Invasive Physical Therapy, a new horizon ‘made in Spain’

“There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the differences between mediocrity and accomplishment”.

Norman Vincent Peale

The success of the II International Conference on Invasive Physical Therapy (ICIPT), held on October 21, 22 and 23, 2016, at the CEU San Pablo University of Madrid, and organized by MVClinic in collaboration with the Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy of the CEU San Pablo University and the Professional Board of Physical Therapists of the Community of Madrid, is largely thanks to the high levels of participation and the quality of the oral sessions and research studies presented at the different panels; this work merits the edition of this supplement to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge.

Over 350 physical therapists and other health professionals from throughout Spain and from other countries such as Portugal, Brazil, Chile or Switzerland came together at this event, united by a common concern: the advancement of Invasive Physical Therapy. This type of event showcases the great interest professionals have for these techniques and treatment tools, which are based on clinical reasoning, as the integration of clinical experience with scientific evidence, and the establishment of a new horizon for the profession.

This new edition of the ICIPT presents interesting advancements thanks to the dedication of physical therapists for the development of invasive physical therapy for dysfunctions of the neuromusculoskeletal system, including techniques such as ultrasound-guided percutaneous neuromodulation. A growing number of physical therapists are now performing research studies based on their clinical practice in order to provide new evidence regarding the safety, the effectiveness of the techniques, and the use of different tools that form part of invasive physical therapy such as ultrasound, thermography or electromyography. Invasive physical therapy represents an area of future specialization of the profession, a distinct reality present in scientific events such as the 2016 ICIPT.

The conference programme incorporated presentations of the best research works developed by the physical therapists studying the Official Master's Degree in Invasive Physical Therapy of the CEU San Pablo University over 2014–2015 and 2015–2016, as well as the presentation of oral communications and poster presentations of attendees. As a result, 44 research studies were selected as candidates for being presented at the 2016 ICIPT. The members of the Scientific Committee undertook an anonymous peer review evaluation of the abstracts received. Of these, 22.8% were selected for “oral communications” and 77.2% for “poster communications”. It is important to highlight that the research studies reported results related with the major lines of knowledge surrounding invasive physical therapy, such as percutaneous electrolysis, dry needling, acupuncture, mesotherapy, musculoskeletal ultrasound and thermography, on behalf of individual authors and different research groups.

Both in my name and in that of all the members on the Scientific Committee, I wish to thank the great effort that all the authors made to be present at the conference and their contribution towards the development of invasive physical therapy.

I hope you will find this supplement an interesting read and that it may provide a dose of motivation to continue participating in the International Conference on Invasive Physical Therapy. Upcoming is the third edition, which will take place on October 26, 27 and 28, 2018 in Valencia.

Together, we are stronger.