Reflections on physiotherapy and the emerging science of movement rehabilitation

Recent scientific advances in the field of human movement and its control have provided the impetus for developing new ways of thinking about the training and measurement of motor performance in individuals with movement dysfunction and are challenging traditional methods of practice. In this paper, the authors describe the process of importing knowledge from established fields of science to develop a more scientific framework for clinical practice. In addition, they present some of the results of their laboratory-based research into the control of the upper body and lower limbs in sit-to-stand and illustrate the process by which they have developed a protocol for optimising performance of sit-to-stand in training disabled individuals.