Consider the Alternative

Garry T. Allison

DOI: 10.2519/jospt.2007.0104

Teaching is a great skill that underlies many hands-on professions and is grounded by effective communication. One quality of successful teachers is the ability to impart to the student the need to consider the weight of evidence and to see the possibility of alternative explanations for what we observe on a daily basis. The physical therapy profession has many individuals who posess these attributes as teachers, clinicians, and researchers. Individuals who are new to the profession should strive to keep up with the latest and best theories and yet always be willing to examine the potential of alternative explanations. It is this type of reasoning that will further the individual and the profession reflected in great teaching, quality clinical practice, and research breakthroughs.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1007; 37(4):153-154. doi:10.2519/jospt.2007.0104

Whatever the situation, it is important that the physical therapist as a clinician or researcher keep an open mind with regard to the underlying mechanisms of a specific intervention as well as possible alternative hypotheses or mechanisms.

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