PHYSICAL THERAPY

This small study looked at whether adding specific change-of-direction drills to the standard FIFA 11+ warm-up program could better protect male soccer players' knees. Researchers measured the angle of the knee during sharp turns, as a poor angle is a known risk for serious ligam…

This study tested whether a treatment called extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) could help people with long-term low back pain. Researchers compared two groups of 69 adults: one received real shock wave therapy plus standard physical therapy, while the other received fake (…

This study tested whether a special training program that provides extra sensory feedback could help improve balance and reduce the risk of falling. It involved 40 women who had nerve damage (neuropathy) caused by chemotherapy for breast cancer. Researchers compared the balance a…

This study tested whether a 12-week physical therapy program, delivered partly in-person and partly online, is practical and acceptable for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The goal was to help kids manage the muscle and bone side effects of cancer treatment. Researche…

This study explored a new approach to help people with long-term muscle and bone pain who take opioid painkillers. Researchers tested if training physical therapists to use mindfulness techniques during therapy could help patients manage pain better and potentially use fewer opio…

This study tested whether a new virtual rehabilitation program called STABL works as well as standard in-person physical therapy for people recovering from minor knee surgery. Sixty adults who had a meniscectomy or synovectomy were randomly assigned to use the at-home STABL platf…

This small study tested whether adding a side-stepping exercise program to existing Parkinson's exercise classes is practical and safe. Researchers worked with 5 people with mid-to-late stage Parkinson's to see if doing these exercises twice a week for 8 weeks could help improve …

This study tested whether learning physical therapy skills through immersive virtual reality (VR) is better than traditional classroom teaching. Twenty physiotherapy students were split into two groups: one learned using VR headsets, the other through standard lectures and demons…

This small, completed study observed 30 people with chronic neck or shoulder pain who were referred to physical therapy. Researchers wanted to see if the specific characteristics of a person's pain at the start could predict how well they would respond to physical therapy after t…