I have a question and a concern related to Dr Craik's May editorial.1 She was not very specific in stating what criteria are being considered [in the RCT methods prescreen and review]. What criteria are used for participant selection? My concern is that physical therapists are now practicing based on what a study's results are, without considering the variability among the participants. For example, in a study that examines the effect of a modality used on people ranging from teens to the elderly, the tissue structure alone is different and could respond differently to a technique, whether it is articular, muscular, or neural. My concern is that a generalization could be made to a wide population of people versus a more specific population.
- © 2012 American Physical Therapy Association