The Active Future for the Passive Therapist.

SYNOPSIS: In this Viewpoint, I argue that we may be at an inflection point in the course of the physical therapy profession. The current debate over "active" and "passive" therapies highlights once again how much physical therapy practices reflect shifting cultural and social attitudes. Calls for less passive management of musculoskeletal conditions and more self-management reflect the neoliberal desire for autonomous, entrepreneurial, endlessly resilient, and self-sufficient subjects who will shift the burden of health care from the state to the individual. Such shifts in practice have important implications for therapists and clients alike, and practitioners should give careful thought to what is going on at a deeper societal level when they contemplate profound changes in practice. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2021;51(7):318-321. Epub 15 May 2021. doi:10.2519/jospt.2021.10536.