According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), physical therapy (PT) “may include certain exercises, massages and treatments based on physical stimuli (e.g., heat, cold, electrical currents or ultrasound).” The objective of PT is to relieve pain, help you move better, or strengthen weakened muscles. PT also shows patients with and without disabilities what they can do themselves to improve their own health. People with disabilities may require PT to improve their physical abilities, their muscles, and their health. People may also require PT after a stroke, spinal cord injury, burn injury, or other injury, among others.
Occupational therapy (OT), according to NLM, helps people with and without disabilities “to live their lives more independently” and cope with a new mental or physical limitation. This includes being able to take care of oneself, work, or go to school. OT includes retraining everyday skills; learning and practicing skills for school, work, or free time; manual and creative exercises; modification of your home or workplace; driving; learning to use assistive technology (AT); and more. Family members may also get useful tips and advice from an occupational therapist.
NARIC’s information specialists are often asked for information and resources related to PT and OT for children, youth, and adults with disabilities, along with older adults with and without disabilities, and for information and resources for their family members. For December, we are sharing NIDILRR-funded consumer products related to PT and OT. They may include guides, factsheets, and infocomics, among others.
Below, you will find just a few examples of evidence-based consumer products on PT and OT produced by the NIDILRR Grantee community:
- The NIDILRR-funded Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) enhances the use of research-based information to inform decision-making by spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and burn injury stakeholders, and to improve the lives of and services for people with these injuries. As part of its work, the MSKTC creates evidence-based information products, such as factsheets, infocomics, and videos, among others. These information products cover a variety of topics related to SCI, TBI, and burn injuries, including topics related to PT and OT:
- Physical and occupational therapists may help people with SCI learn and practice exercise, driving a vehicle, weight shifts and other techniques to avoid pressure injuries, and safe transfer techniques to and from their wheelchair, among others.
- For people with a TBI, therapists may help with balance, driving after a TBI, and muscle spasticity. PTs and OTs may also help people with TBI and their families learn about the recovery process and acute inpatient rehabilitation.
- PTs and OTs may help people with burn injuries learn how to deal with itchy skin after a burn injury, techniques to manage their pain, and exercising. Occupational therapists may show people with burn injuries or parents of children with burn injuries the best ways for them to put on clothing and other wearables to protect them from the sun.
- The NIDILRR-funded RERC on Technologies to Support Aging-in-Place for People with Long-Term Disabilities (TechSAge RERC II) aims to advance knowledge and accelerate the development, modification, and testing of technology-based interventions and strategies for use in the home and community to promote aging-in-place and reduce secondary conditions among people with long-term disabilities. This center develops tools and technologies such as:
- Guidelines for Delivering Telewellness Programs to Older Adults with Disabilities provides guidelines for designing wellness classes delivered via video conferencing, or “telewellness” classes, for older adults with disabilities.
- Amazon Echo User Guides, to help older adults set up and use the digital assistants for communication, environmental control, and health applications.
- NARIC’s Research In Focus series features reader-friendly summaries of the latest research from NIDILRR-funded projects. Each article presents an overview of a published NIDILRR-funded study that highlights important findings and discusses the implications of this research or directions for future research. This series is also available in Spanish. The following are just some examples of Research In Focus articles that look at some aspect of PT and OT:
- The article, Study Highlights the Impact of COVID-19 on the Delivery of Personal Assistance Services for People with Disabilities, discusses a study that sought to understand the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of personal assistance services, including PT and OT, and its impact on the lives of people with disabilities.
- Physical therapists may use music as part of an intervention during their sessions with people stroke survivors. The article, A Novel Music-Based Exercise Intervention May Help Improve Physical Functioning in Adults Post-Stroke, discusses a study that tested the Movement-to-Music (M2M) program – a rhythm-based exercise program that uses a combination of movements choreographed with music, with adults who were post-stroke.
To learn more about these and other products from the NIDILRR community, contact NARIC’s information specialists.
Collection Spotlight from the National Rehabilitation Information Center 