Important Precautions for using Proprioceptive Facilitation (PF)
Some medical conditions can be irritated by resistive exercise, while other conditions will make proprioceptive facilitation (PF) ineffective.
The following list gives some guidelines for the O&M specialist.
Use PF only with medical approval for students with the following conditions
History of joint replacement, subluxation, or dislocation
Do NOT use PF for students with the following conditions:
Recent fracture / poorly healed fracture
Pain or swelling
Advanced cardiac disorder that requires little or no effort be exerted
Hemophilia
Respiratory disorder which might be irritated by effort or which requires little or no effort be exerted (e.g., asthma, emphysema)
Circulatory problem (e.g., advanced diabetes mellitus)
PF may not work for students with the following conditions:
Tactile defensiveness
Hypertonia (e.g., spasticity, rigidity) (Although PF may not work for students with hypertonia, it is very appropriate for those with hypotonia, which is low muscle tone).
As a note, it may be possible to use proprioceptive facilitation with students who have these conditions, but it should only be done under the supervision of a physical therapist