Functional limitations, the third component of the disablement model, occur at the level of the whole person. They are the result of impairments and are characterized by the reduced ability of a person to perform actions or components of motor skills in an efficient or typically expected manner. For example, restricted range of motion (impairment) of the shoulder as the result of shoulder pain can limit a person’s ability to reach overhead (functional limitation) while performing, for example, personal grooming or household tasks.

Functional limitations may be physical, social, or psychological in nature. The focus of physical therapy interventions is on the management of limitations of physical functioning while respecting the needs of the whole person and recognizing that social and psychological influences can also limit a person’s ability to function. In addition, the focus must be on those functional limitations that are most important to the patient and those that are or could be directly causing disability. When impairments cause functional limitations, a person’s quality of life may begin to deteriorate. It should also be noted that a single or even several

mild impairments often do not cause loss of function. Evidence suggests that the severity and complexity of impairments must reach a critical level, which is different for each person, before degradation of function begins to occur.

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