Client-centered Home Exercise Program for Older Adult with Lower Extremity Injuries: This student worked with a client who had sustained multiple ankle sprains and a knee injury from a fall. Through examination and evaluation, the student determined the client’s impairments and activity limitations. The goals were to improve balance, gait, pain, and function. The student designed a customized home exercise program tailored to the client’s needs, provided education on injury prevention strategies, and demonstrated the exercises. Outcome measures showed improved function and decreased pain levels after 4 weeks.
Community Falls Prevention Program for Seniors: Falls are a major health issue for older adults, so this student designed and implemented an evidence-based falls prevention program for a local senior center. The program included group exercise classes twice per week focused on improving strength, balance, and flexibility. Educational seminars were also provided on home safety assessments, proper use of assistive devices, medication management, vision screenings, and more. Pre and post-testing of participants demonstrated decreased fall risk scores. Surveys also showed increased knowledge of falls prevention strategies.
Post-Concussion Return-to-Learn Protocol for High School Athletes: Concussions are common in contact sports but proper management is important for recovery. This student created a program for their affiliated high school to help student athletes who sustained concussions gradually return to classroom activities. They established criteria for academics based on latest guidelines from peer-reviewed literature. The program also provided educational resources for teachers, private study spaces, flexibility with assignments/testing, and regular check-ins with the athletic trainer. Athletes and staff provided positive feedback on the protocol.
Use of Strength Training and Modalities to Improve Function in Client with Chronic Low Back Pain: A client with a long history of low back pain was not finding relief from traditional rehabilitation. This student developed an individualized 12-week program focused on core and back strengthening with weight training. Manual therapy techniques likemobilizations, muscle energy techniques, and myofascial release were also incorporated regularly. Functional outcomes measures were tracked weekly along with a pain diary. By the end, the client demonstrated improved strength, pain reduction, and ability to participate in recreational activities without exacerbating symptoms.
Telemental Health Delivery of Home Exercise Programs During COVID-19: With facility restrictions and safety concerns during the pandemic, this student explored using virtual modalities to provide ongoing physical therapy. A needs assessment of clients in their pro bono clinic found many had difficulty continuing rehabilitation independently at home. The student developed protocols for utilizing videoconferencing platforms to design, instruct, progress, and supervise home exercise programs while promoting client accountability and feedback. Outcome metrics showed telerehab was an effective alternative to in-person care during the crisis.
Development and Evaluation of Inpatient Mobility Program for Acute Care Geriatric Patients: Maintaining function and mobility in elderly patients during a hospital stay is essential but often overlooked. This student created an evidence-based mobility protocol including daily goals, equipment needs, and interventions tailored for geriatric rehabilitation. Bedside manner techniques focused on education, motivation, and function were emphasized. Data collection compared mobilization frequencies and discharge outcomes between patients receiving the protocol versus standard care. Results demonstrated reduced lengths of stay, lower re-admission rates, and higher functional independence measure scores with the new program.
Those are some examples of detailed physical therapy capstone projects students have completed that address relevant clinical issues. As you can see, capstone projects allow students to conduct an in-depth study on a topic of their choice, implement an evidence-based program or intervention, and evaluate the outcomes through measurement and analysis. This provides real-world experience that enhances clinical skills and reasoning. The examples touch on common conditions physical therapists treat in various settings and how innovative programming can improve patient care, safety, function and overall health. Let me know if any part of the answer needs further explanation or examples.