The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has endorsed the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a framework to be integrated into physical therapist practice. The ICF is a universal and inclusive platform for the understanding of health and disability and a comprehensive classification system for describing functioning. The APTA's Guide to Physical Therapist Practice was designed to guide patient management, given the different settings and health conditions that physical therapists encounter in their daily clinical practice. However, physical therapists may be unclear as to how to concretely apply the ICF in their clinical practice and to translate the application in a way that is meaningful to them and to their patients. This perspective article proposes ways to integrate the ICF and the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice to facilitate clinical documentation by physical therapists.

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Isokinetic dynamometers commonly measure muscle strength during conditioning and rehabilitation. Previous studies have shown that stabilization can affect isokinetic torque production. However, the effect of stabilization with hand-grip use has not been examined, and there are inconsistencies in the literature regarding its use. Fifteen men (mean age +/- SD = 24 +/- 3 years, height = 187 +/- 6 cm, mass = 84 +/- 10 kg) and 15 women (age = 25 +/- 4 years, height = 167 +/- 8 cm, mass = 62 +/- 6 kg) were tested on a Cybex 6000 dynamometer. Torque and joint angle signals, as well as quadriceps and hamstrings electromyographic (EMG) signals, were recorded during maximal knee flexion/extension at speeds of 60, 180, and 300 degrees x s(-1). Subjects performed the testing both with (stabilized) and without (nonstabilized with arms folded across the chest) hand-grip use. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant-motion (flexion, extension), X-condition (stabilized, non-stabilized) interaction in the data from the men in which hand-grip stabilization resulted in an 8.4% increase in knee extensor torque vs. a 0.2% increase in knee flexor torque. Stabilization did not significantly affect torque in women. The EMG analyses did not indicate a significant change in either agonist drive or antagonist cocontraction that accounted for the enhanced torque output with hand-grip use. This study found that hand-grip use enhanced knee extension maximal torque in men, but did not affect torque in women. The EMG data did not account for the changes in the torque data. Differences between men and women may have been due to mechanical factors and grip strength. These results indicate that hand-grip use needs to be considered when examining gender differences in knee strength and when studying knee flexion-extension ratios.

Context:Interprofessional education (IPE) creates dynamic experiential learning that can address social determinants of health that influence health outcomes. Objective:To examine the effects of including public health students on IPE teams on the interprofessional practice domain constructs (values/ethics, roles/responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teams and teamwork).Methods: This single-case, mixed-methods study was performed using a grounded theory Conclusion:Inclusion of MPH students on IPE teams has the potential to increase clinical participants' awareness of the influence of social determinants of health and interest in incorporating a biopsychosocial approach to health care.