We are Proud to Announce Our February Provider of the Month

Dr. Susan Zapf is an Occupational Therapist and Assistive Technology Professional with over 27 years of experience working with the pediatric population in both private practice and the school-based settings. She is an entrepreneur and is the Owner and Clinical of The Children’s Therapy Center, Inc., a prominent pediatric sensory integration clinic in Houston, Texas. Dr. Zapf is also the Owner and President of Children’s Journey to Shine, Inc, an educational training company that educates healthcare professionals on assistive technology assessment and service delivery and provides therapy services that utilize animals and nature as tools in therapy. Dr. Zapf is the President of Reining Potential of Texas, a non-profit organization that uses the horse in occupational therapy services. Dr. Zapf is adjunct faculty for the Ph.D. Pediatric Science track at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah, and teaches a course on assistive technology. As an occupational therapist, she is passionate about helping children and their families develop skills to reach their full potential and she believes that occupational therapy, assistive technology, and animals can be powerful interventions to assist in this process.

Use of the Interactive Metronome in the Rehab Setting

Prior research utilizing kinematic analysis & functional MRI have shown that Interactive Metronome (IM) training facilitates measurable and statistically significant improvements in golf shot accuracy (distance to the pin) and substantial improvement in performance consistency (Sommer &  Rönnqvist, 2009;  Sommer et al., 2014).  In the present study, 20 professional female golfers from the KLPGA participated in a randomized, controlled study comparing the effect of IM training (35-40 min, twice weekly for 6 weeks) to spending more time playing the game of golf (increasing golf playing time by an additional 35-40 min twice weekly for 6 weeks).  The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of IM on swing speed during putting, which was specifically executed at a distance of 2-5m, which has been previously determined to set apart elite golfers who achieve a par or birdie compared to those that demonstrate only about a 10% success rate (Pelz, 2000). Golf putting movements and brain activity were analyzed using Kinovea Software and resting-state functional MRI (fMRI). Performance variability (or consistency) was measured as the standard deviation of mean swing speed (SSD) during 3 sections of the swing: backswing, backswing-impact, and impact-finish.

New Reseach! Published in Human Movement Science!

Prior research utilizing kinematic analysis & functional MRI have shown that Interactive Metronome (IM) training facilitates measurable and statistically significant improvements in golf shot accuracy (distance to the pin) and substantial improvement in performance consistency (Sommer &  Rönnqvist, 2009;  Sommer et al., 2014).  In the present study, 20 professional female golfers from the KLPGA participated in a randomized, controlled study comparing the effect of IM training (35-40 min, twice weekly for 6 weeks) to spending more time playing the game of golf (increasing golf playing time by an additional 35-40 min twice weekly for 6 weeks).  The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of IM on swing speed during putting, which was specifically executed at a distance of 2-5m, which has been previously determined to set apart elite golfers who achieve a par or birdie compared to those that demonstrate only about a 10% success rate (Pelz, 2000). Golf putting movements and brain activity were analyzed using Kinovea Software and resting-state functional MRI (fMRI). Performance variability (or consistency) was measured as the standard deviation of mean swing speed (SSD) during 3 sections of the swing: backswing, backswing-impact, and impact-finish.

May Provider of the Month- Debbie Flannery

Meet our provider of the month Debbie Flannery owner of LifeFit BrainFit. Debbie now holds a Masters Degree in Health and Fitness, who is also a certified Tai Chi instructor. She has a[...]

November’s Provider of the Month: Dr. Michael Bagnell

It's November and the holidays are upon us. The kids are out of school. It's time for vacation, family gatherings and a new Provider of the Month! This November, we chose a wonderful Chiropractor from Florida, Dr. Michael Bagnell. Dr. Bagnell has been working with pediatric and adult/geriatric clients and those suffering from TBI (traumatic brain injury), dementia, and mood disorders, and we are happy to have him in our network. Check out his story here.

Meet February’s Provider of the Month: Derek Layton

This February, we shine the spotlight on Derek Layton, a wonderful Speech-Language Pathologist who works out of HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Jonesboro, AR. Derek spends his time treating a variety of clients alongside Occupational and Physical Therapists, working to heal the whole mind and body. Check out Derek's story here...

Meet February’s Provider of the Month: Kristen Scheirman

 

Kristen is a SLP from Irving, Texas.  She treats adults with traumatic brain injury and is an active IM provider.  Kristen assisted IM in testing the Fall Risk Reduction coaching program, providing valuable input to make the program as effective as possible.  She has also made impressive gains with her patients with IM, especially with the Fall Risk Reduction coaching program.  Read about her helpful tips and insights, and how the Fall Risk Reduction program is working for her patients.

 

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