Move Forward Radio

If you want to improve your fitness, one great way is to swim. Swimming works muscles throughout the body without the pounding of land-based exercise. That’s why injured athletes often turn to the pool when they want to maintain their fitness and rehabilitate an injury at the same time. But that doesn’t mean that swimming is an injury-free activity, which is why competitive swimmers benefit from cross-training out of the pool. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Brian J. Tovin, PT, DPT, MMSc, SCS, ATC, FAAOMPT, discusses his work with elite-level athletes and casual swimmers, and describes both the benefits of swimming and the related injury risks. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/swimming-physical-therapy

Helo Matzelle ignored the ringing in her ears until that sound was joined by voices in her head. What she hoped might be a small problem wasn’t; Helo had a brain tumor. Surgery to remove the tumor was successful, but it was not without complications. Helo experienced brain swelling, and at one point had to have her body packed in ice just to keep her alive. Once Helo stabilized, a second life-saving process began—an effort to return Helo back to the woman she was before the tumor. With the help of her therapy team, Helo learned to sit up again, and then walk again, and slowly but surely she was able to regain her independence. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, she shares her experience of returning to her “old self.” http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/success-story-physical-therapy-helps-woman-return-

For the past 15 years, Americans in pain have increasingly been prescribed opioids—painkillers that include Vicodin, OxyContin, methadone, and combination drugs like Percocet. These drugs can be effective over short periods and safe in low doses. But they come with risks, including depression, overdose, addiction, and withdrawal symptoms. The result is a national health crisis that involves not only prescription opioids, but heroin, as well. There are safer ways to manage pain—among them, physical therapy, which was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines as an alternative to opioids. The American Physical Therapy Association, which is partnering with the White House to address the opioid epidemic, has launched a national campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of opioids and the effectiveness of physical therapy. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, campaign spokesman Joseph Brence, PT, DPT, FAAOMPT, COMT, DAC, discusses pain, opioids, physical therapy, and APTA’

New staggering statistics illustrating the reach and toll of America’s opioid epidemic seem to be released almost daily. In 2012, health care providers wrote enough opioid prescriptions for every American adult to have their own bottle of pills. In 2015, roughly 1 in 3 Medicare beneficiaries were prescribed at least 1 opioid. Approximately 60% of adults prescribed opioids have leftover pills, and that 1 in 5 of them reported sharing their medication with someone else. But adults aren’t the only ones who experience pain. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Mary S. Swiggum, PT, PhD, PCS, discusses pediatric pain management, including when opioids might be appropriate, and when alternatives like physical therapy are preferred. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/safe-pain-management-children

Erin Jackson’s pelvic pain, a mysterious, stabbing pain, felt both internal and external, plagued her for over a decade. She endured it through college and law school, but it was always there, preventing her from having an active life. She saw multiple health care providers in multiple states. She was prescribed multiple medications, none of which worked. And it made her pain worse. After moving to other states to seek better health care treatment, Erin began working with a physical therapist who presented a new treatment approach for her pain—and things finally began to change. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, she shares her journey with chronic pelvic pain, and how “physical therapy saved her life.” http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/success-story-physical-therapist-treatment-gives-w

The 2016 Olympic Games showcased a week’s worth of track and field, the single sport, with its wide variety of events, may best exemplify the Olympic motto, “Citius, Altius, Forius” – “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” How do elite athletes get faster, higher, and stronger? With a smart training program that seeks to maximize performance and minimize injury. That’s the kind of program that physical therapist Shannon Singletary oversees at Ole Miss, where he directs the Health and Sports Performance team that cares for all of the University of Mississippi’s varsity athletes. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Singletary provides valuable advice to youth athletes who want to excel in the various disciplines of track and field, or any sport. He also takes us behind the curtain at Ole Miss to describe their coordinated approach to athletic training and rehabilitation. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/tips-track-field-athletes

Joanne was enjoying her life as an art teacher when she started experiencing hip pain. The pain increasingly intensified, making it hard to stand or walk, ultimately forcing her into retirement. She began to accept the pain, and loss of mobility and quality of life as a normal side effect of aging. But when Joanne was set on a path to address the problem, including  hip replacement surgeries and physical therapy, she launched a personal mission to regain what pain had taken from her. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Joanne shares how her surgeries and physical therapy have helped her become more active and fit than ever. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/success-story-art-teacher-s-journey-to-pain-free-l

Margaret’s experience with pain started with an accident when she was stepped on by a horse. She didn’t suffer any broken bones, but the pain didn’t go away. It was thought that it was a bunion, so she had surgery. But the pain continued. Eventually, Margaret was diagnosed with complex regional pain disorder. She began extensive physical therapy to simply help her get over her fear of putting weight on her foot, and then to begin walking. Today, her therapy is ongoing, but her progress is significant. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Margaret shares her journey with extreme pain, and details how physical therapy is helping her along the way. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/success-story-young-woman-s-journey-with-complex-r

The American health care system is currently grappling with how to safely prescribe opioids, a group of drugs that can be key to the successful treatment of severe acute pain, but that can be dangerous, even deadly, when used long-term for the treatment of chronic pain. In an August 17 article for TIME Magazine, Dr Andre Machado, chairman of the Neurological Institute and the Charles and Christine Carroll Family Endowed of the Cleveland Clinic, compared prescription opioids to an airplane that is easy to get off the ground but difficult to land. That’s why the Cleveland Clinic is in the midst of a large pilot program for patients with chronic pain in which prescription of opioids will be considered, but not as the starting point. Instead, the program will rely more heavily on physical therapy and mental health therapy, both backed by evidence for the safe long-term management of pain. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Dr Machado and Ian Stephens, a physical therapist participating in the pilot program, d

Broadway productions, such as the currently touring sensation Hamilton, provide audience members a memory that could last a lifetime. But for the cast and crew, that performance will be one of many in a packed  schedule of rigorous routine. Beyond the music and lyrics, there is a lot of action in each show: dance numbers, costume changes, stage changes, and stunts. Behind any show like that, it takes someone like Gena Thurston to keep the human machinery moving. She is a physical therapist caring for performers and stagehands for Hamilton’s touring show in Chicago, and before that she was in Las Vegas working with the cast members of the musical Newsies. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Thurston discusses what it’s like to care for these performers and keep them on stage. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/physical-therapist-helps-performers-stay-on-stage

Charlie Plaskon spent most of his life thinking that recreational running was a foolish way to exercise. That’s why he didn’t actually try it until he retired at the age of 55. Quickly, his opinion began to change. Not quite 2 decades later, Charlie has completed more than 50 full 26.2 marathons and 8 full Ironman triathlons. And despite meniscal tears in both knees, multiple hernias, a rotator cuff tear, and a back injury that left him unable to walk, the now 73-year-old is determined to keep going. These are all impressive accomplishments considering his age, and that he is legally blind. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Charlie discusses how he turned to physical therapy to help him return to an active lifestyle, and shares his story about how his vision has never gotten in the way of accomplishing his goals. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/success-story-physical-therapy-helps-triathlete-wh

When Morgan Hay broke her big toe, she assumed it was a small injury. Weeks later, however, her foot was still discolored and swollen, and the pain was so intense that she passed out. Morgan was referred to a neurologist, who prescribed numerous medications, including opioids, to mask the sensation of pain. The quick-fix approaches created more problems, and Morgan felt like she was living outside of her own body. She was ultimately diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome and started working with a physical therapist, and regaining control of her pain. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Morgan shares her journey with extreme pain, and details how physical therapy is helping her along the way. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/success-story-college-student-uses-physical-therap

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that causes joint inflammation and pain. Unlike osteoarthritis, which is the result of wear and tear on a specific joint, the effects of rheumatoid arthritis can be felt across a person’s entire body. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, physical therapist Maura Daly-Iversen discusses what we know about rheumatoid arthritis, which affects approximately 1% of Americans, and how to effectively manage its effects. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/rheumatoid-arthritis

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects somewhere between 27 million and 30 million Americans. It’s a chronic condition that can cause pain and stiffness. Osteoarthritis can make movement difficult, and yet one of the best ways to manage osteoarthritis is to move. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, we’ll talk about hip and knee osteoarthritis with physical therapist Mary Ann Wilmarth, who doesn’t just treat people with the condition, but lives with it too. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/osteoarthritis-of-hip-knee

These days, whenever ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell meets an elite athlete who has undergone surgery to perform core muscle repair, she has a good idea about who might have performed the procedure. Dr William Meyers has been at the forefront of core muscle injury treatment dating back to the late 1980s, when he pioneered efforts to diagnose and treat this problem that somehow gained popular awareness under a different and misleading name: sports hernia. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Dr Meyers and Stephania provide a fascinating overview of this still sometimes hard to diagnose problem that can hinder an athlete’s power and explosiveness. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/treatment-of-core-muscle-injury-don-t-call-it-spor

As the lead team physician for the Washington Nationals and the head team physician for the Washington Redskins, Dr. Robin West, chairman of Inova Sports Medicine, knows what good teamwork looks like – and not just on the field of play. To make sure that Nationals and Redskins players return from injury and avoid it in the first place, she constantly collaborates with other members of the health care team, including physical therapists, athletic trainers, surgeons, and more. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Dr West describes her own experiences with collaborative care, both as a provider and as a patient. She also gives tips for how patients should navigate their journey through health care’s increasingly collaborative environment. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/collaborative-care-physical-therapy

Public understanding of concussion risks has improved significantly in recent years, due in large part to increased media attention about head injuries in football. And while many Americans now know to take concussion symptoms seriously, most probably don’t know what to expect when it comes to concussion treatment and management. Treating concussions today is typically a collaborative effort, involving professionals from across health care settings. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, physical therapist Jessica Schwartz—who has also been on the patient side of the concussion experience—shares what you need to know about concussions today, and how treatment is evolving. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/concussion-awareness-treatment

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability in childhood. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year about 10,000 babies born in the United States will develop cerebral palsy. CP is incurable and permanent, but it isn’t life threatening or progressive. It is incredibly unique to each individual. Some may be able to walk, while others cannot. Some have significant intellectual disabilities, and others are not affected in the same way. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Brittney Clouse, who writes about her experiences for Cerebral Palsy News Today, describes how she has lived with CP, and how it does not define her. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/living-with-cerebral-palsy

It’s not often that physical therapists are mentioned in the same sentence as paratroopers, stunt professionals, and martial arts instructors, but that’s what happened in a January 2017 article from the New York Times titled “The Right Way to Fall.” According to the article, falls cause more than one-third of injury-related emergency room visits, and while avoiding falls in the first place is ideal, falling safely when gravity strikes is second best. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, physical therapist Erik Moen, who was interviewed for the New York Times article, discusses what falling safely means, what it entails, and provides tips to help people fall safely. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/avoiding-dangerous-falls

A recent New York Times article “How to Run Like a Girl,” explored the differences between women and men who run. One of the experts featured in the story is physical therapist Blaise Williams, PT, PhD, who studies running mechanics at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Running mechanics is a new area of research. Much is still unknown, but this much is clear: women and men do tend to run differently. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Williams discusses how women and men run differently, and what’s in the future for running science. http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Radio/Detail/running-mechanics-physical-therapy