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Advances in Health and Medicine

Pitt Gets Physical (With Therapy)

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From alleviating lower-back pain to examining aging’s effects on posture, Pitt physical therapists seek to help people of all ages overcome movement, function, and mobility challenges.
 
Department of Physical Therapy Chair Anthony Delitto studies how to relieve musculoskeletal dysfunction like lower back pain in patients undergoing physical therapy; his work is part of a program that uses evidence-based practice to provide a comprehensive curriculum in physical therapy. Patrick Sparto examines how aging affects posture, and Jessie VanSwearingen, director of rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh Facial Nerve Center, studies movement control and neuromotor function.
 
Part of Pitt’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, where Delitto is associate dean of research, the physical therapy program’s clinical component is integrated with UPMC, ensuring students’ placement in desired disciplines including musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, geriatric, and pediatric physical therapy. U.S. News and World Report has ranked the physical therapy program second in the nation among such programs.

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