Strengthening and Balance Interventions for a Client Seeking Weight Loss with Undisclosed Neurological Impairments: A Retrospective Case Report
Type of Presentation
Poster Session
Location
Hall of Governors
Start Date
4-8-2022 4:00 PM
End Date
4-8-2022 6:00 PM
Abstract
Background: Complex patients will often present to physical therapy with three or more co-morbidities. Obesity, commonly associated with multiple morbidities, is a health condition that has many options available regarding treatment, such as diet, physical activity, or surgical intervention. However, these interventions tend to singularly address the issue and do not cater to patients with multimorbidity or with more complicated diagnoses. Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective case report was to describe the effectiveness of strengthening and balance interventions for a patient seeking weight and knee pain management with initially undisclosed cerebellar atrophy and visual impairment in the outpatient setting. Case Description: The patient was a 46-year-old African American female who presented to skilled outpatient physical therapy seeking to manage her weight in order to improve symptoms related to knee osteoarthritis. After initial evaluation, the patient revealed that she was recently diagnosed with cerebellar atrophy due to complications from alcohol use disorder and previous gastric bypass surgery. Outcome: The Dynamic Gait Index, Activities Balance Confidence Scale, and other functional measures were used to assess patient progress. The patient demonstrated an improvement with some testing, most significantly in dynamic stability, balance confidence, and symptom reduction in both knee pain and dizziness. Discussion: Implementation of a strength and balance protocol may be effective on weight management and symptoms associated with knee osteoarthritis and cerebellar ataxia. However, long term benefits of this protocol are unknown due to the brevity of the study. It remains clear that a patient-centered approach is necessary to achieve individual goals.
Presenter:
Lauren Fleming
Physical Therapy Doctoral Student
Faculty / Staff Sponsor
Dr. Renee D. Theiss
Associate Professor, College of Health and Human Services
Dr. Kathleen Getsoian
Adjunct Faculty, College of Health and Human Services
Maryleen Jones
Assistant Professor, College of Health and Human Services
Strengthening and Balance Interventions for a Client Seeking Weight Loss with Undisclosed Neurological Impairments: A Retrospective Case Report
Hall of Governors
Background: Complex patients will often present to physical therapy with three or more co-morbidities. Obesity, commonly associated with multiple morbidities, is a health condition that has many options available regarding treatment, such as diet, physical activity, or surgical intervention. However, these interventions tend to singularly address the issue and do not cater to patients with multimorbidity or with more complicated diagnoses. Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective case report was to describe the effectiveness of strengthening and balance interventions for a patient seeking weight and knee pain management with initially undisclosed cerebellar atrophy and visual impairment in the outpatient setting. Case Description: The patient was a 46-year-old African American female who presented to skilled outpatient physical therapy seeking to manage her weight in order to improve symptoms related to knee osteoarthritis. After initial evaluation, the patient revealed that she was recently diagnosed with cerebellar atrophy due to complications from alcohol use disorder and previous gastric bypass surgery. Outcome: The Dynamic Gait Index, Activities Balance Confidence Scale, and other functional measures were used to assess patient progress. The patient demonstrated an improvement with some testing, most significantly in dynamic stability, balance confidence, and symptom reduction in both knee pain and dizziness. Discussion: Implementation of a strength and balance protocol may be effective on weight management and symptoms associated with knee osteoarthritis and cerebellar ataxia. However, long term benefits of this protocol are unknown due to the brevity of the study. It remains clear that a patient-centered approach is necessary to achieve individual goals.
Presenter:
Lauren Fleming
Physical Therapy Doctoral Student