Defending the art of physical therapy: Expanding inquiry and crafting culture in support of therapeutic alliance.

The successful practice of physical therapy requires a professional culture that places value on the interpersonal relationships that foster healing, and the face time required to build those relationships. Pressures on current practice are not facilitating this approach. The drive for increased productivity, cost effectiveness and ultimately, profit, are changing the landscape in which we practice.

Association of Physical Inactivity, Weight, Smoking, and Prior Injury on Physical Performance in a Military Setting.

Context:  Although inactivity, being overweight, smoking, and a history of injury are identified as risk factors for poor health and injury, few authors have examined their association on physical performance. Young adults may be more likely to adopt healthier lifestyles if they understand the effect of health behaviors on performance.

Objective:  To determine the association of being overweight, smoking, inactivity, and a history of injury with physical performance.

Modifying the Functional Movement Screen Deep Squat Test: The Effect of Foot and Arm Positional Variations.

The functional movement screen (FMS) was developed as an evaluation tool for assessing the fundamental movement patterns believed to be prerequisites for functional activity. However, some of the FMS component movements, such as the deep overhead squat test (DST), likely represent novel motor challenges on which poor performance might reflect inexperience with the task rather than a movement impairment. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of positional variations on DST scores in a population of young, healthy adults.

Dynamic vs. static-stretching warm up: the effect on power and agility performance.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of a dynamic warm up (DWU) with a static-stretching warm up (SWU) on selected measures of power and agility. Thirty cadets at the United States Military Academy completed the study (14 women and 16 men, ages 18-24 years). On 3 consecutive days, subjects performed 1 of the 2 warm up routines (DWU or SWU) or performed no warm up (NWU).

Risk determination for patients with direct access to physical therapy in military health care facilities.

Study Design: Nonexperimental, retrospective, descriptive design.

Objectives: This study was designed to ascertain whether direct access to physical therapy placed military health care beneficiaries at risk for adverse events related to their management.

Background: Military health care beneficiaries have the option at most US military hospitals and clinics to first enter the health care system through physical therapy by direct access, without referral from another privileged health care provider.

Identification and management of 2 femoral shaft stress injuries.

Study Design: Resident's case problem.

Background: Although femoral shaft stress fractures in the general population are rare, they are more common among endurance athletes and military recruits. Such individuals presenting with a complaint of hip, thigh, or knee pain should raise suspicion for femoral shaft stress injury.