Terms Used In Florida Statutes 486.025

  • Board: means the Board of Physical Therapy Practice. See Florida Statutes 486.021
  • Dry needling: means a skilled intervention, based on Western medicine, that uses filiform needles and other apparatus or equipment to stimulate a myofascial trigger point for the evaluation and management of neuromusculoskeletal conditions, pain, movement impairments, and disabilities. See Florida Statutes 486.021
  • Practice of physical therapy: means the performance of physical therapy assessments and the treatment of any disability, injury, disease, or other health condition of human beings, or the prevention of such disability, injury, disease, or other health condition, and the rehabilitation of such disability, injury, disease, or other health condition by alleviating impairments, functional movement limitations, and disabilities by designing, implementing, and modifying treatment interventions through therapeutic exercise; functional movement training in self-management and in-home, community, or work integration or reintegration; manual therapy; massage; airway clearance techniques; maintaining and restoring the integumentary system and wound care; physical agent or modality; mechanical or electrotherapeutic modality; patient-related instruction; the use of apparatus and equipment in the application of such treatment, prevention, or rehabilitation; the performance of tests of neuromuscular functions as an aid to the diagnosis or treatment of any human condition; or the performance of electromyography as an aid to the diagnosis of any human condition only upon compliance with the criteria set forth by the Board of Medicine. See Florida Statutes 486.021
  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
The board may administer oaths, summon witnesses, take testimony in all matters relating to its duties under this chapter, establish or modify minimum standards of practice of physical therapy as defined in s. 486.021, including, but not limited to, standards of practice for the performance of dry needling by physical therapists, and adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement this chapter. The board may also review the standing and reputability of any school or college offering courses in physical therapy and whether the courses of such school or college in physical therapy meet the standards established by the appropriate accrediting agency referred to in s. 486.031(3)(a). In determining the standing and reputability of any such school and whether the school and courses meet such standards, the board may investigate and personally inspect the school and courses.