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 397 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• SLPRCT2021Detection, Speech Recognition, Loudness, and Preference Outcomes With a Direct Drive Hearing Aid: Effects of Bandwidth.Trends in hearingFull-bandwidth direct drive hearing aids improved high-frequency consonant recognition and sentence-in-noise scores compared to narrow bandwidth. Loudness increased slightly but remained within clinical norms. Eight of fifteen participants preferred the full bandwidth setting.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2021Development of an ICF Core Set for adults with cerebral palsy: capturing their perspective on functioning.Developmental medicine and child neurologyAdults with cerebral palsy identified pain, fatigue, and mood issues as primary body problems. They highlighted weak collaboration between disciplines and poor transition to adult services as major barriers. Those with intellectual disability reported distinct challenges in language and self-care.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Identifying hearing impairment and the associated impact on the quality of life among the elderly residing in retirement homes in Pretoria, South Africa.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsMost elderly residents in South African retirement homes failed hearing screens, with 77% referred for further evaluation. Self-reported hearing difficulties were significantly associated with reduced quality of life. Many participants had never heard of an audiologist, and hearing aid users reported challenges with device maintenance.
• PTCohort2021A prospective study to establish the minimal clinically important difference of the Mini-BESTest in individuals with stroke.Clinical rehabilitationA 4-point change on the Mini-BESTest indicates small improvement, and 5 points indicate substantial improvement in stroke patients. A 1-point change is not enough to be considered clinically important, despite some statistical discrimination.
• SLPCohort2021Increased aperiodic gamma power in young boys with Fragile X Syndrome is associated with better language ability.Molecular autismIn young boys with Fragile X Syndrome, higher aperiodic gamma brain activity was unexpectedly linked to better language scores. This contradicts adult data where similar patterns correlate with worse outcomes. The link did not hold for parent-reported functional communication.
• SLPOther2021Attention Bias and Prodromal Anxiety Symptoms in Toddlers With Fragile X Syndrome and Down Syndrome.American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilitiesGaze avoidance to a new person did not differ among toddlers with fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, and typical development, and it did not track anxiety. Avoidance to a scary spider was higher in both syndromes, but also unrelated to anxiety.
• PTRCT2021The Immediate Effects of Foam Rolling and Stretching on Iliotibial Band Stiffness: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of sports physical therapyNeither foam rolling nor stretching changed iliotibial band stiffness immediately after a single session in healthy adults. A tiny increase in hip range of motion appeared in all groups, including those who did nothing, so neither treatment reduced tissue tension.
• PTOTCohort2021Goal Attainment: A Clinically Meaningful Measure of Success of Botulinum Toxin-A Treatment for Lower Limb Spasticity in Ambulatory Patients.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationBotulinum toxin reduced muscle tone but did not significantly change objective gait speed or other gait parameters. However, most patients achieved their self-set goals. Goal attainment was higher in younger patients and those with low-functioning gait profiles, suggesting patient-centered goals capture benefits that standard gait tests miss.
• PTOTOther2021Scoping Review of Judgment-Based Measures of Ambulation with Assistive Devices for Children and Youth.Physical & occupational therapy in pediatricsExisting judgment-based measures for children walking with assistive devices rarely specify the device type or separate walkers from crutches. This makes it hard to track progress when a child switches devices. Current tools also use vague response scales that do not clearly define difficulty versus assistance.
• SLPCohort2021The School Career of Children With Hearing Loss in Different Primary Educational Settings-A Large Longitudinal Nationwide Study.Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationMost children with hearing loss in mainstream schools perform average or above average in language and math. However, those remaining in special primary education attend lower levels of secondary education. Placement in special settings, rather than hearing technology type, predicts lower educational attainment.
• SLPOther2021Individual Hearing Aid Benefit in Real Life Evaluated Using Ecological Momentary Assessment.Trends in hearingIn most adults who continued with hearing aid fitting after trying them for the first time, real-life speech understanding improved and listening effort and perceived disability decreased. Pre-fitting momentary reports did not predict who would continue with hearing aids.
• PTOther2021Female Adolescent Soccer Players Utilize Different Neuromuscular Strategies Between Limbs During the Propulsion Phase of a Lateral Vertical Jump.International journal of sports physical therapyJump height did not differ between kicking and non-kicking limbs in adolescent female soccer players. The limbs still moved differently during takeoff: the kicking limb used more hip contribution and less knee contribution.
• PTOTPilot2021Assessing Physical Function and Mobility following Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury with the NIH Toolbox Motor Battery: A Feasibility Study.Physical & occupational therapy in pediatricsThe NIH Toolbox Motor Battery is feasible for children with traumatic brain injury, taking about 23 minutes. It detects endurance and balance problems that parents may not report, but it fails in children under 5 due to distraction and difficulty following instructions.
• PTOther2021The Effects of Soft Tissue Flossing on Hamstring Range of Motion and Lower Extremity Power.International journal of sports physical therapyFlossing the thigh improved hamstring flexibility by 4.67 degrees immediately, but the sham band also improved flexibility by 2.19 degrees. Neither flossing nor sham affected jump power, so the added benefit of compression is unclear.
• SLPQualitative2021'We are in this together' voices of speech-language pathologists working in South African healthcare contexts during level 4 and level 5 lockdown of COVID-19.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsMost South African speech-language pathologists reported disrupted services, with outpatient therapy often stopping or moving to telehealth that many patients could not access. Staff felt vulnerable due to PPE shortages and poor communication, though improved teamwork and time for administrative tasks were noted positives.
• PTOther2021Reliability and validity of a standardised ultrasound examination protocol to quantify vastus lateralis muscle.Journal of rehabilitation medicineUltrasound reliably measures vastus lateralis thickness in people with varying body fat. Thickness readings match MRI well. However, cross-sectional area measurements become less accurate as subcutaneous fat increases, so clinicians should not rely on ultrasound area data for patients with higher body fat.
• Other2021Towards robust and replicable sex differences in the intrinsic brain function of autism.Molecular autismBrain scans in autism showed that females with autism had lower left-right visual connectivity than neurotypical females. Males with autism showed a slight opposite pattern. No therapy outcome was tested.
• SLPCohort2021Functional Polymorphism of MMP9 and BDNF as Potential Biomarker of Auditory Neuroplasticity in Prelingual Deafness Treatment With Cochlear Implantation-A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.Trends in hearingIn deaf children implanted after age one, those with a specific MMP9 gene variant (C/C) showed better auditory development scores than those with the C/T variant. This genetic difference was not seen in children implanted before age one, and no significant effect was found for the BDNF variant.
• RCT2021The effect of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation intensity on motor performance in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn healthy adults, 1.5 mA brain stimulation improved movement speed immediately after a task, while 2 mA did not. Neither intensity made people faster than the sham group at any single point. The 2 mA dose appeared to block the learning seen in the other groups.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Gluteal Muscle Activation During Common Yoga Poses.International journal of sports physical therapyHalf Moon and Warrior Three poses produce high muscle activation in the glutes, making them suitable for strengthening exercises. Other poses like Tree and Warrior Two generate lower activation, fitting better for endurance work. No significant sex differences were found in gluteus maximus activity.
• SLPCohort2021COVID-19 impact on psychological outcomes of parents, siblings and children with intellectual disability: longitudinal before and during lockdown design.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRDuring the UK lockdown, parents of children with intellectual disability reported no significant change in their own distress, life satisfaction, or caregiving impact compared to pre-lockdown. Children's and siblings' behaviour problems also showed no group-level difference.
• OTCohort2021Associations Between Emotional Competence and Prosocial Behaviors With Peers Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilitiesPreschoolers with autism who spoke in complex sentences showed lower non-obvious emotion understanding, less positive coping, and lower emotion regulation. These traits, not negative temperament, tracked with weaker prosocial behavior.
• SLPNarrative Review2021Dysphagia Phenotypes in Spinal Muscular Atrophy: The Past, Present, and Promise for the Future.American journal of speech-language pathologyUntreated SMA Type I causes rapid swallowing failure, with all infants needing feeding support by 12 months. In milder SMA, chewing and choking with solids track current mobility. Disease-modifying therapy swallowing evidence remains limited and mixed.
• SLPOther2021Weakened Cochlear Nonlinearity During Human Aging and Perceptual Correlates.Ear and hearingAging weakens cochlear compression even when hearing thresholds remain normal. Older adults require louder sounds to trigger compression, resulting in steeper loudness growth and sounds being rated as loud at lower sensation levels. This suggests hidden cochlear changes drive loudness perception issues in aging.
• PTPilot2021The Effects of Whole Body Vibration on the Limits of Stability in Adults With Subacute Ankle Injury.International journal of sports physical therapyHigh-frequency whole-body vibration improved reaction time and movement speed in adults with subacute ankle sprains, but the changes were smaller than those needed for clinical significance. Low-frequency vibration and rest produced no improvement.
• PTOTSLPRCT2021Concentric and Eccentric Force Changes with Elastic Band and Isotonic Heavy Resistance Training: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of sports physical therapyUntrained women gained similar strength after four weeks of heavy lifting with dumbbells or elastic bands. Both methods improved concentric and eccentric force, so choose based on patient preference and portability rather than expecting one to outperform the other.
• PTOther2021Medio-Lateral Hamstring Muscle Activity in Unilateral vs. Bilateral Strength Exercises in Female Team Handball Players - A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of sports physical therapyRomanian deadlifts, performed either one or two legs, produced the highest medial hamstring activity relative to the lateral hamstring. Unilateral execution did not reduce this medial dominance. These exercises effectively target the medial hamstring in female handball players.
• PTOTPilot2021Immersive virtual reality in children with upper limb injuries: Findings from a feasibility study.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineIn a small feasibility study, children with upper limb injuries reported that immersive virtual reality games made rehabilitation exercises more enjoyable, easier, and less painful than usual therapy. Physiotherapists observed increased range of motion and engagement, though the study lacked a control group and baseline data.
• PTPilot2021The Test Re-Test Reliability of A Novel Single Leg Hop Test (T-Drill Hop Test).International journal of sports physical therapyThe T-Drill Hop Test showed excellent consistency when healthy young adults repeated it days apart. It also revealed no time difference between dominant and non-dominant legs in this healthy group, establishing a baseline before testing injured athletes.
• PTOTOther2021Diagnosing sarcopenia: Functional perspectives and a new algorithm from the ISarcoPRM.Journal of rehabilitation medicineA proposed diagnostic algorithm suggests screening older adults for sarcopenia using chair stand and grip strength tests, then confirming muscle loss with ultrasound of the anterior thigh. This approach is not yet tested in clinical practice.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2021Homes of Stroke Survivors Are a Challenging Environment for Rehabilitation Technologies.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesStroke survivors' homes are often emotionally charged and socially complex, making technology placement difficult. Partners may enforce exercise schedules that conflict with the survivor's desire for leisure, causing distress. Successful deployment requires negotiating space and usage with the whole household, not just the patient.
• PTOther2021Differences in Muscle Activities and Kinematics between Forefoot Strike and Rearfoot Strike in the Lower Limb during 180° Turns.International journal of sports physical therapyForefoot strikes during 180-degree turns showed lower vertical ground force and higher hamstring activity than rearfoot strikes, suggesting potential ACL protection. However, rearfoot strikes had smaller knee valgus angles. The study was a small lab simulation, not a test of injury prevention.
• SLPOther2021High Ripple-Density Resolution for Discriminating Between Rippled and Nonrippled Signals: Effect of Temporal Processing or Combination Products?Trends in hearingListeners distinguished rippled from nonrippled sounds at much higher ripple densities than two rippled sounds. Masking low frequencies did not close this gap. The advantage likely comes from how the ear processes timing, not from distortion products.
• PTCase-Control2021Lumbopelvic Stability and Trunk Muscle Contractility of Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability.International journal of sports physical therapyCopers had greater transversus abdominis contractility than people with chronic ankle instability and healthy controls. No difference was found between the instability group and controls. Static trunk endurance tests did not separate groups.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Feeding and eating problems in children and adolescents with autism: A scoping review.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceFeeding problems, especially food selectivity driven by sensory issues, are pervasive in autistic youth. True eating disorders involving weight or shape concerns are rarely studied, yet evidence suggests higher risk. Clinicians must distinguish between sensory-based refusal and body-image pathology to avoid misdiagnosis and select appropriate treatment.
• PTOTOther2021Development and sensibility assessment of a health-related quality of life instrument for adults with severe disabilities who are non-ambulatory.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDCaregivers and professionals found a new Dutch caregiver-rated questionnaire for adults with severe non-ambulatory disabilities meaningful, understandable and usable. It takes about 20 minutes to complete, but further testing is needed before routine clinical use.
• SLPOther2021Speech Intelligibility and Spatial Release From Masking Improvements Using Spatial Noise Reduction Algorithms in Bimodal Cochlear Implant Users.Trends in hearingBimodal cochlear implant users needed less noise to understand speech in lab tests when beamforming algorithms were active. The binaural MVDR gave larger improvements than the monaural ADM, especially in babble. No benefit occurred when speech and noise came from the same place.
• OTSLPSurvey2021The psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adults with autism: a survey study across three countries.Molecular autismAdults with autism reported significantly greater increases in depression and anxiety during the pandemic than those without. They faced specific stressors like disrupted routines, grocery shopping, and loss of support, while some found relief from social and sensory overload.
• OTOther2021Effect of Standing on a Standardized Measure of Upper Extremity Function.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthStanding made healthy young adults slower on the Jebsen Hand Function Test. Total time increased by 4.4% with the right hand and 5.6% with the left hand. Do not compare sitting and standing scores as if they mean the same.
• PTOTSLPPilot2021Surviving and Thriving: Early Intervention for Neonatal Survivors With Developmental Disability in Uganda.Infants and young childrenA peer-led early intervention for infants with disability in Uganda improved family quality of life and caregiver confidence. Neurological scores rose slightly, but developmental quotients did not change. Nutritional status worsened, with more children underweight and stunted after the program.
• PTCase Report2021Strategies for Gait Retraining in a Collegiate Runner with Transfemoral Amputation: A Case Report.International journal of sports physical therapyA collegiate runner with a transfemoral amputation reported complete resolution of phantom limb pain after eight weeks of running gait retraining. She also showed improved running mechanics and faster sprint times, though this single case cannot prove the treatment works for others.
• PTCase-Control2021Kinematic Characteristics of Male Runners With a History of Recurrent Calf Muscle Strain Injury.International journal of sports physical therapyMale runners with recurrent calf strains showed altered hip and pelvis movement, not ankle or knee differences. They exhibited an over-stride pattern with greater forward heel placement and pelvic drop. These proximal kinematics may increase calf demand, suggesting rehabilitation should target hip control.
• OTOther2021How many trials are needed in kinematic analysis of reach-to-grasp?-A study of the drinking task in persons with stroke and non-disabled controls.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn people with chronic stroke and without disability, most drinking task movement measures became stable after 2 to 3 trials. Returning time, reaching time and time to peak velocity needed more trials.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2021Serious games for upper limb rehabilitation after stroke: a meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSerious games designed for rehabilitation improved upper limb function, activity, and participation after stroke compared to conventional therapy. Games that followed at least 8 of 11 neurorehabilitation principles showed significantly better results than those that followed fewer.
• Other2021Avoiding Ableist Language: Suggestions for Autism Researchers.Autism in adulthoodThis commentary outlines why ableist language harms autistic people and suggests terms researchers should use instead, such as identity-first language and specific descriptions of needs over functioning labels.
• SLPCase-Control2021Identifying developmental stuttering and associated comorbidities in electronic health records and creating a phenome risk classifier.Journal of fluency disordersStuttering cases were hard to find in hospital records, but notes plus review confirmed them and found more frequent diagnosis groups for speech, developmental, sleep, hearing, allergy, infection and neurological conditions.
• OTPilot2020Examining child mealtime behavior as parents are coached to implement the Mealtime PREP intervention in the home: Findings from a pilot study.The British journal of occupational therapyParents coached in home mealtime strategies used more techniques over time. Child problematic behaviors and parent-reported mealtime issues significantly decreased. This pilot suggests coaching parents in structured mealtime routines may improve behavior, but lacks a control group to prove causation.
• PTPilot2021Identifying Risk Factors of Upper Extremity Injuries in Collegiate Baseball Players: A Pilot Study.International journal of sports physical therapyInjured pitchers were stronger, not weaker, at baseline, contradicting the hypothesis. However, weekly workload changes exceeding 33% in either direction preceded 10 of 12 injuries. This pilot suggests monitoring volume spikes and drops may matter more than pre-season strength deficits.
• PTSLPOther2021Electronic Health Records As a Platform for Audiological Research: Data Validity, Patient Characteristics, and Hearing-Aid Use Persistence Among 731,213 U.S. Veterans.Ear and hearingHearing aid use persisted in 63.3% of veterans at 24 months. Persistence was lower in new users, older adults, and those with Parkinson's, diabetes, arthritis, vision impairment, or high disease burden. These associations are descriptive, not causal.
• OTOther2021PCQ: Preferred Comfort Questionnaires for product design.Work (Reading, Mass.)This paper is not relevant to clinical therapy practice. It describes a workshop where experts selected questionnaires for evaluating physical comfort in product design, such as seats and hand tools. There are no patient outcomes or therapeutic findings here.