You move the way you train

Shirley Sahrmann, PT, PhD. is a world renowned physical therapist and house hold name in connection with movement system impairment syndromes (MSI). Shirley has been shaping the education system in the States for many decades and continues to be active as a clinician and teacher at Washington University. Recently, I attended her lower quadrant course on MSI of the lumbar spine and the influences of and relationship to the hip. This blog is an overview of the key messages I took away from the course.

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Physical Therapy in California part 5 - the finishing touches

I sat the NPTE October 27th 2016, almost 12 months ago, and this week was officially given my Californian License. This blog explains the final steps involved in gaining a license for Physical Therapy, while reflecting on the time which has past. 

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Physical Therapy in California - the requalification process

Thinking about moving to the States to practice Physiotherapy? The system is complicated and it takes a long time to meet all the requirements for an American Physical Therapy licence. Unfortunately for me, I have struggled to navigate my way through it all. I wanted to share this journey with you and all the information I've gathered along the way in the hope that others will be more successful in the future. 

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DiMs, SiMs, the Protectometer & my personal journey through pain.

This blog is personal and emotional and it is real. It is about me...

After attending the CPTA conference and listening to Lorimer Moseley discuss current scientific knowledge and experience with treating pain, I realised how much my personal journey has been guided by this work. The is one specific reason I wish to share this story with you….. the journey and how much my thinking and knowledge has changed. Not often do we have the opportunity to share the entire journey of recovery with a patient and to see how each element comes in and out of play. So this is mine and hopefully it provides you with an example of how the Explain Pain education material and model is integrated into real life.

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Can the risk of Vertebral Artery Dissection be determined with pre-manipulative screening?

Cervical manipulation has inherent risks. One of the the most dangerous adverse effects following cervical manipulation is vertebral artery dissection (VAD). For the past two decades, functional pre-manipulative screening tests have been used by Physiotherapists to identify patients at risk of vertebral artery insufficiency (VBI). Many experts in the field of VAD and cervical manipulation have started to question the clinical validity of these tests and currently there is great uncertainty if the tests themselves are potentially dangerous enough to cause VAD. 

This blog aims to review the risk of cervical manipulation, the clinical presentation of VBI and the current assessment recommended by the Australian Physiotherapy Association. I'm also pleased to include the thoughts and recommendations of Dr. Mark Percy, Specialist Radiologist from MIA Lilydale, Victoria. 

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