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Background. Inpatient rehabilitation for spinal cord injury (SCI) includes the use of both individual and group physical therapy sessions. A greater understanding of group physical therapy use will help in the evaluation of the appropriateness of its use and contribute to the development of standards of practice. Objective. This report describes the extent to which group physical therapy is being used in inpatient rehabilitation for SCI, identifies group physical therapy interventions being delivered, and examines patterns in the types of activities being used for people with different levels and completeness of injury (ie, injury groups). Design. The SCIRehab Study is a 5-year, multicenter investigation that uses practice-based evidence research methodology. Methods. Data on characteristics of participants and treatments provided were collected through detailed chart review and customized research documentation completed by clinicians at the point of care. The analyses described here included data from 600 participants enrolled during the first year of the project. Results. Most of the participants (549/600) spent time in group physical therapy, and 23% of all documented physical therapy time was spent in group sessions. The most common group physical therapy activities were strengthening, manual wheelchair mobility, gait training, endurance activities, and range of motion/stretching. Time spent in group physical therapy and the nature of activities performed varied among the injury groups. Limitations. Physical therapy use patterns observed in the 6 participating centers may not represent all facilities providing inpatient rehabilitation for SCI. Research documentation did not include all factors that may affect group physical therapy use, and some sessions were not documented. Conclusions. The majority of physical therapy was provided in individual sessions, but group physical therapy contributed significantly to total physical therapy time. Group physical therapy time and activities differed among the injury groups in patterns consistent with clinical goals., Inpatient rehabilitation for spinal cord injury (SCI) includes the use of individual physical therapy sessions, in which a patient works one-on-one with a clinician, and group sessions, in which multiple [...]

Background and Purpose. The purpose of this study was to describe physical therapy provided to patients with stroke in inpatient rehabilitation facilities. Subjects and Methods. Data were collected from 972 patients with stroke receiving physical therapy services at 6 rehabilitation facilities in the United States. Descriptive statistics were derived to describe physical therapy sessions, including proportion of therapy time spent in specific functional activities and proportion of those activities that included any of 59 interventions. Results. Mean length of stay was 18.7 days (SD=10.3), and patients received physical therapy, on average, 13.6 days (SD=7.8). Patients attended, on average, 1.5 (SD=0.3) physical therapy sessions per day, with each session lasting 38.1 minutes (SD=17.1). Gait and prefunctional activities were performed most frequently (31.3% and 19.7% of total treatment time, respectively). For gait activity, physical therapists used balance and postural awareness training in more than 50% of sessions and used strength training for more than 50% of sessions of prefunctional activities. Eighty-six percent of the patients received evaluation, and 84% of the patients and families received education. Discussion and Conclusion. Therapists selected an eclectic approach to intervention rather than specific intervention techniques. The approach to patients' care included interventions to remediate impairments and to compensate for functional limitations. Therapists also reported frequently using motor control and motor learning approaches to facilitate all activities. This approach to care is largely consistent with existing stroke care guidelines and advances in the scientific theories of motor control and motor learning. [Jette DU, Latham NK, Smout RJ, et al. Physical therapy interventions for patients with stroke in inpatient rehabilitation facilities. Phys Ther. 2005;85:238-248.] Key Words: Physical therapy, Rehabilitation, Stroke., According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I, II, and III), there were 3.7 million people aged 25 years or older reporting a history of [...]