How to recognize a dinosaur therapist (or dinosaur guru)

This blog was previously posted on Adam Meakins The Sports Physio’s blog. 
 Dinosaur therapist is a term coined by Adam to describe the “iconic, influential and idolised clinicians and researchers who, despite a new era in understanding pain and growing evidence of the biopsychosocial model, still stubbornly refuse to change their methods or mindset, and continue […]

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The 10 key traits of a highly skilled therapist

I asked on social media for what my colleagues and peers deemed traits of a highly skilled therapist. 

Thanks a lot to all my peers and colleagues who participated. Below is an amended list of suggestions: Highly skilled therapist bases their clinical reasoning upon the current scientific knowledge of pain and adheres to a comprehensive multifactorial […]

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Accepting anecdotes is not good thinking

“The three most dangerous words in medicine are “In my experience.” Dr. Mark Crislip, MD Personal anecdotes and testimonials are one of the most common validations we encounter, particularly when somebody wants to provide proof that something “works”. This is often the case for painful conditions, rehabilitation, training, weight loss, and diet. We have to […]

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Fundamental prerequisites for modern high-quality care

There are two prerequisites that clinicians and therapists need to accept, embrace and implement in clinical practice, and they are like two sides of the same coin.

 Now, there are multiple fundamental problems in the musculoskeletal field. However, the problems presented below are two of the most substantial barriers to the progress and development of […]

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How to dismiss research – In one easy step!

That is research that does not support your preconceived beliefs or your clinical modality-focused identity. The false publication date argument seems to be the preferred tactic! By many physiotherapists and chiropractors! This is an easy way to quickly defend against an attack on your precious preconceived beliefs or clinical identity without any effort! Find the […]

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A pandemic of dysrationalia

There is a pandemic of epic proportions in pain management and physiotherapy, which is a pandemic of dysrationalia. Professor Stanovich coined the term dysrationalia. Keith E. Stanovich is a professor of human development and applied psychology at the University of Toronto.

 The term “dysrationalia” is analogous to “dyslexia”, “meaning the inability to think and behave […]

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What Most Therapists get Wrong About Manual Therapy

Now, I’m not, by default, against the use of manual therapy (MT). However, MT is almost always done with the wrong patient narrative (“fixing” the body), the wrong mindset (operator, not interactor), and for the wrong reason (practitioner-centered and not patient-centered), and typically only supported by an outdated model (biomechanical), dubious clinical anecdotes and traditionalist […]

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Acute/chronic pain is (often) misinterpreted

The terminology “acute/chronic” pain is often misinterpreted and is largely misunderstood by many laymen and some clinicians. The primary difference between acute and chronic pain is in the “relatively arbitrary time posts” (Apkarian et al.). In other words, the main difference is in the duration of the pain experience; it does not say anything concrete […]

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