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 479 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTSLPCohort2023Examining Health Conditions, Impairments, and Quality of Life for Pediatric Feeding Disorders.DysphagiaChildren with feeding disorders had worse quality of life than those with kidney transplants or acute liver failure. Most had neurologic or genetic conditions, or no known diagnosis, with sensory issues and limited volume being the most common impairments.
• PTOther2023Deficits in dynamic balance were the motor impairments that best explained limitations in community ambulation after stroke.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineFor people walking independently after chronic stroke, dynamic balance was the only motor impairment that explained community ambulation limits. Strength, coordination, and muscle tone did not. Assessing balance tasks like the Four-Step Square Test is key to understanding walking distance.
• PTRCT2023Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Followed by Treadmill Training on Dual-Task Walking and Cortical Activity in Chronic Stroke: A Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of rehabilitation medicineCathodal tDCS, a brain-stimulation current, before treadmill training improved cognitive dual-task walking more than sham tDCS plus treadmill training in 45 people with chronic stroke. It did not help motor dual-task walking.
• PTOTOther2023Test-Retest and Inter-Rater Reliability of the 20-Meter Ambulation Test in Patients with Parkinson's Disease.Journal of rehabilitation medicineManual timing and step counting during a 20-meter walk proved highly reliable in people with Parkinson's disease, even when asked to walk fast or take large steps. Step length was the most consistent measure, offering a simple, equipment-free way to track gait changes.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Structural rehabilitation of the cervical lordosis and forward head posture: a selective review of Chiropractic BioPhysics® case reports.Journal of physical therapy scienceAcross 60 patients, Chiropractic BioPhysics case reports showed an average 14.1° increase in cervical lordosis and a 4.9-point reduction in pain. These improvements occurred alongside other treatments, so the specific contribution of extension traction cannot be separated.
• PTPilot2022Physical therapist-delivered acceptance and commitment therapy and exercise for older outpatients with knee osteoarthritis: a pilot randomized controlled trial.Journal of physical therapy scienceAdding physical therapist-delivered ACT to exercise did not show a clear reduction in physical disability. The group receiving ACT plus exercise improved and was lower than usual care at 4 weeks, but pilot small and dropouts high.
• OTSLPOther2022Motor performance, praxis, and social skills in autism spectrum disorder and developmental coordination disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with autism and developmental coordination disorder had lower motor and praxis scores than typical peers. Autism was worse than developmental coordination disorder on gesture to command, meaningful imitation, and tool use, and theory of mind was lower only in autism.
• SLPOther2022Postlingually Deafened Adult Cochlear Implant Users With Prolonged Recovery From Neural Adaptation at the Level of the Auditory Nerve Tend to Have Poorer Speech Perception Performance.Ear and hearingCochlear implant users who take longer to recover from nerve adaptation tend to have poorer speech perception. This recovery speed explained about 15% of the difference in word scores. Other nerve measures showed no clear link to performance.
• PTOTPilot2022Gait improvement in stroke patients by Gait Exercise Assist Robot training is related to trunk verticality.Journal of physical therapy scienceStroke patients with a Verticality of SIAS score of 1 or higher were more likely to walk independently after GEAR training. Patients scoring 0 may need trunk control work before robot walking.
• SLPOther2022Differing Bilateral Benefits for Spatial Release From Masking and Sound Localization Accuracy Using Bone Conduction Devices.Ear and hearingIn adults with simulated conductive hearing loss, the benefit from separating target and masking speech did not change with bilateral bone conduction devices. Sound localization improved, and the speech recognition threshold lowered by 0.7 dB.
• SLPCase-Control2022Low Frequency Air-Bone Gap in Meniere's Disease: Relationship With Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features of Endolymphatic Hydrops.Ear and hearingLow-frequency air-bone gaps in Meniere's disease are strongly linked to endolymph touching the stapes footplate on MRI. The gap often disappears later, so a normal audiogram does not rule out this structural change.
• SLPPilot2022From Clinic Room to Zoom: Delivery of an Evidence-Based, Parent-mediated Intervention in the Community Before and During the Pandemic.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of children with autism reported significant decreases in disruptive behaviors after a 12-week group parent-training program, whether delivered face-to-face or via Zoom. Teacher reports also showed improvement in the face-to-face group.
• OTCohort2022Autism spectrum disorder during French COVID-19 lockdown: The importance of individualized support.Child: care, health and developmentChildren with autism who received regular, individualized support from their existing care team showed no significant worsening in anxiety or behaviour during the French lockdown. Parents reported stable child outcomes, though family anxiety and school work difficulties remained moderate.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2022Functional activity and communication-social ability of youths with developmental disabilities: a qualitative study.Journal of physical therapy scienceParents reported that although most youths walked independently and had high overall function scores, they struggled with specific tasks like using a knife, managing stairs safely, and understanding deeper meanings. Many needed reminders and supervision to complete self-care activities.
• SLPCase-Control2022Are items actively removed from working memory during free time in children with developmental language disorder?International journal of language & communication disordersChildren with developmental language disorder did not have less free time than peers. More free time improved their accuracy when interference was visual, but worsened it when interference was verbal, suggesting attention or encoding failures rather than slow processing.
• PTOther2022Inter-examiner reliability in identifying lumbar paraspinal muscle atrophy by lumbar paraspinal muscle atrophy index, a novel parameter.Journal of physical therapy scienceTwo examiners using a new MRI index agreed well on severe lumbar paraspinal muscle atrophy at L1-2, L2-3 and L4-5, but less consistently at L3-4. It is a visual MRI classification, but no patient outcomes were tested.
• SLPOther2023Processing of Grammatical Agreement in the Face of Variation in Lexical Stress: A Mismatch Negativity Study.Language and speechWhen listening to Dutch sentences, the brain’s automatic response to a verb depended on its stress pattern, not on whether it matched the subject. This suggests that prosodic features can dominate early processing, potentially masking grammatical errors.
• Other2023Is baclofen the least worst option for spasticity management in children?Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineThis article shares a clinician's personal experience and preferences for managing spasticity in children, including when they choose alternatives to baclofen. It reports no study results, patient outcomes, or comparative data, so there is nothing here to change your practice on.
• PTCase Report2023Case report: The gait deviation index may predict neurotherapeutic effects of FES-assisted gait training in children with cerebral palsy.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesIn two children with cerebral palsy, the Gait Deviation Index (GDI) improved after FES training, with the most impaired child gaining 11 points. Joint-by-joint error measures did not consistently predict these gains, so GDI may be a better indicator of lasting response than detailed kinematic analysis.
• PTOTPilot2023Using Wearable Technology to Quantify Physical Activity Recovery: Secondary Report From the AFTER (App-Facilitated Tele-Rehabilitation) Program for COVID-19 Survivors Randomized Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesStep counts for COVID-19 survivors recovered rapidly, increasing by 930 steps per week during the first three weeks after discharge. Improvements then plateaued. This recovery occurred regardless of whether patients received telerehabilitation or just educational materials.
• PTOther2023A Hybrid Assessment of Clinical Mobility Test Items for Evaluating Individuals With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTA four-item mobility test combining parts of two existing batteries identified persistent mild traumatic brain injury symptoms with the same accuracy as the full tests. It takes less than half the time, reducing patient fatigue and clinic burden without losing diagnostic utility.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2023'I bring her up with love:' Perspectives of caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental delays in western Kenya.Child: care, health and developmentCaregivers in western Kenya described isolation, financial strain and safety fears as their main challenges. Despite community stigma, they reported deep love for their children and found critical support and respite through faith and religious organizations.
• OTSLPSurvey2023Transition to Kindergarten for Children on the Autism Spectrum: Perspectives of Korean-American Parents.Journal of autism and developmental disordersKorean-American parents put child behavior and teacher cooperation first. They named school-system knowledge and teacher relationships as top barriers. First-generation parents, lower income, and self-contained placement were linked to more reported challenges.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Epilepsy and proxy-reported health-related quality of life in children and young people with non-ambulatory cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren with severe cerebral palsy and epilepsy who took more anti-seizure medications had lower overall quality of life scores, even after accounting for how often they had seizures. Any days with seizures in the last month also linked to lower quality of life.
• OTCohort2023Longitudinal Analysis of Mental Health in Autistic University Students Across an Academic Year.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMental health scores for autistic students stayed high and stable across the academic year, even through early lockdown. Avoidant coping linked to worse depression and anxiety. Alcohol use dropped significantly. The usual university adjustment benefit seen in other students did not occur.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Prefrontal hemodynamics during forward and backward walking, with and without a cognitive task, in people with multiple sclerosis.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineBackward walking increased prefrontal cortex activity in people with MS, similar to adding a cognitive task to forward walking. This suggests backward walking is cognitively demanding, potentially useful for dual-task training, though no clinical outcomes were measured.
• SLPOther2023Exploring Variability in Compound Tensification in Seoul Korean.Language and speechCompound tensification in Seoul Korean is highly variable and influenced by word origin, length, and plausibility rather than speaking rate. This variability reflects abstract cognitive judgments of word boundaries, not physical articulation adjustments, suggesting the phenomenon is a complex lexical process rather than a simple phonetic rule.
• PTOTSLPMeta-Analysis2023Characterizing Interoceptive Differences in Autism: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Case-control Studies.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic adults show lower accuracy on heartbeat counting but higher confidence in that performance. They do not differ from neurotypical controls on heartbeat discrimination or self-reported attention to body sensations. These mixed results suggest interoceptive differences are not a core feature of autism.
• Other2023Music-based interventions in rehabilitation of children and adolescents with chronic diseases: Sharing an experience from a Brazilian public hospital.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesThis article describes music exercises and hospital experiences in a Brazilian pediatric service. It does not report original methods, participants analysed, or measured outcomes.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Validation of content and structure of the Return-to-work assessment for post-stroke survivors.The South African journal of physiotherapyExperts and post-stroke survivors reached 100% agreement on a new scale to assess return-to-work readiness. The tool covers personal, work, and contextual factors, including communication and employer attitudes, providing a structured way to evaluate barriers and facilitators for employment.
• SLPPilot2022Random Forest Classification to Predict Response to High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Tinnitus Relief: A Preliminary Feasibility Study.Ear and hearingA computer model predicted tDCS response in 99 patients with 86% accuracy, but failed when tested on 32 patients from a different clinic. Without a sham control, it is impossible to know if the model predicts treatment benefit or natural fluctuation.
• PTOTCohort2022Relationship between the characteristics of lower extremity function and activities of daily living in hospitalized middle-aged and older adults with subacute cardiovascular disease.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn hospitalized older adults with cardiovascular disease, both lower limb strength and walking endurance correlated with daily independence. Patients aged 75 or older with deficits in both areas had the lowest independence scores. Assessing both may better identify who needs targeted rehabilitation.
• PTOTOther2022Nurses' beliefs about back pain, their coping strategies and participant activation for self-management.The South African journal of physiotherapyA 12-week workplace campaign for nurses in Zambia increased their confidence in managing back pain and reduced sick leave and medication use. However, beliefs about prognosis and exercise did not improve, and actual exercise levels did not change.
• Qualitative2022Setting up a new team of support staff for people with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning and severe challenging behaviour: A concept mapping study.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDService users prioritised staff who know them personally and make them feel safe. Support staff prioritised team safety and colleague trust. Professionals prioritised a shared organisational vision. All groups agreed that introducing service users to new staff before the move helps build trust.
• Narrative Review2022Emerging signs of autism spectrum disorder in infancy: Putative neural substrate.Developmental medicine and child neurologyNo new patient data or outcomes are reported. This review proposes a brain-development hypothesis for early autism signs, so there is no finding to change practice.
• SLPOther2022NAL-NL2 Prescriptive Targets for Bone Conduction Devices With an Adaptation to Device Constraints in the Low Frequencies.Ear and hearingBone conduction device users rated a moderate low-frequency reduction better than the setting with the most low-frequency output for own voice, while music was better with more low-frequency output. Speech scores stayed high, but speech in noise remained below normal hearing norms.
• OTSLPPilot2022'Standing up for Myself' (STORM): Development and qualitative evaluation of a psychosocial group intervention designed to increase the capacity of people with intellectual disabilities to manage and resist stigma.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDPeople with intellectual disabilities described a five-session group intervention as helping them challenge stereotypes and stand up for themselves. Participants reported increased confidence, stronger peer connections, and reduced self-blame. Facilitators and families observed these changes, though the study did not measure clinical outcomes.
• PTQualitative2022Views of community health workers on the integration of a physiotherapist into a ward-based outreach team.The South African journal of physiotherapyCommunity health workers in South Africa said they felt incompetent and disrespected when caring for people with disabilities because they lack rehabilitation skills, transport, and equipment. They believed adding a physiotherapist to their teams would improve patient access and their own confidence.
• PTRCT2022Neuromuscular control of the lower extremities can be better enhanced by applying ankle taping and kinesiological taping rather than elastic bandaging: a randomized control study in amateur soccer players.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter simulated soccer exercise, ankle taping and kinesiology taping produced higher star excursion balance test scores than elastic bandaging or no taping in amateur soccer players.
• PTOTRCT2022Motor function and safety after allogeneic cord blood and cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells in cerebral palsy: An open-label, randomized trial.Developmental medicine and child neurologyAllogeneic cord blood infusion showed greater gross motor improvement than natural history at 12 months on the GMFM-66. This was a post hoc finding in an underpowered safety trial. No significant difference was found for cord tissue-derived cells.
• PTOTOther2022Relationships between walking speed, activities and participation in people with chronic stroke in Burundi.The South African journal of physiotherapyWalking speed was related to balance and daily activity limitations in chronic stroke survivors in Burundi, but not to social participation overall. People who walked only at home participated less than those walking farther.
• PTRCT2023Exoskeleton-based training improves walking independence in incomplete spinal cord injury patients: results from a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationExoskeleton walking training and conventional gait therapy both improved leg motor scores, with no difference between them. Only the walking independence scale favoured the exoskeleton; the main motor outcome did not favour it.
• SLPCohort2023Relationships between alexithymia, interoception, and emotional empathy in autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceYouths with autism showed intact emotional empathy and interoception, but higher alexithymia linked to lower empathic concern and higher personal distress. This suggests empathy difficulties may stem from alexithymia rather than autism itself.
• PTOTPilot2023Technology Assisted Rehabilitation Patient Perception Questionnaire (TARPP-Q): development and implementation of an instrument to evaluate patients' perception during training.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA 29-item questionnaire captured how 44 inpatients experienced technology-assisted rehabilitation with exergames. It grouped perceptions into positive attitude, usability, hindrance and distress; distress did not change after training.
• PTQualitative2023From passenger to citizen-portraits of learning to be a physiotherapist.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyPhysiotherapy students describe their learning journey as moving from passive passengers to active citizens. Educators can use these four portraits to understand student perspectives and design activities that foster agency and professional identity rather than just skill acquisition.
• SLPOther2023Mental representations of speech and musical pitch contours reveal a diversity of profiles in autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic children represented pitch contours in speech and music similarly to non-autistic children. The main finding was greater variability within the autistic group, not a general impairment or enhancement in pitch processing.
• PTOther2023Accelerometer-measured physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep in children with cerebral palsy and their adherence to the 24-hour activity guidelines.Developmental medicine and child neurologyOnly 5.9% of ambulatory children with cerebral palsy met both physical activity and sleep guideline targets. Most had too little vigorous activity and too little sleep, especially children in GMFCS level III and preschoolers.
• SLPOther2023A Newly Discovered Tendon Between the Genioglossus Muscle and Epiglottic Cartilage Identified by Histological Observation of the Pre-Epiglottic Space.DysphagiaDissection of 20 elderly cadavers identified a new tendon connecting the genioglossus muscle directly to the epiglottic cartilage. This structure may explain how the tongue root moves the epiglottis during swallowing. The finding is anatomical and does not yet test clinical outcomes or rehabilitation techniques.
• Other2023Before choosing a uniform name for the PMR specialty, we must define the specialty.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineThis commentary argues that defining the core expertise of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine is more important than agreeing on a single name. It reports no clinical findings or patient outcomes.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2023SARS-CoV-2-Related Adaptation Mechanisms of Rehabilitation Clinics Affecting Patient-Centered Care: Qualitative Study of Online Patient Reports.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesPatients felt pandemic hygiene rules threatened their autonomy, especially when communication was inconsistent. However, strong relationships with therapists and peers helped mitigate this. Distinct communication of rehabilitation outcomes supported patient satisfaction.