Background: To investigate the safety and feasibility of six sessions of Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) integrated into an inpatient therapy concept and their influence on walking speed and gait parameters in adult CP patients. Methods: Eleven subjects (male = 8, female = 3, mean age: 23 years and 2 months, ± 4.5…

Background: Balance alterations are one of the main problems in people with intellectual disabilities (ID), increasing their risk of falls and impacting their life. Aims: To describe a vestibular rehabilitation programme (VRP) and evaluate its effects on the ability to maintain balance and risk of suffering a fall. Methods: Forty-seven adults with…

Background: Psychomotor therapy enables people to reflect on the relationship between experiences and feelings by starting from awareness of bodily responses rather than from awareness of emotion. In this study we examine PsyMot (ID), an assessment that directs this psychological therapy. Method: Twelve suitable consecutive admissions were…

Background: Non-attendance and inappropriate referrals affect the effective and efficient running of healthcare services. Non-engagement with speech and language therapy (SLT) services may lead to negative long-term consequences for children in need of SLT intervention. Currently there is a dearth of research on non-attendance and non-engagement…

Although physical activity can have substantial mental and physical health benefits, people with cerebral palsy usually lead sedentary lives. To understand, at an individual level, this inactivity, we interviewed a 29-year-old minimally active woman with cerebral palsy (Alana) about the meanings and experiences of physical activity throughout her…

Through the use of face-to-face interviews, this article explores residential carers' perceptions and understanding of a physiotherapy service provided to patients with a learning disability, with the aim of highlighting potential areas for improvement in the service. Carers involved in the study reported a good relationship with the…

Adults with childhood-onset neuromotor disabilities face problems accessing health care services. There are often challenges finding primary care providers or specialized providers, such as physical therapists, who are knowledgeable about neuromotor disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of physical therapists…

Objective: Given striking advances in translational developmental neuroscience and its convergence with developmental psychopathology and developmental epidemiology, it is now clear that mental illnesses are best thought of as neurodevelopmental disorders. This simple fact has enormous implications for the nature and organization of psychotherapy…

Adults with visual impairments experience a loss of balance and mobility, which presents a barrier to independence and is associated with the fear of falling. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which visual status, age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and the strength of quadriceps and hamstrings contribute to compromised…

Background: Physiotherapists for adults with intellectual disabilities often work in day centres, relying on care staff to support programmes. This study investigates factors affecting physiotherapy delivery in 4 day centres in one London borough. Materials and Method: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with day centre care staff,…

Horses have always been appreciated by humans for their strength, beauty, and gentle demeanor. Children, especially, have gravitated toward them and many experience their first horseback riding lesson at a young age. However, horses can play a very different role in the lives of children and adults with disabilities. Hippotherapy is physical,…

This pilot study into trunk muscle strength following brain lesions examined 11 patients to determine (1) whether the trunk muscles of the paretic side are impaired after brain lesions; (2) whether measurements of lateral muscle strength are reliable; and (3) the implications of trunk muscle strength for sitting balance and walking performance.…

Twelve individuals recovering from stroke were given a three-week period of rehabilitative training with or without auditory feedback. The purpose was to investigate weight distribution on the pattern of vertical force through the affected leg during standing up. Results indicated the training improved subjects' strength and muscle control, though…

The spinal cord-injured street person is especially resistant to rehabilitation. His life style is characterized by the use of physical power and mobility to survive and gain respect. He loses this main form of control and attempts to manipulate the treatment environment to care for him while he avoids confronting his disability. (Author)

This research report describes the reliability and validity of hand-held dynamometer measurements of knee extension force obtained from 13 patients referred for physical therapy. Results found that hand-held dynamometry can be used to obtain reliable measures of muscle strength; however, correlation between strength measures and function was not…