Perfecting PT

Welcome! Happy to have you here!

Brian Kokulak is a Doctor of Physical Therapy at Edge Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine. He Specializes in treating patient's undergoing ACL surgery (repair or reconstruction) and has worked with many professional and competitive athletes of all ages. We discuss the types of ACL surgeries performed as well as their benefits, indications, and limitations of each. We also discuss timelines for rehab that allow you to know your patient is progressing well. Part two will be more focused on exercise selection, progression, and return to sport testing, so STAY TUNED!

********** Resources **********

- Brian's Instagram: dr_brian_dpt

- Brian's Clinic

Research Articles

- Knee ligament sprain clinical practice guidelines

- ACL clinical practice guidelines

- Exercise-based ACL injury prevention guidelines

Welcome! Happy to have you!

Nick Rainey is the owner of Rainey Pain and Performance in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Nick is a fellow in Orthopedic manual therapy (FAAOMPT), orthopedic certified specialist (OCS), certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS), certified cervical and temporomandibular therapist (CCTT), as well as pelvic health certified.

In this episode, we discuss many things related to low back pain. Much of this information is condensed from a presentation he gave at an APTA conference. We discuss whether or not the research on low back pain and exercise really says what we are often told it does; we discuss theory related to it's biomechanical origin, whether form matters, the value of the biopsychosocial model, the general buckets of diagnosis, and how to begin treatment, as well as one of his key focuses when introducing exercise to patients with low back pain, and more. Hope you enjoy!

Resources:

Nick Rainey

- Instagram: RaineyPainPerformance

- Rainey Pain and Performance

- Courses Taught by Nick

Research Articles

- Hawthorne Effect: People change their behavior when they are being observed.

- MRI Findings of Disc Degeneration are More Prevalent in Adults with Low Back Pain than in Asymptomatic Controls: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis- Association Between Directional Preference and Centralization in Patients With Low Back Pain

- Trunk Muscle Stabilization Training Plus General Exercise Versus General Exercise Only: Randomized Controlled Trial of Patients With Recurrent Low Back Pain

Follow us on Instagram:

- Walt Fritz: @waltfritzpt

- PerfectingPT: @perfectingPT

Overview: Walt Fritz is a physical therapist that specializes in speech and swallowing disorders, but more than that, he specializes in including the patient in the plan of care and leveraging their insights and beliefs to provide the most efficient treatment. Although this episode starts with us discussing some of the reasons for PT to treat speech and swallowing, we quickly transition to patient care and shared decision making. Hope you enjoy. Happy to have you here!

RESOURCES

Walt's Info

- Walt Fritz Website

- Instagram: waltfritzpt

People mentioned

- Jeffrey Maitland

Research mentioned

- The Demonization of Manual Therapy, Chad Cook

- Manual therapy: Exploiting the role of human touch, Tommaso Geri

- Rocabado's Approach

Follow us on Instagram!

Nathan Norr @perfectingpt

Michael Fanning @mfanning_dacbsp

Michael Fanning is a chiropractor with the LAPD and USA fencing and cycling team, faculty in the Tactical Sports Medicine department at SCUHS, and Air Force veteran. He has had extensive mentoring with specialists in Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and neuropathic pain and their treatment with sympathetic blocks/nerve hydrodissections. He also has looked extensively at cervical spine instability prevalence and treatment related to trauma, especially in law enforcement. We discuss how to identify the types of CRPS and neuropathic pain as well as cervical instability, and available treatment options.

*******Resources*******

PEOPLE

Edward Carden, MD

Thomas B. Clark, DC, RVT, RMSK

Yao-Wen Eliot Hu, MD

Coach John Hofman

Stuart McGill

Stanley Lam

Joseph Horrigan

PRODUCTS

MedX Cervical Extension

Mike Russell, DPT is one of the most well-known physical therapists for runners and business owners in the Las Vegas area. We discuss his treatment of runners as well as his views on building a business in an ever-changing environment, and adding value through a variety of treatment options. He himself is an avid runner, regularly running both street and trail. Mike Russell is my original mentor and gave me my first job working in physical therapy as his tech. He owns Elevation Physical Therapy, which is his second clinic after building Optimal Physical Therapy to multiple successful clinics and selling it a handful of years back.

His drive for business and excellence has lead to his reputation as someone who adds value and always seeks out and maximizes opportunities to improve patient care and outcomes.

Resources

Mike's Info

- Insta: mike_the_pt

People

- Bob Donatelli

- Chris Johnson

Research

- Changes in muscle activation patterns when running step rate is increased (Chumanov et al 2012)

Zach Leal, PT, DPT, CSCS owns Forged Physical Therapy and Performance inside baseball training facilities. He has two locations near Los Angeles and specializes in treating baseball players of all ages and skill levels along with other motivated athletes. Zach was a student with Mike Reinold and does 1-on-1, hour long, cash appointments. We discuss the most common goals and injuries associated with each age group, research for baseball players and overhead athletes, the biggest "buckets" he makes sure to hit to generate the greatest outcomes, and his very clearly delineated system for evaluation and intervention. See resources below for people, products, and research mentioned.

Resources

People

-Kevin Wilk, PT, DPT, FAPTA

-Mike Reinold

-Dan Pope - Fitness Pain Free

-Shirley Sahrmann, PT, PhD, FAPTA

-Eric Cressey

-Keith Meister, MD

Products

-Vald Dynamometers

-Lafayette Dynamometer

Research

-The strength characteristics of internal and external rotator muscles in professional baseball pitchers

Bart McDonald is the owner of Superior Physical Therapy in Idaho. His clinics specialize in diagnostic ultrasound as a means to provide greater insight into diagnosis, treatment plan, and progress. In this episode, we discuss the utility of diagnostic ultrasound and EMG and how you can use that information to determine prognosis and provide more efficacious treatment. Below are some helpful resources!

Resources:

Bart's Personal Email: [email protected]

Instagram: Superior.physical.therapy

Website:Superior Physical Therapy

Mohini Rawat Ultrasound Textbook

What if there was a way to measure how much stiffness you are generating around the spine and correlating that number with how much weight you lift to determine your risk of pain? That's exactly what Sean is researching and the topic of our conversation. Sean is a DPT, PhD, OCS, FAAOMPT and we cover how he measures spinal stiffness using a Tindeq scale and a modified lifting belt. We discuss his current research, some of his views on low back pain, his approach to assess it, and more. Below are resources to get access to more of Sean's content. Please check it out!

Resources

Instagram: @dr.sean.m.harris

Sean's Website (Various service provided)

Tindeq Scale

Emily Ferree is a Doctor of Phsyical Therapy affiliated with multiple MLB organizations to assist in pitching analysis as well helping multiple players with the Chargers organization. She is also a biomechanist who trained with Christ Powers at USC.

Topics of this conversation include thoughts on both upper and lower quarter biomechanical assessment. Posture, and exercise progression tips to help you understand how to get your athlete back to full performance effectively.

Resources:

- Instagram: ferree.pt.lab

Ray Gorman is the founder of Engage Movement. He specializes in helping providers who want to work with active populations to create cash-based practices that include both in person and online clientele. We discuss Ray's process step by step to make it as easy as possible to understand as well as addressing my most requested questions. Something to know: investing in the future you want will require a lot of frontloaded work and sacrifice, but with effort and guidance, it is achievable. If you are interested in contacting Ray's group or seeing if they could be right for you, follow the links below.

Links:

Instagram: @raygormandpt

Website: Engage Movement

Free Training Courses: Here

Free Business Starter Checklist: Here