Best Tools to Use for Hydrotherapy

Are you looking to better utilize hydrotherapy in your physical therapy practice? Hydrotherapy is a great tool for helping patients manage pain, muscle soreness, and other muscular ailments. And when armed with the right equipment and resources, you can make … Continue reading

Occupational Therapy Month 2023

April is Occupational Therapy Month; a time to celebrate, honor and recognize the work of occupational therapy practitioners around the country. Nearly 130,000 people in the U.S. work in this extraordinary profession, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over … Continue reading

Exercises are Strategies. Strategies are Exercises.

Clinicians will often prescribe therapeutic exercises to address various impairments and functional limitations. These exercises are specific in nature to help patients improve strength, range of motion, decrease pain, decrease disability, and improve overall general functional mobility.  Exercises can have … Continue reading

What are the Most Important Questions to Ask During an Initial Interview with a Patient?

The initial interview is probably one of the most important moments of a patient’s episode of care. This is an opportunity for clinicians to learn how to receive prudent information that will help guide them during clinical decision making. The … Continue reading

How to Individualize Pinch Grip Strength Evaluations? The Baseline BIMS Pinch Dynamometer.

Pinch grip strength is an important objective measurement that is generally taken during regular physical examinations of patients presenting with various impairments and functional limitations. Pinch grip strength is important to assess as it allows us to perform everyday tasks … Continue reading

Trouble Measuring with Goniometers? Give These a Try!

Goniometry is important to objectively measure the range of motion of a given patient. This information will help guide clinical decision making and help the clinician develop the most effective plan of care.   However, sometimes it can be difficult to … Continue reading

Treating the Wrist and Hand? Don’t Forget About Proximal Stability!

When we are treating a specific region of the body, we also need to understand how other regions contribute to what the patient is experiencing. This can be true when treating a patient for hand or wrist pathologies.  Sometimes we … Continue reading

Pain Scores. Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

We often will subjectively measure a patient’s pain level to capture what they are currently experiencing.  This can be achieved with obtaining different values including numerical, visual, or even with faces.  Gathering this information is important as it can help … Continue reading

Should Grip Strength Testing Positions be Standardized?

Grip strength testing is an objective measure that is highly utilized among clinicians.  Grip strength testing can tell us a lot about an individual.  However, when we proceed to test these individuals, the question becomes, how should we test them? … Continue reading

Grip Strength: A Prognostic Factor of Dexterity

Clinicians may choose from several objective measures when evaluating an individual for dexterity dysfunction including manual muscle testing, range of motion, special tests, and dexterity tests. All of these will provide valuable information to help guide clinical decision making throughout … Continue reading