Matching Items (3)
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- All Subjects: Physical Therapy
- Creators: Holzapfel, Simon
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Description
The purpose of this study, originally, was to contribute to the completion of a meta-analysis conducted by Mara Wierstra from the University of Virginia. Wierstra had requested individual participant data from two separate studies conducted in our lab: "Acute bouts of assisted cycling improves cognitive and upper extremity movement functions in adolescents with Down syndrome" and "Assisted Cycling Therapy (ACT) improves inhibition in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder." From the data requested, the participants were required to complete three separate tests (i.e., Tower of London, Trail Making Task and the Stroop Test). After compiling the data and sending it to her, we decided to conduct a small meta-analysis of our own, drawing connecting conclusions from the data from the two studies. We concluded that observationally our data suggest an advantage for ACT over voluntary cycling and no cycling across two separate populations (i.e., Autism Spectrum Disorder and Down syndrome), and across different measures of executive function (i.e., Stroop Test, Trail Making Test, and Tower of London). The data suggest that the ACT interventions may promote the upregulation of neurotropic factors leading to neurogenesis in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
ContributorsParker, Cade Joseph (Author) / Ringenbach, Shannon (Thesis director) / Holzapfel, Simon (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
The genetic disorder Down syndrome (DS), clinically known as Trisomy 21, is characterized by the presence of either a part or full extra copy of chromosome 21. When compared with children of typical development, children with DS consistently score lower on gross motor skill tasks. Balance specifically is one of the hardest skills for individuals with DS (especially
children) to acquire, and neglecting to train balance early on can predispose individuals with DS to further movement instabilities, injuries, social struggles from activity limitations, and an overall lack of independence. One of the more unique forms of physical activity that requires a large amount of both static and dynamic balance is ballet. Dance-specific therapy has been shown to improve gross motor control functioning and specifically balance in a variety of populations with neuromuscular condions, but the research around ballet-specific therapy for those with DS is lacking. The purpose of this pilot study was to further investigate the effects of ballet-specific training on balance ability and general motor functioning in young students with DS as measured by the Four Square Step Test (FSST), Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS), and the gross and fine motor domains of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale lll (VABS lll). It was hypothesized that participation in the 6-week summer cohort of Ballet Arizona’s Adaptive Dance Program would lead to improved scores on the PBS and VABS lll and decreased test times in the FSST. Improvements were observed for all measures for both participants (sample size n=2), except for P1's FSST, which increased in post-testing by 2.25s. Due to the study design, no conclusive statements can be made about whether the ballet program was responsible for the improvements observed in post-testing. More rigorous research with larger sample sizes (>30) is warranted to more fully understand the impact of an adapted ballet program on the balance ability of young individuals with DS. However, the program is still recommended for young individuals with DS because of the benefits it provides outside of motor skill development.
ContributorsMitrovic, Jelena (Author) / Peterson, Daniel (Thesis director) / Holzapfel, Simon (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)
Created2022-12
Description
Physical therapy patients still receive their plan of care onto a piece of paper when there are hundreds of engaging physical therapy exercise videos on the internet. These exercise videos are way more appealing to watch and physical therapists should consider delivering Home Exercise Programs (HEP) digitally. There are apps and online services such as Physioadvisor, Physprac app, Anterior Cruciate Ligament repair app, and work-out apps for people to create their own plan of care and are easily accessible with any electronic device. Most people are receiving information and learning through a lit screen anyways so it may only be a matter of time before people start using these resources instead of a physical therapist. Physical Therapists need to provide better resources for their patients and an app may be all they need. Figures of the results of the Qualtrics survey both Physical Therapists and Patient responses and were provided. A data analysis of each question and responses were interpreted to determine whether patients and physical therapists would like to use a physical therapy app as part of their rehab program. A Physiotherapy research journal with Switzerland researchers conducted a case study in a hospital and determined whether a HEP app testing was effective for patients to utilize.
ContributorsChang, Cheng H. (Author) / Holzapfel, Simon (Thesis director) / Peterson, Daniel (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor, Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05