Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is a primary goal when applying therapeutic modalities?
What is a primary goal when applying therapeutic modalities?
Which of the following is NOT considered a physical agent in therapeutic modalities?
Which of the following is NOT considered a physical agent in therapeutic modalities?
Which aspect of therapeutic modalities focuses on understanding conditions that might prevent safe application?
Which aspect of therapeutic modalities focuses on understanding conditions that might prevent safe application?
What should therapists avoid when choosing a therapeutic modality?
What should therapists avoid when choosing a therapeutic modality?
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What is a primary purpose of using modalities in physical therapy?
What is a primary purpose of using modalities in physical therapy?
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Which statement best reflects the APTA position on the exclusive use of physical agents?
Which statement best reflects the APTA position on the exclusive use of physical agents?
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What approach encompasses the best available evidence for clinical decisions?
What approach encompasses the best available evidence for clinical decisions?
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Which factor is NOT essential when choosing a modality?
Which factor is NOT essential when choosing a modality?
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Study Notes
Course Information
- Course Title: Therapeutic Modalities
- Course Number: PT8313
- Semester: Spring 2025
- Instructors: Erin Baumann, Emily Blum, Jason Dring
- Content adapted from Dr. Jason Dring
Course Objectives
- Understand the inflammatory response and healing for soft tissue and bony injuries
- Understand pain perception and the body's analgesic mechanisms
- Grasp physical principles of thermal, electrical, acoustic, light, and mechanical modalities
- Understand the physiological responses to modalities
- Safely and effectively apply modalities for pain, limited motion, tissue healing, edema reduction, and muscle weakness/loss of motor performance, using evidence-based practice
Today's Objectives
- Welcome/Course Introduction
- Definition of therapeutic modalities
- Tissue healing
- Pain theory
Grading
- Written Exams (2 x 25% each): 50%
- Quizzes (4 x 2.5% each): 10%
- Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) Assignment: 25%
- Skills Checks (2 x 7.5% each): 15%
- Practical Exam: P/F
Important Dates
- Exam 1: March 3rd
- EBM Assignment Due: April 7th
- Exam 2: April 28th
- Practical Exam: April 24th
- Lab Practical Retakes (if needed): May 3rd
- Open lab sessions: 11:30-12:15 PM on 2/3, 3/24, 4/14
Textbook
- Physical Agents in Rehabilitation by Michelle H. Cameron (Fifth Edition)
- Elsevier
Types of Physical Agents
- Thermal
- Electromagnetic
- Acoustic
- Mechanical
Why Use Modalities?
- Modulate pain
- Control inflammation
- Facilitate tissue healing
- Increase tissue extensibility
- Alter skeletal muscle performance
Modality Use - Important Considerations
- Modalities are a tool in your toolbox
- Need to know indications, application parameters, contraindications, and precautions
- Clinicians should have clear reasons for choosing a modality without biases
- Clinicians should actively question modality use, not just imitate practices for sake of trend or popularity (ie use because "it looks cool")
- Modality use should occur within a safe and open learning environment for discussions.
- Need for testing/retesting to measure outcomes
- Need to know if modality use is a requirement for third-party payers
- Assessments for outcomes: pain (VAS/NPRS), tissue extensibility (goniometry), muscle performance (MMT), edema/girth measurement
Documentation and Use
- Documentation should support the modality's use, showing its necessity
- Example of good documentation: Patient received noxious TENS for pain control (specific parameters noted), post-treatment pain decreased from 8/10 to 6/10.
- Example of poor documentation; Patient received e-stim for 15 minutes.
Contraindications and Precautions
- Contraindications: conditions that make a modality use inadvisable (e.g., demand cardiac pacemaker) or that increase risk of adverse events
- Precautions: patient findings and situations that require further consideration and additional/modified approaches due to patient specific situations/concerns
- Example: pregnant patients (avoid e-stim over abdomen/low back, e-stim ok elsewhere)
Evidence-Based Medicine
- EBM integrates individual clinical expertise with the best available external evidence, acknowledging patient values and expectations.
- Best evidence involves specific questions (PICO), using tools/sources like TRIP databases for high-quality, relevant evidence
Other Considerations for Modality Use
- Clinicians need to consider reasons why a modality might not be appropriate.
- Review medical records and assess patients medically
- Physically screen patients and ask for appropriate follow-up questions
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Description
This quiz covers the introduction to therapeutic modalities, focusing on tissue healing and pain theory. You'll explore the fundamentals of how various modalities aid in recovery from soft tissue and bony injuries. Get ready to engage with key concepts and prepare for deeper learning in physical therapy.
