Kathryn E Roach

• PT, PhD
• Professor (Full) at University of Miami

Background Assessing lower extremity strength and performance is common practice in sports medicine. Sport-specific demands could impact the amount of leg strength asymmetry between the dominant and non-dominant leg present in athletes. Hypothesis/Purpose The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the amount of lower limb strength asymmetry be...

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of beliefs and attitudes of practicing physical therapists (PTs) about aging on their expectations concerning the behavior and outcomes of patients with orthopedic conditions. We hypothesized that some beliefs and attitudes would be related to expectations of worse outcomes in older pat...

Background: Despite the prevalence of lower limb amputation (LLA) only a small percentage of people with LLA actually receive physical therapy post amputation and are rehabilitated to their full potential level of function. There is a need for the development of a rehabilitation program that targets impairments and limitations specific to people w...

Background: Physical therapist clinical residency programs vary widely in administrative structure, instructional characteristics, and program design. The impact of program-level factors on resident outcomes such as graduation and board certification are unknown. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the influence of program-leve...

Purpose The Test of Incremental Respiratory Endurance (TIRE) provides a comprehensive assessment of inspiratory muscle performance by measuring maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) over time. The integration of MIP over inspiratory duration (ID) provides the sustained maximal inspiratory pressure (SMIP). Evidence on the reliability and validity of th...

Background and purpose: Clonus arising from plantar flexor hyperreflexia is a phenomenon that is commonly observed in persons with spastic hypertonia. We assessed the temporal components of a biomechanical measure to quantify ankle clonus, and validated these in persons with spasticity due to spinal cord injury. Methods: In 40 individuals with c...

Outcomes of training are thought to be related to amount of training (training dose). While various approaches to locomotor training have been used to improve walking function in persons with spinal cord injury, little is known about the relationship between dose of locomotor training and walking outcomes. This secondary analysis aimed to identify...

The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) is a tool designed to evaluate the impact of shoulder pathology. The aim of this study was to cross culturally adapt a Spanish version of the SPADI for Spanish population with a musculoskeletal shoulder pain, and to determine the psychometric properties of this instrument using confirmatory factor anal...

The aim of the present study was to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Arabic version of the shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI). This was an observational reliability and validity study. We recruited 64 patients with shoulder pain and dysfunction with a wide variety of diagnoses. Patients completed the following questionnaires: A...

The aim of the present study was to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Arabic version of the shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI). This was an observational reliability and validity study. We recruited 64 patients with shoulder pain and dysfunction with a wide variety of diagnoses. Patients completed the following questionnaires: A...

Much attention has been solely paid to physical outcome measures for return to sport after injury in the past. However, current research shows that the psychological component of these injuries can be more predictive of return to sport than physical outcome measures. The purpose of this case report is to describe the successful return to sport foll...

The rehabilitation of U.S. military servicemembers (SMs) who have sustained a traumatic loss of one or both lower limbs requires outcome measures that can assess their physical capabilities in comparison with their uninjured colleagues. Describing reference ranges for the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) in both populations will help clinicians develop ap...

The purpose of this study was to examine the possible relationship between factors modifiable by rehabilitation interventions (rehabilitation factors), other factors related to lower-limb loss (other factors), and high-level mobility as measured by the Comprehensive High-Level Activity Mobility Predictor (CHAMP) in servicemembers (SMs) with traumat...

Health outcome measures are used to assess treatment effectiveness. Historically, survival was the most important health outcome. Treatments were assessed based on whether the patient lived or died. Now in the 21st century, treatments for many injuries and illnesses are so effective that many, if not most, patients survive. If patients survive, the...

The opportunity for wounded servicemembers (SMs) to return to high-level activity and return to duty has improved with advances in surgery, rehabilitation, and prosthetic technology. As a result, there is now a need for a high-level mobility outcome measure to assess progress toward high-level mobility during and after rehabilitation. The purpose o...

This study examined the convergent construct validity of a new performance-based assessment instrument called the Comprehensive High-Level Activity Mobility Predictor (CHAMP) as a measure of high-level mobility in servicemembers (SMs) with traumatic lower-limb loss (LLL). The study was completed by 118 SMs. Convergent construct validity of the CHAM...

Study design: Case-control. Objectives: The specific aim of this study was to examine the association between abnormal foot arch postures and a history of shoulder or elbow surgery in baseball pitchers. Background: Pitching a baseball generates forces throughout the musculoskeletal structures of the upper and lower limbs. Structures such as th...

: To compare motor proficiency, strength, endurance, and physical activity among children from minority backgrounds who were healthy weight (HW), overweight (OW), or obese (OB). : Eighty-six children, aged 10 to 15 years, of mostly Hispanic ethnicity, participated. Children were categorized according to body mass index-for-age percentile. Bruininks...

Ankle clonus is common after spinal cord injury (SCI) and is attributed to loss of supra-spinally mediated inhibition of soleus stretch reflexes and maladaptive reorganization of spinal reflex pathways. The maladaptive reorganization underlying ankle clonus is associated with other abnormalities such as coactivation and reciprocal facilitation of t...

: This study investigated the effects of carrying weighted backpacks of up to 20% of body weight on the posture and pain complaints of elementary-school children. : Craniovertebral, forward trunk lean and pelvic tilt angles were measured from sagittal photographs of 62 children (8-11 years old) before and after walking while carrying backpacks cont...

The objective of the study was to cross-culturally adapt the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) into a regional Indian language (Tamil) and to test the reliability and linguistic validity of the index in Tamil-speaking Indian participants. Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric testing of SPADI was undertaken at the Outpatient Physiothe...

This study examined the effects of various backpack loads on elementary schoolchildren's posture and postural compensations as demonstrated by a change in forward head position. A convenience sample of 11 schoolchildren, aged 8-11 years participated. Sagittal digital photographs were taken of each subject standing without a backpack, and then with...

Based on changes in core physical therapy documents and problems with the earlier version, the Physical Therapist Clinical Performance Instrument (PT CPI): Version 1997 was revised to create the PT CPI: Version 2006. The purpose of this study was to validate the PT CPI: Version 2006 for use with physical therapist students as a measure of clinical...

To determine whether an activity specific exercise program could improve ability to perform basic mobility activities in long-term care residents with Alzheimer disease (AD). Randomized, controlled, single-blinded clinical trial. Residents of 7 long-term care facilities. Eighty-two long-term care residents with mild to severe AD. An activity specif...

Impaired walking limits function after spinal cord injury (SCI), but training-related improvements are possible even in people with chronic motor incomplete SCI. The objective of this study was to compare changes in walking speed and distance associated with 4 locomotor training approaches. This study was a single-blind, randomized clinical trial....

Many diseases and injuries can impair joint mobility. Normal reference values are needed to determine extent of impairment to assess and monitor joint motion. There is very little published data describing normal joint range of motion (ROM) for healthy men and women across a wide span of ages. We enrolled male and female subjects aged between 2 and...

The purpose of this study was to determine whether measures of impairment (i.e., muscle strength, balance), personal factors (i.e., comorbidities, demographic information) and amputation specific variables (i.e., time since amputation, cause of amputation, level of amputation) were able to predict performance on the six-minute walk test, a measure...

Recent research concerning the active range of motion (AROM) of the cervical spine of older individuals has been limited. The purpose of this study was to describe cervical AROM in individuals sixty years of age and older. Forty-five healthy subjects (28 females and 17 males) between the ages of 60 and 82 participated in this study. The Cervical Ra...

Grip strength is important in the performance of nearly all activities of daily living as it allows individuals to maintain fuuctional independence. The purpose of this study was to examine grip strength in individuals 60 years of age and older. Forty-eight healthy subjects (24 men and 24 women) between the ages of 61 and 85 participated in this st...

The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the types of patients who utilized the Easy Street facility and (2) compare the functional independence levels at discharge of patients who utilized Easy Street to that of patients who did not receive this treatment. This study utilized a retrospective chart review to collect data on a group of pat...

The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence and location of contractures in a population of nursing home residents and to compare the demographic, medical and functional characteristics of residents who have contractures to those who do not The medical records of 161 residents of an extended care unit were reviewed. Twenty-seven percen...

To establish intrarater and interrater reliability of the Vestibular Autorotation Test (VAT) (Western Systems Research Inc., Pasadena, CA) in a clinical sample of individuals reporting dizziness. Ninety-eight patients with reports of dizziness referred for vestibular function testing performed repeated trials of horizontal VAT. A subsample of 49 in...

To cross-culturally adapt the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) from English into German, and to test the reliability and validity of the German version. Cross-cultural adaptation of the SPADI was performed according to international guidelines. One hundred and eighteen patients who had undergone shoulder arthroplasty, on average 4 yr prev...

This study examined the changes in peak power, ground reaction force and velocity with different loads during the performance of the parallel squat movement. Twelve experienced male lifters (26.83 +/- 4.67 years of age) performed the standard parallel squat, using loads equal to 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM). Eac...

We measure health outcomes to help us make decisions about managing our patients. Outcome measures help us predict which patients will benefit most from a particular intervention and to document whether the patient improves after the intervention is provided. There is a wide range of important health outcomes, including disability and quality of li...

Study design: Objective. To examine the effects of a four-week anti-gravity exercise program on cervical strength. Background. Home exercise programs are widely prescribed by physical therapists. This study tested the effectiveness of an unsupervised home exercise program designed to increase cervical muscle strength. Methods and measures: In this...

To describe the development of the Amputee Mobility Predictor (AMP) instrument designed to measure ambulatory potential of lower-limb amputees with (AMPPRO) and without (AMPnoPRO) the use of a prosthesis, and to test its reliability and validity. Measurement study using known groups method and concurrence with existing measures. Academic medical ce...

Background and Purpose. The purposes of this article are to describe the process of developing the physical therapist (PT) and physical therapist assistant (PTA) Clinical Performance Instruments (CPIs) and to present the available information on the psychometric properties of each instrument. Subjects. Two hundred seventeen PTA students and 282 PT...

This article will describe and discuss the implications of various steps in the process of selecting a sample for a research study and should assist clinicians in deciding whether and how to apply specific research findings to clinical care.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between duration of physical therapy and occupational therapy and mobility at the time of discharge from a comprehensive rehabilitation program in a group of patients with orthopedic diagnoses. Subjects were 116 consecutive patients with orthopedic diagnoses (mean age=72.6 years, SD=12.0, ra...

Assisted walking and walking combined with conversation were compared to a conversation-only intervention in nursing home residents with Alzheimer disease. Sixty-five subjects randomly assigned to treatment group were tested at baseline and end of treatment. Subjects' mean Mini-Mental State Examination score was 10.83; mean age was 87. Treatment wa...

The human foot pad is essential in buffering stress and strain during ambulation. Foot pad atrophy has been associated with foot pain, limping gait, callous formation, and foot ulcers. We report a method to measure foot pad thickness and have investigated its measurement reliability. Two podiatrists independently and bilaterally measured fore and r...

The purposes of this investigation were: 1) to determine whether cervical range of motion and strength differ when measured in resting head posture (RHP) vs. neutral head posture (NHP), 2) to examine gender differences in cervical range of motion, strength, and neck girth, and 3) to examine the relationship between cervical range of motion and stre...

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between hand size and grip strength at various handle positions using the Jamar handheld dynamometer in females. Eighty-eight female physical therapy students between the ages of 20 and 40 were recruited. Subjects were weighed and their height measured. Right hand size was determined by meas...

ht measured. Right hand size was determined by measuring from the distal tip of the third digit to the radiocarpal joint with a tape measure. Subjects were divided into two groups by hand size (<7.0 and ≥7.0 inches). The order of handle positions was randomly selected. Subjects were seated according to the American Society of Hand Therapists’ recom...

This study examined the relationship between the duration of physical therapy and functional status at discharge. The subjects were 173 inpatients, with a mean age of 67.9 years (SD = 20.5, range = 18-101), referred to physical therapy with lower-extremity orthopedic problems. For this retrospective cohort study, medical and physical therapy qualit...

Low back pain is, in large part, a subjective illness. Clinicians must use patient descriptions of the severity and location of low back pain and how it responds to various activities and positions to make diagnostic and treatment decisions. Therefore, it is important to understand how reliably patients describe these aspects of low back pain. The...

The purposes of this study were to develop screening tests for four low back pain (LBP) diagnoses based on patient reports concerning the severity of pain in various positions and during activities and then to examine the accuracy of these tests in assigning subjects to one of four LBP diagnostic categories. The accuracy of screening tests is deter...

The purpose of this investigation was to determine how the position of tibial rotation effects the EMG activity of the medial and lateral hamstrings during low-force isometric knee flexion contractions. Forty-five subjects (ages 18-35) with no history of lower extremity injury or disease volunteered for this study. While lying prone, and with surfa...

Investigation of the effects of exercise on frail, institutionalized individuals with dementia has been impeded by concerns about the reliability of physical performance measures when used in this population. The physical performance of 33 institutionalized subjects with Alzheimer's disease was measured during both the morning and afternoon of day...

Traditionally, the two-headed gastrocnemius muscle has been considered as one muscle. The purpose of this study was to delineate if electromyographic (EMG) activity differences existed between the medial and lateral gastrocnemius heads, as well as torque output, in the normal right leg, during isometric plantar flexion contractions at three knee an...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) frequently causes foot pain and swelling that affect ambulation. Pharmaceutical management of pain and disability is standard in clinical practice. The use of functional posted foot orthoses, as an adjunct to pharmaceutical treatment, is a promising treatment for managing foot pain and disability in RA. Its effectiveness,...

Hallux valgus deformity is the most commonly observed forefoot deformity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This 5-year, double-blind, randomized clinical trial compared treatment orthoses with placebo orthoses for the prevention of hallux valgus deformity in the rheumatoid arthritic foot.One hundred and two subjects with active rheumatoid arth...

Many long term wheelchair users develop shoulder pain. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Wheelchair User's Shoulder Pain Index (WUSPI), an instrument which measures shoulder pain associated with the functional activities of wheelchair users. This 15-item functional index was developed to access shoulder pa...

Chronic shoulder pain is a frequently reported phenomenon in individuals who use wheelchairs as their primary means of mobility. No indices are currently available which detect difficulties in performing daily activities due to shoulder discomfort in a largely independent population of wheelchair users. The Wheelchair User's Shoulder Pain Index (WU...

Even when a patient is referred by a physician, the physical therapist must remain alert to the possibility that the patient may require medical care outside the realm of physical therapy. Physical therapists must be able to screen low back pain patients to identify those who have serious low back problems which require additional diagnostic evalua...

Our study was designed to examine the association between biomechanical aspects of occupation and hip osteoarthritis (OA). Ninety-nine cases of primary hip OA and 233 controls were recruited from the outpatient clinics of a Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital. Subjects were mailed a questionnaire which asked about lifetime participation in vari...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of forward head posture and cervical backward bending to neck pain. The subjects were fifty-four volunteer office workers, who spent at least four hours of their work day at a computer terminal (17 males and 37 females). Since all subjects reported having pain, the subjects who reported...

The purpose of this study is to determine if measures of pulmonary function are different between endurance trained and nontrained groups of persons with quadriplegia. After minimum criteria were met, 57 subjects with spinal cord injuries ranging from C5-T1 were surveyed to determine type, duration and intensity of exercise training for the previou...

To develop a method which is objective and quantifiable, as well as reliable and valid for measuring the severity and progression of hallux valgus deformity (HVD). HVD is defined as an increase in the hallux abductus angle (HAA). HAA drawn on plain anterioposterior radiographs of the foot was measured in 94 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The i...

To the Editor Dr Rothstein begins his May 1992 Editor's Note referring to the “diversity” within physical therapy curricula. Not only are curricula diverse, but opinions even more so. Dr Rothstein has expressed his opinion concerning entry-level student research, and we now welcome this opportunity to express ours. Obviously, the airing of diverse...

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Illinois at Chicago, 1991. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-93).

A shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI) was developed to measure the pain and disability associated with shoulder pathology. The SPADI is a self-administered index consisting of 13 items divided into two subscales: pain and disability. Thirty-seven male patients with shoulder pain were used in a study to examine the measurement characteristics...

Abnormal joint mobility is an important factor in movement dysfunction and physical disability. Because the decision to treat impaired joint mobility in an older individual may be influenced by assumptions concerning normal range of motion (ROM) at older ages, it is important to establish population-based normative values for hip and knee ROM by ag...

A Foot Function Index (FFI) was developed to measure the impact of foot pathology on function in terms of pain, disability and activity restriction. The FFI is a self-administered index consisting of 23 items divided into 3 sub-scales. Both total and sub-scale scores are produced. The FFI was examined for test-retest reliability, internal consisten...

A shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI) was developed to measure the pain and disability associated with shoulder pathology. The SPADI is a self-administered index consisting of 13 items divided into two subscales: pain and disability. Thirty-seven male patients with shoulder pain were used in a study to examine the measurement characteristics...

The purposes of this study were 1) to describe a clinical scale of rigidity and testing procedure for use in patients with Parkinson's disease and 2) to examine the scale's interrater reliability. Twenty subjects (3 women, 17 men; mean age = 64 years, s = 16.3) participated in the study. Criteria for participation were 1) diagnosis of Parkinson's d...

The Acute Care Index of Function (ACIF), developed to standardize the assessment of functional status in patients with acute neurologic deficits, was tested for interrater reliability and concurrent validity. Interrater reliability was tested on 91 patients in a five-week study. After a two-week training period, six physical therapists were paired...

The Acute Care Index of Function (ACIF) was developed to standardize the functional status assessment of patients with acute neurologic impairment. The ACIF was used to collect patient data for a six-month period. A scoring system was then developed for the ACIF using data from 75 randomly selected patients in three discharge categories: 1) home (n...