Want to get you studies published?

ANNOUNCING!!!!

 

Call for Papers

 

Journal of Student Physical Therapy Research

 

The Journal of Student Physical Therapy Research (JSPTR) would like to invite authors to actively participate in the growth and development of the only journal dedicated solely to the student physical therapist. The JSPTR an open access, peer-reviewed online journal published quarterly that encompasses all aspects of clinical and basic research studies related to physical therapy.

 

The intention of the JSPTR is to provide a platform for publication of student driven research as well as provide students exposure to the review and publication process.

 

Accepted papers are published under the following categories:

 

·        Research Report

·        Case Report

·        Case Study

·        Case Series

·        Literature Review

 

Under the direction of the Faculty and Student Editor-in-Chief, several APTA accredited physical therapy programs will facilitate the peer review process.

 

Involving yourself with the Journal of Student Physical Therapy Research will provide a valuable experience in the submission, peer review process, and publication of a manuscript while providing research to promote evidenced based practice.

 

Instructions to authors may be found at www.jsptr.org.  For more information or to submit a manuscript please contact:

 

Randall Lazicki SPT, ATC, CSCS, Student Editor-in-Chief

Department of Physical Therapy Education

Campus Box 2085, Elon University

Elon, NC 27244

randalllazicki@hotmail.com

Hotel Reservations

Hello everyone,

I am trying to get all my travel plans made for the AAOMPT conference, and I was wondering if there are any guys out there that would be interested in sharing a room. I will be arriving on Thurs Oct 30 at 10 pm, leaving Nov 2 early and I haven't made hotel reservations yet (pending response to this e-mail). If anyone is interested please e-mail me or give me a call at 337-302-7253 (i tend not to answer my phone during the day but I will get back to you if you leave a message).

Thanks,
Stephen W Brittain, SPT
VP AAOMPT sSIG

Finally injuries explained in the NFL by a PT

For most people, a long week is concluded with a much needed weekend and a full Sunday of football. For one physical therapist, Sunday is gameday for her as well. Stephania Bell is the key injury analyst for ESPN football. I was able to catch an interview that she gave on Aaron Rogers shoulder, which I was curious about since the initial injury.


Here is a little history on Stephania...
Stephania is a physical therapist who is a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist and a certified strength and conditioning specialist. An avid fantasy player, Stephania spent the past two years as a fantasy injury analyst at Rotowire.com and appeared weekly on XM Radio's fantasy sports show.

She is a clinician, author and teacher with extensive experience in the area of orthopedic manual therapy and sports medicine who practices in the Bay Area. Her primary patient population consists of athletes and performing artists ranging from junior high school to professional.

Stephania has her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and roots for the Tigers.

She received her Master of Science degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Miami (Fla.) and roots for the Hurricanes.

She held a teaching position at the University of Kansas for five years and roots for the Jayhawks.

She is from San Francisco and roots shamelessly for the 49ers and the Giants (through the good and the bad).

She did a very good job representing the profession and promoting it. Keep up the good work Stephania. Here is a quick link to her blog on ESPN.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3616105&name=bell_stephania

Cricket and PT - Branding Woes

This blog was posted on myphysicaltherapyspace.com on September 26th

After a recent conversation I realize that there is an analogy that for me shows how it feels trying to communicate what PT is without a success brand:

Imagine going your friends, family and business contacts and try to get them to buy tickets to a Cricket game. They have heard of it, have their own idea of what it is but, if pressed, have no idea of the reality of the game. They would make comments like: isn’t that like Baseball? (Same as – isn’t that like a massage therapist or a personal trainer?), Don’t know if I’d like it. (Same as I don’t think it will help my condition), Never been to a Cricket Game before so I don’t think I want to take the time. (Same as never been to PT and so why would I take the time if I am not sure what it is, or I can exercise on my own?) What are the rules of the game? (Same as – I didn’t know that you could treat that, or I didn’t know you could do manipulation…), and they wouldn’t think to ask who is playing because one team is just like the rest given their perspective (they go where the MD tells them to with go or an MD just sends them to the closest PT).

PT is like Cricket because we have no Brand in this country, the public has heard of us but has no true understanding of what we do. I fear that our existence (with diminished benefits, higher co-pays and a state of significant undervalue in the market place) is truly at risk. Do the powers to be at the APTA understand what Cricket really is? If not then they have an opportunity to understand how the vast majority of the public, many physicians and almost all payors perceive PT.

Been to a Cricket game lately??? - Jeff

Watch a Surgery through Genesis

Ever wonder what it would be like to see a total hip replacement from the surgeon's eyes? Well now you can, at 7 PM on Monday, September 8th an anterior approach THA surgery will be broadcast on the Genesis website with color commentary from the surgeon. To get to the site, just click the link below.

http://www.or-live.com/genesishealth/2045/

Clinic gives disabled opportunity to water ski

QC Times
By Tamara Fudge Saturday, August 16, 2008 11:03 PM CDT

Watching the Olympics from an armchair is the closest many get to the high thrill of sport. But on Saturday, nearly two dozen people with various disabilities participated in their own show: The fourth Access to Waves adaptive water-skiing clinic.Held in Rock Island at the Backwater Gamblers club dock, this event brought tears of joy and cheers from the crowd as skiers with prosthetic legs, blindness and various other disabilities took a personal ride on the Rock River. Genesis Health Systems, the Backwater Gamblers and St. Ambrose University made it happen.“I have heard so many say the experience changed their life,” said Glen Sancken, a recreational therapist with Genesis and clinic coordinator for the event. “It makes a positive impact on their overall being.”Sancken explained that each budding skier wore a life jacket and was properly fitted for a “cage,” a padded basket-like chair. “They have to be able to get out,” he said, “and everyone has different size hips and length of legs.”The day’s skiers were given instructions in the shallows near the edge of the river and then skied behind a motorboat. Two jet skis each with a driver and a safety spotter followed. The moment the ride was over, two or three swimmers were in the water with the participants to ensure their safety.Backwater Gamblers board member Dennis Heggen said that about 30 club members volunteered their time and expertise for the day. “It’s one of the most rewarding events that we do,” he said. “We really look forward to it.”Heggen also praised the participants: “The people who are skiing have such great attitudes and big hearts,” he said.“It is a very emotional experience to see the glowing faces,” said college student and volunteer Renee Pollitt. “This is very well organized, and there are very caring people here,” she said.Pollitt is a third-year student in the Master of Occupational Therapy program at St. Ambrose University, which sent several faculty and two dozen students to help fit skiers for cages and get out in the water to help with training.“The students learn so much just being out here,” said program director Phyllis Wenthe. “They’re getting ideas for when they are therapists.”“It’s immeasurable, the value to the people who are participating,” said volunteer Wes Deibert. “It’s the highlight of the year for some of them.” Deibert said that one returning participant prepared all year by lifting weights, just so she would have the strength to hold on to the rope.Skiing in the clinic for his third time, Craig McDearmon of Davenport brought a paraplegic friend this year to share in the benefits.“It’s absolutely amazing,” said McDearmon. “What these volunteers here do is such an experience for disabled people. It gives a sense of accomplishment and is definitely a confidence booster. I can’t thank them enough.”

-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS FOR PAIN LEADING TO ALARMING RISE IN DEATHS
Physical Therapy an Alternative to the High Risks of Methadone
Tallahassee, Florida, August 18, 2008 – A recent investigative report1 published in the New York Times highlights the alarming increase in methadone prescriptions for the treatment of chronic spinal pain. The result has been a shocking increase in methadone related deaths. Physical therapists can play a role in providing patients and physicians with an alternative to dangerous pain medications like oxycodone and methadone. Methadone was once limited to use in addiction treatment centers to replace heroin, but today it is frequently given out by physicians to manage spine and joint pain. The Drug Enforcement Administration noted that from 1998 to 2006, the number of methadone prescriptions increased by 700 percent. “Many legitimate patients, following the direction of their doctor, have run into trouble with methadone, including death,” noted pain specialist Dr. Howard A. Heit from Georgetown University. Florida alone, which keeps detailed data, listed methadone as a cause in 785 deaths in 2007, up from 367 in 2003. “These are senseless deaths,” said Dr. Timothy Flynn of Regis University in Denver, CO, and President of the
American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT). “Patients should be aware that these medications are not the best option to reduce the symptoms of spinal pain. Research has shown that early movement and treatments like exercise and spinal manipulation offer strong benefits to spine pain and disability.” “The medical management of spinal pain in this country is a failure,” continued Flynn, “we too often initiate prescription drug therapy before choosing safe and effective alternatives.” Flynn suggests that patients seek out physical therapists as a first-line treatment for these conditions.

A February 2008 report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that from 1997 to 2005, pharmaceutical expenditures for the management of low back pain increased by 171% while the rate of good outcomes fell. "All the imaging we do, all the drug treatments, all the injections, all the operations have some benefit for some patients,” said Richard A. Deyo, a physician at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland and a coauthor of the report. “But I think in each of those situations we've begun using those tests or treatments more widely than science would really support." For more on the benefits physical therapists can provide in the management of spinal pain, contact your nearest physical therapist or visit the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists website at www.aaompt.org. AAOMPT represents physical therapists by promoting excellence in orthopaedic manual physical therapy practice, education and research.

Dr. Richard Deyo, MD, MPH will be the key note speaker at AAOMPT’s Annual Conference in Seattle this November. The conference theme will focus on pain management and physical therapists’ role in this important area of care.

CONTACT: Timothy Flynn, PT, PhD
President, American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists
Phone: 303-964-5137
tflynn@regis.edu
www.aaompt.org