Shift our Focus and Shift Our Future:
Physical therapy training and practice have focused on a traditional biomedical approach.  While pain science has become more commonplace in PT curricula and practice, one must only look at continuing education offerings around the globe to see that courses teaching “ soft skills” and biopsychosocial approaches remain underappreciated. In this lecture, we will discuss how our profession developed alongside pain theory and the resulting limitations it placed on  us when trying to help the person in pain. The speaker will propose we move beyond biomedical and reductionist views of the pain experience. A focus that honors our past theories  and approaches and contextualizes them in the big picture of the pain experience will be proposed. We will discuss the need to look beyond traditional biomechanical musculoskeletal  views to a more comprehensive view of pain and human wellness.

Navigating Complexity in the Clinic:

Our understanding of pain has exploded over the last 30 years. It has become clear that linear, biomedical approaches to pain, while helpful at times, are grossly insufficient in adequately describing the complexity of the human pain experience. As a result, our training and resulting  comprehension of pain have focused on identifying specific impairments or dysfunctions to address the pain problems we see in the clinic. In this lecture, we will discuss our traditional  approaches and how they fall short in dealing with the complexity of the pain experience. Through case studies and examples, we will use systems theory to compare and contrast closed  and open systems and the concepts of reductionism and emergence to give us the best opportunity to understand and help someone in pain. 

Bio:Mark Kargela, PT, DPT is a clinical assistant professor and clinical coordinator at the Physical Therapy Institute at Midwestern University. He received his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Grand Valley State University in 2003, his Orthopedic Clinical Specialization in 2008, and completed a fellowship in orthopedic manual physical therapy in 2012 from Evidence in Motion. He has taught continuing education coursework to physical therapists around the country within Evidence in Motion’s fellowship program and continuing education courses up until 2016. He founded Modern Pain Care, a media and continuing education company, where he lectures and teaches continuing education coursework nationwide.

In his current role, Dr. Kargela practices in the Physical Therapy Institute at Midwestern University. He also lectures nationally on chronic pain and incorporating modern science and current best evidence into physical therapy care and specifically into the care of those in chronic pain.

In this presentation, Kathryn Gloor, an engaging patient advocate living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), offers clinicians a unique perspective on pain management and patient care. Drawing from her personal experiences, Kathryn provides invaluable insights into the intricate challenges patients face when navigating complex symptoms and diagnoses, and how those affect clinical encounters.

Throughout the presentation, participants will delve into the patient's journey, gaining a deeper understanding of the emotional, physical, and social dimensions of living with persistent pain and/or stigmatized diagnoses. By immersing themselves in the patient's perspective, clinicians will cultivate empathy and enhance their ability to provide patient-centered care.

Speaker Bio:

Kathryn Gloor is not only a patient living with CRPS but also a passionate advocate for patient rights and healthcare equality. Through her advocacy work and personal journey, Kathryn brings a wealth of firsthand knowledge and empathy to her presentations, inspiring clinicians to embrace a holistic approach to patient care.

Patients with total joint arthroplasty have increasingly shorter facility stays and are seeing faster basic mobility. Surgeons and implant companies are developing electronic care management platforms for patients instead of post operative clinical participation. Where does the expertise of Physical Therapy supercede strengthening and exercises? Understand the functional, financial and physical implications which can lead patients in a direction they may not be able to undo. Learn what to look for in patients living with long term total joints.

Speaker(s) Bio
Dr. Alisa Curry PT DPT GTCCS GCS has dedicated her entire career to improving the care of the geriatric patient population, committing to a more efficient, patient-centered, functional and humanistic approach. She has a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Arizona School of Health Sciences at A.T. Still University, a BS in Physical Therapy from Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma and a BS in Psychology from the University of California San Diego. She is a board certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist through the APTA and holds a Geriatric Training Certification from Great Seminars. She is the 2024 recipient of the APTA Academy of Acute Care Mary Sinnott Award for Clinical Excellence. An experienced, skilled acute care clinician and educator, she is Coordinator of Rehab Clinical Programs at Washington Hospital in Fremont CA, treating, educating and facilitating care continuum and care transition collaboration with staff, patients and families. Dr. Curry has lectured, published and consulted on projects with the APTA, American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons, National Association of Orthopedic Nurses and other medical entities on facilitating all aspects of patient care.  

The evidence-based practice (EBP) involves integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence derived from systematic research and considering patients' values and expectations. In clinical research, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the preferred method for assessing the safety and efficacy of new treatments and interventions. When applying EBP, clinicians should possess the ability to critically appraise RCTs to establish their quality and relevance to the specific question at hand.
However, to date, there are no available reports conclusively presenting the appraisal process of RCTs in physical therapy practice. The aim of this course is to provide a step-by-step guide for critically appraising an RCT in a physical therapy clinic. Understanding how to critically appraise an RCT will enable clinicians to reliably and efficiently assess the trustworthiness (i.e., freedom from bias) and the value and relevance of the RCT to their patients in a particular context.
Three essential questions for appraising an RCT will be as follows:
1. Are the trial results valid (i.e., selection, performance, measurement, attrition)?
2. What are the results (i.e., calculating the confidence interval in an RCT for continuous and dichotomous outcomes)?
3. Will the results help me in caring for my patients (1. Are participants similar?; 2. Are methods repeatable?; 3. Are outcomes useful?)?

Speaker(s) Bio
Dr. Nuri holds a Ph.D. in human tendon biomechanics, an M.S., and a B.S. in physical therapy. Additionally, she has completed a research fellowship with the NIH, focusing on cerebral palsy. Currently, she serves as an assistant professor at Oakland University. Her research centers on evaluating pathology-associated mechanical changes in the human muscle-tendon unit, aiming to utilize imaging, biomechanics, and engineering techniques to enhance physical function and mobility in patients with musculoskeletal and neurological disorders. Dr. Nuri enjoys teaching research and evidence-based practice to clinicians and physical therapy students, advocating for the integration of research and evidence-based practice in the healthcare system.

This is a 5-6-hour craniomandibular course that focuses on the clinical differentiation of migraine verses cervicogenic headache, and a comprehensive presentation of anatomy, mechanics, examination, and aspects of manual and exercise intervention for both cervicogenic headache and select temporomandibular conditions.

 

Bio: Doug Creighton is an associate professor within Oakland University’s Physical Therapy program, and has extensive clinical and research experience pertaining to orthopedic manual physical therapy. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists and is an Orthopedic Certified Specialist.

Across practice settings, physical therapy practitioners are chronically under-dosing skilled exercise interventions despite overwhelming evidence that highlights the benefits of moderate to high intensity in most patient populations. As movement system experts, physical therapy professionals should be the leading force in exercise prescription using the FITT-VP principle. However, when combined with psychosocial factors such as ageism, poor health literacy, and other determinants of health aging, older adults are not receiving the care they require or deserve. This course is designed to challenge the biases of society and clinicians that impair their ability to properly prescribe effective exercise interventions through the lens of an ill-perceived “high risk” activity: plyometrics. Being able to appropriately prescribe and execute high velocity movements is essential to the rehabilitation of older adults and the research has demonstrated these techniques to be safe and efficacious, even in high-risk populations such as those with osteoporosis.

Speaker(s) Bio
As a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Geriatric Physical Therapy (GCS) and a Certified Exercise Expert in Aging Adults (CEEAA), Heidi Moyer (they/them) is a current full-time Assistant Clinical Professor in the Angelo State University Doctor of Physical Therapy program and has previous experience teaching continuing education for Evidence in Motion, Illinois Physical Therapy Association, and for conferences such as National Student Conclave and Combined Sections Meeting. Their clinical experience includes inpatient rehab, home health, long-term acute care hospital, skilled nursing facility, and outpatient physical therapy. Heidi is an active APTA Geriatrics member, serving as a leader in multiple roles for APTA Geriatrics with the State Advocate Program and Balance and Falls Special Interest Group (BFSIG) as well as for the Illinois Physical Therapy Association, where they are the active chair of the IPTA Geriatric Special Interest Group (GeriSIG). Heidi was the recipient of the APTA Geriatrics President’s Award in 2020 and the APTA Emerging Leader Award in 2019 and looks forward to continuing to push the boundaries for care for older adults in all settings. Dr. Moyer currently serves as the director of the Evidence in Motion Geriatric Certification Program.

Chronic pain is a challenging problem and generally outside the ability of clinicians to "fix". The preferred approach is to assist our clients to learn self-management skills. This course details the why such an approach is useful and ways to get patient buy in on this approach.

Speaker Bio:
James Stark PT MSPT has 31 years of clinical experience. He focuses primarily of chronic pain management in an outpatient setting, currently in a warm water swimming pool at Bronson South Haven Hospital. He has presented on the topic of persisting/chronic pain to Physicians, Physical and Occupational Therapists, Social Workers, Orthotists and Prosthetists, and the general public. He is the founding chair of the APTA-MI Pain SIG and the founder of Aphora Pain Education. He lives in Fennville MI and is a proud grandfather and cyclist.

Sudden shifts in mobility and function create significant stressors for people of any age and decrease quality of life. When crafting treatment plans for patients and their caregivers, rehabilitation professionals have this top of mind. With loss of function and mobility, independence is threatened, and motivation to engage in therapies can decrease. When patients are not receptive to exercising or compliant with therapies, several roadblocks can emerge, increasing the length of stays and decreasing physical gains that patients can make with rehabilitation support. Music therapists are an underutilized tool in rehabilitation. Music is a great motivator and increases engagement and compliance within medical settings. Partnerships with other rehabilitation professionals, like music therapists, increase functional gains and treatment adherence. This presentation explores components of this partnership and how these disciplines collaborate to improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

Speaker(s) Bio
Emily Compagner, PT, DPT, Board-Certified Pediatric Clinical Specialist, and Lizzie Digiovanni, MT-BC are frequent collaborators at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, working together to improve functional outcomes for pediatric oncology and hematology patients. Lizzie & Emily are co-treatment champions at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and have actively worked together to increase collaboration between the music therapy program and rehabilitation services. Their partnership has increased referrals for both music therapy and physical therapy, improved patient quality of life and functional mobility, increased access to services, and decreased patient length of stays.

Emily is a practicing pediatric physical therapist and inpatient and outpatient physical therapist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She has served as a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Oakland University. Emily is the newly elected APTA Oncology Secretary, the current Co-Chair of the APTA-MI Oncology Rehabilitation Special Interest Group, and the Membership/Communications Chair of the APTA Oncology Pediatric Special Interest Group (SIG), as well as the Oncology Representative of the APTA Pediatrics Acute Care SIG. Emily is a contributing author to the Oncology Rehabilitation: A Comprehensive Guidebook for Clinicians 1st Edition as a Co-Author and Associate Editor. She has received various awards, most recent being the 2023 APTA Michigan Presidential Award Recipient. Her clinical interests include pediatric oncologic and hematological rehabilitation, collaborating with music therapy services to maximize patient outcomes, conducting clinical research on the implications of medications on catastrophic pediatric neuromuscular diseases, and advocating for entry-level education in oncology rehabilitation.

Sudden shifts in mobility and function create significant stressors for people of any age and decrease quality of life. When crafting treatment plans for patients and their caregivers, rehabilitation professionals have this top of mind. With loss of function and mobility, independence is threatened, and motivation to engage in therapies can decrease. When patients are not receptive to exercising or compliant with therapies, several roadblocks can emerge, increasing the length of stays and decreasing physical gains that patients can make with rehabilitation support. Music therapists are an underutilized tool in rehabilitation. Music is a great motivator and increases engagement and compliance within medical settings. Partnerships with other rehabilitation professionals, like music therapists, increase functional gains and treatment adherence. This presentation explores components of this partnership and how these disciplines collaborate to improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

Lizzie Digiovanni, MT-BC, is a board-certified music therapist and neurologic music therapist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, primarily serving Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Hematology populations. She has extensive experience working in inpatient and rehabilitation settings for all ages. Her areas of focus at St. Jude includes addressing pediatric psychosocial and rehabilitation needs in medical settings. She has been recognized with the 2023 Friend of Nursing Award for SJCRH's clinical staff, serves on Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Co-Treatment Facilitation working groups, and is a Music Therapy Internship Supervisor. Lizzie is also the founder of Music Therapy Augmented, a small business dedicated to new professional transition needs, increasing interdisciplinary understanding and collaboration, and developing impactful advocacy resources for music therapists & music therapy advocates.