Biomedical subjects

Shelley Goodgold

Publications and source records attributed to Shelley Goodgold.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Evaluation of a community-based group fitness program for children with disabilities.

PURPOSE: This study examined the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of a community-based group fitness program for children with disabilities. METHODS: Twenty-eight children with neuromuscular and developmental disabilities, 6 to 14 years of age, participated. The 16-week community-based program, held twice weekly, consisted of strengthening, aerobic conditioning, and flexibility exercises. A pretest-posttest design was used, and the following outcomes were measured: isometric muscle strength of the knee extensors, hip abductors, and ankle plantarflexors, walking energy expenditure, functional mobility, and fitness. Falls and injury data also were collected. RESULTS: Mean program attendance was 75.3%, and no injuries were reported. Improvements in all clinical outcomes were observed. The most clinically meaningful improvement was in functional mobility with a large effect size (0.87). CONCLUSIONS: Physical therapists partnering with community centers may feasibly and safely shift group fitness programs for school-aged children with disabilities from the medical setting to the community.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2005

Wellness promotion beliefs and practices of pediatric physical therapists.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to elucidate wellness promotion beliefs and practices of pediatric physical therapists. METHODS: From a random sample of 500 American Physical Therapy Association Pediatric Section active members, 257 physical therapists (51%) returned usable questionnaires designed to gather information on professional and personal wellness beliefs and practices. RESULTS: Descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses were performed to describe current wellness promotion practices. Most participants considered wellness multidimensional, valued wellness, and incorporated wellness practices into their personal life. Only 54.5% of respondents, however, reported incorporating wellness into pediatric physical therapy practice. A third of the respondents identified themselves as either thinking or preparing to incorporate wellness promotion into practice. Factors associated with wellness promotion were older age group, knowledge, belief that wellness promotion was a physical therapy responsibility, and participation in personal wellness lifestyle activities. The most frequent barriers cited were external factors related to resources, time, and the child/family. CONCLUSIONS: Current pediatric physical therapy practice reflects a more traditional model of care rather than a wellness promotion approach. With a paradigm shift in healthcare toward wellness promotion, pediatric physical therapists need to align practice with current societal needs and national healthcare campaigns. Continuing education programs that are participatory and well matched to the characteristics and needs of the attendees combined with collegial support may prove fruitful in providing pediatric physical therapists with the knowledge, motivation, and strategies needed to accomplish this goal.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Effects of lower extremity passive stretching: pilot study of children and youth with severe limitations in self-mobility.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate changes in passive range of motion (PROM) of children with severe limitations in self-mobility during periods of physical therapy intervention and naturally occurring periods of no intervention (school vacations). METHODS: A multiple-case time-series design was used to monitor hip and knee PROM over a seven-month period for seven students aged four to 18 years receiving physical therapy in a school setting. PROM measurements were graphed and the Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to evaluate the PROM changes during intervention and nonintervention phases for each individual student and for the students as a group. RESULTS: When PROM changes were pooled for all subjects and all joint motions, the Wilcoxon signed rank test revealed a significant decrease in PROM only after the first nonintervention phase. Significant decreases in PROM were observed in only two of the students after the first nonintervention phase. CONCLUSION: Children and youth with severe limitations in self-mobility may lose PROM during nonintervention periods lasting more than five weeks.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Backpack use in children.

PURPOSE: This article describes backpack use and incidence of back pain in children. METHODS: A convenience sample of 345 children, grades five through eight, served as subjects. A written questionnaire was developed to gather information on demographics, leisure activity level, bag type, locker use, students' perceptions of bag weight and comfort, and students' reports of history of back pain. Scales were provided for students to weigh themselves with and without backpacks. RESULTS: Younger children carried proportionally greater backpack loads. Percentage of body weight by grade was as follows: fifth grade = 19%, sixth grade = 21%, seventh grade = 14%, and eighth grade = 15% body weight. Fifty-five percent of all subjects carried a load greater than 15% of their body weight, and one third of students reported a history of back pain. Percentage of body weight carried, however, was not significantly related to history of back pain. CONCLUSION: Concerns raised by parents and professionals that children are carrying heavy loads are justified; however, the relationship between heavy carrying load and back pain needs further elucidation. Recommendations for physical therapy, backpack safety, and injury prevention are provided.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Effects of backpack load and task demand on trunk forward lean: Pilot findings on two boys.

Trunk forward lean (TFL) has been identified as a postural adaptation to increases in backpack load, and spinal forces have been presumed based on TFL. This pilot project examined the combined effects of increasing backpack load and task demand on TFL. Two boys with typical development, aged 11 and 9, were participants. Peak5 Motion Analysis Videography was used to gather 2D kinematic data under three levels of backpack load (0%, 8.5% and 17% body weight) and three levels of task demand (stand, walk and run). Passive reflective markers were placed on anatomical landmarks, and TFL was calculated by the angle formed by a line joining the right acromion and right greater trochanter and a vertical reference line. Descriptive statistics were performed to compare TFL under the nine experimental conditions. Although TFL most often increased with increases in backpack load and task demand, TFL was not dose dependent. Postural patterns varied between participants, and the findings supported a ceiling effect. In conclusion, to compensate for changes in inertia and center of gravity when wearing a backpack, TFL represents a dynamic emergent strategy that varies based on task demand and characteristics of the individual. Further research on TFL is warranted, and clinicians should be cautious when recommending safe carrying loads for children based on posture.

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