Onward and Upward!

Well folks. I really have enjoyed the Blogger format to this point and it has served me very well over the past year. In fact, I'm enjoying the process so much I started the Movement Science Podcast hosted by Podbean, and have even joined forces with Eric Robertson at the PT Think Tank.

With this said, I have found a new home for the blog on WordPress. The next evolution of "Orthopedic Physical Therapy" will be the Movement Science Blog and Podcast. At this time WordPress seems to have a really nice format that offers me some additional flexibility for integrating both the blog and podcast together in one website. It also has a very user friendly interface I believe you will enjoy once it is fully up and running.

The format will be essentially the same as it has been for the past year on this website. I will be discussing issues such as:

• Rehabilitation Science
• Exercise Science
• Orthopedic Medicine
• Neuroscience and Motor Control
• Current events relevant to the fields of movement science

I am officially knee-deep in my doctoral studies at Texas Tech and with the IAOM, so I hope you will continue to join me on my journey to better understand the amazing processes that govern human movement. As time goes on, I hope to integrate more research, more interviews, and hopefully challenge you to never stop learning.

I am still getting acquainted with the format over at WordPress, but I hope you will visit me there and continue to follow this blog in its new format. I will continue to put my posts here on Blogger until the official turnaround at the end of April. In the meantime, I will have all my new and old posts and podcasts on both sites.

So to wrap this up: I'm moving but will take it slow and post regular updates until the final transition to Movement Science at the end of April 2009. Also don't forget to visit the PT Think Tank and interact with me there as well. In the meantime, take care and I hope to talk with you soon!

Good stuff from the APTA on manipulation

This is a quick-hitter post I thought some of you out there might find interesting. I recently had a pleasant but slightly contentious discussion with a local chiropractor that wandered off into the topic of manipulation and scope of practice.

"I find it curious that PTs are so eager to criticize chiropractic, yet are equally eager to manipulate."

- Dr. Unnamed Chiropractor, DC

First of all, let me please go ahead and thank God for the ability to guide my emotional and physical restraint. Were I a younger man this is something that would have put me over the edge. Fortunately I was able to sit on my hands and restrain my tongue long enough to calmly discuss the issue with him. My talking points included:

• The physiology of manipulation (i.e. its role as a self-perpetuating "adjustment"versus a means to normalize function).
• The messages of self-restoration in physical therapy compared to chiropractic (I know - this is the supposed mantra of the chiropractic profession. I guess you only need a lifetime of adjustment before realizing this self-correction...)
• Unsubstantiated claims regarding risk of a manipulation performed by a physical therapist

The conversation was brief, but I felt amazingly well prepared. Best of all...I carried it off with a sense of satisfaction that I did the right thing for our profession in sending a message to the chiro that we are well trained to perform thrust-mobilization (manipulation) and have a better model of care to support its use.

Right on the heels of this conversation, I received an email from the APTA which I strongly suggest you review if you are close to this situation. The email was from our Advocacy section and outlines some great presentations and handouts regarding PTs and manipulation. I'm a vocal critic of my organization on some issues, but man they do some great things with our dues. It is a tough check to write each year, but I feel more strongly it is the right thing to do everytime I get one of these emails. This will be a great resource for us for some time to come.

P.S.

Thank you all for the great responses to my first podcast! They were greatly appreciated. Stay tuned and I've got some really good topics on the way. Also, I may be updating the format of my blog to be more user friendly and offer easier access to archived posts and my podcasts. Hang in there and we'll continue to grow!

Movement Science Podcast: On the Air!

Ok folks here we are - my first podcast. This episode explores the relationship between motor learning, motor control deficits, and low back pain. I hope you enjoy my rookie effort and will hang in there as I continue to improve this new feature of my blog. Please let me know if you are having difficulty dowloading the podcast and I will get the bugs worked out asap! I hope to be up on iTunes soon so this should add an additional level of functionality to the show.

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Topics include:

• Recent editorials in the BJSM on the role of lumbar stabilization in low back pain
• Basic motor control theory and the process of motor recovery following an injury including a reduction in cognitive regulation, decrease in visual dependency, and improvements in sensorimotor adaptability
• How pain influences motor behavior including local and affective influences on muscle activity
• An overview of what we know and don't know regarding motor control interventions
• How this information has influenced my approach in the management of low back pain

Articles cited:

Allison, G., & Morris, S. (2008). Transversus abdominis and core stability: has the pendulum swung? British Journal of Sports Medicine, 42 (11), 630-631 DOI: 10.1136/bjsm.2008.048637

Hodges, P. (2007). Transversus abdominis: a different view of the elephant British Journal of Sports Medicine, 42 (12), 941-944 DOI: 10.1136/bjsm.2008.051037

Cook, J. (2008). Jumping on bandwagons: taking the right clinical message from research British Journal of Sports Medicine, 42 (11), 563-563 DOI: 10.1136/bjsm.2008.048629

Mulder T, Neinhuis B, & Pauwels J (1996). The Assessment of Motor Recovery: A New Look at an Old Problem J Electromyogr Kinisiol, 6 (2), 137-145

Hodges, P. (2003). Pain and motor control of the lumbopelvic region: effect and possible mechanisms Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 13 (4), 361-370 DOI: 10.1016/S1050-6411(03)00042-7