The Ultimate Physical Therapy EMR Checklist

Sharif Zeid from MW Therapy https://www.mwtherapy.com/ breaks down the NEED TO HAVES and the NICE TO HAVES for your practice EMR.

Sharif has been working within the health IT space for over 15 years spending the bulk of that working with PT practices. He is a business director at MWTherapy, which is a complete PT software package, where he works on many different things including communicating with many PTs and staff on a daily basis.

MWTherapy – Save Money With Technology

In this interview, Sharif Zeid from MW Therapy shares ideas on how technology and modern EMR’s may help practice owners reduce costs and save time in unexpected ways.

Best Physical Therapy EMR Checklist by MW Therapy

New Patient Self Admission

The MWTherapy patient portal allows patients to enter their own information directly into your EMR. It doesn’t make sense to have a new patient fill out pages of paperwork only to pay an administrative person to enter that paperwork into your EMR.

Or even worse, I know of several practices that pay the therapist to enter patient information into the EMR.

Patients are happy to simply type their information into your system and that provides your therapist to spend more direct patient care time with your patient.

Electronic File Uploads and Archives

There is no longer a reason to waste administrative time at the copy machine. Now MWTherapy allows your practice to directly upload photos of the patient’s driver’s license and insurance cards into a HIPAA secure medical record.

I can remember searching paper charts hoping to find a photocopy of an insurance card that hasn’t faded so badly that I could still decipher if the letter I need is a G or a 6.

Physical Therapist Staff Shortages

In 2022 the greatest barrier to growing a physical therapy clinic is finding physical therapists to hire. If a skilled clinician has the choice to work for a practice that still uses outdated documentation methods and is expected to take unpaid time to catch up on notes versus a clinic with state-of-the-art documentation capabilities and customizable templates that make point of service documentation easy… which position offer do you think that therapist will accept?

Your clinic’s tech stack could literally mean the difference between hiring a rock-star clinician and turning patients away because you don’t have the clinical staff to treat them.

Best Physical Therapy Software

If you are looking for the best physical therapy software on the market, I would recommend you reach out to Sharif Zeid from MW Therapy and let him know that Jimmy from PT Pintcast sent you.

When I am choosing a physical therapy EMR software I want to know the team behind the code is just as passionate as I am about delivering an amazing patient care experience.

The Great PT Reset – with Sean Bagbey and Craig Phifer

The Great Reset

Craig Phifer, PT and Sean Bagbey, PTA are co-owners of Rehabilitation & Performance Institute which puts the person first. They created the Private Practice Rebellion where they teach other business owners their model. Check those out here:

·        Rehabilitation & Performance Institute https://rehabilitationperformance.com/

·        Private Practice Rebellion https://www.privatepracticerebellion.com/

Craig follows Dave Chase’s idea of what healthcare should look like and recommends the book “The CEO’s Guide to Restoring the American Dream.” In this book, Dave Chase discusses this period we are in today is “The Great Reset.”

Craig gave us his equation on what the “great reset” is in patient care. Craig emphasizes not all parts of this equation are weighted the same in each patient interaction.

·        Value = patient experience + emotional experience + physical outcome / effort putting in + price their paying + risk taking.

Sean shares a personal story about himself and his treating physical therapist. From his experience, he feels PTs are needed now more than ever as our skills are essential.

Craig explains the patient perspective in physical therapy and if patients do value us to pay for our services. He describes this value is developed in the first 3-4 visits with the patient.  

Craig and Sean demonstrate that PTs need to have an existing relationship to build trust. How to build a relationship with your patient is different now compared to pre-COVID.

QUOTES

“If this is a reset, what is going to change and how are we going to adapt with it?” – CRAIG

“Physical therapy needs to have a better place in our society.” – SEAN

“We need to show our worth and this is our chance to start doing that.” – SEAN

“It just reinforces to me what we can do in this profession.” – SEAN

“If you want to seem interesting, be interested.” – JIMMY

“That monster becomes bigger when you think it is under the bed.” – JIMMY

“We are not the star of the show when we are treating someone.” – SEAN

PARTING SHOT

“The profession of physical therapy can be much better then what we currently live in.” – SEAN

“We gotta get away from talking and we need to get to doing.” – SEAN

 “Make healthcare work really well for us.” – CRAIG 

It has been suggested by Dave Chase that this period of time may be defined “The Great Reset.” I believe we’re about to see much faster changes in opinion, lifestyle, and behavior then we normally would. What does that mean for the profession of physical therapy?

We’re doing so much right as a profession, but our service is generally not valued (5th choice for chronic MSK pain by primary care physicians, 6th-ranked choice for people who have LBP). Right now, we have a tremendous opportunity to change that.

  • Understanding that while clinically, we’re doing so much well, that doesn’t mean that people value the service we provide on a macro level.
  • People significantly changed where and how they spent their money in the Great Recession, and we are very likely to see changes again.
  • We can prepare PT to be at the forefront of this change, but we have to acknowledge and deliver what people want from our service – price transparency, highly individualized care, and trusting relationships with providers.

People don’t value PT the way it’s currently being delivered (trying to offend as few people as possible). This is a business systems problem and not a clinical problem. As few as 10% of patients complete their prescribed care plan (WebPT 2018 State of Rehab Survey), and 78% of PTs reported that they thought this number was at least 50% of patients (16% not sure, only 6% of therapists indicated a number less than 50%). So, it’s a problem therapists either don’t know about or don’t want to know about. What’s worse, is that most of them are not put in a position to do anything about it. Now is a great opportunity to change that for the following reasons: 

  • Many therapists are finding out their employers kind of suck and probably see that if they want to do this right they may need to do it on their own or with others who see what they see
  • Patients attitudes and beliefs are changing – if a company depends on therapists seeing 2-3 patients at a time to make it financially, that company is not going to do well. This gives new small businesses a massive advantage

How Creating Video’s Helped Her Patients with Dr. Leslie Waltke

She’s know as “The Arm Whisperer” the “Explainer in Chief” and ” Vitamin L.” Down to earth style and humor combined with decades of clinical cancer rehab experience have made the world better for tens of thousands of cancer patients and survivors in the US and across the globe.

Leslie Waltke is a Cancer Rehab physical therapist, educator, and consultant. She is known as “The Arm Whisperer”, the “Explainer in Chief” and ” Vitamin L.”

Leslie was on the show previously to talk about treating and educating cancer patients. THIS EPISODE she gives us the backstage pass on how she creates her educational content and video production.

Leslie’s videos started out as a dare, but with hard work, picking an appropriate audience and knowing her intent, she now has The Recovery Room with educational videos for patients to view anytime online. Check out her Youtube channel and Facebook:

·        Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChlrKLC6U3jYRyomCCf3NCA

·        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/lesliewaltkept/videos/?ref=page_internal

Leslie discusses how to engage your patient with the acronym VET-M: Validate, Explain, Teach, and Motivate. She has found this beneficial especially with cancer patients.  

Video, lighting, and sound are all factors Leslie considers and shows us how she incorporates these into creating her content.

QUOTES

35:54 “Exercise like your life depends on it.” – LESLIE

38:49 “Treat yourself like you are the important person on the planet because you are.” – LESLIE  

27:02 “Talk like your audience listens. Listen like your audience talks.”  – Jimmy

20:10 “Professionalism matters and there is a step to that in how you present yourself in video.” – LESLIE

PARTING SHOT

2:04 “Videos can be ever green so never put a date on anything.” – LESLIE

1:12 “Youtube is a microphone. Use it.” – LESLIE 

www.WaltkeAcademy.com

“Be Careful About Your Tone”, with Dr. Michael Cromartie

Michale Cromartie comes back on the show. The last time he was SPT Mike Cromartie, and now he’s Dr. Michael Cromartie.

He currently practices in Miami, FL at the Bruce Carter Miami VA Medical Center as an orthopedic outpatient physical therapist where he is able to serve our country’s veterans. A strong advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the PT profession, he has shared his personal experiences in his blog post “Code Switching” that was published in the PT in Motion magazine, which highlights his experience as the only African American male in his cohort.

Michael Cromartie is a physical therapist at the Bruce Carter Miami VA Medical Center and received his DPT in 2019 from the University of Miami. Michael is also a strong advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the PT profession.

In 2018, Michael won the NEXT scholarship of $1,000 with Aureus Medical Staffing to attend APTA’s NEXT conference in Orlando, FL. Listen to that episode here: https://www.ptpintcast.com/2018/05/02/whos-next-scholarship-winner-spt2-michael-cromartie/

Michael had the opportunity to speak to the DPT classes at the University of Miami about his article “Code Switching” and his experiences as an African American male in Miami’s PT program. Even with the resistance experienced, Michael believed it was important to tell his story. Check it out here: https://www.apta.org/article/2019/01/02/code-switching

He was also involved with APTA XchangeSA chat focusing on DEI and black students in physical therapy. Briana Scott, PT, DPT and Mark Agholor, SPT were also guests on this chat. Listen here: https://www.facebook.com/APTAStudentMembers/videos/251405559647536/UzpfSTEwMDAwMDEyMzMzMTU4NzozNDUyNzgxNTk4MDY5MjUx/?hc_location=ufi

Michael describes his experiences presenting as a new grad to students about the implicit and unconscious biases and its effect on DEI in physical therapy.

QUOTES

42:37 “Take a risk even if I’m not sure. Take a chance especially if there is something positive on the other side.” – MICHAEL

38:15 “I’ve never had to think twice about my tone, backlash, about what it could possibly do to my career… That bothers me that you did.” – JIMMY

35:24 “With unconscious bias, people can perceive certain things about you just based off of one when they see you and two when they hear you speak.” – MICHAEL

30:48 “This guy that I look up to so much is telling me that I inspired him just by using my voice.” – MICHAEL

28:25 “Accept every opportunity that is given to you.” – MICHAEL (for new grads)  

21:17 ”Implicit bias is neither good or bad. It is what you do after that.” – JIMMY

16:35 “As a person, you need to keep growing in life. Take on new challenges and new tasks.” – MICHAEL  

13:30 “Lift as we climb.” – MICHAEL

12:25 “It is good to see the next generation of PTs are so hungry for information.” – MICHAEL

8:52 “When Colin Kaepernick was kneeling, I was someone who was like absolutely that was disrespectful. I said it. I wasn’t paying attention.” – JIMMY

8:11 “Marathon or sprint? You do not want to have 10 sprints. Keep the gas pedal on now.” – JIMMY

7:32 “’I don’t know how this is going to end but I know how it is going to begin’ – The Matrix” – JIMMY

PARTING SHOT

1:36 “Stay committed to your goals.” – MICHAEL

1:10 “It is important right now while people are listening to use our voice because we don’t know what our voice is giving to others.” – MICHAEL 

The Experiences of Black Students in Physical Therapy Education in Texas: A Qualitative Study

Stephanie Williams, DPT, Mercia Bakouetila, DPT, Andrea Pantoja, DPT, and Amy Marie Lucero, DPT are four class of 2020 graduates and physical therapists from Texas State University to discuss their qualitative study on black students in PT education.

Stephanie begins the chat by giving us the statistics of black physical therapists and students in our profession compared to the population.

Amy paints a picture of the difficulties black PT students face enrolling into school and the lack of mentorship towards these groups of students. Mercia mentions from the study there was a wide spectrum of both micro and macroaggressions from stereotypes, prejudice, and even racism.

Andrea defines social isolation and assumed universality for this population which includes under representation, lack of support from faculty, feelings of loneliness within PT education and similarities among this population.

Mercia illustrates what code-switching means through example stories and that black students need to “code switch” even in a physical therapy program.  

This group found that black students in PT programs did seek organizations that included diversity to feel comfortable and have a sense of community but also had allyship from their peers and faculty to help establish a more diverse PT experience.

 QUOTES

49:16 “If you don’t know anyone that looks like you in this position, you might not even find out that physical therapy is a thing.” – MERCIA

46:12 “It doesn’t matter what I’ve done. It does matter that I have a 4.0 in undergrad. For some people, all they’re going to see is the color of my skin.” – MERCIA

41:57 “Man I wish one of my white friends would have spoken up.” – STEPHANIE

38:35 “I have to put a bigger effort in getting to know people compared to them trying to get to know me.” – ANDREA

34:13 “You have experiences as a white person. I have experiences as a black person. You can’t relate to what I say but you need to try to understand.” – MERCIA

30:24 “I am going to be unapologetically black in everything that I do even if that means being isolated.” – MERCIA

17:28 “Race might be uncomfortable to talk about, but you got to become uncomfortable, you got to learn.” – ANDREA

14:22 “We’ve come a long way but we still have so much work to do.” – STEPHANIE

What does success look like about this topic 5 years from now? – start at 12:00  

“In 5 years, seeing diversity within the actual physical therapy world” – AMY

“I would love to see more support groups within PT programs.” – ANDREA

“Success looks like better patient outcomes.” – MERCIA

“From an institutional level, look to not being afraid to have these conversations.” – STEPHANIE

PARTING SHOT – start at 4:30

“Change begins with ourselves.” – AMY

“We need to become comfortable with the uncomfortable conversations of race.” ANDREA

“When people talk about their experiences, you need to listen.” – STEPHANIE

“Challenge people to look at who’s around them… Have some diversity around you.” – MERCIA

WTF is UX (User Experience)? And how can it help Science?

Mike Morrison is a former web designer turned PhD student in Work Psychology using design and psychology backgrounds to share knowledge.

Mike defines the user experience (UX) in common web designs today and how UX makes consuming information faster and more efficient in websites or presentations.

With his background in web design, Mike created Twister Poster and Better Poster to improve the way information is presented. Check them out here:

·        Twitter poster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQDL8r3r_d4

·        Better poster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RwJbhkCA58&t=3s

He describes what is included in the Better Poster and how it compares to other posters usually seen at conferences. He talks about the importance of catching attention and emotion with your poster design.

He explains how to create a Twitter Poster and found this design to be more eye catching to the consumer versus a link or graphic.

Mike breaks down what information foraging theory is and why it is important to engage your audience with little effort.

Mike believes there is not a better time then to start and apply UX than during COVID. With the rise in virtual events and increase in technology use, it is time to improve the presentation of your information and make presenting easier.

QUOTES

41:12 “If something is hard to use, people don’t use it very much” – MIKE

30:10 “Everything that gets in someone’s brain before they ask you a question about your research will make them ask deeper and better questions.” – MIKE

23:14 “If you cared about the learning experience, you would use color to stimulate emotion that is relevant to your study.” – MIKE  

16:12 “To make something engaging, you have to make it more interesting than it is effort.” – MIKE

12:48 “The strongest information that you can present is getting right to the point” – MIKE

PARTING SHOT

1:38 “You have to stop being frustrated with people for being lazy and start loving people for being lazy” – MIKE 

Constant Change is Here to Stay in PT Education with Jason Craig

Jason Craig is a big man in a lot of ways. Not only is he 6’4″, but he has also spent half of his life as an educator on two continents. Jason trained as a Physiotherapist in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was the Physio to the Irish Women’s Field Hockey Association for a number of years before moving to the US and joining the faculty of Marymount University PT program. Jason’s passion for innovative teaching led him into podcasting and digital transmission of information long before it was popular. Jason has also been part of a dynamic duo of faculty who have led study abroad trips into Costa Rica and Nicaragua for 10 years with the MU PT students. This year, was a special one in that not only did Jason lead a team of students to serve in hospitals and clinics in Nicaragua, but he also built a house for a family of four who he sponsors through Compassion International. Now an Interim Associate Dean of Innovation and Lifetime Learning, Jason applies his skills to helping promote all the graduate programs at Marymount, even though his heart is in the DPT program.

Spring 2020 was a huge pivot from face to face learning to online learning. This was not planned for by the faculty or the students. A lot of people struggled with this. We can do better in the Fall and will do better in the Fall.

Students can prepare now for the Fall semester whether they are in class or online. Waiting until September is too late. 

Faculty were forced into a difficult situation in March, but now we have time to plan and to prepare. The Fall may still be difficult, but the outcome should be better.

We can leverage what we have learned in the past three months about online learning that can create new conference opportunities for the future. Rather than trying to get 1000’s of people together in one place, we can use social media (FB live, Youtube live) to broadcast short interviews with national speakers and broadcast live sessions to a wider audience.  

We mention the website Jason created Morphopedics: http://morphopedics.wikidot.com/

How You Can Improve Your Telehealth Skills From the CPTA

Registration is linked on their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CPTALBSB/?hc_location=ufi

Annie

Annie Burke-Doe is a physical therapist and a telehealth expert. She describes the importance and difficulties of using telehealth in this ever-changing environment. 

She mainly works with pediatric patients and discusses the challenges treating this population using telehealth. Annie further goes into what platform she uses to treat telehealth and how she continues to protect patient’s information.

PARTING SHOT

47:57 “If telehealth has been something that you have been afraid of or not, thinking that you can do it, go out there, use all your skills, make it happen, and you’ll be great at it and it will help people in society.” – ANNIE

Alan

Alan Lee serves as the telehealth lead for the APTA Frontiers in Rehabilitation Science and Technology (FiRST) Council and the APTA HPA’s technology SIG Vice Director.

Alan and Jimmy hosted the Technopalooza event at CSM 2020 in Denver. Listen to that CSM LIVE! here: https://www.ptpintcast.com/2020/04/22/technopalooza-live-from-csm-denver/?fbclid=IwAR3FlrfA2hpwoH3E4D79mw70qqDwe1BLfx0b7PLDFDU0PY_CApTd_xjxURM

Alan believes telehealth is a way of practicing that should be permanent in the future by incorporating it into all practices, teaching it in education, and increasing research to determine the effectiveness of telehealth in physical therapy.

QUOTES

39:18 “We need to collaborate with interprofessional telehealth and telemedicine providers to really help society in addressing the societal needs including diversity, equity, and inclusion of those areas that are really underserved.” – ALAN

37:21 “Telehealth is a team sport. It needs all of us.” – ALAN

PARTING SHOT

32:03 “We are professionals of being together in the community. Telehealth is just one component of what we do.” – ALAN

Chris

Chris Reed is the CFO of Agile Physical Therapy in the bay area of California and the chair of the government affairs committee of the CPTA.

With his increased involvement in PT advocacy, Chris emphasizes why physical therapists should understand the “laws of the land.” The FSBPT contains the laws and regulations of practicing telehealth in all 50 states. Check out those here:

·  https://www.fsbpt.org/Free-Resources/Regulatory-Resources/Telehealth-in-Physical-Therapy

· http://telerehab.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/Telerehab/article/view/6269

At Agile Physical Therapy, Chris uses outcome measures to track the effectiveness of using telehealth in physical therapy.

PARTING SHOT

6:30 “Telehealth isn’t something to be afraid of. It is a tool that we can use to do the things that we do everyday.” – CHRISTo register for this webinar, check out CPTA: Long Beach South Bay District June 30th 6-8 pm.

The Power of the 5 Pillars to Profitability in Physical Therapy with Will Humphreys

Will Humphreys is a physical therapist, entrepreneur, author, and speaker. Will coaches business owners and physical therapists across the country to his knowledge and belief of profitability. If you thought that was all, Will created a medical billing and consulting company called In the Black this past April.

Will tells us about the events he endured to ultimately choose his path in physical therapy and becoming a physical therapist.

Will goes further in how his past has shaped who he is today and describes the entrepreneur’s mindset: learn, endure, and lead. He discusses the difficulty starting his company Rise Rehab back in 2003 but mentions that even though that was the most difficult situation he had to endure, it is possible with work. In 2018, Rise merged with now Empower Physical Therapy.

He gives us a clear understanding on what “profitability unlocks possibility” means and how this benefits the entrepreneur and current physical therapists.

One topic Will coaches about is the 5 Pillars of Profitability:

1.       Reliability and transparency

2.       Consistency

3.       Efficiency

4.       Stability

5.       Predictability

Will has created a YouTube channel to assist business owners, PTs, new graduates, and students on success in our industry. Take a listen here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd9MwDrfXzXbDjnEqRCW8wA

Will describes to us the Core Four (heart, mind, body, spirit) and how he believes working on yourself everyday leads to success.

On the Practice Tee with Daniel Chelette of the PGA Tour Player Performance Center

Daniel Chelette of the PGA Tour Player Performance Center talks:

His work on the PGA tour.

How he got the opportunity

What they do there as a team

Related concepts of professional development, professional growth and navigate early career challenges and an early PT professional

Components of the role played as a PT in professional golf

Be guided by your passions and your interests when establishing short term and long-term career goals

Career paths are subject to change and don’t typically stick to the script you originally put together

APTA House of Delegates 2020 Post Game Breakdown with Kyle Covington

Kyle Covington, PT, DPT, PhD is a professor at Duke University in their PT program and he’s the Vice-Speaker of the House for the APTA Board of Directors. Each year delegates from around the country come together for the House of Delegates to help shape the profession of Physical Therapy.

What happens there, might not be something that you hang on every word of. Fortunately for us we have Kyle Covington to breakdown the big happenings at this years house of delegates.

We cover
Duke University’s “House of Dukelegates” program
How the APTA’s House of Delegates structure and function
What his role as Vice-Speaker entails

From the 2020 House of Delegates we cover
Telehealth Charge
APTA Behavioral & Mental Health Position
APTA’s Transparency of Accredited Physical Therapy Education Programs
APTA Standards of Practice changes
Why you should care about APTA and the House of Delegates
How you can get more involved

https://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/News/2020/6/10/HouseRecap/

Exercise Prescription During the NBA Season with Matt Tuttle

Due to circumstances of COVID-19, APTA NEXT transformed our beloved NEXT conference virtual. At PT Pintcast, we decided to kick things off with a NEXT Virtual Happy Hour. 

Matt Tuttle is the Lead Sports Scientists and Physical Therapist of the Denver Nuggets.

Matt discusses how the Nuggets have adjusted since the beginning of COVID-19.

He released an article in BJSM “How to Fix Problems of Exercise Prescription in the NBA: Challenges & Tips to Move Forward: https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2020/05/05/how-to-fix-the-problems-of-exercise-prescription-in-the-nba-challenges-and-tips-to-move-forward/?fbclid=IwAR2UVIGsoLZiJV64YlFix44qTO23d1sgZ_D1tvBqm-R-ObJ0dlYKsJTeup4

One main point noted from this article was neuromuscular skeletal care takes longer than the preseason duration length. He discusses the importance of loading appropriately while preventing future injury.

Matt gives his definition of micro dosing exercise and how it has benefited NBA players throughout the season.

PARTING SHOT

“We need to be better as a population about acceptance and equality. Working together and loving each other as humans.” – MATT 

https://www.ptpintcast.com/2019/11/11/inside-the-life-of-an-nba-physical-therapist-with-matt-tuttle/

https://www.ptpintcast.com/2020/04/21/csm-live-with-matt-tuttle-jason-steere-and-krystyna-holland/

Challenges faced by sports professionals

In this article, we discuss the challenges faced by sports professionals and their teams during the current hiatus of live sports events. One such professional is Matt, a lead sports scientist and physical therapist at the Denver Nuggets. He shares his insights on how the team is coping with the current situation and preparing for an uncertain future.

Matt highlights the difficulties for both the public and professionals involved in sports, as they are deeply committed to their work. Currently, only four players are allowed in the building at a time, as they prepare for a potential return to the season. Despite rumors about the season’s fate, the team has been proactive in maintaining their fitness levels. Strength coaches have ordered Pelotons for the athletes to maintain cardiovascular fitness, which is essential for injury prevention.

The timing of the return to the season is crucial, as it determines how much preparation is enough and how much is too much. Matt has co-authored an article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, which discusses the challenges of exercise prescription in the NBA and offers tips to move forward. The article focuses on three main areas: the preseason, in-season strength training, and recovery.

In recent years, the NBA’s preseason has become significantly shorter, with only three to four preseason games and an official duration of about three weeks. The short duration presents a challenge for athletes, as their bodies need more time to adapt. Players often arrive in town early to participate in unofficial workouts and build up their strength.

In-season strength training is another critical aspect of an athlete’s routine. However, it can be challenging to balance the demands of traveling, media obligations, and sponsor commitments with maintaining optimal physical fitness. The article highlights that although athletes may physically recover within 24 hours, self-reported fatigue suggests they need 48 hours to feel fully recovered.

In summary, sports professionals like Matt and the Denver Nuggets are facing unprecedented challenges during this hiatus. Adapting to the current situation and preparing for an uncertain future requires a delicate balance of maintaining fitness levels, ensuring adequate recovery, and navigating a shortened preseason.

Potential Improvement: Individualized Training Programs

The current situation also presents an opportunity for sports professionals and their teams to reevaluate their training and recovery strategies. By reflecting on the challenges faced during the hiatus, they can develop more effective and resilient plans for the future.

One potential area for improvement is individualized training programs. By tailoring workouts to each player’s specific needs, strengths, and weaknesses, teams can optimize performance and reduce the risk of injury. This approach would require close collaboration between sports scientists, strength coaches, and physiotherapists to monitor players’ progress and adjust their programs as needed.

Another aspect to consider is mental health and well-being. The hiatus has likely affected athletes’ mental state, given the uncertainty surrounding the season’s return and the disruption of their usual routines. Sports teams could benefit from incorporating mental health support, such as access to sports psychologists, mindfulness training, or stress management techniques, into their overall training plans.

Furthermore, the use of technology can play a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness of training and recovery methods. Wearable devices, such as heart rate monitors and sleep trackers, can provide valuable insights into each player’s physical condition and recovery needs. By analyzing this data, coaches and sports scientists can make better-informed decisions about training intensity, frequency, and duration to promote optimal performance and recovery.

In addition, teams could explore alternative methods for maintaining fitness and minimizing injury risk during periods of uncertainty or limited access to facilities. Some options may include virtual or remote training sessions, at-home workout plans, or the use of online resources for nutrition and recovery guidance.

Lastly, fostering a strong sense of teamwork and camaraderie during the hiatus can help maintain players’ motivation and morale. Regular communication, virtual team-building activities, or group workout sessions (when safe and feasible) can contribute to a positive team culture, which is essential for high performance.

In conclusion, while the current hiatus presents significant challenges for sports professionals and their teams, it also offers an opportunity to reevaluate and improve their training and recovery strategies. By focusing on individualized training programs, mental health support, technology integration, alternative fitness methods, and strong team culture, teams like the Denver Nuggets can emerge from this period stronger and more resilient than ever before.

Recovery in the NBA

In the NBA, athletes often need to recover quickly due to the packed schedule of games. Research from other sports suggests that full recovery can take up to 72 hours, which is challenging for NBA players who might play three to four games a week. In-season training is a balancing act, and the use of blood flow restriction (BFR) sessions can help with physical and metabolic adaptations without causing undue fatigue.

It is important to understand the changes that occur during the NBA season and how physiology courses can inform clinical practice. Keeping athletes strong and at the top of their game is essential, especially when there is not much time between games. Microdosing exercise can help protect against the typical stresses players face.

However, the strength and conditioning setup is not always perfect. Often, strength coaches in the NBA are not given the respect they deserve, and sometimes they have to work out in hotel gyms. While they stay in nice hotels, the gyms may not be up to par. Teams are usually familiar enough with each other that they can use each other’s weight rooms pregame to get a lift or some conditioning in.

Focusing on sleep and nutrition is key to recovery, and the NBA is moving in a positive direction in terms of recovery. Teams are starting to prioritize overnight stays, which can provide a better environment for rest and recovery. This change is not only a performance decision but also a financial one. Injury risk increases with a decrease in sleep, and having a player who makes millions of dollars a year out for months due to injury can have severe financial consequences.

In conclusion, load management, recovery modalities, and proper sleep and nutrition are essential for NBA athletes. By understanding the physiological and practical aspects of these factors, teams can improve player performance and reduce injury risk.

Reducing Clinical Chaos with Tara Jo Manal

Due to circumstances of COVID-19, APTA NEXT transformed our beloved NEXT conference virtual. At PT Pintcast, we decided to kick things off with a NEXT Virtual Happy Hour. 

Tara Jo Manal

Tara Jo Manal is the director of clinical services and Residency training at the University of Delaware and the director of the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy (AOPT). She is here to talk about her APTA NEXT 2017 Maley Lecture – Strike While the Iron is Hot. Check it out here: https://www.apta.org/NEXT/2017/MaleyLecture/?fbclid=IwAR0vo93fi0MpxezYDlFkvtabTmJ0bOwXaO4cBhyDRCv2fN0bNwT-_zk2eWo

Tara believes that not only from her lecture but even due to COVID the therapy profession has transformed and adjusted for the better in clinical practice.

If you are interested in furthering your physical therapy career in orthopedics, check out the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy here: https://www.orthopt.org/

Tara gives us the rundown of all educational material that AOPT provides for physical therapists interested in pursuing the OCS. Look out for future opportunities to win these materials!

Tara ends with visualizing in 3 years our profession finding our spot in all settings and continuing to provide telehealth to patients.

PARTING SHOT

47:28 “Be thinking how you are creating your communities. Recognizing what we have learned and what’s so important about community while we’ve been separated from one another.” – TARA

Why should Physical Therapy Support Community Programs? THIS IS WHY!

We talk with #FreshPT Andy Seraphin who has worked with youth soccer community program club AC Fairhill.

AC Fairhill is a youth soccer club that provides opportunity to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status PTs can play a major role in improving the health and well being in communities of color Andy shows us how and why.

Andy is currently running a fundraiser to purchase new equipment, uniforms, and fund transportation.

Donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ac-fairhill-a-campaign-for-youth-prosperity?utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet

Picking Your Own Starting Five with Skye Donovan and Megan Brown

Due to circumstances of COVID-19, APTA NEXT transformed our beloved NEXT conference virtual. At PT Pintcast, we decided to kick things off with a NEXT Virtual Happy Hour. 

Skye and Megan

Skye Donovan and Megan Brown were our third guests on the happy hour. Skye Donovan was elected APTA board of director at APTA House of Delegates. Check that out here: http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/News/2020/6/1/Elections/?fbclid=IwAR315xPj12RqfQeD1OQYiCOE8dqa0uIiMGNi4QQ60oH6QWmV6H3UkvB1hBA

The ladies first rave about “The Last Dance” and how it is on their must watch documentaries. They further discuss their own fab 5. They identify these people as the ones who challenge you and let you be your authentic self.

Megan is a business owner and Skye is a professor at Marymount University. They both discussed the difficulties of adapting their lives virtually. 

PARTING SHOT

(Going virtual) “It taught me to just apologize frequently and to show your human side and be transparent.” – SKYE 

The Evolution of BFR with Owens Recovery Science

Due to circumstances of COVID-19, APTA NEXT transformed our beloved NEXT conference virtual. At PT Pintcast, we decided to kick things off with a NEXT Virtual Happy Hour. 

Thank you Owens Recovery Science for sponsoring the event! www.OwensRecoveryScience.com

Johnny Owens and Kyle Kimbrell from Owens Recovery Science here to talk about blood flow restriction.

Kyle starts off this chat discussing that both, and we mean BOTH, Twitter and BFR changed his way of practice as a PT.

How to manage burnout as a PT? Try something new in the field and be inspired by connecting with others.

Check out Johnny and Kyle on the PACER Project here: owensrecoveryscience.com/blog/the-pacer-project/

Johnny and Kyle give us the breadth and depth on the benefits of BFR for ALL populations – athletes, pediatric, geriatric, even patients in the ICU.

Johnny illustrates how BFR is used in research, where it is going, and how it will benefit patients today.

PARTING SHOT

“I want physical therapists to stop prescribing exercise that looks like you’re a circus bear or a one man band. I want them to prescribe exercise that creates adaptation and muscle.” – KYLE

“How would I tell my kids that this is how my mom or dad reacted during these times.” – JOHNNY

The Future of the Patient Experience Post COVID-19 with Jerry Durham

Due to circumstances of COVID-19, APTA NEXT transformed our beloved NEXT conference virtual. At PT Pintcast, we decided to kick things off with a NEXT Virtual Happy Hour. 

Jerry Durham was our first guest to kick off this happy hour. Jerry discusses #timeIsNow which symbolizes the need to change now to move forward in changing the future.

As the patient experience is shifting towards a telehealth experience, it is important to understand the patient when talking on the phone.

What Jerry emphasizes is demonstrating to your patient from the initial phone call that THEY MATTER and make the experience all about them.

Jerry also acknowledges the difficulties of current physical therapists using telehealth. Even though these issues arise, physical therapists will only become better clinicians once back practicing in the clinic.

Interested in learning how to run a business while valuing the patient experience? Check out: https://clientexperiencecompany.com/

PARTING SHOT

“The world is about community. You will be successful when you learn who you can serve in your community. #1 step to business success.” – JERRY

https://www.ptpintcast.com/2020/03/23/the-one-thing-you-must-focus-on-for-success-in-your-physical-therapy-practice-with-jerry-durham/

https://www.ptpintcast.com/2018/01/24/268-jerry-durham-graham-sessions/

https://www.ptpintcast.com/2015/09/01/episode-5-jerry-durham-2/

Building Community During a Pandemic with HPA The Catalyst

HPA The Catalyst (https://www.aptahpa.org/) President Matt Mesibov and Vice President Karen Hughes come on to talk about the surge of information (and misinformation) around COVID-19.

We cover:

1. The impact of COVID-19 on our profession

2. Amid this crisis we have had a surge in membership and engagement… why?!

3. The uniqueness of HPA The Catalyst inclusivity and innovation

1. COVID Impact: Recognizing the need for resources for our profession and began to collaborate on clinical and non-clinical resources. e.g – webinars, telehealth vendor resource,  collaboration with APTA and other components.

2. Membership growth– at a time when Maslow’s hierarchy is dominating our lives to survive – i.e. what are my basic needs? , we have seen more historical membership growth and engagement in learning, participating and developing material to share with our colleagues- awesome networking people – 

3. Innovation/Inclusivity of our section – ground up section – we give our members a platform to belong and adds value to each professionals life by allowing the individual and group  to flourish in their specific areas that impacts their quality of life and professionalism – ie.catalyst groups- beyond clinical, pt proud, pro-bono, tech sig, global health sig, lamp leadership & lamp management, payment and practice, research, publications, and programming

Inside the PACER Project – Post Acute Covid-19 Exercise Rehabilitation

Angela Campbell and Sharon Gorman were instrumental in creating the PACER Project – Post Acute COVID-19 Exercise Rehabilitation.

Angela is the president of the cardio vascular and pulmonary section of the APTA and Sharon is the president of the acute care section of the APTA.

We talked about all of the free valuable resources available for treating patients post COVID. Find out more here: https://learningcenter.apta.org/student/mycourse.aspx?id=f4b7ebc7-bdbd-4808-814c-c875c8aee805

CVP YouTube channel featuring all the PACER courses:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJR0p2186h3OYPfnavgjfHQ

Current Concepts of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy with Chris Hughes

Chris Hughes the OP editor at the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy (www.orthopt.org) gives us the overview of the current concepts of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy.

Listen to learn more about:

  • Resources and service opportunities available through the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy
  • How the ISC Current Concepts series for professional development can help YOU prepare for the OCS examination
  • Why having a “dying to know” attitude can make you a better clinician

WIN Access to Current Concepts of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy here: https://www.orthopt.org/

Mobile Measures with Ben Kenuk

Ben is the founder of Mobile Measures, a mobile app designed for physical therapists to optimize the use of functional outcome measures. He is also a physical therapist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where he still practices full time.

Mobile Measures is a mobile app that helps PTs measure patient outcomes.

It provides access to high-quality patient assessment tools that are proven to measure critical aspects of patient health/functional status including risk of falling, hospitalization, frailty, and much more.

The app guides users to the best test to use for over 40 different patient populations, it automatically calculates scores, offers immediate interpretation of the results, and uploads the results into your documentation. Users can visualize the impact of their patient’s condition, track progress, and determine the effectiveness of treatments directly at the point of care!

www.mobilemeasures.org

As the current trend in healthcare is moving toward value-based payment plans, physical therapists need to find new ways to prove the value of their services and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of delivering high-quality evidence based care. Mobile Measures is designed to do just that.

Outcome measures play a key role in clinical decision making, improving patient outcomes and quality of life, and reducing healthcare costs for patients and organizations.

Although the benefits of using outcome measures has been recognized for many years, they are not routinely and effectively being used in daily practice because of barriers related to time, knowledge, and ready access to information at the point of care.

Mobile Measures provides all of the tools needed to overcome these barriers and maximize the benefits that outcome measures provide.

Stroke Recovery Research with Sandy Billinger

Sandy Billinger is an Associate Professor at an academic medical center and lead a research laboratory. She serves as the Neurovascular Division Director, KU Alzheimer’s Disease Center and I is an educator in the classroom teaching Cardiopulmonary PT and a mentor for trainees.

Sandy is dental assistant turned academic who almost chose cardiac rehabilitation research instead of stroke recovery research. She enjoys her research and mentoring role that she did a Walk Across Kansas with her son to raise money to purchase unique equipment for an idea she had to assess brain health after stroke. Five years later, she and her lab team were the first in the world to publish on this methodology, Middle Cerebral Artery Dynamic Response during Moderate Intensity Exercise.

What we cover:

Stroke recovery research

Novel methodology for measuring cerebrovascular function during exercise

Career path

Roles/thoughts on mentoring

Value of DPT students collaborating with me in research

What’s on the menu at the National Advocacy Dinner?

National Advocacy Dinners… or NADS. 

You’ve probably seen people talking about them online. Hashtag APTAnad

Well, the team at PT Pintcast knew a LITTLE bit about what NAD’s were… I mean, the word advocacy is in the title, and then there’s the word DINNER! Who doesn’t like dinner?!

…. But we wanted to look a little deeper at the ingredients that make up these events and see how they’re cooked, just before this year’s event.  Which will be served this Saturday May 9th at 7pm eastern. 

https://www.facebook.com/APTAStudents/

https://www.apta.org/AdvocacyDinner/

VR and PT with Veena Somareddy of NeuroRehab VR

Veena Somareddy is the CEO/CTO of Neuro Rehab VR. They build virtual reality therapy products for Physical and Occupational therapy clinics, Hospitals, Patients who have suffered a stroke, TBI, SPI and other neuro diseases

https://www.neurorehabvr.com/

  • We cover:
    How VR is disrupting the PT, OT industry with virtual reality therapy
  • How our patients and therapists are responding to the tech and how the data analytics helps with precise tracking of patient progress
  • With Covid-19, Telemedicine even in PT is going to be an important way of Therapy soon and would like to talk about how this tech can help PTs continue to keep in touch with their patients

Virtual Reality:
Increases patient engagement & motivation with virtual reality for physical therapy
Patient and PT experiences with VR and Data Analytics for progress tracking

  • Listen and learn how:
  • Understand the benefits of virtual reality technology, how they can integrate it into their practice.
  • Increase patient engagement, motivation and also ROI for their clinics
  • Explore new ways of keeping in touch with their patients remotely at a time of crises where they have to practice social distancing when PT is all about being in close contact with patients 

APTA Pacer Project & ESPN Project 11 with Johnny Owens and Larry Cahalin

Project 11 and Pacer with Johnny Owens and Larry Cahalin

The APTA Pacer Project – Post-Acute Covid-19 Exercise and Rehabilitation (PACER) Project brings together multiple components in the form of multiple online learning modules for a variety of topics that will be needed in patients post COVID19.

Johnny Owens and Larry Cahalin are collaborating on a Blood Flow Restriction component that we dive into. Johnny sticks around the show to talk about Project 11 – a feature on ESPN documenting the injury and recovery of the Washington Redskins Quarterback Alex Smith. The feature is hosted by physical therapist and ESPN head injury analyst Stephanie Bell. Johnny was part of the recovery team for Alex, along with another former guest of PT Pintcast Seth Blee.

Eating Behaviors & Nutritional Determinants with Patrick Berner

Patrick Berner is a Physical Therapist and Registered Dietician who speaks regularly on the topics of nutrition and health.

We all eat certain foods for a reason. Whether it be preference, what we grew up eating, our culture, but even our access to foods.It’s important to know these reasons and the fact that we are all different in order to go any further in integrating nutrition into PT practice. 

We can talk about what is “healthy” all day, but if it doesn’t fit into someone’s life or they don’t know how to make it fit, then it’s all for none.

We cover:
What I eat will never look identical to what you eat.
My access to food will differ from a majority of people.
Knowing the reason behind behaviors and nutritional determinants sets up future success.

From Resisting to Embracing – Pelvic Physical Therapy Through Telehealth

Erica Michitsch is a pelvic floor and orthopedic physical therapist. She owns Solstice Physio (www.solsticept.com) in Midtown Manhattan and Long Island. 

COVID-19 hit and she had to adapt to Telehealth treatment in an intimate setting, learning how to bill/charge patients, and with navigating technology to best benefit the patient. 

Full Disclosure – Erica was very resistant to telehealth at first, but has come to love it.

We hear how she converted her entire business from the epicenter of a pandemic while thriving.

Mind the Gap – How One Clinician Pivoted and Prospered During COVID-19

Physical Therapist and Boss Lady Megan Brown owns Mind the Mat – a thriving Pilates and Yoga studio in Alexandria Virginia shares how she went from in person treatment and classes as her main business to dancing in bunny ears to Beyonce on Easter via webcam.

Megan and her team had many of the same struggles and limitations as fellow Physical Therapists across the world, but what they did with it was unique.

We learn how Mind the Mat pivoted to not only stay in business, but thrive in a time of a global pandemic that has prevented in person treatment and classes.

https://www.mindthemat.com/

http://www.instagram.com/mindthemat

CSM LIVE with Matt Tuttle, Jason Steere and Krystyna Holland

We went live @ CSM in Denver with some new and some familiar voices.

On the show for the first time is Jason Steer with his former student Matt Tuttle who’s a friend of the show. Jason currently serves as a physical therapist for a special operations unit in the U.S. Army. He has been a member of a multidisciplinary team for most of his career which began in the athletic training room at the University of South Dakota in 1995. After receiving his Master’s degree in Physical Therapy in 2000, he was able to spend 3 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers and 4 years with the Seattle Mariners working side by side with esteemed physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and strength and conditioning professionals.

Also back again is Krystyna Holland who tells us more about her origin story as a Physical Therapist, one that almost prevented her from becoming a PT altogether.

CSM LIVE with Sarabeth Burk, Corey Foote and Maggie Whittum

We bring back three familiar voices for an update on things in their worlds.

Sarabeth Berk is the master of the idea of “Hybridity” or merging of multiple professional identities and now she has a full book coming out!

Corey Foote is a thought leader in the world of Travel Physical Therapy, he shares and dispels the biggest myths around traveling as a Physical Therapist and Physical Therapist Assistant.

And finally Maggie Whittum comes back on the show to talk about the progress of her documentary “The Great Now What?” where she shows the world what it’s like to survive a brain stem stroke.

You’re Not an Oncologic Physical Therapist? Are You Sure? with Dr. Leslie Waltke

If a person being treated for lung cancer comes to you with an ankle sprain, is it safe to use therapeutic ultrasound as a component of your rehabilitation plan of care?

If your patient has a history of breast cancer 7 years prior, what clinical decisions need to be addressed prior to spinal manipulation techniques?

Persons with cancer or with a history of cancer, frequently present to physical therapy with both cancer related and non-cancer related pain and impairments.

Physical therapists often forego using modulates or physical agents in their rehabilitation plan of care in persons with a history of cancer due to a lack of knowledge. There are basic guidelines to help PTs make clinical decisions regarding modalities and patients.

Cognitive Distortions and Your Mental Health with Psychologist Dr. Jamie Hagenbaugh

We talk with friend of the show Dr. Jamie Hagenbaugh about cognitive distortions that people use daily and how they can bring about symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Jamie is a Psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor at Thomas Jefferson University working with college students and health care professionals since 2011.

Jamie shows how to spot them and how to manage them more effectively to improve your mental health.

What are cognitive distortions?
What Impact do they have?
How can you manage them?

APTA Thinking About Providing Telehealth? Here’s APTA’s Top 10 ‘To-Do’ List

APTA’s Director of Regulatory Affairs Kara Gainer, JD and Alan Chong W. Lee, PT, PhD, DPT walk us through a great resource produced by APTA.

The top ten list walks a clinician through the first 10 steps that need to be on your to-do list if you’re venturing into telehealth as a Physical Therapist.

The list is well ordered, thought out and full of links to other resources available to you.

This is a great example of the value of membership in the APTA.

More Telehealth Resources for PTs and PTAs
HIPAA: Business associate agreements
FERPA
COPPA 
Health IT and telehealth
HPSO: Telemedicine: Risk Management Issues, Strategies, and Resources 
APTA: Considerations for Practice Opportunities and Professional Development
HHS Security Risk Assessment Tool
HPA Tech SIG: SIG’s homepage.

COVID-19 Management Webinar Overview with Heidi Engel and Ellen Hillegass

We talked with Heidi Engel and Ellen Hillegass about the webinar and resources being produced about COVID-19

We cover:
What is the best role for PT during this viral pandemic?
What can we learn from the experiences of our ICU successes and failures?
Why is the PT ability to create therapeutic alliance with patients now more crucial than ever? 

Bringing our best selves to patients who are at their most vulnerable, avoiding the provision of futile care, having the restoration of medically complex patients lives be the Center always focus of what we do. We need to serve the patient before we serve the system.

Traditionally, PTs have been a reactive (waiting for the referral and protocol for the MD), group focused on orthopedic and neurological patients primarily. Medicine and health have shifted dramatically away from that paradigm of who needs PT dramatically. Yet we often are caught in a tangle of insurance dictates and hospital administration priorities that don’t help us shift our care towards the people who need us most. It is time for PTs to become proactive, become patient advocates- bring clinical decision making and their skills to patient centered care for medically complex people.

COVID 19 is a public health problem first and medical problem second, PTs will need to strategize how they prioritize their care.

Medically complex patients need more intensive and frequent therapies, not less, a reversal of traditional assumptions.

Skeletal Muscle is a vital and misunderstood organ system PTs can play a vital role in protecting.

Link to webinar: https://www.cardiopt.org/pdf/pubs/3-28-20-HPA-Webinar-Recording.pdf

Slides for webinar: https://www.aptahpa.org/resource/resmgr/webinars/3-28-20_Presentation_Handout.pdf

Physiotherapy Guidelines: http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/News/2020/03/26/AcuteHospitalCOVIDGuidelines/

Prone Positioning:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_6jT9R7WJs
o https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1214103

COVID-19 DPT Student Education Update With DPT Students

We talked with 6 DPT students about how their education has changed in the last few weeks. From online learning to clinical placements and NPTE postponements how are students getting by?

Show Credits:

Casey Hasenbein Ohio State 1st Year

Kelsey McNaughton University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences – Austin, TX 2nd year

James Nowak Utica College: 2nd year

Becca Maracich Ithaca College 2nd year

Sean O’Gara University of Miami 2nd Year

Chase Kuhn (THE) Ohio State University First year 

Innovation in the Face of COVID-19 with David Putrino of Mt. Sinai Hospital NY

David Putrino shares insight of what the staff in the Mt. Sinai hospital system are seeing, learning and living with during COVID-19

David shares info about an amazing app he helped develop called Precision Recovery. You can find that information here: https://precisionrecovery.net/

As well as sharing what he has turned his laboratory space into to help front line hospital workers reduce stress and fatigue as they continue to work at near 100% effort.

COVID-19 ICU PT Update with Kyle Ridgeway

We talked with Kyle Ridgeway who’s a board certified clinical specialists in cardiovascular and pulmonary PT. Kyle practices in ICUs at University of Colorado Hospital where he assists with clinical and operational quality improvement including medical ICU PT and system wide activity and mobility promotion.

COVID-19 has the potential to strain hospitals, ICUs, and ventilator supply. Getting patients out of the hospital and away from healthcare are paramount. There is the potential for clinical and operation bottlenecks. How can PTs assist in a pandemic? For those with moderate and severe cases of COVID—19 the survivorship burden may be similarly devastating to other critical illness. These stressful times give us the opportunity to explore the role of the PT in pandemic and in the future. Where can we add value?

Link to Kyle’s open source google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16UrBoE0YLikWaXgdUpmO01oO2NTo5fr-_qkN3EyDvr0

Link to public folder with information: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12kNBFloEKd6p_D4qxuYomU6_hT7s95NO

Why Telehealth Matters with Sarah Gallagher

Sarah Gallagher implemented telehealth to allow patients who were too dizzy to commute, lived far away, couldn’t arrange rides or time off to come to PT.

Challenges have been convincing PTs that you can deliver the same standard of care, ensuring insurance reimbursement, and orienting patients to the process. Successes have been helping patients who wouldn’t ordinarily be able to receive expert care, ease for patients without compromising quality, and receiving equal reimbursement for services provided in the clinic.

  • Improving access to specialized PT
  • Same standards of care as in clinic PT
  • Competency and education about regulations are important

How the Physical Therapy Profession Can Help Our Communities During COVID-19

We talked to Duke faculty member Mike Landry about the APTA and CPA response to organize our professional response to COVID-19 in your communities.

Mike is a Canadian physical therapist and a professor at Duke University.  He has worked for over 20 years in global health in distant and emergency settings.  

We overview where we are now, the role of PT in an emergency situation like COVID-19 and the APTA/CPA response and a plea to sign up for the corps of volunteers

WEBSITE: http://ptcovid19.org/

USAF Fighter Pilot Physical Therapist Captain Michelle Jílek

Captain Michelle Jílek is active duty in USAF and partially embedded with fighter squadrons. She specializes in G induced  injuries in the spine.

I take care of fighter pilots who have spinal injuries from sustaining high Gs in aircraft. I am there for them before and after flights and help with preventative care. I have specially designed strengthening programs just for them that I have developed.

  • We talk:
  • Global air superiority
  • Spine Health
  • Embedded care in the military

Check out an article about Captain Jílek here: https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2017872/fit-to-fight-one-fighter-wing-at-a-time/

Telehealth in rehab therapy during COVID-19 with Heidi Jannenga of WEB PT

Telehealth in rehab therapy: How it can be leveraged for patient care and why PT’s should use this opportunity to advocate for permanent telehealth coverage expansion. What PT’s need to know regarding billing etc. It’s all a moving target right now.

Business continuity: What PT’s need to know to keep their businesses running during times of uncertainty and hardship, including patient communications, employee support, company culture/morale and more.

Links from WEB PT:

https://www.webpt.com/resources/webinars/telehealth-and-continuity-strategies-for-pts-ots-and-slps-during-crisis/?utm_medium=web&utm_source=blog&utm_content=slider_ad_webinar_telehealth_and_continuity&utm_campaign=blog

Playing to DPT Students Strengths with Megan Moran

Megan Moran is a Physical Therapist and Assistant Professor at Marymount University.

Megan shares how she used Clifton StrengthsFinders in DPT education to test if grouping students by various strengths could make them more productive in school, at work, or in their personal lives.

CliftonStrengths is an assessment tool used across different industries to inform individuals of their personal strengths or talents.  Individuals are encouraged to leverage their strengths to make them more productive at work or in their personal lives.  At MU, we are introducing this to students as they enter the program with hopes they will continue to use their talents throughout their graduate education and as they enter the profession.

The assessment is easily available online, for a minimal fee.  Individuals can gain insight as to why they gravitate to certain tasks at work, or why they work well with others.  Knowing one’s strength can help an individual choose roles where they will thrive.

  • Know your strengths and how others might view the strengths
  • Don’t spend most of your time focusing on your weaknesses
  • Learn the strengths of those you work with and discuss how your team can best achieve goals

The One Thing You Must Focus on for Success in Your Physical Therapy Practice with Jerry Durham

Jerry Durham is a Physical therapist who learned that PATIENT SUCCESS comes from studying successful businesses and implementing what they have done in a “CUSTOMER FIRST” Culture!!

He has a company called The Client Experience Experience Company that works with multi site practices and practice managers.

He’s a Physical Therapist of 25 years who has grown tired of my profession and healthcare NOT truly focusing on our clients, customers and patients!!  Im not afraid to share whats best and not afraid to speak my mind and call out the profession for its many times backwards approach.

 learned from my stack of books, my Business mentors, Entrepreneur Organization AND then doing, doing.

BUSINESS SUCCESS COMES FROM ONE PLACE ONLY….. client and patient success

Your client is on a journey and the better YOU understand that in your business, the MORE successful your clients will be and ultimately the MORE successful YOUR business will be!!

Your Front Desk being the hidden gem in a practice…. the most undervalued, misunderstood and poorly leveraged part of your biz!!

here is an ULTIMATE biz and patient metric that ALL should measure… knowing this 1 metric will tell you more about the HEALTH of your business than any other metric  (completed plans of care)

Your biz culture is defined by your clients journey in your business

THE FUTURE IS NOW……. people are paying more today for our services, people are expecting physio and healthcare to deliver an experience similar to other industries

People are growing tired of ALL the friction points that healthcare and physio put up AND they are willing to pay for LESS friction!!

  • PEOPLE PAYING MORE…. (regardless of in or out of network)
  • People are willing to pay for an experience that has less friction
  • People ARE expecting better experiences from physio and healthcare

Level Up Your Career with Zach Gabor of the Level Up Initiative

Zach Gabor runs The Level up Initiative an online educational company focusing on freemium mentorship focusing on critical thinking and communication skills.

Zak Gabor is a practicing PT for Boston PT and Wellness, and is also the founder of The Level Up Initiative, an online educational platform that focuses on improving student and new graduates critical thinking and communication skills. Their premier product is a “Freemium” mentorship that runs twice a year, and has around 400 enrollees per cohort! Visit thelevelupinitiative.com for more details.

  • – Using a free mentorship platform as a trojan horse for academic reform
  • – The importance of critical thinking and intellectual humility as core values of the healthcare industry
  • – How strong critical thinking and communication skills translate into truly effective clinical practice

1. The elephant in the room – academic reform. We all know the boards are teaching to outdated concepts, we all know we need to do better. But it is not so simple to restructure deeply rooted academic tradition. How can we move the needle forward in a collaborative, constructive, and meaningful way? We have some ideas…

2. Critical thinking and intellectual humility as a key core value for the healthcare industry. Unfortunately, our own cognitive inflexibility has in part contributed to the current healthcare mess we are in. We hold ideas and even if those ideas are challenged with robust evidence, we have been un able to let go of deeply rooted dogmas despite the evidence it can have a negative impact on healthcare delivery. How do we truly practice intellectual humility?

3. How does critical thinking and communication translate into clinical excellence? Well I will put it simply. A truly effective clinician should be able to truly listen, connect, and synthesize information to create an informed plan of care. If you are up to date with your clinical understandings and frameworks, and pair that with a strong ability to influence and inspire your patients to take action…well, that’s powerful, and pretty much all you need. And will also set you up to be a BEAST with telehealth. I would ask the question: do we really NEED manual therapy as our premier service we provide? 

These speak to pain points that a lot of students and new grads feel but don’t always openly discuss because it is taboo to speak up against deeply rooted institutions and beliefs.

  • It can transform healthcare
  • It can decrease clinician burn out.
  • It can set up to be successful and more flexible in the future when things change.

#Concierge PT with Bryan Williams

CEO and Founder (2010) of Concierge Physical Therapists.

The state of the industry. Cash practices. Social media influence on those trying to start cash practices. The future of PT as a profession.

Challenges and rewards of owning and operating a cash based practice. Issues with the seemingly endless pop ups of new cash practices. How the profession is positioned within the healthcare space.

  • PTs thinking of starting a business would benefit.
  • Owning a healthcare business it TOUGH
  • Social media outlets are selling their “cash based plans” and making it easier than it seems
  • Good outcomes don’t always come from good therapies

What is a Cancer Survivor with Scott Capozza?

After being diagnosed with Stage II cancer in his last year of PT school, Scott Capozza initially wanted nothing to do with cancer care professionally.  However, he’s come to learn that the best way he can give back to the cancer community is by helping fellow cancer survivors.  Through rehab and individually tailored exercise programs, cancer patients and long term survivors can overcome many of the physical side effects caused by treatment.

  • What is a cancer survivor
  • What are some common side effects from treatment 
  • How can rehab and exercise help cancer patients better deal with side effects (in prehab, during treatment, and in long term survivorship)
  • How PTs interested in oncology rehab can get more involved 

Side effects from cancer treatments are well documented and wide spread.  Early rehab intervention (prehab, during treatment) helps limit potential side effects while giving the cancer patient some sense of control of their health.  Survivors also require rehab following completion of treatment to safely exercise and screen for long term side effects like balance issues, muscle weakness and lymphedema.

There will be an estimated 17 million cancer survivors in the US in 2020.  No matter what setting you practice PT in, you will encounter a cancer survivor and you need to be prepared to treat them safely and effectively

  • Cancer survivors experience many physical short and long term side effects from life-saving treatment.
  • Physical therapists can address many of these side effects throughout the cancer trajectory
  • Physical therapist should actively advocate for increased access to rehab for all cancer patients and long term survivors

The Importance of Mentorship and Reflection in Your career with Trent Harrison

We talk to Trent Harrison who’s the Residency Coordinator at Brooks IHL and the Creator of an Online Education Platform, PhysioNexus.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/tcharrisondpt

Our Guest

Trent is an Orthopaedic Certified specialist & fellow of AAOMPT.  An Orthopaedic residency coordinator for Brooks Rehab for over 5 years.  Self-taught web designer & video editor all for the purpose of creating a new online community hub for Physical Therapy education & collaboration.  

Very much into the concept of culture development.  Was an anthropology major, spent first career overseas in Japan as an English Teacher/Bartender studying Japanese intensively at Waseda University.  Came back to pursue a career in Healthcare.  Has been on both the membership committees of Academy of Orthopaedic Therapy (APTA) & AAOMPT (was also the chair of the Membership & media relations committee).  This all highlighted the need for increased educational cultural development outside of the typical social media platforms.

We talk about:

How people currently approach learning subjects or topics.  How people currently discuss cases and try to work with their colleagues on learning information.  How most of this does not involve a roadmap, reflection, or mentorship.  How Physionexus is hoping to tap into those things.  Also how important mentorship and reflection are and that’s in essence what Residency truly is about.

Current Education practices -> memorize, cram, piecemeal, reactionary.  Best methods -> scope topics, chunk information, space repetition, interleaving of topics, REFLECTION!  People are just doing it wrong, and most of it is habit.  Need to tap into habit forming concepts for the good of the profession.

Takeaway points:

Proper learning techniques will foster improved overall understanding of the profession.  Hopefully it begins to decrease practice variance.  I created Physionexus to try and improve outcome tracking, decrease practice variance, have a supportive nurturing location for conversation that would in turn act as a repository of information for others to learn off of. In addition to all of that utilizing educational tracks with proper education techniques to then improve our knowledge base.

  • Current education techniques are poor habits that feel good, but aren’t storing information
  • Current online educational hubs involve expense lecture based tracts that dont help with reflection & implementation
  • Current social media & community usually is fleeting, meaning that information isn’t stored for others, and it usually can be way too polarizing.

Embracing Telehealth and Technology in Physical Therapy with Anang Chokshi

Anang Chokshi is a physical therapist who left traditional care to help start a digital healthcare company in San Diego over 7 years ago, Reflexion Health.

As their Chief Clinical Officer he has been able to use his clinical background to build an organization that is using sensor technology and telemedicine to deliver care that is convenient for patients while providing clinicians greater insight into the recovery process.

We talked about why we should be embracing telehealth and technology into our practice in the future.

  • Translating telehealth research into practical application of telehealth
  • How to use telehealth in today’s healthcare beyond the B2C model
  • Telehealth doesn’t mean less care
  • Telehealth still uses your greatest skill as a clinician, observation and clinical reasoning/decision making  

This is important because if physical therapy doesn’t embrace telehealth, there will be companies that offer pseudo therapy to our patients.

We covered:

Understanding the opportunities
Patient centric and focused care
Understanding the legalities of your PT state board

Connect with Anang:
Twitter: @AnangChokshiDPT
Instagram: @AnangChokshi

You are more capable than you know with Megan Fisher and Amanda Boxtel

We were lucky enough to be present to hear these two ladies deliver inspiring TED-like talks at the Tri-State PT conference in Las Vegas.

Megan Fisher

Megan Fisher a Paralympic gold, silver, and bronze medalist from the Rio 2016 and London 2012 Games, a ten-time world champion, and retired member of Team USA.

Her road to success has not been easy. At 19 years old she was involved in a tragic car accident that nearly killed her; leaving her in a coma and stealing the lower half of her left leg.

After the accident, Meg fought to overcome relatively simple challenges, like eating, standing, and relearning how to walk.  Incredibly, less than a year after the loss of her leg, Meg returned to college and finished her first triathlon.  That one race proved to her that she could overcome any obstacle.

Meg continues to explore her own physical boundaries.  She uses these experiences to inspire and motivate as well as to raise awareness for a wide variety of causes and organizations.

Today, she works as a Doctor of Physical Therapy, athletic performance coach, motivational speaker, and is in hot pursuit of other opportunities that demonstrate the capacity of the human body and spirit.   

Amanda Boxtel.

On February 27th, 1992 a freak skiing accident rendered Amanda a paraplegic. On that fateful day, at the age of 24, Amanda’s life took a dramatic turn and her dance on wheels began. It happened in a split second while downhill skiing – she somersaulted, an electric current ricocheted through her legs, and instantly she knew she was paralyzed. Since sustaining a permanent spinal cord injury, Amanda has become a strong advocate for people with disabilities and has been involved in community and outreach projects that aim to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Amanda presents from her bionic exoskeleton suit, walking across the stage and demonstrating to her audiences the power of bionic technology. She is a passionate and dynamic motivational speaker who captivates her audiences with her stories, weaves in the valuable lessons she has learned along the way, and warms their hearts with laughter and compassion. She focuses her energy to present fresh material in a polished style. She has been featured as a speaker at numerous conferences and venues including TED2011, TEDx San Antonio, TEDxDU, TEDxSF, The Aspen Ideas Festival, 20th Century Fox Studios, Aspen Brain Forum, and Singularity University’s European Summit.

Amanda’s overall message is one of never giving up in pursuit of the best quality of life possible. From her life experiences, she has a greater sense of healing and that transformation occurs from within. She believes in the divine connectedness to all things and she aspires to help make the world a better place for future generations.

Amanda currently serves as Executive Director for Bridging Bionics Foundation, which aims to bridge human mobility with exoskeletons and bionic technology. In her spare time she enjoys writing, painting and drawing. She lives near Aspen in Basalt, Colorado.

To support our show, support our sponsors:


Tri-State PT Conference Keynote LIVE in Las Vegas with Elvis

I was invited to host the keynote event at the Tri-State PT conference in Las Vegas Nevada. It was a weekend conference that brought together the state PT associations of California, Arizona and Nevada in Vegas.

It was not a hard thing to say yes to.

PT + Vegas + Getting to talk in front of lots of people about PT.

I even got a chance to dress up like Elvis and come out to hundreds of PTs to Viva Las Vegas, what’s not to love?

You’ll get to hear my attempt at cheezy stand-up comedy as I warm the crowd up, it was 8am on a Saturday in Vegas… they needed warming.

But then we got down to business with Sharon Dunn, Chris Powers, John Heick and Tricia Catalino in a macro and micro view of where PT is and where it can and should go.

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Nutrition! It’s in your PT Scope of Practice!

We talk to PT and Registered Dietician Patrick Berner about PT scope of practice and nutrition.

Believe it or not nutrition is something well within the scope of practice of a physical therapy practitioner. Something that the APTA fully supports and of recent fully supports the collaboration/referral to registered dietitians. The degree of use will of course also depend on practitioner’s local practice acts.

Why does this matter?

Because the physical therapy profession needs to become more holistic in nature and the nutrition is a huge part of it.

Nutrition is within the PT scope.

State practice acts makes a difference.

Know the limitations of your “personal scope.”

Twitter: @theFuelPhysio

Instagram: @theFuelPhysio

Website: https://fuelphysio.com/

To support our show, support our sponsors:

Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapists – Annual Orthopaedic Meeting with Joe Godges

Joe has spent the last 30 years training physical therapy residents and fellows in programs in Southern California, and across the US and around the world in USC affiliated programs.

And, from 2006 to 2017, he served as the editor of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Common Musculoskeletal Conditions for the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy.

What a participant will get by participating in the AOPT meeting in Minneapolis in April

  • Summary of what makes this meeting different than other continuing professional education events
  • Quality of the presenters – actual authors of the cutting edge science match with master clinicians who were also authors of the recent clinical practice guidelines
  • Small group – hands-on sessions – an opportunity to interact in a face to face manner with the presenters
  • Leading-edge content – integrating science into practice with a focus on inter-regional relations
  • There are two unique practice areas of physical therapists.
  • One is making clinical decisions on and providing interventions for our clients based upon movement/pain relations
  • The other is making clinical decisions and providing interventions for our clients based upon inter-regional relationships
  • We need to own these areas. 
  • This the presentations and discussions in this meeting are focused on making this improving the ability of the participants in these two areas of practice for the Head, Neck, Thorax, and Shoulder regions.

  • Clinical success in physical therapy for our clients with common musculoskeletal disorders is highly related to correctly determining the physical impairments most related to the clients reported concern or limitation
  • Then, determine the intervention and the dosage of that intervention is critical to be therapeutic
  • Make incorrect decisions or poor treatment implementation results increased likelihood of chronic disablement in our clients.   The stakes are high.  The responsibility is high.

Research Review of LIPPSMAck-POP from PEDro

We talked to Ianthe Boden who is a Physiotherapist, PhD student, actively researching and enacting therapies to improve outcomes for patients in ICU and after major surgery.

Check out the trial here: https://archivesphysiotherapy.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40945-017-0039-3

PEDro is a free database of over 45,000 randomised trials, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy. 

For each trial, review or guideline, PEDro provides the citation details, the abstract and a link to the full text, where possible. 

All trials on PEDro are independently assessed for quality. 

These quality ratings are used to quickly guide users to trials that are more likely to be valid and to contain sufficient information to guide clinical practice. 

PEDro is produced by the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, School of Public Health at the University of Sydney and is hosted by Neuroscience Research Australia.

And did we mention… this is free?!  Find PEDro at https://www.pedro.org.au/

Now To celebrate PEDro’s 20th birthday they’ve have identified the five most important randomised controlled trials in physiotherapy published in the last 5 years. These trials were nominated by PEDro users, and an independent panel of international trialists judged the nominations received.

Now YOU get to take advantage of hearing a little more about these standout pieces of work… by the people who created them.

David Putrino on an esports team with rehab roots and god like abilities

David Putrino is back talking about being named “Global Australian of the Year”!

The @QuadGods esports team that’s 100% comprised of athletes who are quadriplegic. They describe themselves as, “Passionate gamers who just enjoy having a good time. However we all have very strong personalities, which makes us quite the bunch to be around. We are very much about empowering each other as well as the community. We are the first but we don’t want to be the last!!”

Where his Abilities Research Center (ARC) is sailing to next.

We caught up at Earls Beer & Cheese on the upper west side of Manhattan. You should go there, if you’re in NYC and like beer & cheese.

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What is being a concierge PT like? With Sarah Wilson

We talk to fellow Marymount University PT alum Sarah Wilson about her job, as a concierge PT in the Washington DC area.

Topics we cover:

  • Concierge physical therapist model
  • Independent contractor
  • One on one appts 
  • Contracts with private clubs
  • Travels to and treats at homes, offices, gyms, private country/city clubs
  • Flexibility in schedule
  • How pay is structured 
  • Ergonomic assessment specialist 
  • Travel to offices and performs onsite ergo assessments

Sarah is a former national level competitive gymnast and fitness competitor with a Bachelors in Nutrition and Dietetics and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Marymount University. Sarah now practices as a Concierge Physical therapist that travels to homes, offices, and country clubs to treat patients with various orthopedic and neurological disorders throughout the DMV.

Instagram: @docsarahwilsonpt
and
@conciergephysicaltherapists

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Transforming Reactive Balance Research into Realistic Treatment with JJ Mowder-Tinney

JJJ Mowder-Tinney is a professor at the Nazareth College DPT program. Her teaching focus is the Neurologic and Geriatric population.  She assists in running the on-site pro-bono clinics where they serve the underserved.  She also provides professional continuing education courses with topics that include Neuro, Geriatric, SCI, balance and motor learning. She focuses heavily translating research into clinical practice.

She’s presenting a lecture and two posters at CSM 2020 in Denver:

Majority of the presentation are videos of actual patients performing dozens of different interventions that facilitate some type of anticipatory or reactive balance activity.

These interventions include a variety of diagnoses and includes an equipment list with different ideas of equipment used in the videos to make it easier for therapists to perform.

Emphasizing both outcome measures when working with reactive balance as well as documentation tips.

A PT and 3 Registered Dietitians walk into a study with Pam Bartlo

Pam Bartlo is a clinical associate professor at D’Youville College, Vice President of the Cardiopulm Section of APTA, and a Cardio pulmonary PT at Mount St Mary’s Hospital.

We take a look at an interdisciplinary study she did with 3 registered dietitians about online nutrition information for people with type 2 diabetes. 

They looked at the quality of websites providing nutrition information for people with diabetes and then the accuracy of that information.

Here’s what they found:

  • Overall there weren’t a lot of websites that came up with diabetes nutrition search terms – 34 sites total to analyze.
  • 85% of the sites analyzed were quality websites based on Healthy People 2020 quality website crtieria.
  • None of the sites had >75% accuracy of the nutrition info provided based on the American Diabetes Association’s Medical Nutrition Therapy Guidelines.

Why does this matter to Physical Therapy?

As PTs, especially in outpatient or cardiac care, we should be providing at least basic nutrition information to patients with diabetes.  It is important to know whether we can rely on websites to help augment or complete that education.  Based on these results, Professional Organization websites could help augment that nutrition education, but will not be accurate enough for full education. Therefore, we should work with our Registered Dietician or licensed Nutritionist colleagues to complete nutrition for individuals with diabetes.

  • Many people look online for information about nutrition and it may not be accurate.
  • Professional organization websites were the most accurate.
  • It is most important for patients to have in person consultations for nutrition education for diabetes.

Connect with Pam:
Twitter: @bartlop
Instagram: @pambartlo
Facebook: @PamBartlo

To support our show, support our sponsors:

Aureus Medical Staffing #TravelPT: www.AureusMedical.com 
Owens Recovery Science: www.OwensRecoveryScience.com 
Brooks IHL: www.BrooksIHL.org 
RockTape: www.RockTape.com/medical 
BuiltPT: www.BuildPT.com 
NuStep: www.NuStep.com 

What to do at CSM Outside of the Conference with James Spencer, Patrick Berner and Monique Caruth

We talked to Coloradan, James Spencer (@HoboHealth) about what you need to do when learning is not in session at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting in Denver this year.

We also bring Patrick Berner (@TheFuelPhysio) and Monique Caruth (@fyzio4u) on to talk about a societal initiative they’re launching to help underserved locals.

To help #PTintheCOMMUNITY go here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/pt-in-the-community-denver-2020

CSM Cardio Pulmonary Presentation Preview – with Ellen Hillegass and Kayla Black

We talked to Ellen Hillegass and Kayla Black about all things CSM Cardio Pulmonary presentations.

Ellen is presenting with Kayla in a preconference event:

CP-1544 – Advanced Clinical Practice in Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy: Are You Practicing Best Practice?

As well as twice more during the conference

CP-1576 – Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Residency Forum: Interesting Case Studies Presented By Residents

CP-1754 – Pulmonary Hypertension: What, Who, Why, How, When?

In this episode we cover:

Advanced clinical practice: that is where we want all clinicians to aspire to!

Pulmonary hypertension: much more prevalent…people need to understand it

Cardiopulmonary Residency: helps raise practice, case studies will help those studying for boards and trying to advance their clinical knowledge and the residents have an opportunity to present at a national conference!

Most of our PT patients have SOME sort of cardiopulmonary dysfunction and all practitioners need to address this area of PT clinical practice.

To support our show, support our sponsors:

Research Review of SARAH from PEDro

PEDro stands for Physiotherapy Evidence Database, 

It’s a free database of over 45,000 randomised trials, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy. 

For each trial, review or guideline, PEDro provides the citation details, the abstract and a link to the full text, where possible. 

All trials on PEDro are independently assessed for quality. 

These quality ratings are used to quickly guide users to trials that are more likely to be valid and to contain sufficient information to guide clinical practice. 

PEDro is produced by the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, School of Public Health at the University of Sydney and is hosted by Neuroscience Research Australia.

And did we mention… this is free?!  Find PEDro at https://www.pedro.org.au/

Now To celebrate PEDro’s 20th birthday they’ve have identified the five most important randomised controlled trials in physiotherapy published in the last 5 years. These trials were nominated by PEDro users, and an independent panel of international trialists judged the nominations received.

Now YOU get to take advantage of hearing a little more about these standout pieces of work… by the people who created them.

In this episode we talk to Professor for Health Innovation at the University of Exeter Sallie Lamb about SARAH, or Strengthening and Stretching for Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Hand Trial (SARAH) Trial Team

It appeared in Lancet 2015 Jan 31;385(9966):421-429.

More about Sallie Lamb. Sallie has a long-standing interest in clinical trials, medical statistics and, rehabilitation of musculoskeletal and chronic conditions in older people. She works with clinicians to develop pragmatic clinical trial designs to capture the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a variety of health interventions. She is the Chief Investigator for a number of trials of rehabilitation interventions. 

Disease-modifying biological agents and other drug regimens have substantially improved control of disease activity and joint damage in people with rheumatoid arthritis of the hand. However, commensurate changes in function and quality of life are not always noted. Tailored hand exercises might provide additional improvements, but evidence is lacking. We estimated the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of tailored hand exercises in addition to usual care during 12 months. 

We have shown that a tailored hand exercise program is a worthwhile, low-cost intervention to provide as an adjunct to various drug regimens. Maximisation of the benefits of biological and DMARD regimens in terms of function, disability, and health-related quality of life should be an important treatment aim.

Improvements in overall hand function were 36 points (95% CI 15 to 57) in the usual care group and 79 points (60 to 99) in the exercise group (mean difference between groups 43, 95% CI 15 to 71; p = 0.0028).

Pain, drug regimens, and health-care resource use were stable for 12 months, with no difference between the groups. No serious adverse events associated with the treatment were recorded.

The cost of tailored hand exercise was 156 per person; cost per quality-adjusted life-year was Great British Pounds 9,549 with the EQ-5D (Great British Pounds 17,941 with imputation for missing data).

Steve Gleason Congressional Gold Medal Acceptance #NoWhiteFlags

Steve Gleason was given the Congressional Gold Medal, and that is a big deal.

We get to hear Steve accept his award in his own words, in his own voice. And that is a major reason that he’s being given this award.

Steve created and pushed through the Steve Gleason Enduring Voices act which made sure that persons with degenerative diseases would have access to Speech Generating Devices. Quite literally making sure that people living with ALS and other diseases never lose their voice.

Only 163 people in American history have been given this award and Steve is the first former NFL player to receive it. You might know him as a former football player that blocked a punt against the Falcons, but the reason you get a medal like this is because you put your head down and focus on a singular vision. And Steve and his team have done just that making sure persons with living with ALS and their families lead productive and purposeful lives.

Drew Brees spoke about is friend and former teammate at the ceremony in Washington D.C. Drew’s message was about watching Steve turn tragedy into triumph on the field, but most importantly off of the field.

If you hear this and are moved by his words and his Team we ask you to do all or some fo these three things:


1 – Donate to his organization @ TeamGleason.org

2 – Watch his Documentary, “Gleason.” It’s on Amazon and if you have prime it’s FREE!

3 – Follow them on social media to see and maybe join their TEAM helping those with ALS and their families live better lives.

On Instagram: @TeamGleason

On Twitter: @TeamGleason

Finding ways to make life meaningful and purposeful and rewarding, doing the activities that you love and spending time with the people that you love – I think that’s the meaning of this human experience.” -SG

How to talk to patients about sex in a professional way with Krystyna Holland

Krystyna HollandOwner and Physical Therapist at Inclusive Care, LLC, Staff Physical Therapist at Denver Health – part of an Integrated Pelvic Health Team and a Post-Op Vaginoplasty TeamInclusive Care, LLC, Denver Health Hospital Authority

[email protected]

Twitter Handle@tynasaurusrex

Instagram@Krystyna.Holland

Dr. Krystyna Holland is a pelvic floor physical therapist whose journey to being a provider started as a patient. Frustrations with her own medical treatment drove her to open Inclusive Care, a physical therapy practice in Denver, Colorado. There she provides affirming care to individuals experiencing painful sex, and other pelvic floor dysfunction.

Pelvic Floor PT should be about more than decreasing pain – it should be about increasing pleasure; How to talk to patients about sex in a professional way   

What being a patient taught me about the medical system and the way that providers mess it up   

Providing affirming care – tips and trips for treating transgender, intersex and gender nonbinary clients  

Pelvic Floor PT should be about more than decreasing pain – it should be about increasing pleasure; How to talk to patients about sex in a professional way.  
Pelvic floor physical therapy often has the singular goal of decreasing pain with penetration, usually done with a specific approach of manual therapy, what people perceive to be trigger point release, and graded exposure to stimulus. For people who are having painful intercourse, their experience is made up of much more than their muscular tone – how can we bridge the gap from painfree to pleasurable professionally?  

What being a patient taught me about the medical system and the way that providers mess it up We talk about patient behaviors such as anxious tendencies and pain catastrophization like they are inherent characteristics of the individual, not as coping mechanisms shaped by life experience. How can we increase patient engagement and improve outcomes for them by understanding (and explaining to them!) their behaviors and experiences as evolutionarily beneficial protective mechanisms in overdrive? Who is to blame and what is there to do when your patient isn’t responding as you expect?   

Providing affirming care – tips and trips for treating transgender, intersex and gender nonbinary clients

There are huge healthcare discrepancies in care for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, especially the latter half – transgender, intersex, and gender non-conforming individuals. What assumptions are you (unintentionally!) bringing to the encounter, and how can you sidestep them to provide affirming care without doing harm? 

  • Pelvic Floor PT should be about more than decreasing pain – it should be about increasing pleasure; How to talk to patients about sex in a professional way – Sex is an ADL and we have nationally crappy education regarding what is “normal” and how to talk about it professionally.   
  • What being a patient taught me about the medical system and the way that providers mess it up – Providers typically got into the field to care for patients and help people. They often end up frustrated when they feel unable to assist and can’t put their finger on why. The expression of this frustration and, often, subsequent ambivalence, has long reaching impacts on the patient.   
  • Providing affirming care – tips and trips for treating transgender, intersex and gender nonbinary clients – Transgender healthcare has been shown in the research to be incredibly lacking; in providers that feel confident in providing care, in patients trusting providers to provide care, and in patients’ access to care. Normalizing and providing providers with tools to feel confident in unfamiliar encounters may be able to decrease the perpetuation of medical trauma in a population that is, statistically, already highly traumatized. 
  • People are trusting the medical system to help them and experiencing medical trauma instead. It’s happening to new moms, individuals with pelvic pain, people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and other marginalized groups. We have to do what we can to stop it.
  • It’s important not to assume that just because someone is your patient that they owe you anything – access to their body, following your ideal treatment plan as prescribed without their input, or intimate details of their life. Even if you want all of those things to help them, engaging people in a way that makes them feel in control and safe will: improve their outcomes, decrease their likelihood of experiencing medical trauma, and make your job easier.
  • It’s important to trust people when they tell you about themselves – about their gender, about who and how they love, about what they need from you.

From a house of brands, to a branded house with the APTA

We talk to Alicia Hosmer, APTA’s Senior Director of Brand Strategy who is leading the rebrand for the association.

Why APTA is rebranding?

And why members and potential members should care?

Rebranding is about much more than a new look. Our brand will encourage us to act for impact, better highlighting APTA’s leadership role on behalf of members and future members.

APTA’s rebrand is about making our association more accessible for our members – so they can more easily identify the resources and communities that will help them thrive.

Rebranding is much more than a new logo. It’s about maturing as an organization and maximizing our potential as the trusted leader of the profession.

The rebranding process will happen over several years. We are launching phase 1 of the APTA national brand in June 2020. Components are aligning at their own pace and not required to align.

Rebranding is much more than a new logo. It’s about maturing as an organization and maximizing our potential as the trusted leader of the profession.

Alicia is passionate about the power of storytelling, teamwork, and mission-driven organizations. She loves sharing a great meal with friends, especially when she doesn’t have to cook it. Biking to work and skiing with her family are just a few of the ways she stays physical active. If driving her kids to baseball and hockey were a sport, she’d have reached professional status several years ago.

From the ground up – How Physical Therapy is building a house with Jason Craig

Jason Craig is a Physical Therapy professor at Marymount University. He’s been leading service learning trips for the PT program there for years to Costa Rica and Nicaragua to help provide Physical Therapy for the underserved along side PT students.

Their next trip will be something different. Their goal, on top of delivering PT, is to build a house for a Maria Jose and her family.

Story:  https://www.marymount.edu/Academics/Malek-School-of-Health-Professions/Graduate-Programs/Physical-Therapy-(D-P-T-)/News-Activities

Fundraising Page: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1743/alumni/index.aspx?sid=1743&gid=2&pgid=582&cid=1328&bledit=1&dids=105

Research Review of HIHO from PEDro

PEDro stands for Physiotherapy Evidence Database, 

It’s a free database of over 45,000 randomised trials, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy. 

For each trial, review or guideline, PEDro provides the citation details, the abstract and a link to the full text, where possible. 

All trials on PEDro are independently assessed for quality. 

These quality ratings are used to quickly guide users to trials that are more likely to be valid and to contain sufficient information to guide clinical practice. 

PEDro is produced by the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, School of Public Health at the University of Sydney and is hosted by Neuroscience Research Australia.

And did we mention… this is free?!  Find PEDro at https://www.pedro.org.au/

Here we looked at HIHO Randomized Clinical Trial with Mark Buhagiar.

Now To celebrate PEDro’s 20th birthday they’ve have identified the five most important randomised controlled trials in physiotherapy published in the last 5 years. These trials were nominated by PEDro users, and an independent panel of international trialists judged the nominations received.

Now YOU get to take advantage of hearing a little more about these standout pieces of work… by the people who created them.

In this episode we talk to Mark about the trial in Jama, from them, “Which was randomized and included 165 adults after total knee arthroplasty and 10 days of hospital inpatient rehabilitation followed by an 8-week, clinician-monitored, home-based program or home-based program only and were compared with an observation group of 87 patients who also participated in the home-based program.

In the end, they found no significant difference in the 6-minute walk test between any of the groups at the primary end point of 26 weeks.”

Meaning  For adults undergoing uncomplicated total knee arthroplasty, inpatient rehabilitation did not improve mobility compared with a monitored home program. –

Find the paper in full here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2610335

HIHO video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRS04W4fax0

Johnny Owens with a BFR Update

Johnny Owens comes back on the show to talk BFR, where Owens Recovery Science has gone since the first time on the show (spoiler alert it’s exploded!)

What is now, new and the future of Blood Flow Restriction Rehabilitation Training.

To support our show, support our sponsors:

Aureus Medical Staffing #TravelPT: www.AureusMedical.com 
Owens Recovery Science: www.OwensRecoveryScience.com 
Brooks IHL: www.BrooksIHL.org 
RockTape: www.RockTape.com/medical 
BuiltPT: www.BuildPT.com 
NuStep: www.NuStep.com 

TOP 12 Pack of 2019 – Access Earth

We talked to Access.Earth founder Matt McCann about the app he created.

It lets users rate and share the accessibility of locations around the world.

Using his first hand experience with having Cerebral Palsy Matthew set up Access Earth to help provide accessible information for everyone. Since then Matthew has presented at the UN and is part of the Irish Human Rights Equality Commission’s Disability Advisory Committee.

  • The importance of accessibility information for everyday life
  • The rise of accessible tourism
  • Smart cities helping to improve  inclusion
  • CSR and how companies can have lasting community impact

Research Review of AVERT from PEDro

Next up on the TOP 5 clinical trials from PEDRO is AVERT

Efficacy and safety of very early mobilisation within 24 h of stroke onset (AVERT): a randomised controlled trial.

You can find it in the lancet from July 2015, and the link to it is in the show notes of this episode.

We talk with Professor Julie Bernhardt is co-leader of The Florey’s Stroke theme, and leads the AVERT Early Intervention Research Program.

The background for avert is:  

Early mobilisation after stroke is thought to contribute to the effects of stroke-unit care; however, the intervention is poorly defined and not underpinned by strong evidence. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of frequent, higher dose, very early mobilisation with usual care after stroke.

Link for article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25892679

Link for video about AVERT: https://youtu.be/-P4fR04oRCc

Creating a regional student conclave with Hannah Cook & Kaitlyn Mital

Hannah Cook & Kaitlyn Mital are two students in a growing movement that are creating their own professional meetings. Costs of travel and conferences are high, especially on a student budget, PT students have taken it upon themselves to create their own conclaves.

We talked to them for the background on the process.

PDPM/PDGM Resource Guides with Ellen Strunk

PDPM and PDGM are giving PTs and PTA’s stress. The Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapists, Home Health Section and the Section on Health Policy & Administration within the APTA got together to create resources for the profession.

Ellen Strunk came on to break it down for us.

Here are links to the resources mentioned in the show:

APTA PDPM website:  http://www.apta.org/PDPM/

APTA PDGM website: http://www.apta.org/pdgm/

APTA website on Postacute Care Reform:  http://www.apta.org/PostacuteCareReform/

Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy (AGPT) PDGM and PDPM website:  https://geriatricspt.org/practice/payment-policy-and-advocacy.cfm?

Health Policy Administration- The Catalyst website

Home Health section website: https://www.homehealthsection.org/

Research Review of FASHION UK from PEDro

PEDro stands for Physiotherapy Evidence Database, 

It’s a free database of over 45,000 randomised trials, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy. 

For each trial, review or guideline, PEDro provides the citation details, the abstract and a link to the full text, where possible. 

All trials on PEDro are independently assessed for quality. 

These quality ratings are used to quickly guide users to trials that are more likely to be valid and to contain sufficient information to guide clinical practice. 

PEDro is produced by the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, School of Public Health at the University of Sydney and is hosted by Neuroscience Research Australia.

And did we mention… this is free?!  Find PEDro at https://www.pedro.org.au/

Now To celebrate PEDro’s 20th birthday they’ve have identified the five most important randomised controlled trials in physiotherapy published in the last 5 years. These trials were nominated by PEDro users, and an independent panel of international trialists judged the nominations received.

Now YOU get to take advantage of hearing a little more about these standout pieces of work… by the people who created them.


First up… is Fashion?  It’s not about clothes or looking good… thank goodness or I’d be WELL out of my element, but this Fashion UK trial’s title was:  Hip arthroscopy versus best conservative care for the treatment of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (UK FASHIoN): a multi-centre randomized controlled trial

 – if you had scrabble letters you’d find FASHION UK in there somewhere and let’s be honest, FASHIO UK was easier to remember than…. Wait what was that title again?

Link to Fashion UK: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)31202-9/fulltext 

Link to Fashion UK video:  https://youtu.be/ZtMBCCsKnWE

Link to Personalize Hip Protocol: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/19/1217

Link to iHOT 33: https://www.physio-pedia.com/International_Hip_Outcome_Tool_(iHOT)

To support our show, support our sponsors:

Aureus Medical Staffing #TravelPT: www.AureusMedical.com 

Owens Recovery Science: www.OwensRecoveryScience.com 

Brooks IHL: www.BrooksIHL.org 

RockTape: www.RockTape.com/medical 

BuiltPT: www.BuildPT.com 

NuStep: www.NuStep.com 

Financial Independence with Physical Therapist Chris Mamula

We talked with Physical Therapist Chris Mamula who is somewhat of an expert on financial independence. Chris retired at 41 years old and now writes, podcasts and blogs about how you can do that too.

We covered:

  • What can PTs or other professionals do to achieve financial independence (FI) quickly.
  • Why should you pursue FI even if (and especially if) you love your job.
  • How can you reframe the idea of saving as sacrifice to viewing saving as security, options and freedom.
  • What did my life look like while saving toward FI.
  • Why retirement was the wrong goal for me and likely is for you as well.

Physical Therapy and the Special Olympics with Suzanne O’Neal

We talked with Physical Therapist Suzanne O’Neal. Suzanne is an assistant professor in the DPT program at Midwestern University and a neuro nerd and huge proponent of community service.

She’s also a Clinical Director for Special Olympics Arizona.

In that role, she help’s to coordinate free PT screenings for Special Olympic athletes at various state games.

We covered:

Why is community service so important? And why is it important to start fostering this belief in PT education?  

What are the Special Olympics FUNfitness PT screenings?

Who is involved in the screenings?  

How did she get involved in Special Olympics?

How can YOU get involved?

Inside the life of an NBA Physical Therapist with Matt Tuttle

We got to talk to Matt Tuttle one of the Physical Therapists for the Denver Nuggets. Topics we hit on were:

Pain Science Education
Sleep
Wearables
Load Management
Blood Flow Restriction Training

And Matt referred to an episode of the BJSM podcast, here’s that link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/you-cant-use-bad-data-to-guide-training-decisions-load/id330966919?i=1000448807259

We mentioned a great video Matt was featured in on Pain Science take a look at that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeIkkD-UlsE

Sponsors of the show:

Aureus Medical Staffing –

OwensRecoveryScience.com

NUStep.com 

RockTape.com  –

#TBT Scott Chesney – Motivation, Perspective and Anything is Possible

ThrowBackThursday we go back to 2016’s National Student Conclave in Miami Florida where the keynote speaker was Scott Chesney.  Scott tells his amazing story, the theme of his keynote address that anything is possible.  He shares insight & words to live by, and the game changing wheels on his chair.

Scott’s Bio:

Scott Chesney, a two-time world traveler and a navigator of life with paralysis for over two decades, has presented to over one million people in 38 countries.

After awakening to paralysis at the age of 15 from a sudden spinal stroke, Scott has amassed a resume of transformational experiences, powerful insights, and inspiring stories that cut to the core of the human spirit. He has become a nationally and internationally recognized workshop and keynote presenter, and his positive and inspiring messages have changed countless lives. His insights have been coveted and applauded by Fortune 500 corporations, hospitals/rehab centers, associations, sports’ teams, audiences at The United Nations, The Pentagon and the FBI, colleges and universities, and K-12 schools.

Realizing that his audience members wanted more personal guidance after his presentations, Scott became a professional Life Coach in which he combines transformational techniques and strategies that he learned from his world travels and continues to practice himself today to help people create personalized blueprints for navigating life happily and successfully. As a person who skydives, walks on hot coals on his hands, para-sails, and continues to engage in many other adventures around the world, Scott prides himself of living life to its fullest and encourages and trains audiences and clients to do the same.

In addition to keeping a busy speaking and coaching schedule, Scott became President of Raise Hope Foundation in ©2014 that trains, mentors, and places people with disabilities and veterans for competitive careers in financial services. He is also an Ambassador for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, an Ambassador for Kessler Foundation, a member of the Seton Hall University Leadership Advisory Council, a member of the Board of Trustees for The Knowles Foundation and a member of the National Speakers Association (NSA). He has also served on the Board of Trustees for Children’s Specialized Hospital. Scott graduated from Seton Hall University in 1992 with a B.A. degree in Communications.

Scott is married, has two children, and resides in New Jersey.

PT Pintcast is proudly poured by Aureus Medical Therapy Team. Travel & direct hire opportunities nationwide.

How She Built This – The Movement Maestro

Recorded live from the APTA National Student Conclave with The Movement Maestro.

She is a Physical Therapist who flies around the world as an instructor for Rock Tape as well as her own Movement Courses… and the whole time she brings you along for the ride via her cell phone.

She’s grown her digital brand to more than 60,000 followers and she’s leveraged that to be able to create her own career… from scratch. 

#TBT – Communication is Currency with Jimmy McKay

A few years ago I got the chance to give an “Ignite” talk at the APTA National Student Conclave.

A 5 min talk on one topic where your slides change on you automatically every 20 seconds… so you’ve gotta keep it QUICK and to the POINT!

I talked about how communication is currency, it has value and you need to treat is as such. Both directly with patients and with the public at large.

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195 – Women’s Health Section President(s) Pat Wolf & Julie Jenner

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