On “The human movement system: our professional identity…” Sahrmann SA. Phys Ther. 2014;94:1034–1042.

Sahrmann's perspective paper¹ is an inspiring call to action to take seriously the vision statement made by APTA's House of Delegates. That vision has the potential to enable physical therapists to become the medical experts in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating movement-related problems.

It is extraordinary that she and her colleagues have been able to describe a new physiological system of the body, the human movement system, which abides by principles based in the basic sciences of anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, and biomechanics.

As the movement system becomes widely recognized and accepted as a legitimate and important physiological system of the body, physical therapists will become the “go-to” professionals to treat movement-related problems. Our identity as a profession will be more unified.

However, this can happen only when our physical therapist professional education focuses on how to better evaluate normal versus abnormal motion and how to diagnose movement dysfunctions. We will not be recognized as true independent specialists if we are treating conditions based on another professional's diagnosis.

Physical therapy has the opportunity to fill a void in the care of musculoskeletal problems. Medical professionals are spending less and less time observing patients to find the mechanical causes of orthopedic conditions. Diagnostic tests have now become the examination tool of choice. In addition, most physicians are not trained in analyzing movement. We need to fill this void by being recognized as the professionals best equipped to diagnose and treat movement impairments.

When asked, “Can the way one moves and uses his or her body result in injury or pain?,” patients, doctors, and physical therapists all answer, “Yes.” The obvious questions, which have never been adequately answered, are: “If that is true, how does it happen?” and “How can it be treated?” The movement system aims to answer those questions.

My intention for writing this response to Sahrmann's article is to call attention to the importance of her work and what she is saying. I encourage our profession to promote and advocate for the movement system to become widely recognized by the medical community and the world at large. I believe that by doing so, we—as a profession—can significantly improve the outcomes of the care we provide.

• © 2014 American Physical Therapy Association