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 533 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTSystematic Review2024Devices used for photobiomodulation of the brain-a comprehensive and systematic review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationNo standard brain photobiomodulation device or settings emerged across 97 studies. The most common reports used continuous red to infrared light to the front brain area, but reporting was inconsistent, so no optimal procedure can be recommended.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2024A Practice Pathway for the Treatment of Night Wakings in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersNight wakings in children with autism spectrum disorder are common, but treatment evidence is mostly low or very low. Melatonin and parent or behavioral approaches had mixed results, so start with screening and checking medical contributors rather than assuming a single fix.
• SLPOther2024'It seems like a luxury to be able to offer that': Factors influencing the implementation of annual health checks for autistic people in England.Autism : the international journal of research and practicePrimary-care staff and autistic adults generally backed proposed autism-specific annual health checks, but time and staff shortages made them seem a luxury. Autistic adults described phone appointments, short visits, and communication barriers as access problems.
• PTOTOther2024Clinical effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation and barriers to completion in patients of low socioeconomic status in rural areas: A mixed-methods study.Clinical rehabilitationOnly 11.2% of eligible rural separations completed cardiac rehabilitation. Completion was associated with lower risk of death or cardiovascular admission, while commencing without completing was not associated with lower risk.
• OTSLPQualitative2024Dropping the mask: It takes two.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults described socialising authentically as a shared effort. It required non-autistic partners to accept different communication styles, avoid demanding eye contact, and ask for clarification instead of assuming rudeness. These interactions reduced anxiety and exhaustion compared to masking.
• PTOTOther2024Impaired proprioception and magnified scaling of proprioceptive error responses in chronic stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationPeople with chronic stroke have significantly impaired proprioception across a wide range of movement speeds and distances. They consistently misjudge slow movements as fast and fast movements as slow, and struggle most with short, slow tasks like brushing teeth.
• OTCohort2024Patterns of equipment use for autistic children in multi-sensory environments: Time spent with sensory equipment varies by sensory profile and intellectual ability.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn a 5-minute free play session, autistic children with higher non-verbal IQ and sensory sensitivity spent more time on touch-responsive boards, while those with lower IQ and high sensory seeking preferred the passive bubble tube. Equipment choice varied by profile.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2024Alignment of Canada's COVID-19 policy response with barriers and facilitators for coping reported by caregivers of youth with developmental delays, disorders, and disabilities.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesCaregivers of youth with disabilities described pandemic coping barriers including lost routines, aggression, service gaps, and school disruption. Facilitators included stable routines, virtual therapy access, outdoor space, financial supports, and family/community help. Policies often failed to address these specific needs.
• PTPilot2023Does the ankle affect knee hyperextension during gait in hemiparetic stroke? A pilot study.The South African journal of physiotherapyAnkle tests and gait video took about 20 minutes and were feasible, but in 12 post-stroke walkers the study could not show whether ankle function relates to knee hyperextension. Tibialis anterior tone linked to knee angles; only three had hyperextension.
• PTCohort2023Training Load and Current Soreness Predict Future Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness in Collegiate Female Soccer Athletes.International journal of sports physical therapyDaily wearables tracking decelerations, high-intensity heart rate minutes, and accelerations predicted next-day lower extremity soreness in collegiate soccer players. These specific training load metrics, combined with current soreness reports, offer practical guidance for managing athlete recovery and adjusting practice intensity.
• PTProtocol2023Neurocognitive and Reactive Return to Play Testing Protocol in Overhead Athletes Following Upper Extremity Injury.International journal of sports physical therapyTap, reaction time, and error values from baseball and softball athletes are described for a proposed return-to-play protocol, but no evidence yet shows the tests predict return to play or reduce reinjury.
• PTCase Series2023The Basas Spanish Squat: Superimposition of Electrical Stimulation to Optimize Patellar Tendon Strain: A Case Series.International journal of sports physical therapyAdding electrical stimulation to the Basas Spanish Squat roughly doubled patellar tendon strain in three of four healthy participants compared to the squat alone. This mechanical change was measured in healthy legs, so it does not prove the method relieves pain or heals tendons in patients.
• PTSLPOther2023Multi-professional screening instrument for risk of broncho-aspiration in a hospital environment for the elderly population: validity evidence based on response processes.CoDASExperienced hospital professionals applying a broncho-aspiration screening checklist to elderly patients rated items relevant and agreed strongly, but non-verbal signs of doubt appeared on every item.
• PTNarrative Review2023Utilizing MSK Ultrasound for Comprehensive Assessment of the Femoral Trochlea: A Game Changer in Sports Medicine.International journal of sports physical therapyThis paper describes the technique for using ultrasound to image the femoral trochlea. It lists advantages and future technologies but reports no patient data or outcomes. There is no evidence here to change clinical practice.
• SLPOther2023Heterogeneity of autism symptoms in community-referred infants and toddlers at elevated or low familial likelihood of autism.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchInfants and toddlers with autism symptoms who had an autistic sibling showed milder social-communication symptoms and stronger cognitive scores than children with no family history, and less expressive language delay than children with no family history but non-autistic older siblings.
• PTOther2023Non-Operative Rehabilitation Principles for Use in Individuals with Acetabular Dysplasia: A North American Based Delphi Study.International journal of sports physical therapyExpert physiotherapists agreed on a non-operative protocol for hip dysplasia: prioritize stability over mobility, delay hip flexor strengthening until posterolateral strength improves, and avoid stretching tight muscles early. These are expert recommendations, not tested interventions.
• PTOTSystematic Review2023A scoping review of prehabilitation interventions for arthroplasty patients.The South African journal of physiotherapyPrehabilitation before joint replacement showed mixed results across 34 studies. Most included strengthening exercises, but few targeted balance, proprioception, or foot pain, which are common issues in patients waiting for surgery.
• SLPCohort2023Prevalence of hearing loss and health vulnerability in children aged 25 to 36 months: an analysis of spatial distribution.CoDASNo significant link was found between hearing loss and health vulnerability in 95 Brazilian toddlers. However, 48.4% failed screening, yet nearly half did not attend the follow-up diagnostic assessment, leaving the true prevalence of hearing loss unknown.
• PTOther2023Safety Considerations When Dry Needling the Multifidi in the Thoracolumbar Region: A Cadaveric Study.International journal of sports physical therapyA dry needle placed 1.0 cm lateral to the T12 spinous process at a 22-degree angle penetrated the ligamentum flavum and entered the spinal canal in a cadaver. This suggests potential risk when needling the upper lumbar multifidi.
• SLPOther2023Substitution Errors and the Role of Markedness in Bilingual Phonological Acquisition.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRBilingual Spanish-English preschoolers, regardless of speech impairment status, substituted easier, shared sounds for difficult, language-specific ones. However, error counts only distinguished impaired children in English, not Spanish, meaning assessment in both languages is required to avoid missing deficits.
• Narrative Review2023Why do we need sex-balanced studies of autism?Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchThis paper is an argument for better research design, not a report of clinical results. It highlights how excluding females from past studies led to missed diagnoses and incorrect treatment assumptions, but it offers no new evidence on how to treat autistic patients today.
• SLPOther2023Effect of Return Electrode Placement at Apical Cochleostomy on Current Flow With a Cochlear Implant.Ear and hearingPlacing the return electrode inside the cochlear apex shifted current flow apically in two cadaver heads. This required a surgical cochleostomy; placing the electrode outside the cochlea had no effect. This confirms the technique is feasible but does not show it improves hearing.
• PTOTRCT2024Differences in Daily Activity Performance Between Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility and Home Among Stroke Survivors.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairStroke survivors scored significantly worse on daily activities in their own homes than in the rehab facility, even just days before discharge. This gap suggests that facility-based tests overestimate real-world independence, particularly for stairs and bathing.
• SLPCohort2024Sign language delays in deaf 3- to 5-year-olds with deaf parents.Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationDeaf children of deaf parents are not automatically protected from language delays. In this sample, 19% of individual children showed signs of delay. Clinicians should monitor sign language development in these children rather than assuming early exposure guarantees typical progress.
• PTOther2024Validity of an android device for assessing mobility in people with chronic stroke and hemiparesis: a cross-sectional study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA smartphone worn on the back during a timed mobility test showed movement differences in people with chronic stroke who could walk 10 m compared with healthy adults, including more side-to-side sway, less turning power, and longer reaction times.
• OTSLPQualitative2024Positive and challenging themes in parents' perceptions of their relationships with their child with autism: Comparison between mothers and fathers.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceParents of boys with autism described their relationships using more positive themes than challenging ones, regardless of their child's symptom severity or cognitive level. Mothers emphasized love and difficulties, while fathers highlighted joint play and guidance. Fathers alone reported limited time with the child.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024Sensitive Identification of Asymmetries and Neuromuscular Deficits in Lower Limb Function in Early Multiple Sclerosis.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPeople with early MS and normal manual muscle strength showed reduced single-leg jump performance compared to healthy controls. This objective test detected subclinical asymmetries and deficits that standard clinical exams missed.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2024Implementing neurodevelopmental follow-up care for children with congenital heart disease: A scoping review with evidence mapping.Developmental medicine and child neurologyStructured neurodevelopmental follow-up for children with congenital heart disease is highly variable and often absent outside the USA. Where programmes exist, they improve access to therapies and parental satisfaction, but there is no evidence they improve long-term developmental outcomes.
• Narrative Review2024Disability and narrative medicine: Challenges and opportunities.Developmental medicine and child neurologyThis review discusses how narrative medicine might help clinicians understand disability but reports no new data. It highlights that existing training programs vary widely in quality and lack rigorous evaluation, so no specific clinical practice changes are supported by this paper.
• PTOTSLPPilot2024Using mobile health technology to assess childhood autism in low-resource community settings in India: An innovation to address the detection gap.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceA tablet app assessing social, sensory and motor tasks identified 78% of children correctly across autism, intellectual disability and typical development groups. It was feasible for non-specialists in homes, but did not separate autism from intellectual disability.
• OTSystematic Review2024A systematic review of instrumented assessments for upper limb function in cerebral palsy: current limitations and future directions.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationInstrumented upper limb assessments in cerebral palsy are mostly research tools, not ready guides for therapy. Studies rarely linked movement data to clinical outcomes and often missed children with bilateral or severe impairment.
• PTOTCohort2024Gait speed at the acute phase predicted health-related quality of life at 3 and 12 months after stroke: a prospective cohort study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineStroke survivors who walked faster in the acute phase reported better health-related quality of life at 3 and 12 months. Those in the fastest group had significantly higher quality-of-life scores and fewer problems with mobility, self-care, and daily activities than those in the slowest group.
• PTCase Report2024Case Report: Keep your eyes open! Nystagmus guides atypical BPPV.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesNystagmus direction, duration, torsion, and intensity during positional tests helped identify the affected canal in four patients with atypical BPPV, even when results seemed bilateral or unusual. The cases do not prove the maneuvers worked.
• PTOTSLPOther2024Bachmann-Bupp syndrome and treatment.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn the first patient with Bachmann-Bupp syndrome, DFMO treatment led to hair regrowth within two months. By four months, the child began sitting unassisted and self-feeding. Follicular cysts stopped recurring in two treated patients. This is single-case evidence, not proof of efficacy.
• Survey2024Quality of life in caregivers of a child with a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyMost caregivers of children with developmental and epileptic encephalopathy reported needs in valued activities and self-care. Their quality-of-life scores were linked to how threatening they saw the illness, not health literacy or activation.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024Impact of deep brain stimulation on gait in Parkinson disease: A kinematic study.Gait & postureGait speed, step length, and stride length worsened less than a year after deep brain stimulation, even though medication doses dropped and clinical motor scores improved. These kinematic declines were not predicted by target site or medication changes.
• PTOTSLPOther2023Validation and reliability analysis of the Questionnaire on the Emotional Impact of Vertigo-CIEV version translated to the Brazilian Portuguese language.CoDASThe Brazilian Portuguese version of the CIEV questionnaire reliably identifies emotional impact and anxiety risk in patients with vertigo. It correlates strongly with the Dizziness Handicap Inventory, particularly in the emotional domain, offering a practical tool for assessing psychological distress in vestibular patients.
• SLPOther2023Guide to the preparation of speech reports for implanted children: opinion of specialists.CoDASTwenty-one Brazilian speech therapists reached consensus on what should be in cochlear implant reports. They agreed on device settings and therapy progress but rejected technical mapping data. This guide standardizes communication between implant services and community therapists, but its effect on patient outcomes is untested.
• PTQualitative2023The development of items for a physiotherapy clinical programme evaluation tool.The South African journal of physiotherapyClinicians and academics identified 131 specific items needed to evaluate physiotherapy education, ranging from institutional policies to student-supervisor relationships. These items form a draft framework for assessing clinical training quality, though the tool itself is not yet tested.
• SLPOther2023Instrument to evaluate the perception of minimal contrasts in Chilean Sign Language - reliability evidence.CoDASA Chilean Sign Language test gave results that stayed consistent when repeated 11 to 14 days later in 10 deaf children and adolescents, and two evaluators scored the same answers almost identically. It shows consistency, not that the test identifies language disorder.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2023Functional outcomes of patients in ICU using the Chelsea Critical Care Physical Assessment tool: An integrative review.The South African journal of physiotherapyThe Chelsea Critical Care Physical Assessment tool reliably measures physical and respiratory function in ICU patients. It correlates with discharge location and helps plan rehabilitation. However, using it did not reduce the length of stay in the ICU or hospital.
• PTOther2023Hand therapy: Inclusive care by South African physiotherapists.The South African journal of physiotherapyThis commentary discusses the lack of formal hand therapy certification for physiotherapists in South Africa and argues for interprofessional education. It reports no patients, outcomes, or new evidence.
• SLPSurvey2023Refinement and Validation of the Empowerment Audiology Questionnaire: Rasch Analysis and Traditional Psychometric Evaluation.Ear and hearingA 15-item questionnaire lets adults using hearing aids report empowerment and distinguishes high from low empowerment consistently. A 5-item version is quicker but less consistent, so it may suit screening.
• PTOTOther2023Factors affecting quality of life in adults with HIV: A local cross-sectional study.The South African journal of physiotherapyYoung adults with HIV who were not obviously impaired still reported problems with pain, anxiety and mobility. Poorer quality of life was linked to low household income, taking many medications, long time since diagnosis, and weak leg endurance, not just HIV severity.
• SLPOther2023Evaluation of cognitive functions in the elderly with and without central auditory processing disorder.CoDASOlder adults with central auditory processing disorder performed like controls on most cognitive tests and on a brainwave measure. Only clock drawing was lower in the disorder group, and it tracked pitch pattern sequence scores.
• PTQualitative2023The impact of COVID-19 on professional development for physiotherapists in Lagos, Nigeria.The South African journal of physiotherapyPhysiotherapists in Lagos described pre-pandemic training as inconsistent and dependent on senior staff availability, with bedside teaching being most common but rarely structured. The pandemic forced learning online, which improved access to international conferences for many, though junior therapists reported missing hands-on practice and feeling isolated.
• SLPSurvey2023Sleep habits and orofacial myofunctional self-assessment of children at risk for sleep breathing disorders.CoDASChildren with more orofacial complaints and poorer sleep habits were more likely to screen positive for sleep breathing disorder risk. All children screened as low risk for obstructive sleep apnea, but higher scores on one questionnaire correlated with higher scores on the others.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2024"My Autism is Linked with Everything": at the Crossroads of Autism and Diabetes.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic adults with diabetes described prioritising their mental health and avoiding autistic burnout over strict diabetes self-management. They often masked their autism from clinicians, leading to advice that did not fit their sensory or executive functioning needs.
• PTOTOther2024Use of functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify cortical loci for lower limb movements and their efficacy for individuals after stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA custom footplate and leg cushion reduced head motion during fMRI, allowing researchers to map specific brain areas for lower limb movements. In stroke survivors, brain activity patterns in these mapped areas correlated with motor function scores, suggesting these loci could help target future neurorehabilitation.
• OTOther2024Fatigue in children using motor imagery and P300 brain-computer interfaces.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationBCI tasks were not more fatiguing than a film, although fatigue rose after 30-minute tasks. The brain-wave fatigue marker did not match the reported fatigue.