Physical Therapy and the International Classification of Functioning and Disability

The Orthopedic Section of the APTA (and others, I assume) is attempting to link 'academic physical therapy' - typically viewed as too esoteric - with clinical physical therapy with a new model of describing common conditions seen in physical therapy patients.

The Orthopedic Section has a position statement on the following topic...

Use of the International Classification of Functioning and Disability (ICF) to Develop Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines for Treatment of Common Musculoskeletal Conditions

Joseph Godges, DPT, MA, OCS
Coordinator, ICF-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines

James J. Irrgang, PT, PhD, ATC
Orthopaedic Section President

The details are preliminary but the final goal is to guide physical therapy decision-making.

For example, how should a student physical therapist classify a patient with a physician's diagnosis of 'frozen shoulder? The ICF Shoulder Guidelines can instruct the new graduate how to perform the evaluation and diagnosis.

The ICF Lower Back Pain Guidelines are complicated and focus heavily on classification.

Physical Therapy Diagnosis can do much the same for lower back and lower quarter dysfunction using the SIMPLE system (details at www.SimpleScore.com).

If classification can guide daily treatment decisions then I encourage the new graduate and the 'old school' physical therapist to learn the ICF model.

The SIMPLE (Summary of Impairments of the Lumbar Spine and Extremities) system provides much the same in a more intuitive manner.

Link your measured impairments with the patients' self-reported functional limitations in order to improve your decision making.

More people will get 'more better' if you make it easy for them.

Physical therapy should be simple.