Health research spotlight: Physiotherapy Month

Feature Stories | 13 May 2024

Each May, National Physiotherapy Month celebrates the contributions that physiotherapists make in practice and research across the country. Physiotherapy research is a fundamental component of Queen’s School of Rehabilitation Therapy, which includes focused research groups on Movement, Mobility and Physical Activity, and Primary Care and Community Rehabilitation.

In honour of National Physiotherapy Month, here are some recent research highlights from faculty within our Physical Therapy program:

Dr. Sunita Mathur (Associate Director, Physical Therapy program): Using smart garments to prevent muscle atrophy in people experiencing critical illness.

The loss of muscle mass and strength during a period of critical illness and intensive care unit stay is profound and long lasting. In this study, our interdisciplinary research team from Queen’s University, Toronto Metropolitan University, University of Toronto and Unity Health Toronto are working together to design smart garments (arm and leg sleeves that can be easily pulled over the limbs) that deliver and monitor low level muscle stimulation throughout the day to allow muscles to contract even in unconscious patients, and protect from the loss of muscle function. This study is currently in the pilot testing phase and the garments are under development.

Dr. Kathleen Norman (Associate Director, Research & Post-Professional Programs): Management of patients with acute low back pain by Ontario primary care clinicians – the Back ON study.

Low back pain is a common problem in primary care, and patients may seek care from any of several health professionals. Our interdisciplinary research team led the gathering of data from a sample of family physicians, chiropractors and physiotherapists throughout Ontario. Clinicians, and the patients with low back pain whom they recruited, documented patient care details and opinions, and a subset of them completed in-depth interviews. The study has completed data collection, and we are currently analyzing the quantitative details in association with Ontario healthcare utilization data, and in parallel completing the qualitative analysis of the interviews.

Afolasade Fakolade (Assistant Professor) and Marcia Finlayson (Professor): Developing an approach to characterize where, when, and how persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) receive rehabilitative care in Canada.

Rehabilitation services can improve the health, functioning, and well-being of people with MS, and is an essential part of comprehensive MS care. In Canada, what makes up usual MS rehabilitation is currently unknown and having this understanding is necessary to implement appropriate implementation strategies. An interdisciplinary team from Queen's, Memorial University, and the University of Saskatchewan is conducting a Canada-wide study to describe factors leading to rehabilitation service initiation, features and variations in care, across settings for people with MS. From there, the team will develop and pilot a toolkit to measure MS rehabilitation in different settings.

Dr. Mohammad Auais (Associate Professor): Stride with Confidence: Unveiling the Impact of Nordic Walking on Falls in Older Adults – A Randomized Feasibility Trial.

One Dr. Auais' research areas is in preventing falls and disability in older adults, and how the fear of falling compounds the problem. His Nordic walking study used a randomized controlled pilot trial to test Nordic walking’s feasibility and safety among older adults at risk of falling and/or have a fear of falling. This randomized feasibility-controlled trial assessed a novel 10-week Nordic walking program for older adults at risk of falling, involving 37 participants. Of the intervention group, 86 per cent completed the program. The follow-up assessment completion rate was 83.8 per cent, and no adverse events were reported. Nordic walking was found feasible and safe, with high participant satisfaction, suggesting its potential in fall prevention programs.

Health research spotlight: Physiotherapy Month

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