APTA is leading the way in advancing the integration of the movement system as the core of physical therapist (PT) practice, education, and research. Now the association needs input from you to take an important next step: making the crucial leap from the conceptual to the practical through the development of a movement system diagnosis framework and movement screen.

Draft diagnosis and screening templates have been created by the Movement System task force and work groups, and APTA would like you to take them for a test drive and provide your comments by the June 1, 2019, deadline.

"We're at an exciting point in the evolution of the movement system concept and now need the widest possible stakeholder input," said Sue Whitney, PT, PhD, APTA Board of Directors member and chair of the Movement System Task Force. "Many PTs have been incorporating movement system concepts into their practice and teaching for some time now, but the development of these diagnosis and screening resources has the potential to accelerate the adoption of these concepts across the profession. That's why participation in the review and comment process is so critical—with the development of a repository of movement system diagnoses and the development of the screening templates, we hope to move the bar and create excitement about using the movement system in daily practice."

Evaluation of each template involves a 2-step process. For the diagnosis template, reviewers are asked to submit an example of a movement system diagnosis using a specially developed online form, and then provide feedback about the template itself. The movement screen—a tool that helps PTs identify patient movement impairments observed during functional tasks and activities so that they can pinpoint which additional tests and measures should be brought into play—doesn't need to be filled out, just reviewed and evaluated through an accompanying survey. Click here to view the templates and provide your feedback.

Work toward the development of the movement system concept in the physical therapy profession began in 2013, when APTA adopted a new vision statement with guiding principles that characterized the system as "the foundation of optimizing movement to improve the health of society." The association produced a white paper on the movement system in 2015 and held a Movement System Summit in 2016 that brought together 100 thought leaders to discuss how best to integrate the system throughout all facets of the profession. Since then, members of APTA’s Movement System Task Force have been developing resources to make widespread integration a reality.