Ronald Schenk Awarded Grant for Physical Therapy Research Study

Ronald Schenk, Associate Professor of Physical Therapy, has been awarded a grant of $5910 toward a research study entitled "The effectiveness of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) in patients who meet the clinical prediction rule for spinal manipulation."

In the United States, lower back pain is the second most common reason for doctor visits and costs to healthcare total more than $100 billion annually. Although there are many interventions available for back pain, few of them have been studied to determine examination findings that will predictably lead to a positive outcome from a specific intervention.

In Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy, patient self-care and empowerment are essential to the management interventions used. Through the use of specific exercises and postural concepts, the patient learns how to manage his or her musculoskeletal pain both on this occasion and for future episodes.

The directional hypothesis of this study is that patients treated through therapeutic exercises according to a direction of preference will demonstrate more favorable outcomes on patient functional questionnaires and in terms of visual analog pain scores as compared to those patients treated through spinal manipulation. Funds will be used toward data collection as well as travel to conferences to disseminate the findings of the research.

For more information, contact Ron Schenk at rschenk@daemen.edu

World of Opportunity Wizard

Wow! Did you know service learning is important on Daemen’s campus?

The Western New York Service Learning Coalition, located on Daemen’s campus serves as a conduit for community organizations seeking service-learning students.

Start Your Journey Now Close