSurvey2021Loneliness, social support, social isolation and wellbeing among working age adults with and without disability: Cross-sectional study.Disability and health journalWorking-age adults with disability reported more loneliness, less support and more isolation than adults without disability. Loneliness was linked to lower life satisfaction, worth, happiness and wellbeing, more strongly than low support or isolation.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Brain Injury Functional Outcome Measure (BI-FOM): A Single Instrument Capturing the Range of Recovery in Moderate-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationA new 31-item measure tracks recovery from moderate to severe brain injury more accurately than standard scales. It captures patients who are nearly normal and those with profound impairment, avoiding the common problem where scores bunch up at the very top or bottom.
• OTQualitative2021Barriers That Obstruct Return to Work After Coronary Bypass Surgery: A Qualitative Study.Journal of occupational rehabilitationPatients after coronary bypass surgery reported that a lack of clear advice from healthcare professionals was a major barrier to returning to work. Many felt abandoned after cardiac rehabilitation ended, with no guidance on how to resume their jobs safely.
• PTCohort2021Relating Self-Reported Balance Problems to Sensory Organization and Dual-Tasking in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationAt least one year after TBI, a standing vestibular balance test did not explain reported balance problems. Walking while subtracting did: worse walking during the mental task was linked to greater reported balance handicap, after accounting for depression and gender.
• Other2020Comparative Enhancement of Motor Function and BDNF Expression Following Different Brain Stimulation Approaches in an Animal Model of Ischemic Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIn rats with severe stroke impairments, inhibitory stimulation of the healthy cortex combined with reach training improved motor recovery more than training alone or excitatory stimulation. These animal results do not yet confirm similar benefits for human patients.
• OTCohort2020Sleep impairment is related to health-related quality of life among caregivers of lower-functioning traumatic brain injury survivors.Rehabilitation psychologyCaregivers of service members with traumatic brain injury who perceived the survivor as having lower everyday function and who reported high sleep-related impairment had worse social quality of life. This link was not found in caregivers of civilians.
• Cohort2020Impact of Age on Plasma Inflammatory Biomarkers in the 6 Months Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationOlder adults with mild brain injury showed higher blood inflammatory markers than younger adults over six months, especially fractalkine and IL-8. This is a blood marker finding, not a treatment effect.
• SLPRCT2020Multisensory cueing facilitates naming in aphasia.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationNaming accuracy improved over virtual therapy for ten people with chronic non-fluent aphasia. Silent lip videos and object sounds were linked to faster interactions in early sessions.
• PTOTRCT2020The Efficiency, Efficacy, and Retention of Task Practice in Chronic Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairMore practice hours improved perceived arm movement quality in chronic stroke, but extra hours gave smaller gains and larger doses faded faster. The authors suggest shorter, spread-out practice and encouraging daily arm use to retain gains.
• PTOTSurvey2020Minimal clinically important difference and minimal detectable change of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) amongst patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.Clinical rehabilitationIn patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, a change in WHODAS 2.0 score must exceed 8.6 points to be real rather than measurement error. This threshold is larger than the minimal clinically important difference of 3 to 5 points, meaning small score changes may not reflect true improvement.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Feasibility and Acceptability of Telemedicine to Substitute Outpatient Rehabilitation Services in the COVID-19 Emergency in Italy: An Observational Everyday Clinical-Life Study.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationTelemedicine maintained outpatient services with high satisfaction. Physiotherapy sessions recovered during the telemedicine phase, but consultation volumes remained lower than pre-pandemic levels. Most patients did not require a subsequent face-to-face visit.
• PTOTOther2020Classification of Parkinson's disease and essential tremor based on balance and gait characteristics from wearable motion sensors via machine learning techniques: a data-driven approach.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationMachine learning models using wearable sensor data on balance and gait could distinguish Parkinson's disease from essential tremor, with neural networks performing best. However, accuracy was moderate and the dataset heavily favored Parkinson's cases, limiting immediate clinical application.
• PTOTCohort2020Rudimentary Dexterity Corresponds With Reduced Ability to Move in Synergy After Stroke: Evidence of Competition Between Corticoreticulospinal and Corticospinal Tracts?Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIn people with moderate arm impairment after stroke, the ability to move the arm out of synergy and the ability to move within synergy trade off against each other. This suggests a competition between brain pathways, where recovering fine control may temporarily reduce gross synergy movement.
• PTOTOther2020Quantitative description of upper extremity function and activity of people with spinal muscular atrophy.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn people with spinal muscular atrophy, arm strength and muscle activity were already reduced when daily tasks still looked near normal. People unable to lift their arms overhead had lower upper limb function, and active shoulder movement was closely related to daily performance.
• Narrative Review2020Telemedicine barriers and challenges for persons with disabilities: COVID-19 and beyond.Disability and health journalThis paper does not test any therapy. It reviews the barriers persons with disabilities faced when telemedicine became the primary mode of care during the pandemic. It lists infrastructure, regulatory, and communication gaps but offers no evidence that any specific intervention works.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021Knee Extensor and Flexor Torque Variability During Maximal Strength Testing and Change in Knee Pain and Physical Function at 60-Mo Follow-Up: The Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study (MOST).American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationIn adults with or at risk of knee OA, inconsistent hamstring strength predicted worsening pain and function over 5 years, even after accounting for peak strength. Inconsistent quadriceps strength did not. Screening for hamstring variability may identify patients at higher risk of decline.
• Other2021The Inner Annulus Fibrosus Encroaches on the Nucleus Pulposus in the Injured Mouse Tail Intervertebral Disc.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationIn injured mouse discs, inner annulus fibrosus cells migrate inward to fill the space left by herniated nucleus pulposus. These inner cells express N-cadherin and collagen, replacing the gelatinous core with fibrocartilage. This mechanism explains how degeneration progresses in this animal model.