Nunes 1
Mariah Nunes
12 September 2011
Mr. Shingler
Senior Exit Project
Annotated Bibliography
Billitteri, Thomas J.. Alternative Medicine . Brookfield, Connecticut: Twenty-First
Century Books, 2001. Print.
Touch therapy is a modern approach to healing practices of ancient times. This type of therapy
can include a spectrum of many techniques including chiropractic, acupuncture, acupressure,
qigong, and therapeutic touch. Therapeutic touch is one of the more criticized techniques.
Those who advocate therapeutic touch believe that there are energy fields in the human body that
a practitioner feels by placing their hands on one’s body. They can move the fields and correct
any disruptions it may have. This technique is taught around the world to nursing students, but
some people do not agree. There is a Therapeutic Touch Study Group who challenges and
questions the approach to healing.
Brody, Jane E. "Traditional Tendon Remedies Fall Flat: For Tendon Pain, Think
Beyond the Needle." Health. New York Times, 28 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/health/01brody.html?_r=1&ref=physicalthera
py>.
In a tendon injury, there are two commonly sought out remedies. Those are corticosteroid
injections and resting the injury. However, new studies are showing that neither of these
methods proves to be effective in the long term. First, the injections of corticosteroids only give
a patient short-term relief. Oftentimes the long-term results are even worse than what the patient
would have experienced if he had done nothing. Second, those who chose to rest the injury to
prevent it from worsening are choosing not to make it any better. New research is showing that
working the tendon is a much better approach. However, this must be done in a manner that
does not irritate but rather strengthen the supporting tissues. This approach is much more
affective and puts the “physical” in physical therapy. One must stay active in order to heal and
prevent further injuries from occurring.
Collinge, William. The American Holistic Health Association Complete Guide to
Alternative Medicine. New York, NY: Warner, 1996. Print.
Many aspects of physical therapy include hands on techniques. One of these said techniques is
called, “Myofascial Release”. The purpose of Myofascial Release is to reinitiate the movement
of a restricted area of the body. The limitation of muscle movement is usually caused by the
diminution of lubrication and restraint of the fascia’s gliding motion. Fascia is a flexible sheath
encasing muscles and muscle groups. In an area that has experienced trauma, the fascia
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oftentimes gets “stuck” and restricts the usual gliding motion of the muscles. Myofascial
Release manipulates the muscles and provides the release of the fascia easing pain and healing
patients. This technique mends the source of pain rather than masks it.
Garrick, James G., and Peter Radetsky. Anybody's Sports Medicine Book: The
Complete Guide to Quick Recovery From Injuries. Berkeley: Ten Speed, 2000. Print.
Those who need assistance strengthening and regaining range-of-motion often seek a physical
therapist. Physical therapists are professionally trained to combat a patient’s specific weaknesses
and get them in condition to live their life normally again. However, the job of a physical
therapist is not to passively make a patient well again. It is to actively do so. However, some
therapists are reluctant to provide patients with the ability to do their own exercises and therapy
at home. Therein lies a controversy. Therapists may be unwilling because they do not have the
time to instruct their patients, make handouts, or written instructions. In a busy therapy center,
time is everything. However, after a few visits, a patient needs to be able to treat his or herself.
Therapy should be focused on in the home, and supplemented in an actual center.
Helfand, Duke. "More Hospitals Offering Alternative Therapy Services." Los
Angeles Times. 8 Sept. 2011. Web. 09 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-alternative-medicine20110908,0,5074014.story?track=icymi>.
Responses to patient demand means integrating massage therapy, acupuncture, and many other
alternatives means of rehabilitation into hospitals. A recent national survey is showing that more
and more medical care facilities are adding such techniques including meditation, homeopathy,
relaxation training and chiropractics. The study shows forty-two percent of hospitals in the
United States offer theses services. That is significantly higher than the thirty-seven percent that
had them in 2007. However, forty-two percent is still less than half, meaning that more than half
of the United States’ hospitals do not offer therapy services. Although, sixty-five percent do
have services to treat pain, yet they do not heal the cause.
Jette, Alan M. "Physical Disablement Concepts for Physical Therapy Research and
Practice." Journal of the American Physical Therapy Association (1994): 1072-073.
Society, families, and individuals are all affected by disability, which is considered “one of
modern society’s greatest public health problems” (Jette). It is critical that society understands
all the processes and complexities of disability. For that reason, some major models are being
developed to direct physical therapy clinicians and researchers in their way of going about the
healing of disablement. One of the models is the International Classification of Impairments,
Disabilities, and Handicaps, which was created for the WHO, or World Health Organization. It
is highly important for physical therapists and researchers to have a common vocabulary when it
comes to speaking about the process of disablement. However, is seems to be a premature idea
and has yet to reach a consensus on any single approach
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Jette, Diane U., and Alan M. Jette. "Physical Therapy and Health Outcomes in
Patients With Spinal Impairments." Journal of the American Physical Therapy
Association (1996): 314-15.
There is a major concern about how little is known about the effects physical therapy has on
spinal impaired patients. Research was conducted to examine the health pattern of these specific
patients. The research also compares the outcomes of patient health after participating in physical
therapy. The data was acquired from 1,097 patients, all of whom had spinal impairments. They
received physical therapy from any of 68 therapy practices around the U.S. Results showed that
nearly all patients improved on all health scales. Completion of endurance exercises proved
most beneficial in positive outcomes, where as the usage of cold and heat modalities proved
more closely related to poorer outcomes. The study shows that this type of intervention (physical
therapy) is related to positive outcomes in patients with spinal impairment. It suggests therapists
also take in what the patient’s specific goals are and adjust treatment from there.
Kolata, Gina. "Treat Me, But No Tricks Please." Fitness and Nutrition. New York
Times, 6 Jan. 2010. Web. 11 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/health/nutrition/07best.html?ref=physicalther
apy>.
The concept of physical therapy is being challenged and questioned. Some people, including
doctors are wondering how effective physical therapy really is. Dr. James J. Irrgang, of the
University of Pittsburgh, states, “There is a growing body of evidence that supports what
physical therapists do, but there is a lot of voodoo out there, too” (Kolata). It is that “voodoo,”
that makes people skeptical. Sometimes, stretching manually is all it takes to eliminate a sports
related injury, yet physical therapists chose to use ultrasounds, electro stimulation, and much
more. The controversy of what is necessary to heal and what is not seems never ending. The
inquiry of physical therapy was researched in a poorly constructed experiment. They failed to
follow the normal methods of data collection and analysis titled: intention to treat. This means
that when comparing results, the researchers did not include those who dropped out of the study.
Thus, altering the facts. The patients who dropped out could have decided the treatment was not
useful, or make their condition worse. This is vital information. So, for now this study cannot
determine whether physical therapy is affective or not.
Shannon, Joyce Brennfleck. Sports injuries information for teens: health tips about
sports injuries and injury prevention: including facts about specific injuries,
emergency treatment, rehabilitation, sports, safety, competition stress, fitness, sports
nutrition, steroid risks, and More. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2004. Print.
Physical therapy covers a vast range of techniques for an extensive amount of injuries. Upon
seeking a therapist, a patient will be assessed have a plan made specifically for their recovery.
Typically sessions last about forty-five minutes to an hour. Most with minor injuries are totally
healed in around six weeks. Others who use physical therapy for strengthening and staying
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healthy might chose to have a session once a week for years. The point of physical therapy is to
get patients back on their feet. Once there, it is the patient’s job to stay that way whether that
means staying in therapy or practicing independently. Physical therapy can include a broad range
of exercises including the usage of machinery or other techniques such as hands on therapy.
Sluijs, Emmy M. "Correlates of Exercise Compliance in Physical Therapy."
Physical Therapy. Journal of the American Physical Therapy Association, 1 July
1993. Web. 28 Aug. 2011. <http://ptjournal.apta.org/content/73/11/771.short>.
A study was conducted to compare the factors involved in patient compliance during physical
therapy. Researchers sought out to find whether the compliance related to the patient’s illness,
patient’s characteristics and attitude, or the behavior of the physical therapist. The evaluators
selected 300 random physical therapists with private practices in the Netherlands. 222 of them
responded to the survey. The results showed that there are three major factors in noncompliance
of patients. They are, “(1) the barriers patients perceive and encounter, (2) the lack of positive
feedback, and (3) the degree of helplessness” (Sluijs). The “barriers” patients encounter showed
the highest level of noncompliance. However, barriers are perceived among diagnosis.
Therefore it is vital physicians show confidence in patient recovery. They will then transfer that
to willingness to get better. These findings are useful in showing physical therapists how they
too can change to receive more compliance in their patients.