Clinical Decision Making Related to Stage of Healing by Orthopedic Certified Specialist

In physical therapy practice, multiple diagnostic classifications exist that assist the clinical decision-making process regarding treatment. One classification system that may be applied to any injury is identification of the stages of healing. This system is categorized into 3 sequential phases: inflammatory, proliferation, and remodeling stages of healing. The human body undergoes a natural healing process inclusive of all 3 phases, and physical therapists rely on the characteristics of each phase to structure treatment plans and progressions. However, how a physical therapist identifies what stage of healing a patient is in may vary based on the therapist and the characteristics that the therapist focuses on. This project is a review of the literature with respect to the differences amongst physical therapist’s clinical decision making abilities