physical therapy

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently awarded a team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis a five-year, $1.6 million grant to develop a combined treatment option using drug treatment and physical therapy to better restore range of motion following injury.

Gammon Earhart, PhD, a professor in the Program in Physical Therapy at the School of Medicine, works to restore movement to patients with Parkinson’s disease. Arguably her most significant contributions as a researcher have been her studies demonstrating the benefits of tango dancing on patients with Parkinson’s. Freedom of movement, it turns out, has become a theme of sorts for Earhart — professionally and personally.

During winter break, 19 students and two alumnae from the Program in Physical Therapy at the School of Medicine​ traveled throughout Guatemala to help patients who otherwise might not receive physical therapy and other health care. Shown is student Leslie Wallace receiving a kiss from a grateful Guatemalan woman.

Either physical therapy or arthroscopic surgery can relieve pain and improve mobility in patients with a torn meniscus and arthritis in the knee, according to researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and six other centers. But the results are not simple because many of the patients assigned to physical therapy eventually had surgery.

School of Medicine’s Health Happening Fair Feb. 1 gave employees the opportunity to test their grip strength, body composition and gaits, and provided information on an array of services. Pictured is Rob Fitzgerald, an epidemiologist in the Department of Psychiatry, watching as Megan Prouhet, a physical therapy student, programs a device that analyzes body composition.

Michael J. Mueller works to improve movement and physical performance in people affected by different diseases and injuries.

Students in the Program in Occupational Therapy talk with Liz Hanson of MarianJoy at the Occupational Therapy/Physical Therapy Job Fair Feb. 23 at the School of Medicine. More than 200 students from Washington University and eight other schools attended the fair, which featured more than 50 representatives from employers in the two fields.

Shirley Sahrmann, PhD, professor of physical therapy, of neurology and of cell biology and physiology in the School of Medicine, is at the forefront of teaching physical therapy. Her latest textbook teaches physical therapists to use the movement system to classify and categorize musculoskeletal pain problems, make accurate diagnosis and better treat the patient.

To help runners reach their potential, the Program in Physical Therapy at Washington University School of Medicine has launched a running clinic to diagnose movement problems and promote the most efficient running mechanics for each runner.

Nineteen WUSTL schools, academic areas and departments at the graduate and professional levels currently hold top 10 rankings in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of graduate and professional programs, which were released Friday, March 28.