Publications by authors named "Neva J Kirk-Sanchez"
Objective: The study purpose was three-fold: (a) to describe the development of the Functional Lower-Limb Amputee Gait Assessment, (b) to determine its reliability with two groups of raters, physical therapists, and certified prosthetists, and (c) to determine the agreement on its results between the two groups.
Design: A reliability study.
Setting: Institution for higher education.
Study Design: The pilot study was completed in 5 phases (Control and 4 phases of IMT) incorporating assessments at Baseline 1 (BL1), BL2, Follow-up 1 (F1), F2, F3, and F4.
Objective: To assess the adherence and impact of a daily high-intensity (80% of max) inspiratory muscle training (IMT) home program with once weekly supervision for people with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Setting: Assessments: research institution or zoom.
The purpose of this Perspective is to present an application of script-based reasoning to physical therapist education and practice. Illness script-based reasoning has been described as a cognitive strategy for medical practitioners to diagnose and manage health conditions. Analogous to this medical model of patient management, "movement scripts" can be used by physical therapists in clinical reasoning.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To examine the relationship between inspiratory muscle performance (IMP) and functional sitting balance (FSB) in persons with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). We hypothesized that a moderate correlation would be found between IMP and FSB and that individuals with better balance would have better IMP.
Design: The SCI-specific modification of the Function in Sitting Test (FIST-SCI) measured FSB.
Objective: To investigate the feasibility and validity of using the novel axillary:umbilical (A:U) ratio and sustained maximal inspiratory pressure (SMIP) as supplementary measures in the assessment of respiratory function in people with spinal cord injury.
Design: Pilot study with a single day of data collection. All measurements were taken with participants in their personal wheelchairs to best represent normal functioning and positioning for each individual.
Unlabelled: Spasticity affects approximately 65% of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and negatively impacts function and quality of life. Whole body vibration (WBV) appears to reduce spasticity and improve walking function; however, the optimal dose (frequency/duration) is not known. We compared single-session effects of four different WBV frequency/duration dose conditions on spasticity and walking speed, in preparation for a planned multi-session study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Daily ambulation with a prosthesis often involves turning to negotiate within the home and community environments, however how people with lower limb loss perform turns is infrequently studied. Administering a common clinical outcome measure to capture turn performance data provides a convenient means of assessing this ubiquitous activity.
Research Question: What temporal-spatial parameters are exhibited by people with unilateral lower limb amputation while performing a 180˚ turn task?
Methods: Forty community-ambulating subjects with unilateral lower limb amputation (20 transtibial amputees, 20 transfemoral amputees) performed the Component Timed-Up-and-Go (cTUG) test turning once in each direction, both toward the intact and toward the prosthetic limb.
Objective: Using a custom mobile application to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Component Timed-Up-and-Go test to assess prosthetic mobility in people with lower limb amputation.
Design: Cross-sectional design.
Setting: National conference for people with limb loss.
Physical exercise and cognitive performance in the elderly: current perspectives.
Clin Interv Aging
September 2014
In an aging population with increasing incidence of dementia and cognitive impairment, strategies are needed to slow age-related decline and reduce disease-related cognitive impairment in older adults. Physical exercise that targets modifiable risk factors and neuroprotective mechanisms may reduce declines in cognitive performance attributed to the normal aging process and protect against changes related to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. In this review we summarize the role of exercise in neuroprotection and cognitive performance, and provide information related to implementation of physical exercise programs for older adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To compare motor proficiency, strength, endurance, and physical activity among children from minority backgrounds who were healthy weight (HW), overweight (OW), or obese (OB).
Methods: Eighty-six children, aged 10 to 15 years, of mostly Hispanic ethnicity, participated. Children were categorized according to body mass index-for-age percentile.
Objectives: We assessed outcomes of an integrated nutrition and exercise program designed for Older Americans Act Nutrition Program participants as part of the Administration on Aging's You Can! campaign.
Methods: A 10-site intervention study was conducted. Preintervention and postintervention assessments focused on nutrition and physical activity stages of change, self-reported health status, dietary intakes, physical activity, and program satisfaction.
Background And Purpose: Cuban Americans over the age of 50 years, like people from a number of other cultures, have been exposed to distinctive social and psychological aspects of their culture that may affect their recovery from a major health event. The purpose of this study was to determine factors related to activity limitations in a group of Cuban Americans recovering from hip fractures.
Subjects: The subjects were 28 adults of Cuban-American origin with an average age of 79 years (SD=9, range=57-96) who were recovering from hip fracture.