Interdisciplinary team members interact with infants to facilitate progressive physiologic stability. The focus of the physical therapist’s role is promotion of sensorimotor development in infants born preterm. The aim of this review was to examine evidence for physical therapist practice in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) as it relates to developmental intervention (DI) for infants born prematurely and to present the evidence of physical therapy techniques used in the NICU. A literature review was performed resulting in identification of 26 articles that examined specific developmental intervention techniques. The articles were critiqued based on their design. Twelve articles were rated highly, indicating that sensory techniques implemented by physical therapists appear to be an appropriate and effective component of DI. The general consensus was that there is a lack of large, well-controlled, randomized studies in this area of pediatric outcome research. Neonatal physical therapy falls under the umbrella of DI. There is substantial agreement about the benefits of DI, but the multimodal and interdisciplinary nature of the evidence limits the ability to identify the effectiveness of any one healthcare professional in the provision of DI in the NICU.

Limited research has examined inspiratory muscle performance (IMP) and functional performance (FP) of patients after valve replacement surgery (VRS). The purpose of this study was to examine IMP as well as several measures of FP in patients post-VRS. The study results of 27 patients revealed that patients undergoing transcatheter VRS were significantly (p = 0.01) older than patients undergoing minimally invasive or median sternotomy VRS with the median sternotomy VRS group performing significantly (p < 0.05) better than the transcatheter VRS group in the 6-min walk test, 5x sit-to-stand test, and sustained maximal inspiratory pressure. The 6-min walk test and IMP measures in all groups were significantly (p < 0.001) lower than predicted values. Significant (p < 0.05) relationships were found between IMP and FP with greater IMP being associated with greater FP. Pre-operative and early post-operative rehabilitation may improve IMP and FP post-VRS.

Background and Aims: The purpose of this study was to compare the knowledge and practices of specialist and experienced nonspecialist physical therapists in performing patient education about physical activity with patients with heart failure (HF).Methods: Responses on a nationwide anonymous online survey were used to compare specialist and experienced nonspecialist physical therapists on knowledge and frequency of providing physical activity related education to patients hospitalized with acutely decompensated HF. Responses to survey items were scored on 5‐point scales ranging from “Strongly agree” to “Strongly disagree” or “Always” to “Never.” Mann−Whitney U statistics were used to compare specialist and experienced nonspecialist responses and Wilcoxon signed‐ranks tests were used to examine the gap between knowledge and practice.Results: Twenty‐seven specialists and 43 experienced nonspecialists completed the survey. Both groups were similar in age, and experience treating patients hospitalized with acutely decompensated HF. Both groups “strongly agree” that they had the required knowledge and skills to educate patients with HF on the physical activity topics. However, specialists more often than experienced nonspecialists provided education on topics such as how to monitor vital signs during physical activity (“most of the time” vs. “about half of the time”) that promoted patient confidence and safety during exercise. Specialists demonstrated a smaller gap between knowledge and frequency of providing patient education than experienced nonspecialists on three of the four patient education topics.Conclusion: Specialist physical therapists treating patients with HF in the inpatient hospital setting provided patient education on physical activity at a level more closely matching their skills and the clinical practice guideline than did experienced nonspecialists. Physical therapy clinical specialists practicing in the inpatient hospital setting may improve patient outcomes and lower costs to the health care system by improving physical activity adherence and thereby may reduce avoidable hospital readmissions.

Black people in the United States have the highest rates of heart failure, and the worst outcomes of any racial/ethnic group which has been linked to both sociostructural (e.g. racism, poverty, food deserts) and behavioral factors. Physical activity is vital in managing heart failure, yet little is known about the perceptions of the Black community with heart failure. The purpose of this study was to understand and interpret physical activity engagement and the factors that may influence it in Black individuals with heart failure. This study used a thematic analysis approach. One-on-one semi-structured interviews of eight Black individuals with heart failure addressed physical activity habits, health beliefs, health literacy, medical mistrust, depression, self-efficacy, health disparities, social support, barriers and facilitators. Line-by-line coding was conducted, and themes were developed. The four key themes identified were 1. I don’t understand what heart failure is; 2. I was told that physical activity would not hurt; 3. I struggled when treated by providers from different cultures; 4. Having heart failure means I don’t have long to live. All eight participants acknowledged that physical activity was important but reported being underactive. Most could not describe what heart failure was and thus could not explain the importance of physical activity in managing heart failure. Physical activity instruction was not emphasized by healthcare providers, which likely contributed to an undervaluation of physical activity and to underactivity. Cultural differences between patients and clinicians had potential to result in non-adherence to recommendations. Healthcare providers should strive for adequate patient literacy about heart failure, and educate on the importance of physical activity, ensuring the appropriate level of instruction is provided so that Black individuals with heart failure are informed to best address their health.

This study examines the relationship between inspiratory muscle performance (IMP) using the Test of Incremental Respiratory Endurance (TIRE), knee extension (EXT) and flexion (FLEX) acceleration (ACCEL) and deceleration (DECEL) times on an isokinetic dynamometer (ID), and performance of the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (YYIRT1) among thirteen Division I collegiate women soccer players (D1CWSP). Knee EXT and FLEX were tested at three velocities (60°/s, 180°/s, and 300°/s) using ID, while IMP was measured using maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and sustained maximal inspiratory pressure (SMIP). Significant negative correlations were found between MIP and the ACCEL time of FLEX at 60°/s and 300°/s, as well as between MIP and the DECEL time of EXT at 180°/s. Additionally, SMIP was negatively correlated with ACCEL times of FLEX at 180°/s and 300°/s and with DECEL times for both EXT and FLEX at 300°/s. These results suggest that greater IMP is linked to faster ACCEL and DECEL times in knee EXT and FLEX, indicating a role of IMP in enhancing muscle recruitment and performance. The only significant correlation with the YYIRT1 performance was observed between the YYIRT accumulated distance and the ACCEL time of FLEX at 180°/s. These findings highlight a physiological mechanism whereby IMP may contribute to improved dynamic muscle performance, though further research is needed to explore its implications for overall athletic performance.

Background: Evidence describing position-related physical characteristics in women’s soccer is growing, but positional differences in laboratory measures are inconsistent, and inspiratory muscle performance has rarely been examined alongside lower-extremity dynamometry. This exploratory pilot study compared dominant-leg knee isokinetic and inspiratory muscle outcomes in Division I collegiate women’s soccer midfielders and non-midfielders. Methods: Eleven players (5 midfielders, 6 non-midfielders) completed concentric knee extension/flexion testing at 60, 180, and 300 deg/s and the Test of Incremental Respiratory Endurance assessment. Because of the small sample and number of outcomes, exact two-sided Mann–Whitney U tests were used, rank-biserial correlations described effect magnitude, and Holm-adjusted p-values were examined within exploratory outcome families defined for this revision. Results: Several unadjusted isokinetic comparisons favored non-midfielders. Extension maximal-repetition total work (MRTW) at 60 deg/s was the only comparison with a within-family Holm-adjusted p < 0.05 (exact p = 0.004; Holm-adjusted p = 0.043). A sensitivity analysis using the alternative archived 60-deg/s set preserved the direction and large effect magnitude (U = 1, exact p = 0.009, r_rb = 0.93), supporting consistency of the exploratory signal across sets. Inspiratory outcomes were not statistically different; SMIP was 380.8 +/− 148.1 PTU in midfielders and 495.0 +/− 92.9 PTU in non-midfielders (U = 5, exact p = 0.082; r_rb = 0.67). Conclusions: In this small exploratory sample, non-midfielders tended to demonstrate higher absolute values across selected knee isokinetic outcomes, but most findings did not remain below 0.05 after within-family multiplicity adjustment, and inspiratory outcomes were inconclusive. These results are hypothesis-generating and require confirmation in larger, position-specific cohorts under standardized testing conditions.