Dr. Natalia Ruiz is a senior physical therapist at the NYU Langone Orthopedic Center. She has been a physical therapist for 16 years and has worked at the hospital for 14 years in the areas of orthopedic rehabilitation, occupational health, and chronic pain. She currently works in the hand therapy department. She became an American Physical Therapy Association board-certified specialist in orthopedics in 2016 and a board certified hand therapist in 2018. In addition to physical therapy, she also collaborates with the NYU HR department addressing ergonomics for employees, as well as NYU Langone Hospitals Corporative Services with ergonomic consultations for other companies. She received her doctorate in physical therapy at Long Island University and has advanced degrees in Ergonomics from NYU and in hand and upper extremity rehabilitation from Drexel University.    In this interview, she discusses how to go about making a workspace in the home more comfortable and some ways in which basic ergonomic principles can be applied;  basic instruments and specific analytical tools used to diagnose conditions that require some form of remediation; the role of telehealth in being able to view an individual’s home workspace and also being able to demonstrate techniques involving physical exercise; addressing how to recognize bodily strain from prolonged sitting; health problems that can arise from sitting in an awkward position at a computer and having to incorporate speed and repetitive motions involved in frequent swipes of tabloid screens using one’s hands; how factors, such as age, gender, and body weight must be taken into account from an ergonomics perspective; importance of breathing exercises not only for stress control, but to improve oxygenation; taking active breaks;  staying active when not employed; and ergonomic studies it may be worth launching as a means of improving the health status of individuals whose employment involves staying at home.

Natalia Ruiz: Ergonomics in the Home Workspace

RUSK Insights on Rehabilitation Medicine is a top podcast featuring interviews with faculty and staff of RUSK Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Medical Center. These podcasts are being offered by RUSK, one of the top rehabilitation centers in the world. Your host for these interviews is Dr. Tom Elwood. He will take you behind the scenes to look at what is transpiring in the exciting world of rehabilitation research and clinical services through the eyes of those involved in making dynamic breakthroughs in health care.

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Dr. Jina Libby completed her PM&R; residency in Michigan. Her dedication to that profession and sports medicine extends beyond clinical practice as she serves on the executive committee for the International Rehab and Global Health Committee of AAPM&R.; Her fervor for education is evident through her commitment to teaching physical medicine and rehabilitation, not only locally, but also by championing its integration on an international scale. Beyond her current role as a fellow physician, Dr. Laurenie Louissaint's compassionate spirit leads her on frequent global impact trips, where she provides critical medical support to underserved communities, such as Haiti and Namibia. She also is an active member of the New York City cycling community while also providing medical care for injured cyclists and developing related research. Part 1 The discussion in Part 1 included the following items: demographic aspects of Namibia, major health problems in that nation, how health care is financed, similarities with western allopathic health practices, use of traditional and alternative health care interventions, status of health professions educational institutions, and nature of the auspices sponsoring the visitation trip by U.S. clinicians to that country. Part 2 The discussion in Part 2 included the following items: types of health professionals in the group visiting Namibia, kinds of Namibian practitioners interacted with during the visit, most evident aspects of health care in that nation where improvements would appear to be beneficial, possibly reversing the flow of clinicians to enable Namibians to spend time in U.S. clinical facilities, and health professional literature produced in that country.

Dr. Jina Libby and Dr. Laurenie Louissaint: Global Health Spotlight: Rehabilitation Medicine in Namibia, Part 1

Dr. Sharon Kolasinski is a professor of clinical medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and chief of the Division of Rheumatology at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Part 1 Her objectives in the presentation are to help listeners by learning about evidence-based treatment for patients with osteoarthritis (OA), to understand the process by which guidelines are developed that might help us figure out our evidence-based approach, to review the recommended treatments for OA, and to review some treatments that are not recommended for OA. Her basic evidence-based reference is a University of Pennsylvania guideline that was published in 2020. Numerous other guidelines are available, which she described. She discussed her work with a case involving a 55-year-old male patient. He arrived for routine follow-up care for immunosuppressive medication monitoring. He described pains that he was experiencing and was diagnosed with OA. She indicated the impacts OA has on patients. Clinicians find it a daunting challenge to provide satisfactory treatment. For example, for some clinicians, the guidelines do not appear to be clear and provide a roadmap. Also, they do not always believe in the recommendations contained in the guidelines. In this presentation, she wants to see if she can change some minds about guidelines. She provided an example based on investigations conducted at her institution. The outcome was a series of recommendations that she described. Part 2 Dr. Kolasinski began Part 2 of her presentation by continuing to focus on the importance of having patients with OA engage in physical activity. She stated that “they are worn out and the implication is that a doctor is needed to fix them.” Perhaps a perspective should be taken of a more participatory discourse where we encourage physical therapy and emphasize that physical exercise is safe when you have arthritis and focus on what the patient can do, empowering them to exercise. A starting point is to give patients a physical therapy prescription. She discussed the extent to which physical therapy is useful, along with indicating how much and how frequently exercise is beneficial (e.g., for 20 minutes, three times a week). Losing weight is an effective way of reducing symptoms. Food choices can affect OA symptoms. Diet and exercise used together can produce effective results. References were made to several studies that involve the status of steroid injections on improving patient health status. Acupuncture also was mentioned. She indicated conditional recommendations on the use of pharmacological interventions. She concluded by describing how to treat the 55-year-old patient she mentioned in Part 1 of her presentation.

Dr. Sharon Kolasinski: Grand Round Presentation on Treatment of Patients with Osteoarthritis, Part 2

Dr. Sharon Kolasinski: Grand Round Presentation on Treatment of Patients with Osteoarthritis, Part 1

Dr. Natalie Azar is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine & Rheumatology at NYU Langone Health. Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, she is a designated long Covid provider in rheumatology. Her practice locations are at the Langone orthopedic center and Washington Square, and she has been in private practice since 2001. A graduate of Wellesley College, Dr. Azar’s medical degree is from Cornell University Medical College. She completed her internship, residency, and fellowship at New York University. Her fellowship in rheumatology was at the Hospital For Joint Diseases. She has been a medical contributor to NBC News since 2014. Part 1 The discussion in Part 1 included the following items: clinical definition of Long-COVID; predictability of developing Long-COVID; whether patients with existing rheumatic disease are more susceptible to developing Long-COVID; whether COVID-19 could trigger rheumatic disease; differences and similarities between Long-COVID and rheumatic disease; whether Long-COVID can occur following mild acute illness; risk factors associated with developing Long-COVID; presence of fatigue as a risk factor for developing Long-COVID; and major symptoms of Long-COVID. Part 2 The discussion in Part 2 included the following items: organ systems and tissues most affected by Long-COVID; variations in symptoms and disease severity among patients; diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for Long-COVID; protective effects of vaccine; episodic aspects of Long-COVID; use of medications and non-pharmaceutical treatment interventions; and personal and NYU involvement in conducting Long-COVID studies.  

Natalia Ruiz: Ergonomics in the Home Workspace

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