School of Rehabilitation Science
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The School of Rehabilitation Science (formerly the School of Physical Therapy) is an academic unit within the College of Medicine and works closely with Health Science Colleges and Schools on campus.
https://rehabscience.usask.ca/
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Item Interviews to Assess a Peer Health Navigator Service for People Who Are Transgender or Gender Diverse(The Annals of Family Medicine, 2025) Gulka, Emily; Rose, Gwen; McCarron, Michelle C.; Reid, Mel; Clark, Megan; Madill, StéphaniePURPOSE People who are transgender or gender diverse (PTGD) often experience difficulties navigating the health care system due to a variety of factors such as lack of knowledgeable and/or culturally competent clinicians, discrimination, and structural and/or socioeconomic barriers. We sought to determine whether a peer health navigator service in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan helped connect transgender and gender-diverse clients and health care practitioners (HCPs) to resources, and how this service changed their health care experiences. METHODS Semistructured interviews were conducted with 9 clients and 9 HCPs. Interview transcripts were then analyzed by researchers using an interpretative phenomenological approach, with qualitative data analysis software. RESULTS The most prevalent theme that emerged from interview data, from both clients and HCPs, was support for the navigators’ work and a desire that the service should continue. It was reinforced by 3 subthemes: the importance that the navigators were PTGD, the ability of the navigators to connect people to services and reliable sources of information, and their skill in directly supporting clients. A fourth subtheme, primarily found among clients, was the navigators’ ability to provide connections to affirming mental health care. CONCLUSIONS Clients and HCPs alike emphasized that the navigator’s lived experience was invaluable and allowed them to empathize with PTGD and provide support. Furthermore, the navigators acted as a direct connection to health care services, which helped improve access for clients. Our findings underscore the need for navigator positions to become permanent within the provincial health system to improve the health care experiences of PTGD in Saskatchewan.Item The effect of selected rest break activities on reaction time, balance, and perceived discomfort after one hour of simulated occupational whole-body vibration exposure in healthy adults(Taylor & Francis, 2023-08-12) Burnett, Wadena D; Tweten, Michael; Okpalauwaekwe, Udoka; Trask, Catherine; Milosavljevic, StephanBackground & Objective Negative health effects from occupational whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure during machinery operation include alterations in proprioception, vestibular function, reaction time, stress, motor response, and decrements in musculoskeletal health. To reduce WBV exposure during machinery operation, it may be possible to incorporate short rest break activities throughout the day. This study aims to determine if there are intervention activities that can minimize decrements in cognitive, proprioceptive, and musculoskeletal effects related to WBV exposure during machine operation. Materials & Methods Eleven healthy adults participated in four 1-hour sessions of ecologically valid WBV exposure followed by one of four 5-minute activities: sitting, walking, 2 minutes of gaze stabilization exercise (GSE) coupled with 3 minutes of trunk mobility exercise (GSE+MOBIL), or 2 minutes of GSE coupled with a 3-minute walk (GSE+WALK). Baseline and post-activity measurements (rating of perceived discomfort, balance and postural sway measurements, 5-minute psychomotor vigilance task test) were submitted to a paired t-test to determine the effect of WBV exposure and activities on physical, cognitive, and sensorimotor systems and to a repeated measures ANOVA to determine any differences across activities. Results We observed degradation of the slowest 10% reaction speed outcomes between baseline and post-activity after walking (7.3%, p<0.05) and sitting (8.6%, p<0.05) but not after GSE+MOBIL or GSE+WALK activities. Slowest 10% reaction speeds after GSE+MOBIL activity was faster than all other activities. Rating of perceived discomfort was higher after SIT and WALK activities. There were no notable differences in balance outcomes. Conclusion When compared to sitting for 5 minutes, an activity including GSE and an active component, such as walking or trunk mobility exercises, resulted in maintenance of reaction time after WBV exposure. If confirmed in occupational environments, GSE may provide a simple, rapid, effective, and inexpensive means to protect against decrements in reaction time after WBV exposure.Item Validation of a portable force plate for in-field measurements of balance and postural sway(2022-03-21) Burnett, Wadena D; Okpalauwaekwe, Udoka; Milosavljevic, StephanObjective: To determine how balance outcomes measured using a portable force platform (FP4, Biometrics Inc) compare to balance measurements from an in-floor mounted force plate (6090-15, Bertec Corp). Methods: Twenty adult volunteers stood on the measurement platform for two trials, 10min apart, to measure bi-pedal medial-lateral and anterior-posterior balance with eyes opened and closed. We measured root mean square, range, and mean velocity of variability of center of pressure from each force plate. Pearson correlation was used to determine relationships between force plate outcomes. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to determine measurement reliability. Differences between eyes open and closed outcomes from each device were determined using t-tests. Results: Correlations between portable and in-floor force plate outcomes ranged from 0.73 to 0.98. ICC values ranged from 0.07 to 0.54. Differences between eyes open and closed outcomes were observed in the anterior-posterior directions on both devices.