Complementary Therapies in Rehabilitation

Dr. Carol Davis has practiced physical therapy for over 30 years, beginning her career at the Massachusetts General Hospital in 1969. Her early clinical career expanded to academics in 1971 when she joined the faculty at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She completed her Doctorate in Humanistic Studies at Boston University in 1982, and has been on the faculty at the University of Miami since that time, except for a 2 and a half year position at Boston University from 1985 to 1987. Currently, she is a tenured professor in the Division of Physical Therapy at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Her practice with complementary therapies began in 1989 when she initiated her study of myofascial release with John Barnes, PT. She has continued studying and practicing myofascial release, along with coursework in craniosacral therapy, Therapeutic Touch, and the Feldenkrais approach. She is the author of several articles and chapters on complementary and alternative therapies, and has produced a videotape lecture entitled The Challenge of the New Millennium—Returning Healing to Health Care: Theoretical Foundation of Holistic Complementary Therapies, which outlines the scientific theory behind holistic approaches-quantum physics and systems theory, and is available from SLACK Incorporated. She also has written three editions of the text, Patient Practitioner Interaction: An Experiential Manual for Developing the Art of Patient Care, also published by SLACK Incorporated. Dr. Davis treats patients weekly using myofascial release as complementary to physical therapy. She teaches in both the entry-level doctoral program in physical therapy (DPT and tDPT) and in the PhD program at the University of Miami. Her research focus on examining the clinical efficacy for the use of myofascial release, especially with elderly patients with musculoskeletal problems. She was awarded the Catherine Worthingham Fellow award by the American Physical Therapy Association, the highest award given to members in 2003.