This work explores disability in the cultural context of contemporary Japanese comics. In contrast to Western comics, Japanese manga have permeated the social fabric of Japan to the extent that vast numbers of people read manga on a daily basis. It has, in fact, become such a popular medium for visual communication that the Japanese government and education systems utilize manga as a social acculturation and teaching tool. This multibillion dollar industry is incredibly diverse, and one particularly popular genre is sports manga. However, Inoue Takehiko's award-winning manga series REAL departs from more conventional sports manga, which typically focus on able-bodied characters with sometimes exaggerated superhuman physical abilities, by adopting a more realistic approach to the world of wheelchair basketball and the people who play it. At the same time REAL explores cultural attitudes toward disability in Japanese culture-where disability is at times rendered "invisible" either through accessibility problems or lingering associations of disability and shame. It is therefore extremely significant that manga, a visual medium, is rendering disability visible-the ultimate movement from margin to center. REAL devotes considerable attention to realistically illustrating the lived experiences of its characters both on and off the court. Consequently, the series not only educates readers about wheelchair basketball but also provides compelling insight into Japanese cultural notions about masculinity, family, responsibility, and identity. The basketball players-at first marginalized by their disability-join together in the unity of a sport typically characterized by its "abledness."
Pelvic health physical therapy's primary role in gastroenterology-related care has been primarily viewed as biofeedback therapy of the pelvic floor muscles in the medical literature; however, emerging research suggests that expanding this role toward a whole-body approach may be optimal. Common gastroenterology-related referrals to pelvic health physical therapy include chronic constipation, fecal incontinence, levator ani syndrome, and mixed presentations of those mentioned previously. Many of these common referral diagnoses fall under the umbrella of disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBIs) and have associated impairments involving multiple bodily systems. Pelvic health physical therapists have a robust knowledge of multiple bodily systems and are well-positioned providers for individuals with DGBIs as part of an interdisciplinary team and can incorporate an expanded plan of care outside of direct pelvic floor muscle interventions for best practice. Additional components of a plan of care for individuals with DGBIs that the following article reviews include the incorporation of physical activity and targeting cardiopulmonary measures, mental health considerations, and nutrition-based advice.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.