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 […]
Continue ReadingThe 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 […]
Continue ReadingAccepting 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 […]
Continue ReadingWhat 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and for the wrong reason (practitioner-centered and not patient-centered), and typically only supported by an outdated model (biomechanical), dubious clinical anecdotes and traditionalist […]
Continue ReadingJohnny Depp’s Secret Back Pain Relief Method
My mother once had trouble with cramps and back pain for a month, but then I took her to see the Pirates of the Caribbean with Johnny Depp, and the day after, all her problems with pain and cramps were gone! So clearly, the solution to solve people’s cramps and the current pandemic of back […]
Continue ReadingAcute/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 […]
Continue ReadingDon’t be a therapist sell out – 8 reasons why this is wrong
As Adam Meakins has stated, “Just doing what ever a patient wants is prostituting yourself!”. A typical argument for letting the patient choose the choice of treatment is this: “I agree we should advocate for patient education on EBP but that comes at what cost? We’ll never know. Some patients may not return.” Often there […]
Continue ReadingThe Lived Experience of Pain: Keith Meldrum
Joletta Belton (left) and Keith Meldrum (right) during the 2020 San Diego Pain Summit. Photo by photojournalist Nicolás Ng Foreword to the new miniseries (by Lars Avemarie) I started the “Pain Expert series” back in 2014. The series has had entries with some of the most esteemed academics and researchers in the pain field, like […]
Continue ReadingPhysiotherapy (1894-2020)
A once-proud profession that lost its way and uncritical accepted too many fads, pseudoscientific interventions, low-quality treatments, passive modalities, and alternative treatments, based upon only a scrap of evidence. “I have tried physiotherapy, and it did not help me!” This is a typical comment from many people living with pain; they have been to 2-3 […]
Continue ReadingThe Lived Experience of Pain: Trevor Barker
Trevor Barker (left) and David Butler (right) during the 2019 Pain Revolution Tour in Australia. Foreword to the new miniseries by Lars Avemarie I started the “Pain Expert series” back in 2014. The series has had entries with some of the most esteemed academics and researchers in the pain field, like Moseley, Louw, O’Sullivan, Marchand, […]
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