The first phase of an NIH study, Movement Ability Changes with Balance-Based Torso-Weighting (BBTW) in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), has provided important results for multiple sclerosis patients suffering with balance and walking challenges. The study is being funded by an NIH Recovery Grant that was awarded to Samuel Merritt University (SMU) Physical Therapy Professor Dr. Gail Widener, PT, and Dr. Diane Allen at San Francisco State University, to continue research into balance-based torso weighting (BBTW) ...

MUSKEGON, MI -- Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital is now providing management services to the Mercy Health Partners inpatient rehabilitation unit in Muskegon. The new collaboration expands access to Mercy Health Partners' inpatient rehabilitation services on the lakeshore. Dr. Harrison Johnson, physiatrist and MHP's medical director for the unit, will continue serving in this capacity. MHP's current therapists and nursing staff will deliver rehabilitation services. Mary Free Bed will provide ...

NEW YORK -- VNSNY CHOICE, an affiliate of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, has received approval from the State of New York to expand its managed long-term care health plan to Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties beginning May 1, 2012. "VNSNY CHOICE is a safety net for a growing population that is at risk for falling through the cracks in our health care system," said Christopher Palmieri, president of VNSNY CHOICE Health Plans. "Our mission has always been to help people take responsibility ...

TORONTO -- CIBC, a North American financial institution with nearly 11 million personal banking and business clients, and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, announced April 26 a clinical research study in robotics therapy for children with cerebral palsy. "There is a lot of excitement about the innovative use of robotics in treatments and therapies for children with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders," said Dr. Virginia Wright, scientist at Bloorview Research Institute. "We are ...

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- During Women's Health Week, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is partnering with its Section on Women's Health to host a one-hour program on Move Forward Radio and a Twitter party on May 15 at 7 p.m. ET. Women across the country can listen online and call in to the show to ask questions or submit them in advance via Twitter by tweeting @MoveForwardPT and using the hashtag #overshare.APTA members Pamela Downey, PT, DPT, WCS, and Rebecca Stephenson, PT, DPT, WCS, along with ...

BUFFALO, NY -- Private equity firm Summer Street Capital II LP has invested in New England Orthotic & Prosthetic Systems, a provider of orthotic and prosthetic devices through a network of 30 clinics in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Summer Street will partner with former Hanger Orthopedic Group Chairman and CEO Ronald J. Manganiello, who will continue to serve as NEOPS's chief executive officer. Manganiello also currently serves as a board member of the American Orthotic ...

HIGH POINT, NC -- Dr. Alexis Wright, assistant professor of physical therapy at High Point University, recently received the 2012 American Physical Therapy Association's Dorothy Briggs Memorial Scientific Inquiry Award for her paper on hip osteoarthritis. Dr. Wright will receive her award at the APTA national conference this June in Tampa. Her paper, titled "Predictors of Response to Physical Therapy Intervention in Patients with Primary Hip Osteoarthritis," was chosen from all articles published by ...

WASHINGTON, DC -- The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) has released "Cognitive Rehabilitation Manual: Translating Evidence-Based Recommendations into Practice" by Dr. Edmund C. Haskins. The manual summarizes evidence-based interventions for physicians, therapists and psychologists to use with patients who have suffered a brain injury. The resource provides step-by-step instructions for recommended interventions and provides support for a wide range of rehabilitation practices ...

NAPERVILLE, IL -- Doctors of Physical Therapy (DPT), a private practice with 10 locations in Wisconsin and Illinois, has opened its newest location in Naperville, IL. The Naperville North Clinic will be managed by Meg Rossi, PT, DPT. "We are very excited to have Dr. Rossi on board at Doctors of Physical Therapy," said Aaron Kraai, PT, DPT, founder and CEO of Doctors of Physical Therapy. "Dr. Rossi is truly dedicated to the well-being of her patients and is a valuable asset to DPT." Dr. Rossi will offer ...

HOUSTON, TX -- University General Health System, a diversified, integrated multi-specialty health delivery system, announced May 2 the signing of an asset purchase agreement between University General Hospital and a diagnostic imaging and physical therapy center located in the northern Houston metropolitan area. The transaction is expected to close on or before May 31, 2012, subject to customary closing conditions. The diagnostic imaging and physical therapy centers will each become hospital outpatient ...

PITTSBURGH -- The incidence rate of wheelchair breakdowns has risen significantly from an already high statistic, and continues to leave more and more people with spinal cord injuries in precarious situations, according to specialists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC. It's a problem that affected 52.6 percent of full-time wheelchair users in a new study; overall, 2.8 million Americans use wheelchairs. According to findings published online May 2 in advance of print in The ...

SKOKIE, IL -- Athletico Physical Therapy has created the Zach Gregory Patient Satisfaction Award in honor of Zach Gregory, a physical therapist at Athletico's Skokie facility who died crossing the finish line of the Chicago 13.1 Marathon last June. The award will be given annually to the Athletico clinic and clinician who achieves the highest patient satisfaction score across the company. Scores are generated from measurable patient satisfaction data that Athletico collects from patients using a ...

The National Athletic Trainers' Association announced March 20 that Georgia is the latest state to adopt recommendations from the NATA-spearheaded Inter-Association Task Force on Preseason Heat-Acclimatization Guidelines for Secondary School Athletics. In the past year, Connecticut, New Jersey, Texas and North Carolina have followed this trend. The Georgia High School Association, Georgia Athletic Trainers' Association, National Federation of State High School Associations Foundation and NATA Research ...

DESTIN, FL -- Members from the National Football League and NCAA football are slated to speak at the seventh annual Andrews Institute Injuries in Football Conference, to be held May 10-12 at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin, FL. Keynote speakers will acquaint athletic trainers, coaches, physicians, physical therapists, and other industry professionals with assessment, treatment and functional rehabilitation techniques for injuries in football. The conference offers a maximum of 20 CME/CEU ...

On Feb. 23, 2012, South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard signed House Bill 1183, which places limits on out-of-pocket expenses for therapy patients. HB 1183 limits the amount a health insurer may charge a patient for an out-of-pocket copayment or coinsurance amount when they visit a physical therapist or occupational therapist. After the bill takes effect July 1, those copayment and coinsurance amounts cannot be higher than those charged when a patient visits a primary care physician or practitioner. State ...