I will be presenting at the combined sections meeting of American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). This is the premiere conference for the field of physical therapy with more than 5000 physical therapists attending from across the globe. This conference is unique in our field because it focuses on all 18 of APTA’s specialty sections. It is attended by expert clinicians and scientists that are treating and studying a wide range of physical therapy conditions. The presentations at this meeting have meaningful implications for clinicians focusing on physical rehabilitation as well as for scientists who are focused on determining the most efficacious and effective rehabilitation strategies.

I am most excited about this conference because the APTA combined sections meeting provides the greatest opportunity for me to impact rehabilitation specialists and scientists in one setting. Three of my research studies that are in preparation for scientific publication are being presented at this conference. I expect that clinicians and scientists who are experts in my research area will provide constructive feedback and critique that will improve the quality of the manuscripts. Moreover, since I anticipate that my doctoral dissertation will be founded on the research work that I will be presenting, the feedback that I will receive at this conference will be very helpful in formulating new ideas for my doctoral dissertation. I am also excited about meeting my peers from India who are currently pursuing their doctoral/post-doctoral work at other universities. Meeting colleagues from my home country and from other parts of the world makes my educational experience richer.

Evidence suggests that knee strength is critical to knee joint stability and health. This fact argues for strength testing being an important part of the clinical management of people with knee pathology. Previous research has shown that significant antagonist activity (muscle activity that opposes the attempted movement) is present during knee strength testing. This muscle activity can produce a counterforce that leads to an underestimation of knee strength. Knee strength testing was performed in 22 (11 males & 11 females) active young people with no history of serious lower extremity injuries. Muscle activity was measured by placing sensors over the subjects’ thigh muscles. A practicable mathematical model based on the physiological and mechanical parameters of the knee muscles was used to predict measurement error. Our results demonstrate that the error associated with antagonist activity during knee extensor testing is relatively small, but the error in knee flexor testing at 60° is relatively large. Females had higher error during knee flexor testing due to greater quadriceps antagonist activity. Error values may change with testing at other knee angles due to changes in muscle length-tension relationships. We believe that the findings of this study have important implications for interpreting strength tests results and setting criteria for patient progression.

As mentioned earlier, I anticipate that the feedback and critique that I will receive at this conference will enable me to produce better manuscripts while sending my research data for publication. I also look forward to listening to the presentations of other speakers and evaluate how that relates to our current research.

There are several things that graduate students can do to ease their financial burden. I recommend that graduate students should “leave no stone unturned” in search of funding. Assistance from the department, academic mentor, and student organizations at the university should be sought well in advance. Students should put meticulous effort while filling out travel funds application. I also encourage students to look for travel partners who are willing to share travel and accommodation expenses. Usually students can save a couple of hundreds of dollars by booking flight and hotel together. These combo-deals are generally offered by most websites (like Priceline, Travelocity etc.). In addition, staying in hotels that are at walking distance to the conference hall can minimize cab expenses.