At the recent American Physical Therapy Association Annual Conference and Exposition in Boston, which was held June 8–11, 2005, Gad Alon, PT, PhD, an associate professor of physical therapy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, conducted a seminar titled, “Therapeutic Technologies to Enhance Function: The University of Maryland PTRS Enabling Interventions Paradigm.” During his introduction, he said something that caught my attention: “Sometimes, therapists are averse to new technology, as they fear their jobs will be replaced by machines.”

I thought about the irony of that statement: At the conference, in addition to attending courses to learn about latest research findings and to acquire continuing-education credits, physical therapists were being exposed to the latest and greatest tools for their trade—from pain-management modalities to new therapeutic fitness equipment—not to replace their work, but to enhance the quality of treatment for their patients.

“Toward the end of the 20th century, most therapists have regrettably distanced themselves from technological advancements, assuming that our hands can do a much better job at managing our patients. The advanced therapists of the 21st century are likely to take advantage of the many advancements in biotechnology and combine them with manual techniques to maximize rehabilitation outcomes. Therapists who continue to depend on their hands only will most likely leave many patients unhappy with the physical therapy profession,” says Alon.

Technology is advancing at a speed with which it may be hard to keep up, and it is forcing us to look at medicine in new ways. The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago recently hosted its Ninth Annual IEEE International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics. The event, which was co-hosted by Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill, highlighted groundbreaking medical devices and findings in robotics used to help in rehabilitation and physical medicine. Topics covered included brain-machine interfaces for rehabilitation, biorobotics and biomimetics, the use of robotics in prosthetics and orthotics, and ethics in rehabilitative robotics and robotic therapies.

What is the best way to react to the speed at which these technological advancements are coming about? It is not to fear change, but to welcome it.

“Physical therapists should embrace technology by studying the technological advancements’ contribution to improve physical performance, by recognizing the advantages and limitations of available technologies, and by mastering the skills and ability to apply the technology to the individual patient,” says Alon.

The best relationship physical therapists can have with technological advancements is synergy. When this synergy is created, the ultimate benefactors—your patients—have the most to gain.