Do physical therapists treat pain?

I took this table (my formatting) from Towards a Common Language for Functioning, Disability and Health to illustrate the role physical therapy plays in the ICF framework.

Note that physical therapy is an intervention at the Activity Limitation level of disability.

Most physical therapists would agree that our specific techniques are addressed towards the Impairment (strength, pain, ROM, swelling, etc.) but that our expected outcomes are at the level of the Activity Limitation.

How the ICF levels of disability are linked to three
different levels of intervention

Intervention
Prevention
Health
Condition
Medical treatment
Medical care
Medication
Health promotion
Nutrition
Immunization
Impairment
Medical treatment
Medical care
Medication
Surgery
Prevention of the
development of
further activity
limitations
Activity
Limitation
Assistive devices
Personal assistance
Rehabilitation
therapy
Preventive
rehabilitation
Prevention of the
development of
participation
restrictions
Participation
Restrictions
Accommodations
Public education
Anti-discrimination
law
Universal design
Environmental change
Employment strategies
Accessible services
Universal design
Lobbying for change

There are many ways to assess activity limitations but one of the best clinical ways to assess them is to ask your patient...

"How have you gotten better?"

Then score the patients' response on a 5-point Likert scale: 1 = no difficulty, 5 = cannot do.

Record serial measurements of their activity as you progress them through their physical therapy plan of care.

Remember, pain is an impairment level characteristic.

Physical therapy primarily treats activity limitations.

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Do physical therapists treat pain?

Reviewed by Merlyn Rosell
Published : 2008-10-14T12:40:00-07:00
Rating : 4.5