Considering the Role of Physical Therapists Within the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Individuals With Eating Disorders: An International Survey of Expert Clinicians

PurposeRecent research has demonstrated that physical therapy may benefit the physical and mental health of people with eating disorders (EDs). Because this is a new and developing field, this study aimed to investigate the experience, practices and knowledge of international physical therapy experts to inform clinical practice, education and research. MethodsAn international cross-sectional survey design was undertaken with experienced physical therapists within the field of EDs. Physical therapist responses were analysed with descriptive statistics and thematic analysis as appropriate. ResultsTwenty-eight international physical therapists participated. On average, participants had 6.9years (95% confidence interval: 3.1-10.7, n=27) of clinical experience working in ED settings and devoted approximately 39.3% (95% confidence interval: 23.8-54.8, n=27) of their time to treating individuals with EDs. Participants reported that physical therapy interventions have a diverse range of benefits on the physical, mental and disease-specific factors (e.g. binges) in people with EDs. The key role of physical therapists includes improving body awareness, especially during physical activity combined with psycho-education about healthy doses of physical activity. Physical therapists were able to identify a range of barriers and facilitators to physical activity in people with EDs. DiscussionThis paper provides a first step towards understanding the role and value of physical therapists working with individuals with EDs. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.