Understanding the relationships among pathology, impairments, functional limitations, and perceived disability is fundamental to the prevention or reduction of disability. The presence of functional limitations may or may not lead to loss of independence and result in disability. Take, for example, a relatively inactive person with long-standing osteoarthritis of the knees. The inability to get […]

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) […]

Regardless of the type of therapeutic exercise interventions in a patient’s exercise program, safety is a fundamental consideration in every aspect of the program whether the exercises are performed independently or under a therapist’s supervision. Patient safety, of course, is paramount; nonetheless, the safety of the therapist must also be considered, […]

Therapeutic exercise procedures embody a wide variety of activities, actions, and techniques. The techniques selected for an individualized therapeutic exercise program are based on a therapist’s determination of the underlying cause or causes of a patient’s impairments, functional limitations, or disability.The types of therapeutic exercise interventions presented here are listed below. Additional […]

Almost everyone, regardless of age, values the ability to function as independently as possible during everyday life. Health-care consumers (patients and clients) typically seek out or are referred for physical therapy services because of physical impairments associated with movement disorders caused by injury, disease, or health-related conditions that interfere with […]