PHYS THER
Vol. 87, No. 3, March 2007, pp. 355-356
DOI: 10.2522/ptj.2007.87.2.355
Scholarships, Fellowships, and Grants |
News from the Foundation for Physical Therapy
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Foundation Awards $140,000 in Research Grants and Doctoral Scholarships
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The Foundation for Physical Therapy's Board of Trustees recently awarded a total of $140,000 in clinical research grants and doctoral scholarships to 7 physical therapists.
Recipients of 1-year, $40,000 clinical research grants to evaluate the effectiveness of physical therapy interventions are: Joshua A Cleland, PT, DPT, PhD, Assistant Professor, Franklin Pierce College, for his research project, "Validation of a Clinical Prediction Rule to Identify Patients With Neck Pain Who Benefit from Thoracic Manipulation"; Katrina S Maluf, PT, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Iowa, for her research project, "Evaluation of a Novel Biofeedback Approach in Patients With Work-Related Neck Pain"; and Jennifer E Stevens, PT, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center, for her research project, "Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) After Total Knee Arthroplasty to Counter Quadriceps Muscle Activation Deficits."
The grants to Cleland and Maluf are funded by the Foundation's Magistro Family Foundation Endowment Fund. The grant to Stevens was made possible by the Pittsburgh-Marquette Challenge, an annual grassroots student fund-raising effort conducted by physical therapy students across the nation.
Recipients of the $5,000 Florence P Kendall Doctoral Scholarships for the 2006-2007 academic year are: Ward M Glasoe, PT, MA, University of Minnesota; Andrew E Littman, PT, MS, University of Iowa; Lisa D VanHoose, PT, MS, University of Kansas Medical Center; and Che-Hsiang (Elizabeth) Wang, PT, MS, Drexel University. The scholarships, awarded to outstanding physical therapists embarking on their first year of doctoral studies, are funded by the Henry O and Florence P Kendall Endowment Fund.
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Recipients in the News
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Richard K Shields, PT, PhD, FAPTA, Foundation president, has received a 5-year, $1.6-million grant to fund research to determine the optimal method to prevent secondary complications after spinal cord injury (SCI).
The project is based on previous research in which Shields and colleagues found that early intervention and long-term treatment with electrical stimulation, which causes muscle contraction and exerts mechanical loading on the targeted bone, can significantly reduce the loss of bone mineral density in patients with SCI. The purpose of this new 5-year award is to determine whether standing under electrical stimulation control can induce a therapeutic dose of stress to prevent muscle and bone changes after SCI.
Shields is past Scientific Review Committee chair and a 1987 recipient of a Foundation doctoral student support grant.
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Clinical Research Network (CRN) Update #12: Importance of Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria— Experience From the CRN
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Clinical trials that have practical relevance enroll a broad representative sample from a variety of practice settings.1 Inclusion and exclusion (I/E) criteria should be selected to best represent the type of patients typically seen in clinical practice. External validity and increased likelihood of eligibility for study recruitment are benefits of using minimal exclusion criteria. If study participants are well characterized for demographic, comorbid conditions, medication use, and so on, these factors can be used in post hoc analyses to determine independent predictors of therapeutic responsiveness.
The CRN had special considerations of I/E criteria used across 3 of the 4 studies of the network. In each case, the goal was to maximize representation of each disability group without compromising an evidence-based rationale for responsiveness to each intervention.
STEPS (Strength Training Effectiveness Post-Stroke)
Eighty individuals within 5 years of stroke onset who were ambulatory but had moderate to severe walking impairment were recruited for this study. These inclusion criteria increased the likelihood that STEPS participants would be representative of the patients most likely to receive physical therapy for walking rehabilitation in the chronic phase after stroke. Exclusion criteria were limited to factors that would affect safety during training (ie, serious medical conditions, resting systolic blood pressure greater than 180 mm Hg, and/or diastolic blood pressure greater than 110 mm Hg, and/or resting heart rate greater than 100 beats/minute); responsiveness to therapy (ie, lower limb orthopedic conditions, such as prior joint replacement or range-of-motion limitations); spasticity management that included botulinum toxin injection, phenol blocks, or intrathecal or oral baclofen; previous study participation in treadmill, cycling, or strength training; or ability to participate fully due to cognitive impairment (ie, Mini-Mental State Exam score < 24).
PEDALS (Pediatric Endurance Development and Limb Strengthening)
Sixty-four children between 7 and 18 years of age with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (CP) who could walk independently with or without assistive devices (GMFCS levels I–III) were enrolled in this study. These inclusion criteria represent a broad age range and functional walking ability of children with spastic diplegic CP. As with STEPS, exclusion criteria were limited to factors that would affect safety during training (ie, serious medical conditions such as cardiac disease, diabetes, asthma, or uncontrolled seizures), responsiveness to therapy (ie, recent musculoskeletal or neurosurgical surgery, baclofen pump implantation, botulinum toxin injections, serial casting, new orthoses, significant lower-extremity contractures, start of physical therapy, current participation in a fitness program), or ability to fully participate (ie, inability or unwillingness to maintain age-appropriate behavior).
MUSSEL (Muscle-Specific Strengthening Effectiveness Post Lumbar Microdiscectomy)
Ninety-six individuals with recent history of microdiscectomy were randomized into the MUSSEL study. Participants were individuals with uncomplicated low back pain (LBP) that included diagnosis of disk protrusion confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging, with lower-extremity radicular pain, with restricted straight-leg raise, and with positive signs of adverse nerve-root tension that required a single level (L3–4, L4–5, or L5–S1) microdiscectomy that was without adverse event 4 to 6 weeks after surgery.
Exclusion criteria included symptoms that would indicate complicated LBP such as facet arthrosis or neurogenic claudication, radiographic evidence of more than 50% loss of disk height at the relevant spinal level, disk protrusion greater than 50% of the sagittal diameter, or sequestered fragments within the spinal canal. Individuals were excluded if they had serious medical conditions or comorbidities that would limit participation in a postsurgical exercise program (ie, previous back surgeries; presence of any concurrent lower-extremity pathology other than current single level disk injury; serious medical, neurologic or cognitive conditions; evidence of spinal cord compression; pregnancy).
Careful attention to I/E criteria used in the CRN contributed to successful recruitment as well as increased generalizability of study findings to the populations commonly treated by physical therapists for individuals with stroke, cerebral palsy, or low back pain.
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Register for the Black Tie and Boots "Foundation's Farewell to Frank" Dinner Dance
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Register today for your ticket or a table for your group for the "Foundation's Farewell to Frank," a black tie and boots Dinner Dance celebration and send-off for APTA's retiring CEO Frank Mallon, Esq, on Thursday, June 28, at APTA's Annual Conference & Exposition in Denver.
Tables for 10 are $2,000 and include a listing of your name, company, or organization in the program. Individual tickets are $150 ($100 for students). Order through the APTA Service Center at 800/999-2782, ext 3395, or online at www.apta.org, click on Annual Conferences. Corporate sponsorships are welcome. Contact Renee Boyle at 703/706-3167.
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Reference
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- Glasgow RE, Magid DJ, Beck A, Ritzwoller D, Estabrooks PA. Practical clinical trials for translating research to practice: design and measurement recommendations.
Med Care. 2005;43:551–557.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]
Copyright © 2007 by the American Physical Therapy Association.
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