MTAP Publications and Presentations
Full-Text Referred Articles
MTAP Research Papers:
1. Development and Reliability Testing of Spanish Language and English Language Versions of the Multidimensional Task Ability Profile.
Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the: (1) test-retest reliability of the English and Spanish language versions of the Multidimensional Task Ability Profile (MTAP), (2) cross-cultural adaptation of the Spanish language version of the MTAP, and (3) practicality of both versions in terms of time required for administration. The MTAP is a patient-reported outcome measure of physical function that uses a combination of text and pictorial illustrations. Methods An observational study was conducted with a convenience sample of patients with musculoskeletal disorders from three outpatient physical rehabilitation centers. Participants (n = 110) completed the MTAP two times, whereby the second test was completed 24-72 h after the first test. Focus groups were conducted at the end of the study. Correlation analyses were used to assess test-retest reliability and qualitative analyses were used to assess cultural adaptation of the MTAP. Results The English and Spanish versions of the MTAP displayed good test-retest reliability (ICC 2,1 = 0.87-0.97, p < 0.05). Qualitative analyses demonstrated adequate cross-cultural adaptation of the Spanish language version of the instrument. Conclusions The findings of this study indicate that the MTAP has been adequately adapted from its original English version for use with Spanish-speaking individuals. The MTAP in its current form of 50 items is reliable when administered to individuals with musculoskeletal disorders in either English or Spanish.
2. Matheson LN. History, design characteristics, and uses of the pictorial activity and task sorts. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 2004;14(3):175-95.
Abstract: Development of the Pictorial Activity and Task Sort (PATS) technology in the field of Occupational Rehabilitation is described. The history of several PATS measures is traced, and each measure is briefly described. The use of these measures to efficiently collect data in functional capacity evaluation and to provide guidance in occupational rehabilitation is briefly described. Key design characteristics are presented and several recommendations are provided for future development of PATS.
3. Mayer JM, Mooney V, Matheson LN, Leggett S, Verna JL, Balourdas G, DeFilippo G. The reliability and validity of a new computerized pictorial activity and task sort. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 2005;15(2):185-95.
Abstract: Development of a new pictorial activity and task sort and examination of its reliability and validity is described. The Multidimensional Task Ability Profile (MTAP) is the latest in a series of measures that use a combination of drawings and task descriptions in a self-report format to assess functional capacity. The MTAP is found to be reliable on a test-retest and split-half basis. The concurrent validity of the MTAP was examined in performance testing of lift capacity. Results demonstrate that the MTAP has good concurrent validity.
4. Mayer JM, Ralph L, Look M, Erasala GN, Verna JL, Matheson LN, Mooney V. Treating acute low back pain with continuous low-level heat wrap therapy and/or exercise: A randomized controlled trial. The Spine Journal 2005;5(4):395-403.
Abstract: BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Restorative exercise and palliative modalities are frequently used together for the treatment of acute low back pain. However, little is known about the effects of combining these treatments. PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of combining continuous low-level heat wrap therapy with directional preference-based exercise on the functional ability of patients with acute low back pain. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at three outpatient medical facilities. PATIENT SAMPLE: One hundred individuals (age 31.2+/-10.6 years) with low back pain of less than 3 months duration. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was functional ability assessed by the Multidimensional Task Ability Profile questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were disability assessed by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and pain relief assessed by a 6-point verbal rating scale. METHODS: Participants were randomized to one of four groups: Heat wrap therapy alone (heat wrap, n=25); directional preference-based exercise alone (exercise, n=25); combination of heat wrap therapy and exercise (heat+exercise, n=24); or control (booklet, n=26). Treatment was administered for five consecutive days and included four visits to the study center over 1 week. RESULTS: At 2 days after the conclusion of treatment (Day 7), functional improvement for heat+exercise was 84%, 95%, and 175% greater than heat wrap, exercise, and booklet, respectively (p<.05). Seventy-two percent of the subjects in the heat+exercise group demonstrated a return to pre-injury function compared with 20%, 20%, and 19% for heat wrap, exercise, and booklet, respectively (p<.05). Disability reduction for heat+exercise was 93%, 139%, and 400% greater than heat wrap, exercise, and booklet, respectively (p<.05). Pain relief for heat+exercise was 70% and 143% greater than exercise and booklet, respectively (p<.05). CONCLUSIONS: Combining continuous low-level heat wrap therapy with directional preference-based exercise during the treatment of acute low back pain significantly improves functional outcomes compared with either intervention alone or control. Either intervention alone tends to be more effective than control.
5. Mayer JM, Mooney V, Matheson LN, Erasala GN, Verna JL, Udermann BE, Leggett S. Continuous low-level heat wrap therapy for the prevention and treatment of delayed onset muscle soreness of the low back muscles Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2006;10.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of continuous low-level heat wrap therapy for the prevention and early phase treatment (ie, 0-48 h postexercise) of delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) of the low back. DESIGN: Two prospective randomized controlled trials. SETTING: Outpatient medical facility. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-seven subjects asymptomatic of back pain and in good general health (mean age, 23.5+/-6.6 y). INTERVENTIONS: Participants performed vigorous eccentric exercise to experimentally induce low back DOMS. Participants were assigned to 1 of 2 substudies (prevention and treatment) and randomized to 1 of 2 treatment groups within each substudy: prevention study (heat wrap, n=17; control [nontarget muscle stretch], n=18) and treatment study (heat wrap, n=16; cold pack, n=16). Interventions were administered 4 hours before and 4 hours after exercise in the prevention study and between hours 18 to 42 postexercise in the treatment study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To coincide with the expected occurrence of peak symptoms related to exercise-induced low back DOMS, hour 24 postexercise was considered primary. Pain intensity (prevention) and pain relief (treatment) were primary measures, and self-reported physical function and disability were secondary measures. RESULTS: In the prevention study, at hour 24 postexercise, pain intensity, disability, and deficits in self-reported physical function in subjects with the heat wrap were reduced by 47% (P<.001), 52.3% (P=.029), and 45% (P=.013), respectively, compared with the control group. At hour 24 in the treatment study, postexercise, pain relief with the heat wrap was 138% greater (P=.026) than with the cold pack; there were no differences between the groups in changes in self-reported physical function and disability. CONCLUSIONS: In this small study, continuous low-level heat wrap therapy was of significant benefit in the prevention and early phase treatment of low back DOMS.
6. Matheson L, Mayer JM, Mooney V, Sarkin A, Dreisinger T, Verna J, Leggett S. A method to provide a more efficient and reliable measure of self-report physical work capacity for patients with spinal pain. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 2008;18(1):46-57.
Abstract: Self-report measures of functional ability are commonly used in occupational rehabilitation to measure the current status of an individual and his or her progress in response to intervention. Most of these measures have been developed using classical test theory that does not provide calibration of the items. Methods of test development that originated in the field of Education have been applied recently to healthcare measures, providing item calibration and allowing proportional evaluation of total scores. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the application of these methods in the revision of an existing self-report measure. The potential value of these methods to improve established measures is demonstrated.
7. Mooney V, Matheson L, Verna J, Leggett S, Dreisinger T, Mayer J. Performance-integrated self-report measurement of physical ability. The Spine Journal 10 (2010) 433–440.
Abstract: The technology of self-report measures has advanced rapidly over the past few years. Recently, this technology was used to develop a performance-integrated self- report measure for use with patients with musculoskeletal impairments that may lead to work disability. Psychometric studies of the new measure in patient populations have been successful. A validation study of the measure with adults in good general health is necessary. The purpose of this study was to assess the concurrent validity of a new performance-integrated self-report measure, the multidimensional task ability profile (MTAP). The MTAP displayed good concurrent validity compared with actual physical performance as assessed by the EPIC Lift Capacity test. Modern performance-integrated self-report measures, such as the MTAP, have the potential to provide information about functional capacity that is sufficiently useful to confirm status and help guide treatment algorithms.
Graduate Thesis/Dissertation
- Luders C. Responsiveness and factor structure of the Multidimensional Task Ability Profile. Thesis – Master of Science (committee: Levy S, Yaggie J, Pozos R, Mayer J). San Diego State University, 2005.
- Varghese J. The use of the Multidimensional Task Ability Profile as a functional outcome measure in the management of spinal disorders. Thesis – Master of Physical therapy (committee: Skinner M, Johnson GM, Mayer J). University of Otago, New Zealand, 2006.
Book Chapters:
- Mooney V, Verna JL, Morris CE. Management of chronic, disabling low back syndromes. in Low Back Syndromes. Integrated Clinical Management, Morris CE (ed), McGraw-Hill, NY, 2006.
- Mooney V. Effective rehabilitation of lumbar and pelvic pain. in Management of Lumbar and Pelvic Pain, 2007.
Presentations:
- Mooney V, Mayer JM. The Multidimensional Task Ability Profile. Invited speaker at the Disability and Impairments Committee, International Association of Industrial Accidents Boards and Commissions Annual Convention, Detroit, MI, September, 2002.
- Mayer JM, Mooney V, Verna JL, Matheson LN. Reliability and validity of the Multidimensional Task Ability Profile. Poster presentation at the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine Conference, Vancouver, AB Canada, May 2003.
- Mayer JM, Mooney V, Verna JL, Udermann BE, Matheson LN. Reliability and validity of the Multidimensional Task Ability Profile. Poster presentation at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, May 2003.
- Mooney V. Can disability be objectively measured without physical testing? Podium presentation at the American Orthopaedic Association Annual Convention, Charleston, SC, June 2003.
- Mayer JM. Assessment of perceived functional ability. Invited speaker at the American Kinesiotherapy Association Annual Conference, San Diego, CA, July 2003.
- Mayer JM, Mooney V, Delar-Higgins D. Development of a computerized measure of perceived ability. Poster presentation at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, October 2003.
- Mooney V. Can true function and disability be measured by a single test? Invited speaker at the American Academy of Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery and Medicine Fourth Global Congress, Thousand Oaks, CA, November 2003.
- Mooney V. (MTAP discussed during podium presentation). Personal Injury Conference, Alaska cruise, August 2004.
- Mooney V. (MTAP discussed during podium presentation). Western Occupational Medicine Society Conference, Las Vegas, September 2004.
- Mayer JM, Mooney V, Verna JL, Logan S, Stiles B, Matheson LN. Continuous low-level heat wrap therapy for the prevention and treatment of delayed onset muscle soreness of the low back muscles. Podium presentation at the World Congress of Family Doctors, Orlando, FL, October 2004.
- Mooney V. (MTAP discussed during podium presentation). Low Back and Pelvic Pain Symposium, Melbourne, November 2004.
- Mooney V, Mayer J. Can exercise be made more effective with passive modalities? Poster presentation at the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine Conference, New York, May 2005.
- Mayer J, Mooney V. Assessing functional outcomes with a new self-report instrument: The Multidimensional Task Ability Profile. Poster presentation at the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine Conference, New York, May 2005.
- Mayer JM, Mooney V, Verna JL, Ralph L, Look M, Logan S, Matheson LN. Continuous low-level heat wrap therapy alone and combined with active exercise for acute low back pain: Effect on functional ability. Poster presentation at the McKenzie International Conference, Crete, 2005.
- Mayer JM, Udermann BE, San Juan J, Logan S, Delar-Higgins D, Verna JL, Mooney V (Sponsor: T Dreisinger, FACSM). Improvements in self-reported functional ability of patients with musculoskeletal complaints following a restorative exercise program. Poster presentation at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, Nashville TN, June 2005.
- Mooney V, Mayer JM, Verna JL, Matheson LN. Improvements in self-reported functional ability following an exercise program for spinal disorders. Podium presentation at North American Spine Society Conference, Philadelphia, October 2005.
- Bourne LL, Johnson GM, Skinner MA. A computer based tool to measure perceptions of functional work capacity in rheumatoid arthritis. Podium presentation at the New Zealand Society of Physiotherapists National Conference, May 2006.
- Mayer JM, Ahlff C, Mooney V, Verna JL, Levy S, Yaggie J, Udermann BE. Factor structure of a self-report measure of functional ability. Poster presentation at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, Denver CO, June 2006.
- Mayer JM, Mooney V, Verna JL, Matheson LN. How do you know when a patient is better? Poster presentation at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, September 2006.
- Akbarnia B, Mayer J, Bagheri R, Mooney V, Kostial P, Chen T, Hsu V. A novel instrument to assess outcomes of spinal fusion surgery. E-poster presentation at the International Meeting on Advanced Spinal Techniques (IMAST) 2007.
- Matheson L, Sarkin A, Mayer J, Mooney V, Verna J, Leggett S. Calibration Of The Difficulty Of Work Activities And Activities Of Daily Living For Patients With Spinal Pain. E-poster presentation at the North American Spine Society, Austin TX, September 2007.
- Mooney V, Mayer J, Akbarnia B, Bagheri R. How and when do you measure clinical benefit after lumbar fusion surgery? Podium presentation at the World Congress on Low Back and Pelvic Pain November 2007, Barcelona, Spain.