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 510 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPCase Report2024Treatment of oromandibular dystonia with botulinum toxin A improves apnea in a teenager with quadriplegic cerebral palsy: A case report.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineIn one teenager with cerebral palsy, botulinum toxin injections into jaw muscles reduced obstructive sleep apnea episodes from 3-7 nightly to near zero. This allowed a decrease in CPAP pressure from 30 to 5 cmH2O and postponed surgery. This is a single case, not evidence of efficacy.
• OTSurvey2024Emotional, Behavioral, and Cognitive Symptom Associations With Community Participation in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationIn adults with chronic TBI, self-reported executive dysfunction was linked to less productive, social, and community participation. Asking about everyday planning, organization, and follow-through may reveal barriers that brief phone cognitive testing may not capture.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2024"You want them to be partners in therapy, but that's tricky when they're not there": A qualitative study exploring caregiver involvement across the continuum of care during the early COVID pandemic.Clinical rehabilitationCaregivers excluded from hospitals during acute COVID care felt unprepared when their loved ones came home. They lacked practical training on daily tasks and safety, while community services were scarce. This sudden shift from distant phone contact to full-time home care caused significant distress and burden.
• PTOTOther2024Efficacy of rehabilitation after provision of ICRC lower limb prostheses in low-income and middle-income countries: A quantitative assessment from Myanmar.Prosthetics and orthotics internationalIn 35 Myanmar amputees using basic ICRC prostheses, higher physical mobility scores correlated with better quality of life. Transtibial users achieved higher mobility than transfemoral users. Social engagement and inclusion were strongly linked to perceived well-being.
• PTOTRCT2024Virtual reality as a telerehabilitation strategy for people with autism spectrum disorder during the COVID-19 quarantine scenario: physical activity, motor performance and enjoyment.Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technologyA short home-based virtual reality game session improved motor timing accuracy and raised physical activity intensity to moderate levels for children with autism. Most participants found the game fun. This shows the game is feasible for telerehabilitation but does not prove it improves long-term health or daily skills.
• PTOTPilot2024Effect of crutch and walking-boot use on whole-body angular momentum during gait.Assistive technology : the official journal of RESNAHealthy adults walking with a hands-free crutch showed significantly lower whole-body angular momentum than with standard axillary crutches, suggesting better dynamic balance control. Most participants preferred the hands-free device, though it did not reduce pain or increase comfort compared to standard crutches.
• PTOTSurvey2024Validating a fear-of-falling-related activity avoidance scale in lower limb prosthesis users.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationThe mSAFE appeared usable to measure how much lower-limb prosthesis users avoid activities because of fear of falling. A 6-item version may also work. The evidence comes from 59 people who could walk in the community.
• PTOTSystematic Review2024The use of home-based digital technology to support post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation: A scoping review.Clinical rehabilitationHome digital tools like VR and robots are widely used for post-stroke arm rehab, with studies mainly reporting feasibility and user satisfaction rather than proven effectiveness. Evidence on whether these tools match clinic-based therapy remains inconsistent and limited.
• SLPQualitative2024"We're just winging it". Identifying targets for intervention to improve the provision of hearing support for residents living with dementia in long-term care: an interview study with care staff.Disability and rehabilitationCare staff said hearing support was “just winging it”: poor hearing aid knowledge, no training, unclear accountability, and hard access to audiology. They still saw communication support as beneficial and wanted practical help.
• PTOTQualitative2024Exploring attitudes of people with chronic health conditions towards the use of group-based telerehabilitation: A qualitative study.Clinical rehabilitationPeople with chronic conditions valued telerehabilitation for convenience, safety and connection, but reported technology problems, limited hands-on care and reduced social contact. 14 participants preferred hybrid programmes with live classes, recordings and professional guidance.
• PTOTOther2023Validating the measurement of upper limb sensorimotor behavior utilizing a tablet in neurologically intact controls and individuals with chronic stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA tablet reaching test produced largely similar movement scores to a robot test in controls and chronic stroke, and some tablet scores related to Fugl-Meyer scores. It is a measurement tool, not a treatment.
• Survey2023Autonomic dysreflexia: Current pharmacologic management.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationNitroglycerin ointment was the initial medication for autonomic dysreflexia in 82% of 60 surveyed physicians, but it was not used in Canada or Latin America where availability was limited. Nifedipine, captopril, amlodipine, or carvedilol were used there.
• PTOTQualitative2023Improving access to prosthetic limbs in Germany: An explorative review.Prosthetics and orthotics internationalProsthesis users described reimbursement delays causing health decline and a need to fight for access. Stakeholders blamed bureaucratic complexity, inconsistent assessments, and lack of clarity on what is reimbursable. These are reported experiences, not evidence of specific causes.
• Other2023Generating synthetic gait patterns based on benchmark datasets for controlling prosthetic legs.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA new control method for prosthetic legs worked in four people without amputation, allowing them to walk and stand. However, their movements were much jerkier than natural walking, and the system's safety has not yet been validated for actual amputees.
• PTOTSLPRCT2023Effects of an Acute High Intensity Exercise Bout on Retention of Explicit, Strategic Locomotor Learning in Individuals With Chronic Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairA brief bout of high-intensity exercise after learning a new walking pattern did not improve 24-hour retention in people with chronic stroke. This null result held for both a five-minute continuous protocol and a 15-minute interval protocol. Exercise priming did not help.
• SLPOther2023Examining the Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Lifetime History of Head or Neck Injury and Concussion in Children From the United States.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationChildren aged 9 or 10 with more adverse childhood experiences were more likely to have a lifetime history of head or neck injury and concussion. Parent mental illness was linked to concussion. This does not show the experiences caused the injuries.
• Cohort2023Barriers to mental health service use among people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.Rehabilitation psychologyAnticipating provider bias was the only disability-specific barrier linked to lower mental health service use among adults with disabilities. Income and pre-existing conditions also predicted access, but environmental accessibility concerns did not significantly reduce service uptake in this two-wave survey.
• PTOTCase Series2023A bidirectional fabric-based soft robotic glove for hand function assistance in patients with chronic stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn eight chronic stroke patients, hand task scores were higher with the soft robotic glove module and thumb splint than unassisted in one session. Grip strength did not change.
• OTCase Report2023Effect of bihemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation on distal upper limb function and corticospinal tract excitability in a patient with subacute stroke: a case study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesOne subacute stroke patient showed larger wrist and finger function gains and lower forearm co-contraction during bihemispheric tDCS than during anodal tDCS. With no control period, this cannot show the stimulation caused the change.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2023Inequities in COVID-19 vaccination coverage for adolescents with and without disability, national immunization Survey-Child COVID module, July 22, 2021-February 26, 2022.Disability and health journalAdolescents with disabilities had lower COVID-19 vaccination coverage than those without. The gap was widest for those with cognitive difficulties or trouble running errands alone. Parents of unvaccinated adolescents with disabilities reported more difficulty accessing vaccines despite higher intent to vaccinate.
• PTOTCohort2023Factors affecting association between pain severity and physical activity among people with low back pain.International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptationFor most people with low back pain, higher pain means less activity. But those with moderate or severe disability showed the opposite: worse pain linked to more activity. Age, education, weight and general health also influenced this link, while sex and occupation did not.
• OTQualitative2023"They had the lunch lady coming up to assist": The experiences of menarche and menstrual management for adolescents with physical disabilities.Disability and health journalParents of adolescent girls with physical disabilities said period management was hard because products require both hands, school help is often unavailable, and they wanted more anticipatory guidance from providers.
• PTOTSLPOther2023Nutrition-associated health levels in persons with cancer: item response modelling based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineA 32-item scale based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health accurately reflects nutrition-associated health levels in cancer inpatients. It correlates strongly with established nutritional assessments and identifies specific functioning deficits to guide rehabilitation.
• PTOTSystematic Review2024Group-based cardiac telerehabilitation interventions and health outcomes in coronary patients: A scoping review.Clinical rehabilitationGroup-based cardiac telerehabilitation often improved physical fitness and social support, but showed no significant change in quality of life or traditional risk factors. Evidence is limited by small sample sizes and short follow-up periods, meaning long-term health benefits remain unproven.
• PTOTSLPOther2024Reducing Physical Therapy Consults for Patients With High Functional Mobility in the Acute Medical Inpatient Setting: A Difference-in-Difference Analysis.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationEmbedding a mobility score alert in physician notes reduced physical therapy consults for high-mobility patients by 7% without worsening their functional recovery. This suggests clinicians can safely withhold PT referrals for these patients if they use objective mobility data to guide decisions.
• PTOTSLPCase Series2024A case series on the effect of dynamic neoprene orthosis on lower limb kinematic variables in children with cerebral palsy.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineFive children with crouch gait wore custom neoprene pants for six weeks. Hip and knee flexion decreased during walking, but responses varied widely. No group-level improvement was proven. Results are individual, not generalizable.
• PTOTSLPOther2024Characteristics of goal-setting tools in adult rehabilitation: A scoping review.Clinical rehabilitationMost goal-setting tools in adult rehabilitation lack strong evidence for improving outcomes. While many exist to help choose or document goals, only seven were tested in randomized trials, and most of those did not isolate the tool's effect from the wider therapy programme.
• PTOTSystematic Review2024Exercise treatments for lumbar spinal stenosis: A systematic review and intervention component analysis of randomised controlled trials.Clinical rehabilitationExercise helped some patients with lumbar spinal stenosis, but results varied widely across trials. Cycling, strength work, and psychologically informed approaches appeared in more successful interventions, while manual therapy and passive modalities did not separate winners from losers. No single component was proven essential.
• Other2024Development of a goal-directed movement intervention (GOAL) using a movement sensor for hospitalized patients: An intervention mapping approach.Clinical rehabilitationThis paper describes how a hospital movement intervention was designed with staff, not whether it worked. It reports no patient outcomes, so there is nothing here to change your practice on.
• PTOTCohort2024Multi-joint Assessment of Proprioception Impairments Poststroke.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationStroke survivors showed significantly worse proprioception at the shoulder, elbow, and wrist compared to healthy controls. Wrist sensation was the most impaired, often accompanied by errors in identifying which joint moved or its direction. Four participants could not detect movement at all.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024Off to the park: a geospatial investigation of adapted ride-on car usage.Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technologyChildren with disabilities drove adapted ride-on cars for longer and further when outdoors. Usage depended heavily on neighborhood accessibility, with children sticking to safe, walkable routes and avoiding inaccessible areas. Assessing local driving paths is essential for successful device provision.
• PTOTSLPOther2023Effects of Virtual Reality Exercises on Chronic Low Back Pain: Quasi-Experimental Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesCombining two virtual reality games with back-strengthening exercises reduced pain and disability more than using the games alone in patients with chronic low back pain. The VR games were delivered via Xbox Kinect alongside standard heat and electrical stimulation.
• OTSystematic Review2023Assessing the implementation of user-centred design standards on assistive technology for persons with visual impairments: a systematic review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesAssistive technology developments for people with visual impairments often claimed user-centred design, but only five papers referenced the international design standard. Users were mostly involved late, at usability testing, not throughout design, and context, needs, and multidisciplinary teams were often missing.
• PTOTCase-Control2023Children With Bilateral Cerebral Palsy Exhibit Bimanual Asymmetric Motor Deficits and EEG Evidence of Dominant Sensorimotor Hemisphere Overreliance During Reaching.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairChildren with bilateral cerebral palsy showed slower, curved reaches and poor hand dexterity with both hands, worse on the non-dominant side. EEG revealed the dominant brain hemisphere worked harder than normal during these movements.
• SLPCohort2023Research Letter: TBI Severity Moderates the Association Between Subjective and Objective Attention in Older Veterans.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationIn older veterans with moderate-to-severe TBI history, self-reported attention problems aligned closely with poor test performance. This link was absent in those without TBI history. Self-reported memory and language concerns did not correlate with objective deficits regardless of TBI history.
• PTOther2023The interaction between muscle pathophysiology, body mass, walking speed and ankle foot orthosis stiffness on walking energy cost: a predictive simulation study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSimulations suggest optimal AFO stiffness for reducing energy cost is higher than previously thought. Stiffer orthoses are needed for severe weakness and faster walking, while standard low-stiffness devices may be insufficient for many patients.
• PTOther2023Reliability and validity of the supine-to-stand test in people with stroke.Journal of rehabilitation medicineThe supine-to-stand test was reliable when the same or different raters tested it and when repeated after 7 days. People with stroke averaged 10.81 seconds, compared with 4.57 seconds in healthy older adults. A 5.25 second cut-off separated the groups.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2023Use of artificial intelligence large language models as a clinical tool in rehabilitation medicine: a comparative test case.Journal of rehabilitation medicineChatGPT-4 produced rehabilitation prescriptions and ICF codes for one textbook stroke case. The 3-digit codes were reported as accurate, but one body-structure code listed the left hand instead of the right precentral gyrus, so clinician checking is needed.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2023Assessment of activities and participation of people by rehabilitation-focused clinical registries: a systematic scoping review.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineMost rehabilitation registries track mobility and basic self-care but miss broader life participation. Clinicians should not assume registry data capture a patient’s full functional picture, especially regarding advanced daily activities and social roles.
• OTOther2023EMG feedback improves grasping of compliant objects using a myoelectric prosthesis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationVibrating the arm to signal muscle activation helped participants open clothespins with a prosthetic hand more often than relying on sight alone. It did not make them faster. The benefit was largest for the softest objects.
• OTNarrative Review2023Integration of proprioception in upper limb prostheses through non-invasive strategies: a review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationNon-invasive feedback for upper-limb prostheses can improve position and force tasks in lab studies, but results are mixed and mostly able-bodied. It is not proven to change everyday prosthesis use.
• Other2023Effective Delivery of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Requires Many Stimulations Per Session and Many Sessions Per Week Over Many Weeks to Improve Recovery of Somatosensation.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIn rats with nerve injury, only daily vagus nerve stimulation paired with touch for four weeks improved sensation. Weekly, condensed, or shortened schedules failed, even with the same total number of pairings. Effective therapy requires high frequency and duration, not just volume.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Sex/gender differences in service use patterns, clinical outcomes and mortality risk for adults with acquired brain injury: a retrospective cohort study (ABI-RESTART).Journal of rehabilitation medicineWomen entered post-acute brain injury care with lower motor function than men but made equivalent functional gains. However, women were significantly more likely to require multiple episodes of care, suggesting they face greater barriers to community integration after discharge.
• PTSystematic Review2023Economic Evaluation of Telerehabilitation: Systematic Literature Review of Cost-Utility Studies.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesTelerehabilitation usually cost less than face-to-face rehab while health-related quality of life was similar or better. The studies were small, so this may not transfer to every clinic.
• PTOTRCT2023Autonomy support encourages use of more-affected arm post-stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationStroke survivors allowed to choose their own task difficulty during reaching training used their more-affected arm significantly more in the lab. However, this did not transfer to real-world daily activities. High repetition alone improved motor performance, but only autonomy support changed spontaneous arm choice.
• PTOTOther2023The BE-UJI hand function activity set: a reduced set of activities for the evaluation of the healthy and pathological hand.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA 10-task hand assessment set was found to capture similar hand movement patterns as the full 20-task Sollerman test. It could potentially halve testing time for clinicians monitoring hand kinematics in healthy people and those with hand arthritis.
• PTOTOther2023Effects of a soft robotic exosuit on the quality and speed of overground walking depends on walking ability after stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA soft robotic exosuit increased walking speed in slower walkers poststroke but not in faster walkers. It improved propulsion and foot landing without increasing energy cost or reducing muscle activity. These were immediate, single-session effects, not evidence of long-term recovery.
• OTOther2023Measurement of Sleep in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury: Relationship Between Self-report and Actigraphy.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationWrist monitor sleep duration and awakenings did not predict self-rated sleep quality or fatigue in adults with chronic moderate-severe TBI. Short morning diaries did show their self-reported sleep duration closely matched monitor data.
• PTOTSLPOther2024Construct validity, responsiveness, and interpretability of the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation (USER) in patients admitted to inpatient geriatric rehabilitation.Clinical rehabilitationThe Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation (USER) is a valid observational tool for older adults in inpatient geriatric care. It detects meaningful physical improvement at 14.5 points and screens cognitive function without burdening patients with interviews.
• PTOTQualitative2024Return-to-Work Experiences in Ontario Policing: Injured But Not Broken.Journal of occupational rehabilitationPolice officers described return-to-work processes as designed for physical injuries, failing them when recovering from mental health conditions. Stigma, lack of confidentiality, and inflexible accommodations delayed treatment and reintegration, with workers fearing career damage if they took time off.