At the outset, let me take this opportunity to wish you on behalf of PHYSIOTIMES, a very happy Diwali and a prosperous New Year. May this festival of light brings joy and happiness in your life and bestow you with divine energy to serve the humankind. Contrary to all our previous issue, this focused on a particular health segment, disorder or the role of physiotherapy in different age groups, this special Diwali issue focuses more on the practice issue in physiotherapy. Be it the Evidence Based Practice in PT in Indian context, the role of ethics, the need and understanding for research or the use of technology in the form of clinical software in PT, this issue brings you a myriad of topics relevant to today’s physiotherapist in the private set up.
In an article on “A review of the literature on Evidence-Based Practice Therapy” published in the Internet Journal of Allied Health Science and Practice, it is mentioned that the evolution of EBP in PT correspond with a shift away from traditional models of practice in which uncertainty was seen as a failing. In these traditional models, individual expertise was afforded a high priority and expert clinicians were thought to be those who always “knew what to do”, not those who questioned what they do. The early formulation of EBP discouraged clinical decisions based on individual clinical expertise and physiologic to action. As noted by Sackett et al, clinical expertise must be informed but cannot be replaced by evidence alone. The article further emphasis that Evidence-based practice is not recipe-based. It requires physical therapists to integrate individual clinical experience with an understanding of the rules of evidence and the relevance of these rules to practice. Practitioner must also consider the individual values and needs of the patient and unique circumstances of the clinical environment. Scientific evidence should be used to inform this process, not replace it. Apart from the other regular sections, this issue also features an exclusive interview with Susan B. O’sullivian, who is known for her services to the field of physical therapy for more than 3 decades through her book “Physical Rehabilitation : Assessment and Treatment”. We also welcome and thank Prof. Rusell woodman, a Certified Mulligan Concept teacher from USA, who has shared his expertise in the Healing Hands Section on Manual Therapy and all other authors who have contributed their articles for this issue.
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is one of the most important developments in decades for the helping professions, which includes medicine, nursing, social work, psychology, public health, counseling, and all the other health and human service professions. Evidence-based practice is an outgrowth of evidence-based medicine. Initially, evidence-based medicine was defined as the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual pati... Read More
Though there have been various definitions of evidence based practice, essentially it involves application of best research evidence along with use of clinical expertise keeping in mind the patient’s preferences and concerns in making pertinent clinical decisions.
The move to ‘evidence-based practice’ over the last decade or so has brought with it changes in the way physiotherapy research is conducted and disseminated and changes in the way physiotherapists are exp... Read More
SUSAN B. O'SULLIVAN is a name that needs no introduction to physios across the globe. She has played a pivotal role in standardizing physical Rehabilitation which is now in its 6th Edition
In an email interview with Mukesh nayak , Susan B.O’Sullivan gets candid about her book and shares her thoughts on several aspects of her life and career spanning more than four decades in physical therapy presented are the excerpts from the interview
Read MorePhysiotherapists play a significant role in improving the functional status of patients with neurological disorders. However, there are some neurological diseases and injuries, where despite our best efforts, the patients are still left with severe and incapacitating neurological deficits.It is for this group of patients that there is now a new hope in the form of regenerative medicine using stem cell therapy.The relevance of stem cell therapy to us is that, physiotherapist have a very import... Read More
Healthcare was traditionally considered a noble profession and hence its practitioners were recipients of a great deal of adulation and gratitude. This has evolved into a more equal relationship between practitioners and patients, which has resulted in greater accountability being expected of healthcare professionals.
Until recently, in India, the physician centric model of healthcare was widely accepted. This reduced all other disciplines into ancillary services with the ultimate r... Read More
I welcome the readers of PHYSIOTIMES to ‘The World of Research’ in the field of Physical Therapy. As you may understand, research is an ocean, an ocean built by drops of thought, accumulated over a period of time, to develop into a question. The research question then if deemed eligible for testing, enters the phase of hypothesis. A hypothesis is an abstract collection of thoughts which are yet to be tested for their authenticity.
I m a physical therapist for the l... Read More
Introduction: Measurement in physiotherapy is a dynamic concern. Measurements are inseparable part and embedded in our clinical practice, research methods and academic evaluation. Consider the following scenarios and weigh our clinical and research cognizance.
A first scenario: A p value of p < 0.5 and p< 0.001. Which one is most preferable in our study results? Our joy and sorrow depends respectively on smaller and larger p values found in our statistical analysis of study re... Read More
SNAGS is an acronym for "sustained natural apophyseal glides and is a useful treatment for selected patients with pain eminating from the axial skeleton. In the cervical spine, they are performed in the sitting position. The therapist applies manual pressure with the thumbs to either the spinous process or articular pillar of a specific vertebrae. The pressure is gently applied along the facet joint plain. In the middle and lower cervical joints this would be upwardly i... Read More
As clinical therapists, we often find ourselves frustrated by our patients’ apparent lack of interest in our carefully planned intervention programs. Patients may report that they had yet to start, or even complete any part of their home program. We as therapists then assume that the patients were uninterested, or didn’t have the necessary motivation; or worst of all, simply did not care. Lack of participation on the patent’s part is frustrating to the therapist, and often d... Read More
The body’s natural relaxation response is a powerful antidote to stress. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, and yoga can help one activate this relaxation response. When practiced regularly, these activities lead to a reduction in the everyday stress levels and a boost in the feelings of joy and serenity.
Yoga to me is “Self-discipline”. Yoga is a way of right living. Yoga practices eliminat... Read More
Physiotherapy Software: The New Age Mantra for Transforming your Practice
Computer software is incredibly useful for any kind of business. There are many software packages that can help increase the efficiency of private practice in physiotherapy as well. Such software can increase patient satisfaction as well as increase practice revenues. This article discusses in brief about two types of software that are especially useful for physiotherapy clinics. Physiotherapy Billing (PT Bill... Read More
Physiotherapy is still in infancy stage with least evidence for the PT Interventions given cultural and socio-economic difference in India and therefore following the evidence from western culture might not always provide best treatment options. Hence PT research is critical to address these issues and gain respected status in the health care system
Read MoreEvidence-based practice has become a central part of modern physiotherapy, but the questions of what evidence-based practice means in the day-to-day clinical setting and what constitutes evidence are too often open to interpretation. The author of practical evidence-based physiotherapy interrogate the terminology and concepts of evidence-based practice drawing on their extensive experience and their international perspectives.
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