Patients who have persistent pain often want to know: Why has my pain lasted this long (is something wrong?)? and will it ever get better or go away? In Part 1 of this series (“How to Talk to Patients in Pain”), I tried to provide some ways to answer the common question from patients in…
Tag: physical therapy
Physical Therapy Using A “Pain-Science” Informed Approach: Part 2: A “Mechanisms-Based Approach” to Pain Management
“Why Am I in Pain? And What Can I (and You) Do About It?” This question is one that I think the profession of physical therapy is uniquely positioned to help people understand! For individuals with musculoskeletal, nerve injury, or pain related to hypersensitivity of the nervous system, physical therapy may be one of the…
Physical Therapy Using A “Pain-Science” Informed Approach: Part 1: How to Talk to Patients in Pain
“Can you treat my pain, or do I just have to learn to live with it?” This is a question that I get a LOT as a physical therapist. Most of the patients that I see in physical therapy are coming in wondering how they can better control or alleviate their pain and if we…
Remember That Healing HAPPENS!
One of my specialty interests in physical therapy is teaching about pain science principles and also integrating these principles in my physical therapy practice when working with patients with persistent pain (and really all pain!). As I seek to practice in the most effective manner, but also communicate some of these principles, I am often…
Managing Stress Fractures and Shin Splints in Runners: Part 2: Treating Bone Stress Injuries
A runner who has suffered a bone stress injury will likely have one question front and center in their mind: “When can I get back to running?” To answer this question, there are some factors that can help predict a realistic healing timeline and inform injury prognosis after bone stress injuries (BSIs). Knowing what factors…
Managing Stress Fractures and Shin Splints in Runners: Part 1: Classifying “Bone Stress Injuries” and Tips for Prevention
Within any group of runners–long distance runners, track runners, recreational or competitive runners—some of the most commonly reported injuries are “shin splints” and stress fractures in the leg or foot (Nattiv, 2012). As you may expect, the majority of stress fractures, estimates 80% or greater occur in the lower body (Kahanov, 2015; Matcuk, 2016). So,…
Exercise Rx: More Than Just Sets and Reps
Prescribing exercise in physical therapy is almost a given. As physical therapists, our profession encourages us to describe ourselves as “Movement Experts”. Furthermore, despite there being a current “movement” (see what I did there?!) to broaden the scope outside of just exercise–related movement, for the majority of our patients (e.g., incorporating regular small bouts of…
CHECKLISTS for PHYSICAL THERAPISTS! Re-visited…
I’ve written about the usefulness of checklists before, so I won’t rehash what I’ve already said (spoiler alert: they can really UP YOUR GAME as a new physical therapist or physical therapy student!): “Performance Hacks for Physical Therapy Evaluations: The Power of The Checklist” “Can A Checklist Make You A Better Physical Therapist?” However,…
sapiens movēs 