Article by UNE alumnus and faculty member on stroke rehabilitation and substance use disorders published in international journal

Morgan Costa, PT, D.P.T. (’18), recently published an article in the International Journal of Nursing and Health Care Research along with Amy Litterini, PT, D.P.T., assistant clinical professor in UNE’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program.

Costa and Litterini documented physical therapy (PT) rehabilitation in a patient post-stroke who concurrently had substance use disorders (SUD) and psychiatric disorders.

Strokes are the leading cause of adult disability and the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. Individuals with SUD have a 6.5 times increased risk of stroke.

Considering the frequency of strokes in the general population and the increasing epidemic of SUD in our society, there is very little available information on the combination of the conditions.

The patient studied was a 56-year-old male who had a right frontal lobe middle cerebral artery stroke. His PT plan of care focused on evaluation and treatment of his impaired strength and functional mobility, and gait training over a three-week timeframe.

Following a task-oriented approach to rehabilitation, the patient demonstrated improved lower extremity strength, balance and functional mobility, which translated to increased independence and access to his environment. Future research is needed to address PT management of patients with stroke combined with SUD and psychiatric disorders.

The article, titled, “Stroke Rehabilitation for a Patient with Substance Use and Psychiatric Disorders: A Case Report,” was developed as a result of D.P.T. coursework at UNE.