People living with dementia can benefit greatly from participating in physiotherapy but there are a number of barriers to their accessing care.

Dr Amy Dennett MACP, a postdoctoral researcher and physiotherapist based at Eastern Health in Box Hill, has worked in the field for almost 15 years.

She quickly gained an interest in research, eventually focusing on oncology rehabilitation and physical activity, which became the subject of her PhD in 2018.

Physiotherapy for cancer rehabilitation is still something of an emerging field.

What questions did your review seek to answer?

The researchers were interested in determining which preoperative factors could predict unmet patient expectations for participation in sporting or recreational activity following THA. 

Secondary aims focused on preoperative factors predicting unmet expectations for pain relief and activities of daily living.

Lung cancer is the fifth most common cancer in Australia, with an estimated 14,800 Australians diagnosed with the disease in 2023.

Surgery is typically the first treatment option for early and localised cancer but patients can be left with significant fatigue, breathlessness and pain; reduced functional capacity and muscle strength; and poor health-related quality of life.

Improving adherence to home exercise programs

Dr Joshua Simmich and colleagues from The University of Queensland examine how physiotherapy delivered by real-time, video-based telerehabilitation compares to in-person delivery for the outcomes of attendance, adherence and satisfaction.

A clinical trial conducted by Australian researchers has shown that there is no additional benefit to including lumbar neuromuscular control retraining exercises to resistance exercises for people with chronic low back pain (CLBP).

Previous research has suggested that deficits in lumbar extensor neuromuscular control are associated with self-reported disability in people with CLBP and CLBP-related lifting dysfunction.

Knee osteoarthritis is a debilitating condition affecting millions worldwide, often leading to chronic pain and impaired mobility.