Publications by authors named "Adam Rufa"

Background: The LBP-related attitudes and beliefs of clinicians may impact the experience of patients by influencing clinician decision-making and by shaping the attitudes, beliefs, and actions of patients. The purpose of this study was to identify the specific LBP-related attitudes and beliefs of US-based physical therapists and determine if those beliefs correlate with clinical decision-making.

Methods: An electronic survey was sent to US-based physical therapists.

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Background: Clinicians who believe in a strong connection between pain and disability, and who have biomedically oriented beliefs recommend less physical activity, more time off work, and promote unhelpful beliefs in patients. Understanding how these beliefs develop may assist in identifying ways to reduce unhelpful beliefs in clinicians.

Objective: To identify factors that are associated with the LBP-related attitudes and beliefs of US-based physical therapists.

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Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a common problem that places a major burden on individuals and society. It has been proposed that patients treated by biomedically oriented clinicians will have worse outcomes than those treated by biopsychosocially oriented clinicians.

Objective: To investigate the impact of physical therapist LBP related attitudes and beliefs on the outcomes of patients with LBP.

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Background: Despite the popularity of tape among athletes and rehabilitation practitioners, there is controversy regarding the specific effects of kinesiology tape. Based on conflicting results and limitations of the literature, a well-designed study was desired to examine kinesiology tape application direction on muscle activation.

Hypothesis/purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if the direction of kinesiology tape application influences quadriceps activation.

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: Chronic pain due to musculoskeletal disorders is the leading cause of disability among older adults and is associated with a lower quality of life, reduced function, and increased risk of institutionalization. Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing pain and improving pain self-efficacy in individuals under 60 years of age, but there is a paucity of research examining its use with older adults. If PNE has similar effects in older adults, it has the potential to be a useful non-pharmacological intervention for this population.

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: Little is known about public perception of physical therapy (PT) delivery by type of provider in the United States (US). : This study aimed to describe differences in ambulatory PT visits and expenditures according to perceived provider type, and to determine if visits and expenditures varied by provider type. : This study employed the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), which is a nationally representative survey of US households that used a complex, stratified, cluster sample design.

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