Chronic neck pain, home-based interventions, rotator cuff tendinopathy, and sexual health are among the areas of research to be funded in the latest round of Foundation for Physical Therapy Research grants. Seven grants, worth a combined $460,000, were awarded to research projects that "pioneer new treatments, show the efficacy of existing treatments, and define the value" of physical therapist services, according to an FPTR news release.

The Foundation for Physical Therapy Research is the research funding organization for the American Physical Therapy Association. APTA supports the Foundation to fund groundbreaking research through grants, scholarships, and fellowships. APTA recognizes the Foundation as the national leader for funding physical therapy research to enhance the evidence base of the profession.

Areas of research supported by the grants are:

Acute Care: Physical Therapy's Effect on Discharge and Care Cost Among Acute Hospital Inpatients
Recipient: Daniel Young, PT, DPT, PhD
Funding support: Magistro Family Foundation Endowment Fund ($100,000)

Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy: Biomarkers of Tendon Recovery
Recipient: Lori Michener, PT, ATC, PhD, FAPTA
Funding support: Paris Patla Endowment Fund ($100,000)

Chronic Neck Pain: Specific and Shared Mechanisms Associated With Treatment
Recipient: Chad Cook, PT, PhD, MBA, FAPTA
Funding support: Paris Patla Manual Therapy Fund ($100,000)

Geriatric Physical Therapy: Patient and Clinician Factors Affecting Referrals, Access, and Outcomes After Discharge From the Geriatric Emergency Department
Recipient: Suzanne Ryer, PT, DPT
Funding support: APTA Geriatric Research Fund ($40,000)

Physical Therapist Education: DPT Students' Readiness to Discuss Sexual Health After a Novel Curricula With Patient-Educators
Recipient: Cara Felter, PT, DPT, MPH
Funding support: APTA Supporting the Profession Fund ($40,000)

Pediatric Vestibular Balance Therapy: Feasibility of a Home-Based Intervention
Recipient: Jennifer Christy, PT, PhD
Funding support: APTA Academy of Education Research Fund ($40,000)

Stroke Recovery: Effects of Transcranial Photobiomodulation on Corticospinal Excitability in Non-Disabled Adults and Chronic Stroke Survivors
Recipient: Bokkyu Kim, PT, PhD
Funding support: Jayne L. Snyder Endowment Fund ($40,000)

In addition to the research grant funds, FPTR also provided $250,000 to the Center on Health Services Training and Research, or CoHSTAR. APTA helped to found CoHSTAR through a $1 million donation, with additional support from APTA components, individual PTs, foundations, and corporate supporters.