PTJ: Journal of APTA

linkedin.comPTJ Researcher Interviews: What is the most important research question we need to answer in the next decade to move our profession forward? | PTJ: Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal❓ We asked PT researchers: What is the single most question we need to answer in the next decade to move our profession forward? Here's what they had to say: Joshua Johnson Dawn Magnusson Daniel You...

18 Feb

❓ We asked PT researchers at #APTACSM: What is the single most question we need to answer in the next decade to move our profession forward? Here's what they had to say: www.linkedin.com/posts/ptjour... #PhysioSky #PTSky #Research

academic.oup.comEffects of Non-surgical Interventions on Standing Posture and Pain in Children with Flexible Flatfoot: A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled TrialsAbstractImportance. Pediatric flexible flatfoot (PFF) is a common condition affecting children's foot biomechanics. While various conservative treatments e

27 Apr

🦶 This recent #MetaAnalysis of 11 randomized controlled trials found that both active exercise-based and orthotic interventions demonstrated beneficial effects for children with flexible #flatfoot: academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

academic.oup.comMotor and Cognitive Profiles in Children Who Are Three to Six Years Old and Have Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental DisabilitiesAbstractImportance. The debate on whether different motor and cognitive profiles of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) reflect distinct patterns

22 Apr

🚼 A new study in #PTJournal found that children with #Autism Spectrum Disorder have distinct motor and cognitive profiles compared to children with intellectual disability. academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

academic.oup.comEarly Mobilization in Patients With Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Haemorrhage: A Prospective Observational StudyABSTRACTImportance. Patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrrhage (aSAH) represent a cohort with limited evidence to guide mobilization practices.Obje

20 Apr

🧠 🏥 This study fills an important gap in the evidence on early mobilization for patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in the #ICU after aneurysm repair: academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

academic.oup.comComplexities of Shared Decision-Making in Home Care Physical Therapy: A Mixed Methods StudyAbstractImportance. Shared decision-making (SDM) appears underutilized in physical therapy despite its potential benefits. Information regarding how SDM oc

17 Apr

🏠🤝Shared decision-making in #HomeCare physical therapy is complex. This article provides strategies for improving shared decision-making based on a mixed methods study of surveys and interviews representing over 200 home care therapists: academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

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9 Apr

Our full March issue is now available, with an editorial that's sure to hit a home run with researchers and clinicians alike ⚾ academic.oup.com/ptj/article/...

7 Apr

📝 An important topic for all researchers and clinicians: this new perspective piece tackles the reporting gap around the intervention fidelity process in #rehabilitation #research. academic.oup.com/ptj/article/...

3 Apr

🖋️ Our session from #APTACSM on *Demystifying Peer Review* is available #OnDemand from @aptaofficial.bsky.social through May 6th - here's a video sneak peek from our student lead on what you can expect from the session when you tune in! apta.confex.com/apta/csm2026...

academic.oup.comPrimary Care Provider Attitudes Regarding Physical Therapists Addressing Opioid Use and Opioid Misuse: A Qualitative StudyABSTRACTImportance. Primary care providers (PCPs) manage musculoskeletal (MSK) pain and may prescribe opioids for their patients, presenting risk for opioi

31 Mar

💊 The objective of this new #qualitative study was to explore primary care providers' attitudes regarding physical therapists’ role in identifying and mitigating #opioid risk and opioid misuse. Read more: academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

academic.oup.comOrganizational Barriers and Enablers of Adult Mobility in General Acute Hospital Units: A Scoping ReviewAbstractImportance. An improved understanding of the organizational influences on adult in-hospital mobility is essential to develop and sustain interventi

27 Mar

🏥 This new scoping review maps contemporary evidence about organizational #barriers and #enablers of #mobility in hospital units, the participants reporting these barriers and enablers, and how mobility was defined: academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

academic.oup.comFunctional Classification of Hemiparetic Gait Based on Paretic Leg Extension Angle and Gastrocnemius Muscle ActivityAbstractImportance. Hemiparetic gait after stroke shows substantial individual variability, and understanding its biomechanical determinants is essential f

25 Mar

🧠 🚶‍♀️‍➡️ Using leg extension angle and gastrocnemius activity, this study classifed hemiparetic gait into 4 patterns, and these patterns were associated with differences in walking ability. academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

25 Mar

💡 This functional classification framework may help clinicians identify key biomechanical targets and support the design of individualized rehabilitation strategies after stroke

apta.orgPTJ Author Interview: Empathetic Communication by Physical TherapistsTogether we are building a community that advances the profession of physical therapy to improve the health of society.

🤔 Did you know you can subscribe to @aptaofficial.bsky.social podcasts on your favorite streaming service? You'll never miss another #PTJournal author interview again! www.apta.org/apta-and-you...

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👂The study found that consistently responding to patients’ emotional cues was associated with lower pain intensity: academic.oup.com/ptj/article/...

🫶 George and Monroe discuss what empathy looks like during physical therapy visits, why there might be variability in empathetic communication, and why empathy’s influence might take time to appear in patient encounters.

apta.orgPTJ Author Interview: Empathetic Communication by Physical TherapistsTogether we are building a community that advances the profession of physical therapy to improve the health of society.

🤔 Did you know you can subscribe to @aptaofficial.bsky.social podcasts on your favorite streaming service? You'll never miss another #PTJournal author interview again! www.apta.org/apta-and-you...

🎙️ In our February episode of the PTJ Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Steven George, PT, PhD, FAPTA, talks with Katrina Monroe, PT, PhD, about her recently published study, which tracked physical therapist-patient conversations over a six-week care period.

academic.oup.comCueing-Assisted Gamified Augmented-Reality Home Rehabilitation for Gait and Balance in People With Parkinson Disease: Feasibility and Effectiveness in the Clinical PathwayAbstractImportance. Physical therapy is moving toward digitally supported, independent, home-based care to improve therapy accessibility and adherence.Obje

16 Mar

🧠 Implementing augmented reality (AR) rehabilitation technologies in real-world clinical practice for individuals with #Parkinson Disease 🎮 academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

16 Mar

This trial found that AR is feasible and offers a safe and scalable way for individuals to train independently, potentially improving accessibility of care and broadening its use to physical activity promotion.

academic.oup.comAddressing Loneliness Through Movement and Connection in Physical Therapy PracticeDavy Vancampfort, PT, PhD, Ryan L McGrath, PT, PhD, Brendon Stubbs, PT, PhD; Addressing Loneliness Through Movement and Connection in Physical Therapy Prac

12 Mar

🤝 Physical therapy's role in the #loneliness epidemic is the topic of this new #POV in #PTJournal. Authors argue that addressing loneliness within physical therapy is not an expansion beyond scope but a vital deepening of the profession’s commitment to holistic, person-centered care.

academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-... academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

12 Mar

academic.oup.comPsychological Mediators in Chronic Spinal Pain After Fully Remote Digital Rehabilitation: A Real-World, Large-Sample StudyABSTRACTImportance. Psychological factors are associated with chronic spinal pain, yet their mediating role in postrehabilitation recovery remains poorly u

9 Mar

📱Changes in fear-avoidance, depression, and anxiety mediate pain recovery after fully-remote digital rehabilitation for chronic spinal pain. Findings underscore the importance of addressing psychological factors in digital care. academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

academic.oup.comFrom theory to practice: A mixed-method evaluation of a program to implement high-intensity rehabilitation in skilled nursing facilitiesAbstractImportance. Implementing evidence-based dosing of rehabilitation in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) is essential to improve functional outcomes i

3 Mar

🔥 High-intensity rehabilitation in #SkilledNursingFacilities is feasible and effective. academic.oup.com/ptj/article-...

3 Mar

🧰 Now, this article provides a comprehensive mixed-methods evaluation of a SNF high-intensity rehabilitation program across implementation, adoption, process, and clinician knowledge and self-efficacy outcomes.

3 Mar

🗺️ This is an excellent road map for understanding what program factors can assist with adoption and sustainable integration of high-intensity rehabilitation into clinical practice in SNFs.

academic.oup.comPhysical Therapy and Occupational Therapy in Acute Care: Association of Timing and Frequency With 30-Day Readmission After Ischemic StrokeABSTRACTImportance. Reducing 30-day hospital readmission rates after ischemic stroke is a national priority, yet optimal rehabilitation service delivery st

27 Feb

🏥 🧠 In this study of over 1500 patients hospitalized after #stroke, early physical therapist treatment and frequent occupational therapy sessions were associated with reduced 30-day #readmission risk for patients discharged home. academic.oup.com/ptj/article-...

academic.oup.comPredictors of Functional Recovery in Individuals Exposed to Late-Stage Exercise Programs After Total Knee Replacement: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled TrialABSTRACTImportance. Total knee replacement (TKR) is common for advanced cartilage degeneration. Often, functional limitations persist, and late-stage exerc

25 Feb

🦵 For patients receiving treatment over 6 months after #TotalKnee replacement, this study identified factors associated with functional recovery: academic.oup.com/ptj/article/...

19 Feb

Capacity and cultural challenges contribute to indirect #depression screening practices for people with #LowBackPain in musculoskeletal triage. academic.oup.com/ptj/article/...

19 Feb

Proposed solutions from this study set the stage for future implementation research so that depression screening becomes equivalent to red flag screening. 🚨

13 Feb

🤝 Meet members of our #PTJournal editorial team! This week at #APTACSM our student lead Priscilla Meza from @uwrehabmed.bsky.social interviewed researchers about their advice for students and their hopes for the future of #PTresearch. Stay tuned to hear more and thanks to our interviewees!

ptpintcast.comHow Peer Review Actually Works (And Why You Should Care)????️ GUESTS:Dawn Magnusson & Rachel Prusynski – PTJ Editorial Team???? EPISODE SUMMARY:Is peer review really that scary? This special CSM 2026 preview pulls back …

10 Feb

🎙️ Our Associate Editors recorded a recent episode of #PTPintcast to discuss our upcoming #APTACSM session "Behind the Red Ink: Demystifying Peer Review and Empowering Emerging Scholars" 🖋️ Check out the episode and join us on Friday at 10:30 AM! www.ptpintcast.com/how-peer-rev...

linkedin.comPTJ at APTA Combined Sections MeetingThe American Physical Therapy Association's Combined Sections Meeting begins February 12th in Anaheim, California. The Editorial Board of PTJ: Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal, the official j...

5 Feb

🔜 We're just a week out from #APTACSM - check out our list of #PTResearch presentations across a diverse set of topics from our editorial team: www.linkedin.com/pulse/ptj-ap...

academic.oup.comMore Frequent Empathic Communication by Physical Therapists Is Associated With Improved Outcomes for Low-Impact Chronic PainAbstractImportance. Empathic communication is recommended in chronic pain management, yet few studies have examined the role of provider communication on t

3 Feb

🗣️ #Empathy Matters: this study found that more frequent empathic communication from #PhysicalTherapists is associated with lower patient-reported pain intensity and interference, along with larger and more rapid decreases in pain intensity over time: academic.oup.com/ptj/article/...

29 Jan

🗓️Put #PTJournal on your #APTACSM dance card! A complete list of platform and education sessions from our editorial board members can be found here: www.linkedin.com/pulse/ptj-ap...

academic.oup.comDefining and Categorizing Low-Value Physical Therapy Referral Waste in Acute Care: An Administrative Case ReportAbstractImportance. Hospitals can follow the steps outlined in this administrative case report to identify and address potential overutilization waste.Obje

28 Jan

🏥 Acute care PT can optimize patient discharge, but overutilization leads to healthcare waste. This case report shows how tracking low-value referrals can redirect resources to where they are needed most. academic.oup.com/ptj/article/... #PhysicalTherapy #PatientCare #Efficiency

academic.oup.comThe Relationship Between Postural Control and Fundamental Movement Skills in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder, Mild Cerebral Palsy, and Typical DevelopmentAbstractImportance. Impaired fundamental movement skills are prevalent among children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and mild cerebral pals

26 Jan

New in #PTJournal: a study of 127 children aimed to determine the extent to which postural control contributes to fundamental movement skill performance in children with developmental coordination disorder, mild #CerebralPalsy, and with typical development. academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

academic.oup.comAmerican Physical Therapy Association Clinical Practice Guideline Facilitated Shared Decision Making for Patients With Low Back Pain: Feasibility and Acceptability in Outpatient Physical TherapyABSTRACTImportance. The feasibility and acceptability of integrating shared decision making (SDM) for patients receiving physical therapy for low back pain

24 Jan

🤝 This pilot feasibility study explored integrating shared decision making for intervention selection in patients receiving physical therapy for low back pain: academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

academic.oup.comTrends in Rehabilitation Insurance Benefit Exhaustion Among Older Adults in the United States and Associations With Racial IdentityABSTRACTImportance. Rehabilitation supports independence for older adults with disability, but access is often unequal. One potential driver is insurance c

22 Jan

🛑 In 2022, nearly 1.7 million older adults—about 1 in 4 rehab users—had to stop therapy because insurance ran out. Black older adults were disproportionately affected, and #inequities have widened over time. academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

academic.oup.comUnderstanding Patient and Care Partner Experiences With Rehabilitation After Hospitalization for Advanced Heart Failure: “I Was Thinking I’d Just Be Like I Was Before I Got This”AbstractImportance. Advanced Heart failure (HF) is a life-limiting condition that frequently necessitates hospitalization and subsequent post-acute rehabil

13 Jan

🫀 Patients and care partners share their experiences with rehabilitation after hospitalization for advanced #HeartFailure in this new qualitative study now out in #PTJournal: academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

academic.oup.comAssociation Between Timing of Out-of-Bed Mobilization and Functional Outcomes at Intensive Care Unit Discharge in Patients With COVID-19: An Analysis of Potential Clinical Reference PointsABSTRACTImportance. In patients who are critically ill, functional dependence and muscle weakness may be influenced by side effects related to the timing o

12 Jan

🏥 🫁 In this study of patients with #COVID19 in admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, authors examined relationships between the timing of initiating out-of-bed mobilization and relationships between developing functional dependence and muscle weakness. #ICURehab academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

academic.oup.comPhysical Therapist Interventions for People with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Across Disease Stages: A Systematic Review of EfficacyAbstractImportance. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease causing declines in muscular strength that affect respir

9 Jan

📚 A new systematic review in #PTJournal found that 🏋️‍♀️ multicomponent exercise & 🫁 breathing therapies may help people with ALS in early stages. More high-quality research is needed across all stages. #ALS #PhysicalTherapy #RehabResearch academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

linkedin.comPneumothorax After Dry Needling of Intrascapular Muscles Using a Rib Bracketing Technique: Insights From the Clinician, Patient, and Clinical Expert | PTJ: Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journa...🎉 To celebrate #NYE, 🪩 here are the top 5️⃣ most popular articles on #LinkedIn from PTJ: Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal in 2025: 🥇 Case report on pneumothorax after #DryNeedling from Paul ...

31 Dec 2025

🎆Happy new year! Don't miss🏅our top 5 most popular articles on LinkedIn. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/... #NYE

31 Dec 2025

Sending many thanks to all the researchers, authors, podcast listeners, reviewers, editorial board members, peer review lab attendees, and especially our readers who engaged with us in 2025!

31 Dec 2025

We are grateful to those that helped the #PTJournal team achieve our goal to publish innovative and highly relevant content for both clinicians and scientists, with the expressed purpose of improving patient care. #PhysioSky #PTSky

23 Dec 2025

🎮 A new article in #PTJournal brings virtual reality games and 360-degree treadmills to chronic stroke rehab: 🧠 academic.oup.com/ptj/article/...

apta.orgPodcast | PTJ Author Interview: Development and Validation of the PT-PENCILTogether we are building a community that advances the profession of physical therapy to improve the health of society.

19 Dec 2025

🏥 #AcuteCare PTs: this podcast is for you! 💬 We chat with authors of recently published #PTJournal article on the development and validation of the Physical Therapy Frequency Clinical Decision Support Tool, aka PT-PENCIL. ✏️

19 Dec 2025

The PT-PENCIL tool identifies which patients are most likely to benefit from daily physical therapy to be discharged home from the hospital. Learn more: www.apta.org/apta-and-you...

academic.oup.comDoes Treating Low Back Pain With Therapeutic Exercise Reduce the Risk of Subsequent Lower Extremity Injury? A Population-Level Cohort AnalysisAbstractImportance. The trunk and lower extremities are the most common locations for injury in the military, but they are managed as isolated regions. Thi

18 Dec 2025

A new study of patients with #LowBackPain in the Military Health System found that treatment with therapeutic exercise lowered the risk of subsequent lower extremity injury: academic.oup.com/ptj/article/...

academic.oup.comMostly Mothers, Many Others: Comparing Caregiver Attendance and Missed Treatment Hours in Pediatric Physical Therapy for Children With Cerebral PalsyAbstractImportance. Cerebral palsy is a prevalent childhood motor disability which necessitates frequent outpatient physical therapy. Medical appointments

17 Dec 2025

👨‍👦 Mothers are the primary caregiver attending physical therapy visits for their children with #CerebralPalsy. 👩‍🍼 Learn more about which factors were associated with missed physical therapy visits in this new study in #PTJournal: academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...

academic.oup.comPain Catastrophizing Beliefs and Neuropathic Symptoms Are Associated With a Poorer Long-Term Recovery in Chronic Plantar Heel Pain: A Cohort StudyAbstractImportance. Chronic plantar heel pain is common and often recalcitrant yet understanding of modifiable risk factors that influence its trajectory o

11 Dec 2025

What measures are important in explaining why chronic plantar heel pain is slow to resolve? When neuropathic symptoms (painDETECT) and negative pain beliefs (pain catastrophizing) worsen over time, the trajectory of recovery for CPHP is poorer. academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-...