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Geriatrics research

Everything we have read on geriatrics. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

1,442 PAPERS · PAGE 14 OF 29 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOther2019Osteoporosis complication is a risk factor for frailty in females with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Journal of physical therapy scienceFrailty scores did not differ between older women with type 2 diabetes who had osteoporosis and those who did not. In the osteoporosis group, weaker legs, grip and slower walking were linked with more frailty signs. Leg strength was lower than controls.
• PTOther2019Mobility assessment in people with Alzheimer disease using smartphone sensors.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA smartphone sensor mobility test found people with mild or moderate Alzheimer disease took longer, produced less power standing and turning, and had slower single-task reaction time than controls. Adding a story mainly increased standing sway.
• PTCase Series2019Tarsal fusion for pes equinovarus deformity improves gait capacity in chronic stroke patients.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationBarefoot walking speed improved after surgery for stroke foot deformity. Tarsal fusion was combined with tendon, toe, and foot bone procedures in many patients, so the fusion alone cannot be credited.
• PTPilot2019Relearning functional and symmetric walking after stroke using a wearable device: a feasibility study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSix people with chronic stroke who wore a passive shoe that moves the unaffected foot backward during walking all showed better step length symmetry and faster walking after 12 sessions. No control group, so this is feasibility, not proof.
• PTCohort2019Trunk Muscle Composition 2 Months After Hip Fracture: Findings From the Baltimore Hip Studies.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationTwo months after hip fracture, older white patients had smaller trunk muscles than older white non-fracture controls, especially side abdominal muscles. Their muscle fat content measured by CT appeared lower, not higher.
• PTOTQualitative2019Older adults' perceptions of wearable technology hip protectors: implications for further research and development strategies.Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technologyMost participants thought the hip protector idea was good, but many said they would not wear it. They worried about underwear style, visibility, dexterity, incontinence pads, mobile signal, and cost.
• PTOTSurvey2020Cardiometabolic disease, depressive symptoms, and sleep disorders in middle-aged adults with functional disabilities: NHANES 2007-2014.Disability and rehabilitationAfter accounting for other factors, adults with severe functional disability were more likely to have cardiovascular disease and diabetes than adults without disability. Adults with moderate disability were not. Depressive symptoms and sleep disorders did not explain this.
• PTOther2019A Prospective Assessment of an Adjustable, Immediate Fit, Transtibial Prosthesis.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationIn 22 people, a new adjustable transtibial prosthesis improved self-reported fit and comfort versus their own devices, lowered overall, anterior tibia, and lateral side peak pressures, but gait speed and step patterns did not differ.
• PTCohort2019Racial Differences in Discharge Location After a Traumatic Brain Injury Among Older Adults.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationBlack patients were more likely than white patients to be discharged to inpatient rehabilitation rather than home without services after accounting for age, sex, insurance, comorbidities, and injury severity. Without that accounting, the race difference was not significant.
• PTOther2019Assessing the concurrent validity of a gait analysis system integrated into a smart walker in older adults with gait impairments.Clinical rehabilitationIn older adults who use walkers, a smart walker’s built-in gait analysis matched a walkway for stride, swing and stance times, but did not agree closely enough for absolute stride length or gait speed.
• PTOther2020Influence of Antagonistic Hamstring Coactivation on Measurement of Quadriceps Strength in Older Adults.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationHigher hamstring coactivation was linked to lower measured quadriceps strength in older adults with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis. It was seen mainly in women. A low strength-test score may not mean true quadriceps weakness.
• PTSystematic Review2019Measures of balance and falls risk prediction in people with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review of psychometric properties.Clinical rehabilitationFor Parkinson's disease, the Mini-BESTest, Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go, Activities-specific Balance Confidence, Falls Efficacy Scale-International and the Parkinson's rating scale motor exam have the strongest evidence for balance and falls risk. Some cannot yet track change.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Chronic Pain Characteristics and Gait in Older Adults: The MOBILIZE Boston Study II.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationOlder adults with multisite pain walked slower and with more variability than those with no pain, regardless of whether they were performing a concurrent mental task. Pain distribution, not the addition of a cognitive challenge, drove the gait deficits.
• PTRCT2020Restoring physical function after knee replacement: a cross sectional comparison of progressive strengthening vs standard physical therapy.Physiotherapy theory and practiceAt 12 months after knee replacement, both therapy groups were worse than healthy adults on average. Progressive outpatient strengthening, with or without electrical stimulation, was linked to more patients reaching normal knee extension, quadriceps strength, and stair-climbing times.
• PTCohort2020Validity of Visual Assessment of Sit to Stand After Hip Fracture.Journal of geriatric physical therapy (2001)Experienced home health physical therapists watched sit-to-stand videos and judged involved-leg force close enough to the measured value only 39% of the time. They identified the leg producing less force 74% of the time.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2019Models of Traumatic Brain Injury in Aged Animals: A Clinical Perspective.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPreclinical TBI research overwhelmingly uses young animals, leaving a gap in understanding how aging and common comorbidities like diabetes or hypertension affect recovery. Current animal models fail to replicate the clinical reality of elderly patients, limiting the translation of new treatments to geriatric care.
• PTOTRCT2019The Applicability of a High-Intensity Functional Exercise Program Among Older People With Dementia Living in Nursing Homes.Journal of geriatric physical therapy (2001)Older adults with mild to moderate dementia in nursing homes attended a high-intensity exercise program at a median rate of 82.5%. Most achieved moderate to high intensity. Adverse events were minor and temporary. People with non-Alzheimer's dementia exercised with higher strength intensity than those with Alzheimer's.
• PTRCT2019Effect of Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Motor Cortex on Elbow Flexor Muscle Strength in the Very Old.Journal of geriatric physical therapy (2001)A single 20-minute session of anodal tDCS over the motor cortex did not improve elbow flexor strength or biceps electrical activity in 11 adults aged 80 and older. Their elbow flexors were already near fully activated. There was little room for strength gain.
• PTPilot2020PALS: peer support for community dwelling older people with chronic low back pain: a feasibility and acceptability study.PhysiotherapyPeer support after physiotherapy was feasible and acceptable for older adults with chronic low back pain. Volunteers delivered six fortnightly sessions, often face-to-face. Participants valued encouragement and having someone listen, but this small study did not test whether it reduced pain or disability.
• PTCohort2019Predictors of Improvement in Physical Function in Older Adults in an Evidence-Based Physical Activity Program (EnhanceFitness).Journal of geriatric physical therapy (2001)Older adults in EnhanceFitness gained strength, chair-stand performance, and walking balance over two program cycles. More weeks of full attendance was linked to greater gains. Those with worse health, falls, disability, or age over 75 gained less, but still improved.
• PTSystematic Review2020Pain-Reducing Effects of Physical Therapist-Delivered Interventions: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials Among Older Adults With Dementia.Journal of geriatric physical therapy (2001)Massage reduced pain compared to no treatment in one trial but showed no additive benefit over routine care in another. Passive movement did not reduce pain more than no treatment. No randomized trials tested active physical therapy interventions like exercise.
• PTOTPilot2019Dynamic stability during increased walking speeds is related to balance confidence of older adults: a pilot study.Gait & postureOlder adults with lower balance confidence stopped walking at slower speeds on a treadmill. Their instability, measured by step-to-step variability, increased just before they chose to stop. This suggests confidence relates to actual control limits, not just fear.
• PTCase-Control2019Pain Provocation and the Energy Cost of Walking: A Matched Comparison Study of Older Adults With and Without Chronic Low Back Pain With Radiculopathy.Journal of geriatric physical therapy (2001)Older adults with chronic low-back radicular pain whose pain rose by at least 2 points while walking had a higher energy cost by the end of the test. Those whose pain did not rise, and matched pain-free controls, did not change energy cost.
• PTOTCohort2019Retraining walking over ground in a powered exoskeleton after spinal cord injury: a prospective cohort study to examine functional gains and neuroplasticity.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWith repeated powered exoskeleton training, people with severe spinal cord injury walked for about an hour each session, and some gained balance or strength. Brain-to-spine signals did not change, and no control group means recovery cannot be proven.
• PTOther2019The Balance Intensity Scales for Therapists and Exercisers Measure Balance Exercise Intensity in Older Adults: Initial Validation Using Rasch Analysis.Physical therapyThe therapist checklist could fairly separate balance tasks into lower and higher intensity. The exerciser self-rating scale was less dependable, so a simple 5-point effort rating may be more useful.
• PTOther2019Mental Singing Reduces Gait Variability More Than Music Listening for Healthy Older Adults and People With Parkinson Disease.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTHealthy older adults and people with Parkinson's walked with less stride variability when mentally singing to a beat compared to listening to music. This internal cue improved stability measures without the increased variability seen with external music, offering a discreet option for daily walking.
• PTPilot2019Real-Time Auditory Feedback-Induced Adaptation to Walking Among Seniors Using the Heel2Toe Sensor: Proof-of-Concept Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesFive of six older adults improved heel-first stepping, and all walked longer during short training with a foot sensor that beeps for good steps. With only six people and added exercises, this does not show the sensor alone works.
• PTRCT2019Effect of Community-Based Group Exercise Interventions on Standing Balance and Strength in Independent Living Older Adults.Journal of geriatric physical therapy (2001)The task-oriented group exercise program was not clearly better than standard exercise for standing balance or strength, though both 12-week programs improved these outcomes more than the waitlist.
• PTOTSLPPilot2019The effectiveness of transverse abdominis training on balance, postural sway and core muscle recruitment patterns: a pilot study comparison across age groups.Journal of physical therapy scienceOlder adults showed the greatest improvement in balance after a single 15-minute session of transverse abdominis training, reducing sway significantly more than younger groups. Functional reach did not improve. This suggests immediate neuromuscular benefits for older patients, but results are preliminary.
• PTRCT2019Effect of the "Building Osteo Neatly Exercise" program on quantitative ultrasound parameters and plantar pressure distribution for college-aged females.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 40 young women, a 4-month foot exercise program increased heel bone ultrasound measures and made pressure during walking closer to ideal. It does not show effects in older adults with osteoporosis.
• PTSurvey2019Customer satisfaction analysis of the healthy elderly to investigate the association among happiness, health status, and well-being using the Happiness & Health Feeling Scale.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 17 healthy elderly, eating, exercise, and pleasure correlated with high well-being. Self-esteem items showed low scores despite high well-being. This suggests these factors are priority areas for improvement in this group.
• PTOTCohort2019Instrumental activities of daily living and number of daily steps in frail older females.Journal of physical therapy scienceFrail older women who could prepare meals and do housework took significantly more daily steps than those who needed help. Overall step counts were very low, averaging under 2,000 steps per day.
• PTOTSLPCohort2019Relationship between the nutritional state of elderly people in need of support or nursing care and jaw-opening force and tongue pressure.Journal of physical therapy scienceBetter nutritional scores correlated with stronger jaw-opening force in 25 care-dependent elders, but not with tongue pressure. Low jaw force may signal malnutrition risk, though the small sample limits certainty.
• PTOTCohort2020Physical Function and Frailty for Predicting Adverse Outcomes in Older Primary Care Patients.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationPhysical function tests predicted hospitalizations and self-rated health as well as frailty measures in older adults. The patient-reported LLFDI was the only predictor of falls over two years, while the SPPB predicted emergency visits. Screening choice may depend on whether performance or patient-reported data is preferred.
• PTOTRCT2020Does a novel exergame challenge balance and activate muscles more than existing off-the-shelf exergames?Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA new exergame package elicited significantly larger weight shifts than an off-the-shelf game in all directions. Muscle activity remained low overall, though some games sustained activity longer. Motivation was high and similar across all games tested.
• PTOther2020Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients increase medio-lateral stability and limit changes in antero-posterior stability to curb energy expenditure.Gait & postureCOPD patients did not show lower front-to-back step-to-step stability than controls, but had larger side-to-side margins. They kept front-to-back margins steady as speed rose, while controls reduced them. Larger front-to-back margins coincided with lower energy cost.
• PTOther2020Perception of whole-body motion during balance perturbations is impaired in Parkinson's disease and is associated with balance impairment.Gait & posturePeople with Parkinson's needed a larger sideways body shift to sense left versus right during backward balance perturbations. Poorer shift perception tracked with worse balance scores in Parkinson's, but not in matched older adults without the condition.
• PTOther2020Age-specific differences in the time-frequency representation of surface electromyographic data recorded during a submaximal cyclic back extension exercise: a promising biomarker to detect early signs of sarcopenia.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationOlder adults showed less pronounced frequency-based EMG fatigue slopes during a 50% cyclic back extension, but not in EMG amplitude or strength. This is exploratory, not a validated clinical screen.
• PTOTCohort2020Spatio-temporal gait variables predicted incident disability.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn 4121 Japanese older adults, slower walking, shorter stride, slower steps, and more variable stride were associated with later need for long-term care support. More abnormal gait measures meant higher risk.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Prevalence of physical and mental health conditions in Medicare-enrolled, autistic older adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic older adults had significantly higher odds of nearly every physical and mental health condition compared to non-autistic peers. This included high risks for epilepsy, Parkinson’s, gastrointestinal issues, and suicidality. Clinicians should anticipate complex comorbidities in this population.
• PTOTPilot2020Changes in standing stability with balance-based torso-weighting with cerebellar ataxia: A pilot study.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyLight torso weights helped people with cerebellar ataxia stand longer and sway less when balance was challenged, but did not improve walking speed. The weights were safe in this small pilot, suggesting potential for stability support but not faster mobility.
• PTCohort2020The Association of Pain Phenotype with Neuromuscular Impairments and Mobility Limitations Among Older Primary Care Patients: A Secondary Analysis of the Boston Rehabilitative Impairment Study of the Elderly.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationAmong 430 older primary care patients with some walking or stair difficulty, more pain sites and higher pain intensity were linked to poorer trunk endurance, slower leg speed, limited ankle motion, and reduced mobility.
• PTProtocol2020Implementation of a Cost-Effective Physical Therapy Approach (Coach2Move) to Improve Physical Activity in Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Mobility Problems: Protocol for a Cluster-Randomized, Stepped Wedge Trial.Physical therapyThis is a protocol for a trial comparing a new physical therapy approach to usual care. No results are reported, so there is no evidence here to change your practice.
• PTCohort2019Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, construct validity and factor structure of a falls risk perception questionnaire in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a prospective cohort study.Archives of physiotherapyA questionnaire about perceived fall risk gave similar answers when repeated in person or by phone, and its scores lined up with fear of falling. In 30 older adults with type 2 diabetes, its proposed question groups could not be checked.
• PTRCT2020Group-based music intervention in Parkinson's disease - findings from a mixed-methods study.Clinical rehabilitationThe primary dual-task walking outcome did not improve with group music therapy versus usual care. At three months, self-reported quality of life and fear of falling favoured intervention, but the trial was small and underpowered.
• PTOTCohort2020Function and Caregiver Support Associated With Readmissions During Home Health for Individuals With Dementia.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn home health for dementia, patients most dependent in mobility and self-care were more likely to be readmitted within 30 days. Cognitive and caregiver support deficits also tracked with readmission, but mobility and self-care links remained after adjustment.
• PTRCT2020Exercising with Baxter: preliminary support for assistive social-physical human-robot interaction.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationOlder adults reported higher exercise and pain levels than younger adults during short robot-game samples, but both groups rated some games as enjoyable and chose favorites for free play.
• PTOther2020A computational model to design neural interfaces for lower-limb sensory neuroprostheses.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationComputer models of two sciatic nerve shapes suggest a TIME with 20 sites or a FINE with 16 or 20 sites could activate more separate nerve bundles, three TIME implants may be enough, and bipolar stimulation gave better model results. No patient outcomes were tested.
• PTOther2019Mobility performance among community-dwelling older Filipinos who lived in urban and rural settings: A preliminary study.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoUrban-dwelling older Filipinos walked faster, rose from a chair faster, and walked farther in six minutes than rural-dwelling peers. Scores varied by age and sex, but the urban-rural gap remained. This is preliminary and should not be used as fixed reference values.
• PTOTCohort2020Shorter gastrocnemius fascicle lengths in older adults associate with worse capacity to enhance push-off intensity in walking.Gait & postureShorter calf muscle fibers in older adults correlated with worse ability to push off against resistance, independent of strength. This suggests muscle fiber length, not just force, limits high-demand walking tasks like climbing or accelerating.