Physical activity after total joint arthroplasty: a narrative review.

Background: Total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is a common procedure to treat individuals with hip and knee osteoarthritis. While TJAs are successful in decreasing pain and improving quality of life, it is unclear whether individuals who undergo TJA become more physically active after surgery. It is possible that TJA, by itself, is not sufficient to affect the behavior of patients toward physical activity (PA) participation.

Clinical Predictors of Engagement in Inpatient Rehabilitation Among Stroke Survivors With Cognitive Deficits: An Exploratory Study.

Objectives: The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify clinical predictors that could distinguish clients' level of engagement in inpatient rehabilitation following stroke.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of pooled data from three randomized controlled trials that examined the effects of a behavioral intervention. The sample (n=208) consisted of clients with stroke who had cognitive deficits (Quick-EXIT≥3) and were admitted to inpatient rehabilitation facilities associated with a university medical center.

Spinal kinematics during smartphone texting - A comparison between young adults with and without chronic neck-shoulder pain.

To advance our understanding about the association between smartphone use and chronic neck-shoulder pain, the objective of this study was to compare spinal kinematics between different text-entry methods in smartphone users with and without chronic neck-shoulder pain. Symptomatic (n = 19) and healthy participants (n = 18) were recruited and they performed three tasks: texting on a smartphone with one hand, with two hands, and typing on a desktop computer. Three-dimensional kinematics were examined in the cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions for each task.

Predictors of pressure ulcer incidence following traumatic spinal cord injury: a secondary analysis of a prospective longitudinal study.

Study Design: Secondary analysis of data from a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify the medical and demographic factors associated with the development of pressure ulcers during acute-care hospitalization and inpatient rehabilitation following acute spinal cord injury.

Setting: The study was carried out at acute hospitalization, inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient rehabilitation sites at a university medical center in the United States.

Method-comparison studies in telehealth: Study design and analysis considerations.

When establishing telehealth services, clinicians need to be confident that the examinations, assessments and clinical decisions that they make while using technology are equivalent to conventional best practice. Method-comparison studies are ideally suited to answering these questions, however there is a lack of consistency in the telehealth literature in the study methodologies and data analysis techniques used. Methodologies should closely match clinical practice to maximise external validity and data analysis techniques should match the data types generated in order to be clinically meaningful.

Service provider perceptions of telerehabilitation as an additional service delivery option within an Australian neurosurgical and orthopaedic physiotherapy screening clinic: A qualitative study.

Background: The Neurosurgical & Orthopaedic Physiotherapy Screening Clinic and Multidisciplinary Service (N/OPSC&MDS) originated as a complementary, non-surgical pathway for patients referred to public neurosurgical and orthopaedic specialist services. Patient access to the N/OPSC&MDS could potentially be improved with the implementation of telerehabilitation as an additional method of service delivery.

Objective: To evaluate service provider's views on (1) current barriers to patients' accessing N/OPSC & MD services, and (2) the implementation of telerehabilitation within the N/OPSC&MDS.

Delivering an in-Home Exercise Program via Telerehabilitation: A Pilot Study of Lung Transplant Go (LTGO).

We evaluated the feasibility, safety, system usability, and intervention acceptability of Lung Transplant Go (LTGO), an 8-week in-home exercise intervention for lung transplant recipients using a telerehabilitation platform, and described changes in physical function and physical activity from baseline to post-intervention. The intervention was delivered to lung transplant recipients in their home via the Versatile and Integrated System for TeleRehabilitation (VISYTER). The intervention focused on aerobic and strengthening exercises tailored to baseline physical function.

Defective Hand1 phosphoregulation uncovers essential roles for Hand1 in limb morphogenesis.

The morphogenesis of the vertebrate limbs is a complex process in which cell signaling and transcriptional regulation coordinate diverse structural adaptations in diverse species. In this study, we examine the consequences of altering Hand1 dimer choice regulation within developing vertebrate limbs. Although deletion via the limb-specific reveals a non-essential role for Hand1 in mouse limb morphogenesis, altering Hand1 phosphoregulation, and consequently Hand1 dimerization affinities, results in a severe truncation of proximal-anterior limb elements.

Intentional strengths interviewing in occupational justice research.

Background: Occupational justice research can generate knowledge about societal conditions that support participation in meaningful occupations. This is useful because occupational therapy's human rights goal is to create societal conditions that are conducive to occupational engagement. Participants in this research field are likely to be vulnerable and need special ethical considerations.

Patients are willing to use telehealth for the multidisciplinary management of chronic musculoskeletal conditions: A cross-sectional survey.

Introduction Access to specialised multidisciplinary healthcare services is difficult for many patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions. A possible solution could be delivery of care via telehealth. This study aims to identify current barriers in accessing healthcare services, and to determine if telehealth is an acceptable mode of healthcare delivery, from the perspective of patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions.

Physical and occupational therapy utilization in a pediatric intensive care unit.

Purpose: To characterize the use of physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) consultation in our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

Materials And Methods: We studied children aged 1week-18years admitted to a tertiary care PICU for ≥3days. Patient characteristics, details of PT and OT sessions and adverse events were collected.

Combined transcranial and trans-spinal direct current stimulation in chronic headache: A feasibility and safety trial for a novel intervention.

Background: Chronic primary headache disorders are associated with frequent, severe pain and significant functional impairment, with treatment remaining challenging.

Objective: We examined the feasibility and safety of a novel brain [transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)] and spinal cord stimulation [trans-spinal cord direct current stimulation (tsDCS)] treatment in chronic headache.

Methods: Nine participants (3 males; aged, 40 ± 15 years) suffering from chronic daily headache, chronic tension-type headache, or chronic migraine received the combined brain and spinal cord intervention for 5 consecutive days.

Influence of Motor Cortex Stimulation During Motor Training on Neuroplasticity as a Potential Therapeutic Intervention.

Rehabilitation options to promote neuroplasticity may be enhanced when patients are engaged in motor practice during repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Twelve participants completed 3 separate sessions: motor practice, motor practice with rTMS, and rTMS only: motor practice consisted of 30 isometric contractions and subthreshold rTMS was 30, 3-s trains at 10 Hz. Assessments included the Box and Block Test (BBT), force steadiness (10% of the maximum voluntary contraction), and TMS (cortical excitability, intracortical inhibition, and intracortical facilitation).

Immediate improvement in the cranio-cervical flexion test associated with MDT-based interventions: a case report.

The patient in this case study presented with constant idiopathic neck pain and left lower scapular pain (greater than 3 months) and was treated based on the principles of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT). Retraction exercises produced centralization of the lower scapular pain to the upper part of the scapula at the initial visit. At the first visit, the performance level on the Cranio-Cervical Flexion Test (CCFT) was ≤20 mmHg before the treatment.

Does case misclassification threaten the validity of studies investigating the relationship between neck manipulation and vertebral artery dissection stroke? No.

Background: The purported relationship between cervical manipulative therapy (CMT) and stroke related to vertebral artery dissection (VAD) has been debated for several decades. A large number of publications, from case reports to case-control studies, have investigated this relationship. A recent article suggested that case misclassification in the case-control studies on this topic resulted in biased odds ratios in those studies.

Does increased superficial neck flexor activity in the craniocervical flexion test reflect reduced deep flexor activity in people with neck pain?

Background: The craniocervical flexion test assesses the deep cervical flexor muscles (longus capitis, longus colli). Ideally, electromyography (EMG) studies measure activity in both deep and superficial (sternocleidomastoid, anterior scalene) flexors during the test, but most studies confine recordings to superficial muscle activity as the technique to record the deep muscles is invasive. Higher activity of the superficial flexors has been interpreted as an indicator of reduced deep flexor activity in people with neck pain but how close the inverse relationship is during this test is unknown.

Is synergistic organisation of muscle coordination altered in people with lateral epicondylalgia? A case-control study.

Background: Lateral epicondylalgia is a common musculoskeletal disorder and is associated with deficits in the motor system including painful grip. This study compared coordination of forearm muscles (muscle synergies) during repeated gripping between individuals with and without lateral epicondylalgia.

Methods: Twelve participants with lateral epicondylalgia and 14 controls performed 15 cyclical repetitions of sub-maximal (20% maximum grip force of asymptomatic arm), pain free dynamic gripping in four arm positions: shoulder neutral with elbow flexed to 90° and shoulder flexed to 90° with elbow extended both with forearm pronated and neutral.

Increased Upper Trapezius Muscle Stiffness in Overhead Athletes with Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy.

Although excessive tension of the upper trapezius (UT) is thought to contribute to rotator cuff tendinopathy, no study examined UT tension in athletes with and without rotator cuff tendinopathy. Here we used UT shear modulus measured using ultrasound shear wave elastography as an index of muscle stiffness/tension. The aims of this study were twofold: 1) to determine whether the UT muscle shear modulus is altered in athletes with rotator cuff tendinopathy compared to asymptomatic athletes, and 2) to detect optimal cut-off points of UT shear modulus in identifying athletes with rotator cuff tendinopathy.

Real-time telerehabilitation for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions is effective and comparable to standard practice: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of treatment delivered via real-time telerehabilitation for the management of musculoskeletal conditions, and to determine if real-time telerehabilitation is comparable to conventional methods of delivery within this population.

Data Sources: Six databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, PEDro, psycINFO, CINAHL) were searched from inception to November 2015 for literature which reported on the outcomes of real-time telerehabilitation for musculoskeletal conditions.

Review Methods: Two reviewers screened 5913 abstracts where 13 studies ( n = 1520) met the eligibility criteria.

Forearm Muscle Activity in Lateral Epicondylalgia: A Systematic Review with Quantitative Analysis.

Background: Lateral epicondylalgia (LE) refers to pain at the lateral elbow and is associated with sensory and motor impairments that may impact on neuromuscular control and coordination.

Objective: This review aimed to systematically identify and analyse the literature related to the comparison of neuromuscular control of forearm muscles between individuals with and without LE.

Methods: A comprehensive search of electronic databases and reference lists using keywords relating to neuromuscular control and LE was undertaken.

Improving Transfer of Learning: An Innovative Comentoring Program to Enhance Workplace Implementation After an Occupational Therapy Course on Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Introduction: Research suggests that learning gained through training is infrequently implemented in the workplace. A short-term postcourse comentoring program was developed with the aim of facilitating workplace implementation of learning after a 3-day course for occupational therapists. The program was evaluated for usefulness, successes, challenges, recommended improvements, and associations with changes in self-rated knowledge and confidence.

Neck motion kinematics: an inter-tester reliability study using an interactive neck VR assessment in asymptomatic individuals.

Background And Purpose: The use of virtual reality (VR) for assessment and intervention of neck pain has previously been used and shown reliable for cervical range of motion measures. Neck VR enables analysis of task-oriented neck movement by stimulating responsive movements to external stimuli. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish inter-tester reliability of neck kinematic measures so that it can be used as a reliable assessment and treatment tool between clinicians.

Early Detection of Pressure Ulcer Development Following Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Using Inflammatory Mediators.

Objective: To identify changes in concentrations of inflammatory mediators in plasma and urine after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and before the occurrence of a first pressure ulcer.

Design: Retrospective; secondary analysis of existing data.

Setting: Acute hospitalization and inpatient rehabilitation sites at a university medical center.

Corticospinal Excitability of Trunk Muscles during Different Postural Tasks.

Evidence suggests that the primary motor cortex (M1) is involved in both voluntary, goal-directed movements and in postural control. Trunk muscles are involved in both tasks, however, the extent to which M1 controls these muscles in trunk flexion/extension (voluntary movement) and in rapid shoulder flexion (postural control) remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate this question by examining excitability of corticospinal inputs to trunk muscles during voluntary and postural tasks.