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In 2014, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) began recommending using the term “biophysical agents” to refer to physical agents and modalities. Also, the APTA Choosing Wisely campaign addressed the use of biophysical agents. Their first recommendation states: “Don’t employ passive physical agents except when necessary to facilitate participation in an active treatment program.”1 They further state that “The use of passive physical agents is not harmful to patients except when they communicate to patients that the passive, instead of active, treatment is appropriate.” These statements highlight the need to give careful consideration to the clinical indications for applying biophysical agents. The purpose of using biophysical agents is to alter pain, improve skeletal muscle activity, and promote tissue healing. The physical therapist assistant (PTA) has several adjunctive interventions at his or her disposal, each of which is determined by the physical therapist’s (PT) intervention goals documented in the POC.
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STUDY PEARL
The APTA policy statement on direction and supervision of the physical therapist assistant reads, “regardless of the setting in which the service is provided, the determination to utilize physical therapist assistants for selected interventions requires the education, expertise and professional judgment of a physical therapist as described by the Standards of Practice, Guide to Professional Conduct and Code of Ethics.”
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