The study, which looks at range of movement and velocity in healthy adults from Spain, Mexico, France, the United States and Canada, is being led by Dr. Néstor Pérez Mallada from Pontifical University Comilla in Madrid and Dr. Barbara Shay, head of the physical therapy department in CoRS.

Mallada’s focus is on biomechanics equipment, which he notes can be very expensive. The “Gold Standard” in biomechanics, he noted, uses 3D analysis and optoelectronic cameras to measure human movement. These tools are very accurate and reliable, he said, but they cost approximately $200,000 and require laboratory space and an onsite technician.

“There is a need for something that students and clinicians can use that is very fast, very easy to use and inexpensive,” he said, adding there are several emerging devices that work with compatible smartphones and tablets.

The study uses a wireless digital device that Shay said may one day replace the traditional hand-held manual goniometers typically used in rehabilitation therapy. The thousand-dollar device, is worn on the subject’s forehead in a specially designed headband and its measurements are sent to a compatible mobile device with much greater accuracy than a goniometer, according to Shay.

“There’s about 10 degrees of error in a regular goniometer, and this has a max of three degrees of error,” Shay said. “It’s also not expensive and portable. You can basically take it to a person’s home and do it there. Any physiotherapist who graduates could buy one and use it in their practice.”

In addition to geographic location, the study will consider how physically active each participant is and how much time they spend in front of screens, particularly looking down at their phones, which can cause neck strain.

Visiting scholar

Mallada is visiting the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences as part of the Juliette Cooper Visiting Scholar Program. A physical therapist, master in health law and doctor in biomedicine and health science, he is the first scholar invited as part of the program, which replaces the Juliette Cooper Lectureship in Rehabilitation Sciences.

Dr. Néstor Pérez Mallada with Dr. Juliette Cooper.

Juliette ‘Archie’ Cooper, professor emeritus in the department of occupational therapy, established the lectureship at the time of her retirement as a way of contributing something back to the University of Manitoba. She said her love of research and dedication to the university are the main reasons she hasn’t fully retired.

“I am technically retired as of 2005, but I seem to be unable to conform to that status,” Cooper said. “I originally set up the lectureship to promote research excellence in what was then the School of Medical Rehabilitation. The Visiting Scholar Program now builds on the research expertise in CoRS to create partnerships with other investigators. I am delighted to see this evolution.”

The program brings in a scholar who has been vetted by faculty and gives a presentation as part of the college’s Illuminate Speaker Series. Visiting scholars are invited to the college for one month or more to give lectures, work with students and collaborate with faculty. Scholars are given an honorarium to offset cost of travel and accommodation.

Mallada hopes that his visit to the U of M will lead to future collaborations with his home university.

“I would like to explore the possibility for scholarships so students can come to Canada from Spain to study, or vice versa,” he said.

The event was an expansion of the annual MOT Research Symposium, which showcases projects from students in the Master of Occupational Therapy program. This year it also included projects from other CoRS departments.

Dr. Barbara Shay, head of the physical therapy, said it was worth experimenting with an expanded format this year, as the students will be embarking on inter-professional careers.

“Some students said they were interested and happy to learn about their colleagues’ research, and that they were surprised how much their interests overlap,” Shay said. “But that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? If we want inter-professional collaboration we need to model it in our education.”

The day opened with a keynote address by physical therapy assistant professor Dr. Patty Thille, who discussed the human side of the roles of caregivers. Occupational therapy student Andreea Alexandresu found Thille’s presentation inspiring and immediately relatable.

“She emphasized the importance of hearing patients’ stories and their experiences, which is also what we took away from our project,” she said.

Alexandresu and her team presented an interactive session on their community-based program people living with HIV, and the barriers they face in professional settings.

“Through our research and the experiences of our participants, we learned more about what a complex decision it is to disclose your HIV status, as well as the importance of sharing experiences and how empowering that can be for people living with a stigmatized illness,” Alexandresu said.

A poster from respiratory therapy student Hailey Graboweski looked at the implications of electronic cigarettes on a user’s cardiopulmonary health.

“Many people think electronic cigarettes are harm-free but they’re actually not,” she said. “They have many byproducts that are harmful on their own – chemicals, known carcinogens and even things like metals from the devices themselves.” 

She said it remains unclear whether or not electronic cigarettes should be considered an effective tool for tobacco harm reduction. There does appear to be a potential for cardiopulmonary benefits, but longer studies are needed, she said.

“As with smoking, we know it takes time to build the negative effects and I think electronic cigarettes may be the same,” Graboweski said.

Physical therapy student Jas Gill was part of a team that examined the effectiveness of FIFA 11+, a fitness module created by the FIFA world soccer federation to reduce lower body injuries in male and female footballers. 

“The two things we looked at were performance and injuries,” he said. “In terms of performance we didn’t find anything statistically significant, but we found that it does prevent injuries if people were to comply with it twice a week.”

M.Sc. Rehabilitation Sciences student Brenda Tittlemier said the event was a great opportunity for her to share her research into clinical practice guidelines.

M.Sc. Rehabilitation Sciences student Brenda Tittlemier presented a poster about whether physiotherapists in Canada were following clinical practice guidelines for knee osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis in the knee.

Her research analyzed data from 388 respondents across Canada. She discovered nearly 100 per cent of physiotherapists provided leg strengthening exercise and education to their patients, whereas 60 per cent prescribed aerobic exercise and 56 per cent discussed weight-loss.

She said the event was a great chance to not only liaise with faculty, staff, researchers and students, but also clinicians and other health-care professionals.

“It was a great opportunity to talk about and share my research,” she said. “Disseminating your findings is an important step in the research process, and the chance to do that at an event such as this was a valuable opportunity.”

The event, previously called the Master of Occupational Therapy Independent Study Symposium, has been opened up this year to include student presentations from all programs housed within the college: Master of Occupational Therapy, Master of Physical Therapy, Bachelor of Respiratory Therapy, Master of Science (Rehabilitation) and Applied Health Sciences PhD.

Dr. Barbara Shay, head of the physical therapy department and one of the event organizers, said the symposium will continue to include all programs in the future, as it enhances inter-professional collaboration and consolidates research.

“All of the professional programs have a capstone project requirement related to research, and there is a natural fit with the thesis-based graduate programs which highlights the students’ accomplishments,” said Shay.

The event will begin with a keynote address from Dr. Patty Thille, assistant professor in the department of physical therapy. Thille’s research focuses on stigmatization, clinical communication, health behaviour change and chronic disease management in primary care and rehabilitation settings.

The Student Research Symposium will feature over 50 paper, poster and interactive sessions in the Brodie atrium (morning) and College of Rehabilitation Sciences building (afternoon).

More information, including a downloadable program, is available here.

Held on World Diabetes Day, the 2018 JDRF Revolution Ride to Defeat Diabetes raised almost $1,100.

Seven teams of up to five members took part in the 35-minute relay-style stationary bike race. Team awards were given for most funds raised, furthest distance, most enthusiastic and an “honesty” prize was given to the team that cycled the least distance.

A team of first-year physical therapy students made up of Scott Friesen, Tom Pachal, Brittni Steeves-Gray, Kris Aguiar and Adam Loewen took the prize for enthusiasm after cheering loudly and pumping each other up with chants and chest-slaps.

“While we didn’t win the race, we dressed up, tried our hardest, got incredibly sweaty and cheered like crazy,” Friesen said. “It was a great team-builder and we enjoyed cheering and chanting for each other. Having multiple programs from within our faculty added a friendly level of competition as well.”

(L to R) Physical therapy students Tom Pachal, Brittny Steeves-Gray, Scott Friesen, Adam Loewen and Kris Aguiar were named the most enthusiastic team at the 2018 JDRF Revolution Ride to Defeat Diabetes on Nov. 14.

Prizes included donations from the faculties, JDRF and the Health Sciences Bookstore.

The event was co-organized by Kerri Chase, supervisor, Joe Doupe Recreation Centre, and Dr. Barbara Shay, head, physical therapy, College of Rehabilitation Sciences. It was the second time the diabetes ride took place.

“A good time was had by all and it was a nice break from routine,” says Chase. “We all know someone affected by this disease, so it’s nice to contribute.”

Chase and Shay say they plan to make it an annual event, as it brought the faculties together for a common goal.

“We’d like to have all colleges and programs in the Rady Faculty participating next year, as this is great for teambuilding and for a great cause,” says Shay, who noted students may need a faculty champion to help them organize their involvement.

World Diabetes Day is marked annually on Nov. 14, honouring the birthday of Dr. Frederick G. Banting, the Canadian co-discoverer of insulin.

JDRF national stewardship director Dorothy Ross attended the fundraiser and spoke to the teams about the medical advances that are happening thanks to efforts like this, such as preventive therapy research to keep future generations from getting type 1 diabetes, or stopping the disease process before it damages the pancreas.

For those who missed out, donations are still being accepted at jdrf.akaraisin.com.