Physical Therapists in the Rehabilitation Medicine Department at the NIH Clinical Center participate in numerous active NIH protocols and collaborate with investigators from among the 27 NIH institutes and Centers, including interdisciplinary researchers within the NIH Clinical Research Center.

Physical Therapy research participation involves working with patients having a wide range of rare diagnoses. Physical Therapy assessments may include muscle strength, range of motion, cardiopulmonary function, gait, pain, posture, foot and ankle alignment, edema, and pediatric developmental patterns.  Physical therapists participate in protocol development, data management and analysis, presentation, and manuscript preparation and publication.

Examples of studies and research protocols in which NIH Clinical Center Physical Therapists are involved:

• Assessment of muscle strength in patients with dermatomyositis or polymyositis receiving a variety of treatments.

• Evaluation of pamidronate in children with osteogenesis imperfecta.

• Assessment of impairments and function in patients with inflammatory myositis receiving a variety of treatments.

• Evaluation of impairments and disabilities in patients with neonatal onset multi-system inflammatory disease (NOMID) undergoing treatment.

• Evaluation of fitness in long term survivors of cancer, comparing traditional exercises and non-traditional approaches such as Tai-Chi-chuan.

• Oxygen uptake kinetics during recover from maximal and submaximal exercise in a variety of populations.

• Evaluation of impairments and disabilities in patients with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1).