Life on planet earth requires a daily battle against gravity. You are either accelerating the body against it, or decelerating the body to control or diminish its effects. Either way, every motion is a function of mechanical loading.
If our primary task is to improve human function, then we must strive to understand the dynamics of mechanical loading. By doing so, we can understand the behavior of the human system as it attempts to adapt to the imposed demands of life on the planet.
Meanwhile, in the haste to do their own "testing", clinicians will forget that the patient is performing countless mechanical loading "tests" throughout the day before they ever walk in the door of the clinic.
As a clinician, you cannot deny the importance of mechanical loading as an integral component of human movement. And why would we want to? Mechanical loading is the best assessment tool we have. Here's why.
We can learn a lot from plumbers. And health care would be better for it.
You don't think twice about getting a plumber, do you? You check out the competition, read some reviews, do a little cost comparison, and find the best value for your money. You probably ask friends and co-workers if they have a recommendation.
The plumber then has a project to be done - at a certain price, for a specific level of quality or workmanship. The plumber is now accountable for the outcome. You demand that accountability for the project - on time and on budget - otherwise, you don't pay them fully, or you give them a bad review - or both.
It's pretty simple, isn't it? Some basic consumer principles - the product of a market economy - drive the scenario effectively.
As consumers, we probably pay more attention to our choice of plumber than our health care.
The Madness is over. No more basketball marathons. Louisville cut down the nets in a epic final against Michigan - well, an epic 30 minutes at least. So now it's time to get back to reality. Or go into hibernation until college football season. Or both.
Oh, wait, the Stanley Cup playoffs are right around the corner, and it looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs might actually be a part of the festivities this year. The zombie apocalypse must be upon us. The Leafs haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1967, and their fans are becoming the hockey equivalent of Chicago Cubs fans.
So before I start the annual process of getting my hopes up for the Leafs, let's get moving on Episode 64 of the Rhubarb Report.
Patient-centered care is an over-used, misunderstood, and oftentimes hypocritical phrase.
There. I said it. I know, that is a pretty strong statement, but it had to be said.
It has become a trendy phrase that gets thrown around regularly these days. But the deeper meaning - and how to truly attain it - is, at times, lost or misunderstood.
There can be many subtle barriers to patient-centered care. We may think that something is patient-centered, yet it is far from it.
"Patient-centered" indicates more than just the fact that the patient is the center of the equation. It is more than just having a focus on the patient. True patient-centered care manifests itself in many ways.
Consumers, patients, advocates, and physical therapists: it is time to have your voice heard.
Texas HB 1039 - Patient Access To Physical Therapy - has received a public hearing with the House Public Health Committee. The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10 at 8:00 am in Room E2.012.
Under current state law, Texans are prohibited from receiving physical therapy treatment unless they have first obtained a referral from another provider. This is not a regulation driven by your insurance plan - it is state law. HB 1039 does not change a physical therapist's scope of practice whatsoever. What it does is provide a patient with the opportunity to be evaluated AND treated by a physical therapist for 45 days or 20 visits (whichever comes first) before a referral from another provider would be required to continue care.
Why is this bill important for Texans?
The blank page. Such simplicity. Clean. Yet so daunting. Scary.
Staring at a blank page, or screen, or canvas, can be one of the most daunting yet exhilarating moments we face. There can be a degree of trepidation and anxiety that forces you to put off the creative process. Maybe a better time or a better frame of mind will come. There are always any number of excuses to walk away from it. Hey, I don't need this right now. You can't make me do it.
Fear of the blank page. I have had my share of moments when I sat looking at this computer screen, thinking that there was simply nothing to say. I think we've all had those moments, not just in creating art, or writing, or pondering the origins of space and time. They come to us in the blank pages of our lives that we are creating moment by moment.
Evidence and data are both an integral part of the scientific method - or so I thought. Here I was thinking that logic should provide a foundation for clinical reasoning and critical thinking. Crazy me.
If you are going through the effort and the expense (both in time and dollars) to collect data and accrue evidence, then wouldn't the next step be to utilize it?
Not if the evidence contradicts your current beliefs. Then you have a mess on your hands.
Evidence is ignored on a regular basis. And for a variety of reasons - none of which are positive in the long term.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.