Contemporary and Global Perspectives in Physical Therapy

Globally, over 1 billion people live with a disability, and 80% of them are in the 152 low-and middle-income nations. One of every three people around the world lives with a health condition that benefit from rehabilitation. In some low- and middle-income countries, more than 50% of people who require rehabilitation services do not receive them. Physical therapists are essential members of the rehabilitation team that prevent and manage disabilities. Improving physical therapy services worldwide will substantially decrease the number of fatalities and improve patients’ quality of life. The top-tier physical therapy books are written in high-income countries with well-developed health systems. Practicing physical therapy in low- and middle-income countries requires special knowledge and clinical skills not enunciated in books published in high-income countries.

According to the WHO, in 2019, the top ten causes of death in low- and middle-income countries are preventable or treatable conditions. On the other hand, the top ten causes of death in high-income countries are chronic health conditions. Around the world, the role of physical therapists in addressing lifestyle-triggered diseases has been unassertive. There is a gap between physical therapists' knowledge of lifestyle-related diseases and their application of this knowledge to facilitate patients' alteration of health related behaviors. This gap is a global challenge that physical therapists must collectively address. This textbook presents a robust, comprehensive review and analysis of physical therapy's efficacy in managing several lifestyle-triggered diseases, including common chronic diseases.

 This compendium consists of 43 chapters divided into ten sections written by a multidisciplinary team of 48 frontline academicians and clinicians from diverse disciplines and specialties. The first section focuses on orthopedic physical therapy and describes various conditions, such as knee osteoarthritis, knee and hip arthroplasties, fractures, and low back pain. The following section describes pediatric conditions such as cerebral palsy, poliomyelitis, and autism. The third section discusses neurology physical therapy, covering topics such as motor learning, stroke and Parkinson's disease rehabilitation, mild cognitive impairment, and cervicogenic headache. The fourth section focuses on cardiopulmonary physical therapy, including a comprehensive approach to managing malnutrition, diabetes mellitus, and anthropometric assessment.The fifth section discusses oncologic physical therapy and pharmacology, while the sixth section focuses on geriatric physical therapy. The seventh section presents pelvic health physical therapy. The last three sections include chapters on clinical electrophysiology and radiology, complementary and alternative medicine practices, and eclectic and topical topics of interest in physical therapy.

Written by experts in the field, this book contains up-to-date, evidence-based information on specific physical therapy topics, emphasizing disease prevention and interdisciplinary care. It engages the interest of policymakers and individuals with research and programmatic interest in low- and middle-income countries. It is a valuable textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate physical therapy students and students in related fields, such as nutrition, clinical psychology, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy worldwide.