Therapy Dog Intervention Decreases Stress and Increases Arousal in College Students

Clinical Question: What is the effect of CT intervention on the stress and arousal levels of undergraduate students? Clinical Bottom Line: There is Level A–B evidence showing that the use of therapy dogs decreases stress and elevates arousal in female undergraduate students, with little evidence available for other populations.

The Effectiveness of a Psychoeducational Program in Increasing Mental Health Knowledge in Collegiate Athletes: A Critically Appraised Topic

Focused Clinical Question: Does the implementation of a psychoeducational program increase mental health knowledge among collegiate student-athletes? Clinical Bottom Line: There is consistent, limited-quality patient-oriented evidence to suggest that implementation of a psychoeducational program is effective in increasing mental health knowledge in collegiate student-athletes based on the guidelines of the strength of recommendation taxonomy.

Exploring Workload Associated With Learning Foot Core Exercises

Patients and clinicians have expressed frustration when learning or teaching intrinsic foot muscle exercises. However, there is limited information on how patients perceive the workload of an exercise. This study evaluates participants’ perceptions of workload while learning intrinsic foot muscle exercises with or without neuromuscular electric stimulation. Twenty-six individuals completed a 4-week supervised intrinsic foot muscle training program. Thirteen participants utilized neuromuscular electric stimulation during the initial 2 weeks of training. Participant perceptions of workload, measured by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index, revealed decreasing load over 2 weeks and minimal load at 4 weeks. Inclusion of neuromuscular electric stimulation did not affect perception of load of skill acquisition.