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An ongoing clinical trial at the Neurological Institute at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center has found that nerve stimulation that boosts the effects of physical therapy may help stroke patients regain arm use. The clinical trial uses Vivistim therapy. Vivistim therapy uses a neurotransmitter to transmit signals to the brain to help "rewire" circuits in the brain. This blog post was created by Planetrehab. The information provided is informational only. Planetrehab combines comprehensive but easy-to-use scheduling, documentation, billing, reporting and collections for single or multi-clinic physical therapy and occupational therapy companies. Our practice management software is integrated with our practice management service that includes access to our team of experienced management consultants that will help identify and correct potential lost revenue and maximize per visit submissions and to our expert management staff that has experience identifying and correcting deficient areas of any practice. To find out more, visit www.planetrehab.com or call 800-982-5447. #physicaltherapy #Vivistim #stroke #estim #clinicaltrial

The APTA reports on a study published in Health Services Research that "for individuals with chronic non-cancer pain, opioids probably aren't delivering on what many presume to be their primary function—to improve overall quality of life by reducing pain and the emotional toll it takes. " This blog post was created by Planetrehab. The information provided is informational only. Planetrehab combines comprehensive but easy-to-use scheduling, documentation, billing, reporting and collections for single or multi-clinic physical therapy and occupational therapy companies. Our practice management software is integrated with our practice management service that includes access to our team of experienced management consultants that will help identify and correct potential lost revenue and maximize per visit submissions and to our expert management staff that has experience identifying and correcting deficient areas of any practice. To find out more, visit www.planetrehab.com or call 800-982-5447. #opioids #physicaltherapy #pain

A new study says yoga may work as well or better than physical therapy for chronic lower back pain. Adults with an average age of 46 with severe to moderate lower chronic back pain were studied. Of the 320 study subjects, almost two-thirds of them took pain medication. According to the article in The Washington Post, "all were randomly assigned to participate in 12 weeks of physical therapy (15 one-hour sessions plus home exercises) or 12 weeks of yoga (a dozen 75-minute classes plus home practice) or were given a self-help book and periodic newsletters on back pain plus phone check-ins. After the initial 12 weeks, the yoga and physical therapy groups had occasional sessions and did exercises or practiced at home for nine months; the others continued to get support by phone. By the end of the study, the physical therapy and yoga groups, on average, showed more improvement in pain levels and in ability to function than did the others, and they were more likely to have stopped taking pain medicine. The results were essentially the same for people who had practiced yoga and those who had gotten physical therapy." #physical #therapy #yoga

Director of Rehabilitation Services at Lancaster Neuroscience and Spine Associates, Jeffrey A. Bole, says many headaches are a result of posture and position of the body. And as people who suffer with chronic migraines and tension headaches, they can be debilitating. Bole explains that by examining the body and paying close attention to symptoms, a skilled physical therapist can lessen and even alleviate persistent headache symptoms. In an article published in the Lancaster Online, Bole lists how trained physical therapists can help without medication. This blog post was created by Planetrehab. The information provided is informational only. Planetrehab combines comprehensive but easy-to-use scheduling, documentation, billing, reporting and collections for single or multi-clinic physical therapy and occupational therapy companies. Our practice management software is integrated with our practice management service that includes access to our team of experienced management consultants that will help identify and correct potential lost revenue and maximize per visit submissions and to our expert management staff that has experience identifying and correcting deficient areas of any practice. To find out more, visit www.planetrehab.com or call 800-982-5447. #migraine #tensionheadache #physicaltherapy #physical #therapy #Neuroscience

More balanced shots in basketball. Better jumping. Increased power. Decreased running times. These are just some of the benefits Pilates has brought college athletes. Once a niche exercise, Pilates has gone mainstream and is available at almost every gym. Athletes in numerous sports have discovered its training and rehabilitative powers. Among the younger, college-aged set, this total-body exercise can help increase strength and flexibility. In a survey of 1,477 American College of Sports Medicine members, Pilates was ranked ninth on a list of the top 20 fitness trends for 2010. Several studies have examined the effects of Pilates on fitness. Pilates and Cardiovascular Fitness At the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, Stefanie Spilde and John Porcari, PhD, studied 15 healthy women between the ages of 18 and 26 who self-identified as having intermediate Pilates experience. The women performed two 50-minute Pilates mat routines-one basic and one advanced-following Joseph Pilates' original sequencing method. During the exercises, testers measured their heart rates and oxygen consumption and subjects ranked their perceived efforts using the Borg scale. To read the rest of the article click here.

Baseball pitchers aren't the only ones at risk for rotator cuff injuries of the shoulder. According to the November issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter, adults older than age 60 experience more rotator cuff injuries than any other age group. The rotator cuff is made up of four muscles and tendons that run between the bones of the upper arm and shoulder blade. They facilitate shoulder movement and help support the ball and socket joint connecting the upper arm and shoulder. Injury to the rotator cuff includes any type of irritation or damage to these muscles and tendons. Pain is the most common symptom of a rotator cuff problem. But the amount of pain doesn't necessarily indicate the seriousness of the injury. A significant rotator cuff tear sometimes causes little pain. A minor irritation can cause pain that substantially interferes with daily life. Strains or tears can occur while using an arm to break a fall. Repetitive motions, even painting a wall, may be enough to irritate the rotator cuff. Other common culprits are playing tennis or golf. Working in construction trades or lifting heavy objects can injure the rotator cuff. Muscle and tendon degeneration, increasingly common after age 40, also can play a role. Bone spurs, poor posture and muscle strength imbalance can cause pain in the rotator cuff, too. Minor pain often improves with self-care, such as rest, ice on the shoulder and taking over-the-counter pain medications. Seeing a doctor is important if pain persists or interferes with day-to-day activities. Treatment will likely include several weeks of physical therapy to help heal the injury, improve flexibility of the rotator cuff and shoulder muscles and increase strength. A doctor also might recommend injection of inflammation-suppressing corticosteroids to reduce pain. Minor surgery might be indicated when the pain is related to a bone spur or calcium deposits pinching a tendon. Large tears in the muscle can be repaired surgically, too. Patients typically need four to six months of rehabilitation to restore shoulder function. Link to original article. #sport #baseball #rehabilitation #physical #therapy

New Year's is the time to set goals or resolutions for the coming year. If you are caring for someone with limited mobility, then join with me in setting the 2011 resolution to prevent falls in the home. The 11 tips listed below will help us start working on this resolution today. Add grab bars to their shower or tub. In my opinion this is a must for anyone with even slight balance problems. Bathtub rims are about 15 inches off the floor and can be quite a challenge to step over without a secure hand hold. To read the rest of the article click here. #prevent #falls

Experimental treatment targets both sides of the brain; shows promising results when coupled with regimen of physical and occupational therapy A noninvasive electric stimulation technique administered to both sides of the brain can help stroke patients who have lost motor skills in their hands and arms, according to a new study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). Described in today’s Online Issue of the journal Neurology, the findings showed that stroke patients who received bihemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) coupled with a regimen of physical and occupational therapy had a three-fold greater improvement in motor function compared with patients who received only physical/occupational rehabilitation and a placebo form of stimulation. “We think that the key to this therapy’s success in improving stroke patients’ motor function is based on its ability to affect the brain activity on both the stroke-affected side of the brain and the healthy side of the brain as patients work to re-learn lost motor skills,” says senior author Gottfried Schlaug, MD, PhD, the Director of the Stroke Service in BIDMC’s Department of Neurology and Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. In the brain of a healthy individual, the left and right sides of the motor cortex work in tandem, inhibiting one another as needed in order to successfully carry out such one-sided movements as writing or teeth-brushing. But, explains lead author Robert Lindenberg, MD, an HMS Instructor of Neurology at BIDMC, when a person suffers a stroke (as might happen when an artery to the brain is blocked by a blood clot or atherosclerotic deposit) the interaction between the two sides of the brain involved in motor skills changes. “As a result,” he explains, “the motor region on the unaffected side of the brain begins to exert an unbalanced effect onto the motor region of the brain’s damaged side.” And, as Schlaug and Lindenberg further explain, this leads to an increased inhibition of the stroke-damaged motor region, as the remaining intact portions of this region try to increase activity in the motor pathways to facilitate recovery. tDCS is an experimental therapy in which a small electrical current is passed to the brain through the scalp and skull. Because previous studies had determined that tDCS could improve motor function if applied to either the damaged or undamaged side of the brain, Schlaug’s team hypothesized that applying tDCS to both sides – while simultaneously engaging the stroke patient in motor skill relearning activities – would further speed the recovery process. “tDCS works by modulating regional brain activity,” explains Schlaug. “In applying this therapy to both hemispheres of the brain, we used one direction of current to increase brain activity on the damaged side, and used the reverse current to inhibit brain activity on the healthy side, thereby rebalancing the interactions of both sides of the brain.” Schlaug and his collaborators studied 20 patients who had suffered an ischemic stroke at least five months prior to the onset of the study. Participants were separated into two groups: Half of the subjects received a 30-minute daily treatment session of electrical stimulation, while the other half received a “sham” placebo treatment designed to mimic electrical stimulation. Both groups of patients concurrently received 60 minutes of occupational and physical therapy. The treatment was repeated daily for five days. By using sophisticated MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) techniques, the researchers were able to “map” the positions of the stroke lesions in relation to the brain’s motor system. “This helped us to very closely match the two patient groups,” notes Schlaug. “Not only did the two groups of patients outwardly exhibit similar motor impairments, but we could tell from the MRIs that their lesions were positioned in similar areas of the brain. This novel approach strengthens the results, since no other between-group factor could explain the therapy’s effects.” The results showed that the patients treated with tDCS exhibited a three-fold improvement in motor outcomes, such as an improved ability to grasp or perform wrist and finger movements, compared with patients who underwent physical and occupational therapy coupled with placebo stimulation. In addition, functional brain imaging showed that the therapy’s effect was correlated with increased activity of the brain’s non-damaged motor parts on the side of the stroke hemisphere. “This is the first time that stimulation therapy has been administered simultaneously to both brain hemispheres and coupled with physical/occupational therapy,” explains Schlaug. “Both sides of the brain play a role in recovery of function [following a stroke] and the combination of peripheral sensorimotor activities and central brain stimulation increases the brain’s ability to strengthen existing connections and form new connections. It is a testament of just how plastic the brain can be if novel and innovative therapies are applied using our current knowledge of brain function.” Link to original article #brain #stroke #physical #therapy #rehabilitation

Could a plant "intervention" improve the well-being of patients in a difficult rehab process? Scientists from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and Sweden's Uppsala University investigated this question in a recent study of 436 coronary and pulmonary patients at a Norwegian rehabilitation center. The results were published in HortScience. Ruth Kjaersti Raanaas, Grete Grindal Patil, and Terry Hartig studied the effects of an indoor plant intervention during a 2-year study conducted at the Roros Rehabilitation Center. The experiment showed that patients' overall physical and mental health improved during the program, but the presence of new plants did not increase the degree of improvement. One encouraging finding: pulmonary patients in the "plant intervention group" reported a larger increase in well-being during their rehabilitation program more often than lung patients from the "no-plant" control group. For the intervention, 28 new plants were placed in common areas at the rehab center, which had previously contained only a few poorly maintained plants. Aside from the introduction of the new plants and removal of some older plants, no other changes were made to the interior decoration during the study period. Coronary and pulmonary patients completed self-assessments upon arrival at the center, after 2 weeks, and at the end of a 4-week program. The research project, designed to investigate whether the addition of indoor plants in the common areas would improve self-reported physical and mental health, subjective well-being, and emotions among patients over the course of their rehabilitation program, was funded by the Norwegian Foundation for Health and Rehabilitation, the Norwegian Gardener's Union, the Bank of Røros, Tropisk Design, and Primaflor. According to Raanaas, the team found no "significant direct effects" of the plant intervention on change in either of the self-reported health outcomes. "The results did, however indicate that the plant intervention affected the degree of change in subjective well-being, although this effect was further contingent on patient group." The team postulated that the study outcomes may have been limited by the rehab center's well-designed interior and location in a scenic mountain area, but noted that these features did not negate the potential for indoor plants to contribute to patient well-being. "One reason why the plant intervention did not influence the health outcomes in the present study may be that the participants were mobile and were exposed to a variety of treatments and activities at the center", the researchers concluded. Source: Michael W. NeffAmerican Society for Horticultural Science Link to original article. #plants #therapy #rehabilitation #injury

For Best Performance, Skip the Stretches and Go Straight to Practice Swings, Suggests Study in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research What's the best way to warm up before a golf match? Performing a passive, static stretching routine before taking practice swings may actually have a negative impact on performance, according to a study in the December issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, official research journal of the The National Strength and Conditioning Association. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy. Passive static stretching before active dynamic warm-ups leads to "significant decreases in clubhead speed, distance, accuracy, and consistent ball contact," reports Jeffrey C. Gergley, Ed.D., of Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas. To Hit Longer and Straighter, Golfers Should Swing, Not Stretch Dr. Gergley designed a study comparing two different warm-up routines in a group of nine young male competitive golfers. On two different days, the golfers performed an active dynamic warm-up, consisting of a series of practice swings. On one day, they performed the active warm-up alone. On the other day, they performed a passive static stretching warm-up, before doing the active swings. The 20-minute stretching routine consisted of a series of twelve stretches, starting with the neck and proceeding to the calves. After each warm-up, the golfers hit three full-swing shots with their driver. The distance, clubhead speed, accuracy, and ball contact were compared for shots made after the two types of warm-up. On all four measures, performance was significantly better after the active warm-up alone, without passive stretching. In shots made immediately after the warm-ups, clubhead speed was about five percent lower with passive stretching, compared to practice swings alone. Distance was about seven percent shorter, and accuracy was reduced by more than 60 percent. The athletes made follow-up shots more than an hour after warm-ups to see if there was any evidence of a "recovery curve." However, most of the differences remained significant, with better performance after the active warm-up without passive stretching. In recent years, stretching and flexibility training has become an important part of the training routine for golfers. "Indeed, competitive golfers choosing to include flexibility training as part of their preparation of competition is becoming the norm rather than the exception," according to Dr. Gergley. However, studies in other sports have raised questions about the benefits of stretching, in terms of both athletic performance and injury prevention. The new study suggests that passive static stretching leads to reduced performance in golfers, compared to an active, dynamic warm-up alone. The decrease in performance after passive stretching may be partly explained by increased compliance of the "muscle-tendon unit"—stretching may cause the tendon to become slack, and thus to transmit less force. Dr. Gergley believes the results have practical implications for golfers who want to maximize their swing. "My suggestion is to ensure you are warm enough to stretch actively and statically the major muscle groups involved in the golf swing—essentially every muscle group—and hold stretches for very short periods of time (ie, 3 seconds). Then proceed to active and dynamic warm-up progressing through 'the bag' from shorter heavier clubs to longer lighter clubs, eventually reaching playing speed and intensity. "In other words, get warm, stretch briefly, and then start swinging clubs—ultimately reaching the tempo, speed you will use when you play. "He notes, "These findings were specific to golf and cannot be universally applied as each kinesthetic movement has different biomechanical, metabolic, and common injury demands. Further, the study was designed to show two very different approaches for experimental knowledge. Link to original article. #golf #stretching #prevent #injury

Test post.

AOTA published a list of then things that an OT can do to celebrate Occupational Therapy month.