Umphreds Neurological Rehabilitation, 6E.

Physical therapists (PTs), occupational therapists (OTs),
and other health care individuals involved in improving
the function and quality of life of individuals with neuromuscular dysfunction must have a thorough understanding
of the client as a total human being. This foundational concept is critical for high-level professional performance. With
the use of a clinical problem-solving, diagnosis-prognosis
approach, this book orients the student and clinician to the
roles that multiple systems within and outside the human
body play in the causation, progression, and recovery process of a variety of common neurological problems. A secondary objective is to orient the clinician to a theoretical
framework that uses techniques for enhancing functional
movement, enlarges the client’s repertoire for movement
alternatives, and creates an environment that empowers the
client to achieve the highest levels of activity, participation,
and quality of life.
Methods of examination, evaluation, prognosis, and intervention must incorporate all aspects of the client’s nervous
system and the influences of the external environment on
those individuals. In the clinical management of patients
with neurological disabilities, the overlap of basic knowledge
and practical application of examination and intervention techniques among all disciplines involved in the care of the
client is great. Delineation of individual professional roles in
the treatment of these clients is often based on administrative
decisions and current billing practices for services provided,
rather than distinct boundaries defined by title. This book
emphasizes the selection of examination and intervention
strategies that have been demonstrated as evidence based.
Clinicians must also be open to generating new hypotheses
as clinical problems present themselves without clear evidence to guide practice