Evidence-Based Practice: a survey of Brazilian physical therapists from the dermatology subdiscipline.

Background: Dermatology is a relatively new subdiscipline of physical therapy with growth potential. Therefore, it is important to identify whether professionals from this area have the knowledge and skills required to offer the best available service based on evidence-based practice.

Objectives: To describe the self-reported behavior, knowledge, skills, opinion, and barriers related to the evidence-based practice of Brazilian physical therapists from the dermatology subdiscipline.

Delayed Compensatory Postural Adjustments After Lateral Perturbations Contribute to the Reduced Ability of Older Adults to Control Body Balance.

The goal of this study was to investigate the timing of compensatory postural adjustments in older adults during body perturbations in the mediolateral direction, circumstances that increase their risk of falls. The latencies of leg and trunk muscle activation to body perturbations at the shoulder level and variables of center of pressure excursion, which characterize postural stability, were analyzed in 40 older adults (nonfallers and fallers evenly split) and in 20 young participants. The older adults exhibited longer latencies of muscular activation in eight out of 15 postural muscles as compared with young participants; for three muscles, the latencies were longer for the older fallers than nonfallers.

Anticipatory and Compensatory Postural Adjustments in Response to External Lateral Shoulder Perturbations in Subjects with Parkinson's Disease.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the anticipatory (APA) and compensatory (CPA) postural adjustments in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) during lateral instability of posture. Twenty-six subjects (13 individuals with PD and 13 healthy matched controls) were exposed to predictable lateral postural perturbations. The electromyographic (EMG) activity of the lateral muscles and the displacement of the center of pressure (COP) were recorded during four time intervals that are typical for postural adjustments, i.

Both anticipatory and compensatory postural adjustments are adapted while catching a ball in unstable standing posture.

The main objective of this study was to analyze the role of balance exercises on anticipatory (APA) and compensatory (CPA) postural adjustments in different conditions of postural stability. Sixteen subjects were required to catch a ball while standing on rigid floor, trampoline and foam cushion surfaces. Electromyographic activities (EMG) of postural muscles were analyzed during time windows typical for APAs and CPAs.

Age-related changes of grip force control in physically active adults.

The age-related changes for controlling grip force in adults who practice regular and supervised physical activity have not been investigated. Fifty-five physically active adults ages 50 years and older and a group of 20 young adults (18-30 years old) performed a task of grasping and lifting an object. The grip force and the object's acceleration were recorded and used to calculate the parameters of grip force control.

Compensatory but not anticipatory adjustments are altered in older adults during lateral postural perturbations.

Objective: This study investigated anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) and compensatory postural adjustments (CPAs) and their relationship in older adults during lateral postural perturbations.

Methods: Unpredictable and predictable postural disturbances were induced by a swinging pendulum that impacted at the shoulder level of two groups of older adults, non-fallers (20) and fallers (20), and in a group of young control subjects (20). The electromyographic (EMG) activity of the postural muscles and the center of pressure (COP) displacement were recorded and quantified within the time intervals typical for APAs and CPAs.