Community Health Workshops (various topics)

Community Health Workshops (various topics): 45 minute education on current research and proven approaches to treat [virtual or live]—for healthcare providers/staff, support groups, health/fitness organizations, or general community [Contact us for pricing details]
 
 
  –What is Pain? The literature on the complexity and dynamics of pain has brought some enlightening insights to support the neuroscience education approach to pain management. One study reports over 100 million Americans experience chronic pain with an estimated expense of $560-635 billion when considering medical expenses and loss of work productivity (Chimenti, Frey-Law, Sluka, 2018). Despite high doses of medications and multiple surgeries, people still experience pain. We’ve learned that the pain experience is a perception of a threat and can often be linked to things like stress/anxiety/fear, past experiences, environment, and beliefs which can create a heightened state of sensitivity within your nervous system (Louw et al, 2011). Did you know that your brain is capable of producing chemicals that are powerful and effective “pain killers”? Develop a better understanding of pain and how to manage it to improve quality of movement and ultimately, quality of life. This is a huge paradigm shift in how we think about pain.
 
References
Chimenti,RL, Frey-Law, LA, Sluka, KA. A mechanism-based approach to physical therapist management of pain. Physical Therapy. 2018; 98(5): 302-314.
 
Louw, A, Diener, I, Butler, D, Puentedura, E. The Effect of Neuroscience Education on Pain, Disability, Anxiety, and Stress in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain. Arch Phys Med Reh. 2011; 92: 2041-2056.
 
   Balance Bootcamp: A high level study indicated that falls is the 3rd leading cause of chronic disability in older adults and that a “home-based strength and balance retraining exercise program significantly reduced the rate of subsequent falls compared with usual care” (Lui-Ambrose et al, 2019). Balance problems are not always related to age, there are multiple factors that can contribute to falls like vision, sensation, medications, nasty movement patterns, etc.  Some cases require specialized attention like with movement disorders and some of these factors can be modified, some can’t. Learn about the body’s systems that are responsible for your balance as well as strategies in how your body is supposed to respond to balance disturbances. 
 
References
  1. Guirguis-Blake JM, Michael YL, Perdue LA, Coppola EL, Beil TL. Interventions to Prevent Falls in Older Adults: Updated Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force. JAMA. 2018;319(16):1705–1716. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.21962
  2. Liu-Ambrose T, Davis JC, Best JR, Dian L, Madden K, Cook W, Hsu CL, Khan KM. Effect of a Home-Based Exercise Program on Subsequent Falls Among Community-Dwelling High-Risk Older Adults After a Fall: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2019 Jun 4;321(21):2092-2100. doi: 10.1001/jama.2019.5795. Erratum in: JAMA. 2019 Jul 9;322(2):174. PMID: 31162569; PMCID: PMC6549299.
 
   -Real-hab…The Struggle is Real: This is the one I am most passionate about and is tailored more towards fellow clinicians. As physical therapists, we are movement specialists and have developed a keen understanding of biomechanics, which explains why we are always watching you like we are calculating joint angles and creating hypotheses in our heads. We also have a good understanding of what impacts movement, which sometimes has nothing to do with strength or what range is available at the joint. There are some new exciting findings in research that help us better understand why people move the way they move. The APTA has recently developed a Movement Screen to address the movement system that is defined as a “term used to represent the collection of systems (cardiovascular, pulmonary, endocrine, integumentary, nervous, and musculoskeletal) that interact to move the body or its component parts” (Whitney, 2019). This contributes to existing and building literature on neuroplasticity, motor control, and motor learning which all support the concept of “Real-hab”. What is “Real-hab”? It’s essentially finding a means to make movement meaningful, which engages multiple systems, and helps reinforce learning of a skill. Dr.Beth Fisher recently spoke on “Unmasking Movement Through Movement Discovery” stating that “many faulty movement patterns are not driven by the impairment or lesion itself, but by implicit movement choices (2020). Let’s discuss ways to make movement meaningful to optimize outcomes, boost quality of life, and prevent functional loss.
 
References
  1. Fisher BE. Beyond limits: unmasking potential through movement discovery. Phys Ther. 2020;100:747–756
  2. Kleim, J, Jones, T. Principles of Experience-Dependent Neural Plasticity: Implications for Rehabilitation After Brain Damage. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 2008; 51:S225-S239.
  3. Lee,Y, Fisher, B. The Effect of Practice Schedule on Context-Dependent Learning. Journal of Motor Behavior. 2019; 51(2): 121-128.
  4. Whitney, S. (2019, May 19). The Movement System: Don’t Miss the Boat. Retrieved from https://www.apta.org/article/2019/05/15/the-movement-system-dont-miss-the-boat

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