Physical Therapy News and Research

RSS

New international certification program launched to improve stroke rehabilitation

A UTHealth Houston neurologist was among a group of two dozen healthcare professionals from across the globe who developed an international certification program designed to improve rehabilitation care among stroke survivors.

3 Jul 2026

Personalized self-management effectively prevents chronic back pain

Almost everyone will deal with back pain at some point in their lives. Most recover quickly - but for about 20% of people, acute pain becomes a chronic condition that interferes with daily life and keeps them out of the workforce.

1 Jul 2026

Musculoskeletal pain in children is often underestimated and misunderstood

Three out of every ten Brazilian children and adolescents complain of musculoskeletal pain (affecting bones, ligaments, and muscles).

25 Jun 2026

Accelerated biological aging may drive rising early-onset cancer risk

Cancer is often considered a disease of aging. Older adults are at higher risk because they have had more time to accumulate cellular damage that can trigger tumor formation.

22 Jun 2026

Robotic exoskeleton system virtually connects stroke patients and therapists

Physical therapists have long walked alongside stroke survivors during recovery. Now, they are walking with them.

18 Jun 2026

Neurological disorders may raise traumatic brain injury risk in older adults

For traumatic brain injury (TBI) and certain brain diseases, it looks like the risk may go in both directions, according to a study published on June 17, 2026, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 Jun 2026

WashU study identifies shared target for a new diarrhea vaccine

The bacteria enterotoxigenic E. coli and Shigella together cause hundreds of millions of infections each year and are among the leading causes of diarrheal death, especially in children.

17 Jun 2026

New game-based therapy retrains muscles after a stroke

A customized throw-back video game may offer a surprisingly futuristic path to stroke recovery.

9 Jun 2026

Electrical neck implants immediately restore arm mobility in stroke survivors

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers report the final outcomes of a pioneering pilot clinical trial using electrical stimulation of the spinal cord to improve arm and hand mobility in people with chronic stroke today in Nature Medicine.

4 Jun 2026

Genetically-modified hookworms successfully deliver medicine to animal hosts

Hookworms, intestinal parasites that infect hundreds of millions of people in under-resourced tropical regions around the globe, have evolved to survive inside the human gut for years, secreting molecules that enable co-existence with their hosts.

3 Jun 2026

Mount Sinai opens integrated clinical center for womens health

The Mount Sinai Health System is opening the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women's Health and Wellness, a transformative new model for women's health that brings together multidisciplinary clinical expertise, structured care pathways, and leading-edge research innovation to deliver more personalized, comprehensive care for women across the entire lifespan.

27 May 2026

Targeted nerve stimulation boosts movement-related brain activity in humans

The vagus nerve connects the brain to major organs throughout the body and plays important roles in many bodily functions.

25 May 2026

Why older adults are turning to edible cannabis for sleep, pain, and mood

Older adults in Colorado were drawn to edible cannabis mainly to manage sleep problems, pain, anxiety, or depression, often after concerns about conventional medicines or limited relief from other treatments. Most participants preferred THC-CBD combination products, but they remained uncertain about dosing, impairment, effectiveness, and how to choose the right cannabinoid ratio.

12 May 2026

Mental stress can weaken muscle performance

Cognitive pressure disrupts muscle control and blood flow, highlighting its role in physical performance during low-intensity motor activities.

12 May 2026

New alliance brings high quality rehabilitation services to more communities

NYU Langone Health and Metro Physical & Aquatic Therapy (Metro PT), a leading provider of outpatient rehabilitation services, have formed a strategic alliance to offer high-quality physical, occupational, and speech therapy to a broader range of residents across Long Island, New York City, and Westchester and Rockland Counties.

11 May 2026

Visceral fat strongly linked to urinary incontinence in women

The accumulation of fat in the abdominal region, especially visceral fat (fat that accumulates between organs), significantly increases the risk of stress urinary incontinence in women.

17 Apr 2026

Minimally-invasive stenting effectively treats painful post-thrombotic syndrome

A major multi-site clinical trial co-led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has shown that post-thrombotic syndrome - a common and often painful complication suffered by many people who have experienced blockages of major veins due to blood clots - can be effectively treated with a minimally invasive procedure.

13 Apr 2026

New embodied AI system teaches users complex movements via muscles

A new system from Yun Ho, Romain Nith, and Pedro Lopes combines AI and electrical muscle stimulation to physically guide users through unfamiliar tasks—marking a leap toward general-purpose, context-aware embodied assistance.

10 Apr 2026

Novel compound clears harmful protein, protects neurons in frontotemporal dementia models

New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis adds to growing evidence that helping brain cells break down and eliminate their own cellular waste is a promising treatment strategy for a variety of neurodegenerative diseases.

31 Mar 2026

TENS therapy reduces movement pain and fatigue in fibromyalgia patients

Adding TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) to outpatient physical therapy reduced movement-based pain and fatigue in patients with fibromyalgia, and the effects lasted for at least six months, according to a new study led by researchers at University of Iowa Health Care.

27 Mar 2026