Abstract
A patient with osteoarthritis of the hip was seen for nine physical therapy sessions at the California State University Sacramento pro-bono clinic. The sessions were provided by a physical therapist student under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist. During the patient’s initial examination, the following measures were used to identify her body structure and function impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions: Numeric Pain Rating Scale, hand held dynamometry, Goniometry, The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, Five Times Sit to Stand Test, and patient reports on participation. A plan of care was established. Goals for the patient were to decrease pain, improve hip range of motion and strength, functional mobility, ambulatory ability, and functional independence. Main interventions used were impairment based manual therapy, functional training, body weight supported treadmill training, and task-specific training. On discharge, the patient demonstrated improvements in pain, hip strength, functional mobility, ambulatory ability, and had progressed towards functional independence. She was able to achieve her personal goal of participating in her community walking program and to squat down to do gardening without pain. The patient was discharged from physical therapy with a home exercise program.