Hello Everyone!
It was great meeting all of you at the Combined Section Meeting in Las Vegas! It's a testament to the growing influence of our industry and need for our services that we had not one but two convention halls dedicated to exhibitors. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth!
Just prior to CSM, PhysicalTherapy.com partnered with the Foundation for Physical Therapy. We could not be happier to support the future of physical therapy through the research this organization is doing. I had the privilege of attending a few of the Foundation’s events at CSM, like Laurie King's research on different modes of physical therapy for Parkinson's patients with multiple co-morbidites. Her research found that home exercise program participants improved the least when compared to group exercise led by a therapist and individualized therapy provided in a clinic. Dr. King's research is an example of the incredible research that is being funded by the foundation. This research will assist our clinical application for physical therapy treatment in the future. If you would like to learn more about the foundation or Dr. King's research, please check out their site.
Speaking of research, the courses at CSM spanned so many topic areas that I had a hard time deciding which ones to attend. Some of my favorite topic areas included seeing total joint patients same-day at home after total joint replacement, explaining pain, several talks on upper extremity athletes, falls and outcome measures, and acute care presentations on mobilization with ventilators, just to name a few. It was also wonderful to meet up with past and future presenters on PhyiscalTherapy.com. Attending a conference like CSM and networking with such talented peers reignites my love for the physical therapy profession every year.
Now that CSM is over, we're headed full steam into February, the month of love (Valentine's Day!) and also National Heart Month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women according to the CDC. There are more than 715,000 heart attacks each year. As therapists, we see patients with heart disease across all areas of PT, including pediatric clients who have congenital heart defects. It is very important to screen of our patients’ vitals prior to treatment to make sure they are prepared for treatment and for the interventions we have planned for them. This screen also serves as a baseline to monitor their response to exercise, potentially serving as a signal to refer that patient to an MD. This is a role we should take as a doctoring profession and as a direct access provider.
We have several cardiovascular courses in our online library that would be great to take this month!
- Cardiovascular Physical Therapy
- Basic ECG Interpretation for Therapists
- Providing Therapy In An Era of Increased Payor Expectations: The Cardiopulmonary Patient
If you were not able to meet us this year at CSM, hopefully we will see you next year in Indianapolis!
Your colleague in physical therapy,
Calista
