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 657 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTQualitative2026A Social Justice Approach to Assistive Technology and Well-Being of People With Visual Disabilities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Qualitative Narrative Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesParticipants valued assistive technology for autonomy but often avoided it due to safety fears and stigma. They desired devices that were discreet and aesthetically pleasing to avoid drawing unwanted attention in violent urban settings.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Cortical beta coherence provides a stronger non-invasive predictor of movement vigor than local beta power.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationFor healthy adults, brain connectivity between motor and fronto-parietal regions predicted movement speed more consistently than local motor activity. This connectivity marker showed a stable direction across participants, unlike local activity which varied randomly, suggesting a better target for future non-invasive stimulation.
• SLPSurvey2026Using Hearing Aids for Music: A UK Survey of Challenges and Strategies.Trends in hearingHearing aid users find aids helpful for music but struggle with distortion and lyrics, especially in live settings. Many remove their aids or switch to headphones for better sound. Audiologist discussions on music are rare and often unhelpful.
• PTOTCohort2026Whole-body angular momentum is influenced by bone-anchored limb use and amputation level during walking.Gait & postureWalking with a bone-anchored limb reduced side-to-side and rotational body sway compared to a socket prosthesis. This suggests better dynamic balance, particularly for those with higher amputations, though direct fall rates were not measured.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2026Understanding Disease Aetiology and Related Needs Knowledge of Parents of Children With Spina Bifida.Child: care, health and developmentParents most often cited walking and toilet issues as primary concerns. Mothers linked spina bifida to folic acid deficiency, while many fathers were unsure of the cause. Both parents reported significant gaps in understanding the condition's origins.
• SLPOther2026Vowel space change as a predictor of speech intelligibility gain in Down syndrome.Clinical linguistics & phoneticsIntelligibility change was mixed in 13 children with Down syndrome. Tighter vowel production and a larger vowel-space boundary were associated with intelligibility gains; qVSA change was not. The study did not test whether the speech enrichment program caused improvement.
• SLPCohort2026Oral language profiles and associated factors in children after neonatal arterial ischaemic stroke.Developmental medicine and child neurologyMore than half of children with neonatal stroke have language difficulties at age 7. Access to speech therapy depends on how obvious the deficit is, not how severe. Children with receptive or borderline problems are frequently missed and under-referred.
• SLPOther2026Phoneme Manner Types and Function and Content Words as Biomarkers for Different Types of Stutters in Speakers Who Continue to Stutter.International journal of language & communication disordersWhole-word repetitions occur almost exclusively on function words starting with vowels, while prolongations and part-word repetitions cluster on content words starting with specific consonants. Grouping all stutter types together hides these distinct patterns.
• SLPPilot2026Thinking flexibly: A cognitive remediation therapy-informed intervention for autistic youth.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceYouth reported improved flexibility and reduced anxiety and depression after eight sessions of adapted cognitive remediation therapy. Parents did not report significant changes. High retention suggests the approach is acceptable to autistic adolescents.
• SLPQualitative2026'It's quite difficult to put Autistic relationships in a box': A qualitative exploration of romantic relationships in gender and sexually diverse Autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic gender and sexually diverse adults described romantic relationships as deeply individual, rejecting standard scripts in favor of explicit communication. They distinguished partners from friends primarily by mutual agreement on labels, viewing shared neurotype as helpful for understanding but not a guarantee of compatibility.
• PTOTCohort2026Chronic neck pain is associated with altered gait performance compared to healthy controls: Cross-sectional observations.Gait & posturePeople with chronic neck pain walked slower and showed more stride variability than healthy controls, even during simple walking. Pain severity linked to these gait changes. This suggests neck pain may affect mobility, but the cross-sectional design cannot prove pain causes the gait alterations.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2026Effects of virtual reality and robot-assisted therapy on rehabilitation outcomes in cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRange of motion did not clearly improve, but gross motor function improved with VR or robot-assisted therapy compared with conventional rehab in children with cerebral palsy. Balance and daily-activity gains were small and may not matter clinically.
• PTOther2025Effects of short- and long-term vibration therapy on maximum voluntary isometric contraction and muscle activity in quadriceps and antagonist muscles.Journal of physical therapy scienceFive minutes of vibration on the quadriceps muscle increased maximum knee extension strength in healthy men. Fifteen seconds of vibration had no effect. This was measured immediately after the vibration stopped, not during it.
• PTOther2025Electromyographic examination of a new exercise therapy for the intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscles.Journal of physical therapy scienceHeel raises with band resistance did not activate foot muscles more than heel raise or short foot exercise in people with normal feet. In people with flat feet, they activated calf and shin muscles more than short foot exercise, but function was not tested.
• PTOther2025Differences in hip and knee muscle strength between successful and unsuccessful performances of the single leg sit to stand test from a 20-cm-high box in healthy young adults.Journal of physical therapy scienceHealthy adults who could stand on one leg from a 20-cm box had stronger knee flexors and extensors than those who failed. Hip extension strength did not differ between groups, challenging the focus on glutes for this task.
• PTOTCohort2025Depressive Symptoms and Physical Activity Mediate the Adverse Effect of Pain on Functional Dependence in Patients With Arthritis: Evidence From the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.Physical therapyIn people with arthritis, pain was linked to more dependence in daily tasks years later. Part of that link ran through depressive symptoms and lower physical activity. This is an observational association, not proof that treating depression or increasing activity prevents decline.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Relationship between visual function and motor skills: validation through a vision training system and physical fitness test.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn healthy adults, better spatial awareness on a vision test correlated with higher overall fitness scores and specifically with better repeated horizontal jump performance. Other visual skills, like eye-hand coordination or peripheral perception, showed no significant link to physical fitness.
• PTPilot2025Assessing rhythm reproducibility during gait after internal rhythm-learning tasks: a pilot study in healthy adults and patients with Parkinson's disease.Journal of physical therapy scienceLower-limb stepping reproduced gait rhythm better than upper-limb tapping in healthy adults. In six patients with Parkinson's, the task was safe and generally feasible, but those with significant frontal lobe dysfunction struggled to replicate the rhythm.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2025Design of dry-needling and acupuncture sham devices: an illustrative review.Journal of physical therapy scienceFive sham needle devices were identified that look and feel like real acupuncture but do not penetrate the skin. Only one allows the therapist to be blinded too, which is critical for rigorous trials. No standard device exists yet.
• SLPProtocol2026Protocol for a Systematic Review of Interventions Not Delivered by Speech and Language Therapists for Children With Speech Sound Disorders.International journal of language & communication disordersThis paper outlines the plan for a future systematic review of non-speech-therapist-led interventions for children with speech sound disorders. It contains no results, data, or conclusions, so there is nothing here to change clinical practice.
• SLPCohort2026Clinical predictors of dysphagia in patients with sepsis in a high-complexity hospital: insights for early identification.CoDASIn 35 sepsis patients, those with swallowing problems were more likely to have had prior neurological disease, require tube feeding, and die. Pre-existing neurological conditions and lung infections flagged high risk for dysphagia, warranting early speech therapy screening.
• SLPCohort2026Impaired Tone-in-Noise Detection in Individuals Who Report Temporary Hearing Symptoms After Noise Exposure.Ear and hearingService members who frequently noticed their hearing change after loud noise had worse tone-in-noise detection scores than those who did not. This occurred even when their standard hearing tests were normal. Adding this specific listening test to routine exams helps validate patient complaints that audiograms miss.
• PTOther2026Predicting prosthesis use and mobility needs in lower limb amputees: a machine learning approach using clinical and actigraphy data.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn 53 lower-limb amputees, models did not reliably predict reassessed K-level, but predicted personal mobility goals, including from 3 days of prosthesis-worn activity data.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Accuracy of Balloons and Handheld Spirometers as Low-Cost Tools for Measuring Vital Capacity and Air Volume: A Laboratory-Based Validation Study.Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica : official organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP)In a lab setting, a $150 digital spirometer and a $1 balloon measured injected air volumes with small, predictable errors compared to expensive clinical equipment. These low-cost tools accurately estimate vital capacity when simple mathematical corrections are applied.
• SLPOther2026Does the Use of Crowdsourced Listeners Yield Different Speech Intelligibility Results Than In-Person Listeners for Typically Developing Children?Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRCrowdsourced listeners scored child speech as less intelligible than in-person listeners, with the largest drop for children in the mid-range of clarity. This method underestimates performance compared to standard norms, so it should not replace clinical assessment for these patients.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Profiles of parent-teacher discrepancy on autistic children's adaptive functioning.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceParent and teacher ratings of autistic children's adaptive functioning often disagree. Teachers rated children with higher IQ and better executive function as more capable at school than parents did. Children with lower incomes showed the largest gaps, with parents reporting higher skills than teachers.
• OTSLPCase Report2026Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Disruptive Behavior in a Child With Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Failure to Thrive.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPManaging ADHD in a child with eosinophilic esophagitis and poor weight gain requires choosing medications that do not suppress appetite, such as alpha-2 agonists, and adapting feeding therapy to the family's specific food restrictions and stress levels.
• PTRCT2026Kinesio taping effectively improved pain and disability in postpartum women with pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain: a randomized controlled trial.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineTwo weeks of Kinesio taping over the posterior oblique sling reduced pain and pelvic girdle disability more than sham taping in postpartum women. Benefits were measured only after two weeks.
• SLPCohort2026Reexamination of Data on the Acclimatization of Hearing Aid Benefit Using Experienced Hearing Aid Wearers as Controls.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRReanalyzing one-year data from 111 adults, this study found no evidence of auditory acclimatization. Neither new nor experienced hearing aid users showed the expected pattern of improving speech recognition or self-reported benefit over time. Initial hearing aid benefit appeared stable rather than growing.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Growing stronger: Nine decades of physical disability representation in children's media and implications for pediatric rehabilitation.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicinePositive portrayals of physical disability in children's media rose sharply after 2000, with 90% of post-2000 films and shows depicting disability positively compared to 63% before. Spinal cord injury is heavily overrepresented. Therapists can use media literacy to address internalized stigma and reinforce rehabilitation goals.
• PTOTPilot2026Effects of ultrasound-guided nerve hydro-dissection on severe post stroke shoulder pain: a pilot study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesUpper-limb motor scores did not differ between groups, but shoulder pain scores decreased more with ultrasound-guided nerve hydro-dissection added to physiotherapy, occupational therapy, acupuncture and topical diclofenac in 12 patients with severe post-stroke shoulder pain.
• SLPPilot2026Rapid Profiling of Loudness Among Older Adults.Ear and hearingA new 5-minute loudness test showed acceptable consistency across repeated runs in older adults. However, it failed to accurately predict individual hearing thresholds, and some participants had unstable results. It is not yet reliable enough for clinical hearing aid fitting.
• PTOTOther2026Community-Based Interventions Improve the Quality of Life for Children Living With Disabilities, Zambia.Child: care, health and developmentFamilies in Lusaka reported better quality of life after joining a community support programme. Physiotherapy and disability registration linked to physical well-being, while play groups and home visits helped emotional support. No control group means we cannot confirm the programme caused these changes.
• PTCohort2026General movements and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 2 years of age in infants born very preterm.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn very preterm infants, early general movement quality was linked to development only before accounting for other risks. Once socioeconomic status and severe neonatal morbidities were included, the movement score added no independent predictive value.
• SLPSystematic Review2026Factors Affecting Communication Outcomes for Deaf and Multilingual Learners: A Systematic Review.International journal of language & communication disordersDeaf children using several spoken languages were reported to do better when support included home and community language. English-only support was linked to weaker home-language skills. Parent empowerment and rich language exposure also mattered.
• OTSLPQualitative2026Conversation Barriers and Strategies Used by People With Parkinson's and Their Partners to Support Conversation.International journal of language & communication disordersPeople with Parkinson's and partners described barriers like word finding, fatigue, background noise, and partner habits. They reported using strategies such as timing conversations, reducing noise, speaking clearly, planning topics, and video calls.
• SLPRCT2026Immediate effects of photobiomodulation on maximum pressure and endurance of the tongue in adults: a randomized clinical trial.CoDASPhotobiomodulation did not change tongue pressure or endurance in healthy adults. The laser showed no immediate benefit over placebo in this trial.
• Other2026Loss of the Mecp2 gene in parvalbumin interneurons leads to an inhibitory deficit in the amygdala and affects its functional connectivity.Molecular autismIn mice, losing the Rett syndrome gene in specific brain cells weakened inhibition in the amygdala. This caused the amygdala to become overactive and disconnected from regions handling fear and social behavior. The deficit appeared in late adolescence.
• Survey2026Disability education in pediatric rehabilitation medicine physicians: A survey study.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicinePediatric rehabilitation physicians reported highly variable disability training. The most common answer was under 10 hours, while others reported over 100. Most wanted formal curricula required and said daily patient contact alone is not enough.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Explainable machine learning prediction of functional independence measure scores and gain in subacute stroke survivors.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdmission scores on basic daily tasks like bowel management strongly predicted discharge independence, while age and toileting skills predicted overall functional gain. These machine learning models identified specific prognostic factors, offering a transparent way to forecast rehabilitation outcomes in subacute stroke survivors.
• PTOther2025Test-retest reliability of a novel unilateral thoracic expansion measurement using stretchable strain sensors.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 30 healthy men, a new stretchable sensor measured left and right chest expansion separately, repeated well, and found similar side-to-side values. For one person, a difference under 3.31 mm may be measurement error, not real change.
• PTNarrative Review2025Diagnostic Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in the Evaluation of the Rectus Abdominis.International journal of sports physical therapyThis paper describes how to perform and interpret musculoskeletal ultrasound of the rectus abdominis. It does not report patient outcomes, diagnostic accuracy, or treatment effects, so it offers no evidence to guide clinical decisions.
• PTCohort2025Changes in Normalized Shoulder Strength and Self-Perceived Function in Healthy Division One Baseball Players Over the Course of a Competitive Season.International journal of sports physical therapyShoulder strength changed significantly over a competitive season in 49 healthy collegiate baseball players, but self-perceived function did not. Pitchers and non-pitchers showed similar patterns. Strength benchmarks from this study can guide clinical assessment during the season.
• PTOther2025Feasibility and Concurrent Validity of Pediatric Performance-Based Postural Control Subtests Using a Pressure-Sensitive Exergaming Device: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of sports physical therapyThe Matti device accurately recorded jump counts and balance times compared to an observer, and children preferred it. However, balance times were significantly shorter than on standard boards, and jump counts were slightly higher, so existing norms do not apply.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2026A Smart Textile Biofeedback Training System for Upper Limb Rehabilitation After Stroke: Co-Design Development and Evaluation Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesStroke survivors and clinicians found a smart textile biofeedback sleeve easy to use and motivating. It helped them see and control remaining muscle activity. They suggested it for home training in chronic stroke, noting it needs clear instructions and support.
• OTSystematic Review2026Experiences and Support Needs of Siblings of Individuals With Prader-Willi Syndrome: An Integrative Systematic Review.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDSiblings of people with Prader-Willi syndrome described negative emotional impact, loneliness, caregiving pressure, and disrupted family routines. Parents' ratings of sibling quality of life were lower than siblings' own ratings. No tested sibling intervention was found.
• Other2026A closed-head, rotational traumatic brain injury model demonstrates deficits in righting reflex, neurological function, and auditory brainstem responses in rats.Brain injuryRotational head injury in rats caused temporary balance and startle reflex deficits. Auditory thresholds shifted by 5–15dB but returned to baseline within a week. This preclinical model replicates specific human TBI signs but provides no evidence for clinical treatment changes.
• SLPOther2026Orofacial myofunctional changes and risk of dysphagia in older adults in the frailty process: a methodological study.CoDASA standard oral function test did not predict swallowing risk in older adults with frailty. Scores showed no difference between those at risk and those not at risk of dysphagia, so this assessment alone cannot replace specific swallowing evaluations.
• SLPCohort2026Screening for brain-related comorbidities in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: Construction, reliability, and validity of the BIND screener.Developmental medicine and child neurologyThe BIND screener accurately flags brain-related comorbidities in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. A total score of 20 or higher suggests a high likelihood of existing diagnoses. It is brief, valid across ages, and identifies those needing further neuropsychological assessment.
• PTOTSLPPilot2026Cortical mapping of real-time ultrasound-imaging visual feedback for ankle dorsiflexion in patients after stroke: a fNIRS study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationReal-time ultrasound feedback during ankle exercises did not increase brain activity in the primary motor area. It reduced deoxygenated blood signals in motor planning regions and altered brain connectivity in stroke survivors. These are preliminary neural changes, not proof of improved movement or recovery.