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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 29 OF 29 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTRCT2026Effect of tele-rehabilitation on health outcomes in overweight and obese elderly women with locomotor disabilities from knee osteoarthritis: A randomised controlled trial.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoOverweight and obese women with knee osteoarthritis who exercised under a physiotherapist through a phone app improved more in pain, walking, sleep and quality of life than those given a brochure and left to exercise alone. Both groups did the same exercises.
• PTOTRCT2026Effect of core stability exercise training on activities of daily living, fatigue level and balance in haemodialysis patients: A randomised controlled study.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoCore stability exercises added to a breathing programme improved daily living independence, fatigue, balance and thinking and memory more than breathing alone, in 60 haemodialysis patients over 12 weeks. Both groups improved; the added exercises gave the extra gain.
• PTOther2026Negative binomial modeling of musculoskeletal ultrasound grayscale histograms: a three-device comparison and harmonization study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesMuscle ultrasound brightness readings are not comparable between machines: the same muscle measured differently on each of the three scanners tested. A statistical conversion brought brightness readings into agreement across devices, but texture converted less reliably, and the SonoSite Titan was hardest to convert.
• PTCohort2026Preoperative Respiratory Training Before Cardiac Surgery: Feasibility and Longitudinal Pulmonary Function Changes in Elderly Patients.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyA three-week home incentive-spirometry programme before cardiac surgery was practical in these elderly patients, with high adherence and no adverse events. Forced vital capacity rose but FEV1 did not, and with no control group the training cannot be credited.
• PTRCT2026Effect of manual diaphragmatic release on ventilatory function and functional capacity in elderly type 2 diabetic women: A randomised controlled trial.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoAdding manual diaphragmatic release to eight weeks of supervised cycling improved lung function and walking distance in women aged 65 to 75 with type 2 diabetes. The release group walked 22.58 metres further than cycling alone, but both groups improved.
• PTMeta-Analysis2023Gait and Falls in Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTBPPV increases fall odds and slows gait across tasks. PRM improves normal walking speed, TUG time, and reduces falls, but does not restore tandem walking or walking with head movements. Additional gait or vestibular rehab may be needed for those tasks.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2024Whole-Body Vibration to Improve Physical Function Parameters in Nursing Home Residents Older Than 80 Years: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.Physical therapyWhole-body vibration on a platform improved lower limb strength, balance, and mobility in nursing home residents over 80. Walking speed did not improve. The 14 trials used very different protocols, so the best settings remain unclear.
• PTSystematic Review2025Rehabilitation for Physical Frailty in Lung Transplant Candidates: A Systematic Review.Cardiopulmonary physical therapy journalExercise programs improved walking speed, sit-to-stand time, and strength in lung transplant candidates. But 13 of 15 studies had no group that did not exercise, so we cannot separate the exercise effect from natural change. Certainty is very low.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2023Systematic Review to Inform a World Health Organization (WHO) Clinical Practice Guideline: Benefits and Harms of Needling Therapies for Chronic Primary Low Back Pain in Adults.Journal of occupational rehabilitationNeedling therapies for chronic low back pain showed a small pain reduction versus sham that fell short of the minimally important difference. Versus no treatment, pain and function improved more. All evidence is low or very low certainty.
• PTMeta-Analysis2022The Association between Hearing Impairment and Postural Stability in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Trends in hearingOlder adults with moderate to severe hearing loss walk slower, take longer to stand up, and score lower on a standard mobility test than those with normal hearing. Mild hearing loss showed a smaller effect, limited to walking speed.
• PTSystematic Review2025Systematic review of the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation in post-coronavirus disease.The South African journal of physiotherapyNMES was associated with improved muscle strength and walking in post-COVID-19 patients, but the evidence rests on four small studies with different measures, so no single dosing protocol is supported.
• PTMeta-Analysis2025Effect of virtual reality training on dual-task performance in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationVR training reduced the performance drop people experience when walking while thinking, and improved gait speed and stride length during dual-task walking. It did not improve cadence, reaction time, or fast-walking speed. Effects were strongest in people with mild cognitive impairment or Parkinson's.
• PTOTSystematic Review2025The Safety of Telerehabilitation: Systematic Review.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesAcross 37 randomized trials, telerehabilitation produced 201 adverse events in 65,352 sessions, most mild and unrelated to the intervention. No serious event was linked to the remote therapy itself.
• PTRCT2025Multicomponent telerehabilitation program for veterans with multimorbidity: A randomized controlled feasibility study.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationThe program was feasible: 39 of 50 veterans attended all sessions, and 44 of 46 who completed surveys rated it acceptable. The 2-minute step test showed improvement over the education-only group, but most other outcomes were similar.
• PTRCT2025Effects of a 6-Week Treadmill Training With and Without Virtual Reality on Frailty in People With Multiple Sclerosis.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAdding virtual reality to treadmill training did not reduce frailty more than treadmill alone in people with MS. Both groups did improve after 6 weeks. In an exploratory analysis, VR helped the cognitive component of frailty.
• PTSystematic Review2024The efficacy of lower limb orthoses on quality of life, well-being, and participation following stroke: A systematic review.Prosthetics and orthotics internationalThe evidence is insufficient to say lower-limb orthoses improve quality of life, well-being, or participation after stroke. Results across ten studies were mixed. A slight tendency favored FES over AFOs, but the studies were too small and varied to confirm it.
• PTOTSystematic Review2024Effectiveness of guided telerehabilitation on functional performance in community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review.Clinical rehabilitationAcross 26 trials, no study found in-person care superior to telerehabilitation. Eleven found telerehabilitation better, twelve found improvement but no clear difference from the control group, and nine found no significant change. Evidence quality was low to moderate.
• PTMeta-Analysis2024Effects of virtual reality on the balance performance of older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of physical therapy scienceVR balance training improved older adults' Berg Balance Scale scores by 3.41 points and reduced Timed Up and Go times by 0.87 seconds compared with conventional training. It did not improve balance confidence scores.
• PTSystematic Review2024Effects of Virtual Reality on Biomechanical Parameters of Gait in Older Adults: A Systematic Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationAcross 16 small studies, VR training improved gait speed, balance scores, and fall-related measures in adults over 60 compared with non-VR training. The studies used different equipment and tests, so results could not be combined into one number.
• PTSystematic Review2022Real-Time Telerehabilitation in Older Adults With Musculoskeletal Conditions: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesReal-time video-based exercise for older adults with musculoskeletal conditions (mostly knee replacement) matched or beat in-person physiotherapy on balance, strength, and range of motion, at lower cost. Evidence comes from 10 trials with mixed quality, mostly post-surgical.
• PTMeta-Analysis2021Comparison between the effects of exergame intervention and traditional physical training on improving balance and fall prevention in healthy older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationExergames gave healthy older adults better fall confidence, steadier standing, and faster timed-up-and-go than traditional training, but no advantage on standard balance scores. Gains were small to moderate. Evidence comes from 20 trials.
• PTMeta-Analysis2021Effectiveness of Exergame Intervention on Walking in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Physical therapyExergames gave older adults without neurological disorders a small but real improvement in walking. The gain was meaningful against no exercise but negligible when the comparison group also exercised. The effect held at follow-up.
• PTCohort2026Quantitative assessment of the 30-second sit-to-stand test using computer vision technology for physical therapists.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSmartphone video of the 30-second sit-to-stand test can distinguish normal from weak older adults by tracking how the body moves, not just counting repetitions. In 32 adults followed over six months, movement-quality measures separated the groups with accuracy of 0.943 to 0.971.
• PTOTCohort2026Factors associated with life-space mobility in older adults with chronic respiratory disease: IMIAS study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesBeing female, having poor vision, lower physical performance, and rating one's own health poorly were the factors most strongly linked to restricted community mobility in 223 older adults with chronic lung disease. These are associations from a single time point, not causes.
• PTSurvey2026The status of step-count monitoring and its association with physical activity and sedentary time among older adults: a cross-sectional study of silver human resources center members.Journal of physical therapy scienceChecking steps almost daily or three times a week was associated with having regular exercise habits among 622 older adults in a Japanese work center, but showed no link to sedentary time. The cross-sectional design cannot show that monitoring causes exercise.
• PTOther2026Impact of respiratory sarcopenia on attention function in community-dwelling older adults: a preliminary cross-sectional study.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 59 community-dwelling older adults, respiratory sarcopenia was linked to slower sequential number-connecting (TMT-A) but not to the alternating number-and-letter task (TMT-B). Only six participants had respiratory sarcopenia, so this is a preliminary association, not proof of cause.
• PTCohort2026Preoperative osteosarcopenia predicts adverse outcomes in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation.Journal of physical therapy sciencePatients with both low muscle and low bone density before a heart valve procedure had a 3.98-fold higher risk of dying or being readmitted within a year. Neither condition alone showed the same strength of association.
• PTCase Report2026Multimodal rehabilitation in PLP1-associated spastic paraparesis: a case report with clinical and biomechanical outcomes.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesIn one man with PLP1-related spastic paraparesis, a 20-session program of anti-gravity treadmill training plus wearable electrical stimulation was feasible. Balance and strength improved by the end, but walking speed and endurance dipped after the first block before partially recovering.
• PTSystematic Review2026Effects of Technology-Based Perturbation Training During Walking on Physical Function in Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson's Disease: A Scoping Review.NeuroRehabilitationNo clear advantage was found for technology-based perturbation training over similar non-perturbation walking in stroke, MS, or PD. The perturbation group did show improvements, but the evidence is preliminary and the studies were small and heterogeneous.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Frailty Progression Moderates the Association Between Sensory and Cognitive Trajectories Over 6 Years: Evidence From the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.Ear and hearingWorsening hearing over 6 years tracked with faster memory decline, and worsening vision with faster executive function decline. Frailty progression was independently linked to both and made the vision-executive function association stronger.
• PTSystematic Review2026Enhanced Gait Variability Index in Neurological and Geriatric Rehabilitation: A Scoping Review.NeuroRehabilitationThe eGVI shows the most consistent evidence in Parkinson's disease but is not yet ready for standalone clinical use. Protocols vary widely across studies and the single reference score has not been validated for the populations using it.
• PTOther2026Optimal Reactive Balance Training Characteristics Poststroke: Secondary Analysis of a Clinical Trial.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyMore balance perturbations during training was associated with better reactive balance scores in 30 people with chronic stroke. No training characteristic predicted fewer falls in daily life. The association is correlational, not causal.
• PTOTPilot2026Sedentary behaviour and activity patterns of older adults in an acute hospital setting: An exploratory study.The British journal of occupational therapyOlder adults in hospital took a mean of 657 steps a day and spent about 20 hours sitting or lying. More steps correlated with better function, but the main barriers were outside the patient: staffing, space, and nothing purposeful to do.
• PTOTOther2026Factors associated with the life-space assessment in community-dwelling older adults requiring support.Journal of physical therapy scienceAmong 63 older adults certified as requiring support, maximum gait speed was the only physical measure stably linked to how far they went out. Pain-related disability showed a weaker, less stable link. Gait speed matters more than chair-stand reps or balance for this group's mobility.
• PTOther2026Validating an Activity Monitor for Acute Care Patients: The Patient/Resident Mobility Tracker (PREEMPT).Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyAn ankle-worn activity monitor matched video-based truth data for hospital patients' sedentary and activity time, and for healthy adults' step count, stride length, and stepping time, all within pre-set equivalence margins.
• PTSurvey2026Utilizing the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health to Describe Quality-of-Life Assessment in Older Adults in a Middle-Income Country.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyIn 52 older adults in Brazil, SF-36 scores converted to ICF qualifiers showed moderate problems in pain, general health, and vitality, mild problems in physical, social, and mental functioning, and no problems in role domains. The method is descriptive only.
• PTCohort2026Depressive symptoms score and risk of incident spinal pain in middle-aged and elderly populations: a prospective cohort study based on china health and retirement longitudinal study data.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineHigher depressive symptoms scores were independently linked to a greater risk of developing spinal pain over 9 years in middle-aged and older Chinese adults. The top group had 2.58 times the odds of the lowest, and dyslipidemia weakened but did not erase the link.
• PTOTOther2026Association of independent transportation use with life-space and physical activity for community-dwelling older adults using a day-care rehabilitation facility.Journal of physical therapy scienceAmong 24 day-care rehabilitation users, being able to drive or use public transport independently was linked to a wider life-space but made no measurable difference in how much they actually moved. Helping a patient get to more places does not, by itself, get them more active.
• PTOther2026Psychometric properties of loaded and unloaded timed stair tests in assessing people with knee osteoarthritis.Journal of rehabilitation medicineA timed stair-climbing test is a reliable, easy-to-administer tool for assessing stair function in knee osteoarthritis. It needs only a staircase and a stopwatch, and can distinguish affected patients from healthy older adults.
• PTOther2026Effects of Using a Lumbar-Type Hybrid Assistive Limb by Older Adults With Frailty on Exercise Self-Efficacy: Retrospective Analysis Based on the Kanagawa Prospective ME-BYO Cohort Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesA wearable hip-assist robot improved exercise confidence by 1.05 points (on a 4-item, 1-to-5 scale) among 96 frail older adults, with the largest gains in those who had never exercised regularly. The randomised comparison did not show a clear difference between groups.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026Embodied robots in rehabilitation-oriented interventions for older adults with disability or cognitive impairment: a scoping review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesA scoping review mapped 11 robot-rehabilitation studies for older adults. The evidence is too small and too varied to say robots improve function. It's a landscape map, not proof of benefit. Four of five physical-rehab studies were done in Chinese hospitals.
• PTOTOther2026Cortical neuromodulation by vibration-induced illusion of movement is observed in older individuals, but not in individuals with acute stroke: a cross-sectional fNIRS study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationVibrating the triceps tendon to create an illusion of arm movement produced no measurable brain response in people with acute stroke, while healthy adults showed clear cortical activation. The technique may not engage expected neural pathways early after stroke.