College students with shoulder pain who used Kinesio tape showed immediate improvement in pain-free shoulder abduction, according to a recent clinical trial published in the Journal of Orthopedic Sports Physical Therapy.    

Active PT, which involves a high percentage of active exercises, may lead to better clinical outcomes and the use of fewer healthcare services for patients with acute lower back pain, according to a recent American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) press release. PT is a low-cost, high-value alternative to medication and surgery, according to the APTA.    

The APTA concurred with the findings of a recent study published in Spine, which showed that lower-back pain patients who received active PT used fewer prescription medications, inpatient surgical services, and diagnostic procedures than patients who used passive PT, according to the press release. Passive PT was defined as PT that consists of more than 25% of passive treatments, such as ultrasound or electrical stimulation.

Go to HCPro’s Rehab Web page and scroll down to the bottom right corner of the page to add your answer. Last week’s question: Does your facility participate in the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI)? Yes: 33 % No: 67%