Letters to the Editor-in-Chief of the JOSPT as follows:

• Letter regarding the editorial, Risk and Physical Therapy?. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2007:37(9):570-572. doi:10.2519/jospt.2007.0209.
• Authors' Response. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2007:37(9):571-572. doi:10.2519/jospt.2007.0210.

It is understandable that physical therapists prefer to focus on patient improvements rather than think about risk. But PTs must recognize that risk reduction is a postive result--indeed, an optimistic result--attainable through physical therapy. Physical therapists should make reporting absolute risk reduction (ARR), relative risk reduction (RRR), and number needed to treat (NNT), as well as the numbers of patients who fail to improve a meaningful amount (MCID). It's good to consider how physical therapy promotes good outcomes, but in some ways it's even more important to report how physical therapy interventions reduce risk for bad outcomes.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther., 2007;37(6):287-289. doi:10.2519/jospt.2007.0106.