No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

People with Parkinson disease have twice the risk of falls as their age-matched peers (Gray, 2000). Medication and surgery have not ameliorated Parkinson-related falls, which are characteristic of disease progression, leading to considerable morbidity and mortality (Balash, 2005; Wielinski, 2005). Exercise can improve postural stability and decrease the risk of falls. Chinese and allopathic interventions for decreasing falls are discussed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of Qi Gong exercise on balance and falls for individuals with Parkinson disease. A pre-test/post-test, repeated measures design was used to demonstrate changes in balance score and number of falls after three months of therapeutic Qi Gong. Forty-one participants were recruited (from a convenience sample) from New York City and the surrounding counties. The sample included males and females with Hoehn and Yahr rating scale stage I-IV Parkinson disease who were 55 years old and older. Instruments included the Berg Balance Scale (Berg, Wood-Dauphinee, Williams, & Gayton, 1989), the Parkinson Disease Fall Profile (Hutton, Elias, Leavey, Shroyer, & Curry, 2000), and the Mini-Mental State Exam (Folstein, Folstein, & McHugh, 1975). This study is grounded in two related theories: Newman's (1994) theory of health as expanding consciousness, which recognizes the changing complexity of patterns found in human health and illness and acknowledges humans as unitary beings; and Bernstein's (1996) systems theory of motor control, which asserts that movement results from the dynamic interplay between multiple systems, which are organized around a behavioral goal and constrained by the environment. The study findings illuminated the influence of Qi Gong exercise on balance and Parkinson-related falls.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / With increasing complexities in the health care system, including new technologies, density of health information, and a rise in medical errors, the literature has demonstrated links between communication and health literacy and patient/client safety, adherence to health protocols, and satisfaction with health providers. The purpose of this study was to understand the current level of knowledge of health communication and health literacy among doctoral (OPT) students and experienced physical therapists, and to explore related professional literature, documents, competencies, and industry standards to further inform this research. In addition to a qualitative research approach that included semi-structured participant interviews, open-ended questioning, coding, and analysis, the Design for Learning Model of instructional design was incorporated as a parallel methodology to develop a course template for communication and health literacy instruction. Participants were selected and interviewed at a national conference, and in academic, practice, and home settings. Based upon, and in response to, the data collected from fifteen physical therapist informant interviews, industry consultants, document sources, and pilot testing of units on health literacy and pharmaceutical advertising in the American health care system, respectively, a systematic, competency-based communication and health literacy course template was developed for use in physical therapist education. Findings suggest that, although patient-practitioner communication is embedded into physical therapy courses, there is a need to broaden the definition to incorporate more extensive communication topics, including health literacy and health informatics, cultural- and age-sensitivity, and alternative patient education methods to address related issues in health care settings, home, and workplace. Recommendations for the future include development of more specific communication and health literacy education for both student and experienced physical therapists in academia, clinical education, practice settings, and professional development arenas. Additionally, physical therapists are urged to collaborate with other health and non-health disciplines, including policymakers, educators, communications experts, and instructional designers to promote health literacy awareness, competencies, and commitment within the profession, and beyond. This study further underscores the health professional's responsibility for both delivery and comprehension of health information by patients/clients, especially those who may be challenged by low health literacy. / 2031-01-02

The reliability of the surface electromyogram (EMG) for isometric maximum voluntary contractions has not been well established. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of providing visual feedback of force on the reliability of both maximum and submaximum isometric voluntary contractions of the triceps brachii muscle. Twenty-four female subjects participated in the study. Surface EMG data were collected for both the biceps brachii muscle and the triceps brachii muscle. Data were collected over seven testing sessions, including a single baseline session, three sessions which included only trials of the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) for the triceps brachii muscle, and three sessions that consisted of testing 9 conditions. The 9 conditions included: MVC-no feedback, MVC with feedback, 50% conditions with and without feedback, and a standard weight condition (with and without feedback). Three of the conditions were also replicated, using a daily force value in determining the target level. The feedback conditions included visual feedback of the force, provided concurrently on a computer screen. All conditions were repeated for three five second trials on each testing day. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated for RMS-EMG, force, and median frequency of the last three seconds of each trial. The ICC values for RMS-EMG were high (0.94 to 0.97), and significantly greater than a critical value of 0.80. The ICC values for the force ranged from 0.71 to 0.99 depending upon the condition. All but two of conditions for force were significantly greater than the critical level (0.80). The ICC values for the median frequency were also high (0.91-0.96), and significantly greater than 0.80. The level of co-contraction (estimated by a ratio of biceps brachii RMS-EMG/triceps brachii RMS-EMG) ranged from 23 to 26 percent over all conditions. The findings of high levels of reliability for the submaximal conditions are consistent with previous works. However, the report of high level of reliability for the MVC-NF conflicts with past studies. Differences between this study and the previous works include muscle tested, reliability statistic chosen and sample size. If this finding is verified in a more general population (including males) and in other muscle groups, it suggests that the MVC without feedback is an appropriate choice for a reference contraction. Additional work is recommended to determine guidelines for reference contractions for non-isometric tasks.