APA | Research

Research

INMOTION 01 Sep, 2022

Trunk stabilising for sternal instability

Many patients undergoing cardiac surgery still receive a median sternotomy and prolonged sternal instability is a common postoperative complication.

El-Sayed Essam—a physiotherapist from Egypt—published a randomised trial in the Journal of Physiotherapy that estimated the effects of trunk stabilising exercises during the postoperative period.

How common is sternal instability after cardiac surgery?

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Artistic image of a foot walking away from the viewer, with an area of the heel in yellow to signal foot pain.

INMOTION 01 Sep, 2022

Making sense of plantar heel pain

RESEARCH FOCUS A recently completed study on chronic plantar heel pain has revealed that the causes are far from straightforward.

Chronic plantar heel pain (CPHP) is the most common reason why people with musculoskeletal foot pain consult a healthcare practitioner and it encompasses a range of conditions, including plantar fasciitis.

The clinical causes underlying CPHP, however, are not well understood.

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An illustration of a mouth saying the word Pitchfest.

INMOTION 01 Sep, 2022

Pitching products to improve physio

August InMotion featured the Judges’ Award and People’s Choice Award winners from PitchFest, held virtually in April. Here we meet the four other finalists whose projects once again show the breadth of ideas among the contestants.

Mobilising shoulders after surgery

As a physiotherapist, Luke Mason APAM often observes slow progress in patients’ post-shoulder surgeries, including rotator cuff repairs and shoulder replacements.

‘Some people are still struggling with mobility and function six months post-operatively.

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INMOTION 23 Aug, 2022

Supporting physiotherapy research

An opportunity to give back to the physiotherapy community led South Australia’s Professor Saravana Kumar to join the Physiotherapy Research Foundation’s Grants Review Committee six years ago. Now, as his second term on the committee comes to an end, he describes his experiences.

Professor Saravana Kumar APAM knows his way around grants.

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A smiling baby wearing a nappy crawls on a white blanket.

INMOTION 23 Aug, 2022

Comparing telehealth with face-to-face assessments

Paediatric physiotherapist Kate Rawnsley has received a Seeding Grant from the Physiotherapy Research Foundation to enable her to compare face-to-face and telehealth delivery of an infant gross motor assessment, the Alberta Infant Motor Scale.

The past couple of years have put the use of telehealth in healthcare front and centre.

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A woman wearing a backpack hikes through a forest.

INMOTION 22 Aug, 2022

The landscape of healing

Thomas Astell-Burt’s editorial in the latest issue of Journal of Physiotherapy discusses the evidence that supports physiotherapists prescribing exercise in natural settings to their patients and the wide range of benefits that patients might obtain if they engage with such prescriptions.

These prescriptions are sometimes called ‘green’ or ‘blue’ prescriptions. Can you define these terms?

Green or blue prescriptions are also known as nature prescriptions or nature-based social prescriptions.

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An elderly man with a walking stick walks by a river.

INMOTION 22 Aug, 2022

Home-based and centre-based exercise after stroke

Lucas Nascimento and colleagues from Brazil recently conducted a systematic review to compare the effects of home-based and centre-based exercises after stroke.

Why did you decide to undertake this review? Had the topic been addressed in earlier reviews?

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, many patients who had a stroke could not maintain routine physiotherapy in rehabilitation centres.

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A soccer player in blue and white is about to take a free kick towards goal.

INMOTION 22 Aug, 2022

Balance-based injury prevention in soccer

Wesam Al Attar is the first author on a systematic review of trials of balance-based injury prevention programs in soccer players.

There are existing reviews of balance training for injury prevention. How does your review differ?

None of the previous reviews assessed in isolation the effect of injury prevention programs that include balance training on reducing ankle injuries.

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Three people jogging on a pier at the beach.

INMOTION 18 Aug, 2022

Stepping stone to a research career

The Physiotherapy Research Foundation has kicked off its annual fundraising cycle with August’s Fit4Physio event. A conversation with researcher Ilana Ackerman about the important role of the PRF in supporting physiotherapy research in Australia.

Ilana Ackerman APAM has been involved one way or another with the Physiotherapy Research Foundation (PRF) for much of her research career.

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A mouth shouting the words Physio Pitchfest 2022

INMOTION 18 Aug, 2022

These physios are pitch perfect

The Physiotherapy Research Foundation’s innovation competition PitchFest, held online in April, drew on a pool of six finalists to award two prizes: the Judges’ Award and the People’s Choice Award. Here, the winners talk about their ideas.

Streamlining the falls review process

SummaRise: Intelligent Falls Management System is an app developed by Perth-based physiotherapist Daniel Hug APAM to assist aged care staff with assessing and managing falls. It was recently awarded the PitchFest Judges’ Award worth $15,000.

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