The 2018 Align Conference was packed with great presentations, but my favorite was “Pain Mechanisms: The Key to Unlocking Better Pain Solutions” by ISPI’s Steve Schmidt. This fantastic talk explored subgroups of pain mechanisms; how sensory profiling can point toward understanding an individual’s unique pain phenotype; and examined how a biopsychosocial phenotype might look. It is said that…
Yanny, Laurel, Illusions, and Persistent Pain
The recent “what word is it” sound debate of Yanny vs. Laurel is a perfect example of how perceptual experiences are uniquely individual.
Which sound did you hear? I have heard both at different times on different devices on different websites. Conversations like this happen from time to time and almost always create dividing opinions. (Here are a few other…
Space. Movement. Blood.
I can remember the day that I graduated from physical therapy school 20 years ago. I was clear in my goals for my career. I wanted to become an orthopedic manual therapist. I figured I would be able to “fix” everything that came into the clinic, and all of my patients would be extremely satisfied. Then that first day happened…
How to Bill for Pain: Physical Therapy CPT Codes for Pain Management Procedures
It has been reported recently that over 100 million people in the US are currently struggling with persistent pain. The US figures show us that 1 in 4 people in the US are suffering with persistent pain. The global trend is 1 in 5.
Let that sink in for a moment as a clinician… 20% of the world’s population…
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon and The Opioid Crisis
Have you ever played Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon?
It’s a game based on the “six degrees of separation” concept, which contends that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance-links apart. Experiments to test this hypothesis have deemed it an “academic urban myth,” but it can be fun to see social connections and realize our…
Playing Beyond Nice in The Sandbox
One question that I routinely encounter from rehab professionals as I teach therapeutic neuroscience education across the country is this: “PNE is such great stuff! But HOW do we get EVERYONE in our facility on board?” That is the million-dollar question, isn’t it? All too often we face frustration born out of our own facility or system’s…
PNE: Right Message, Wrong Door
Implementing pain neuroscience education (PNE) into practice has revolutionized my career. The ability to re-frame a patient’s pain experience with modern explanations of pain, built on a biopsychosocial foundation, has been a professional game changer. Though this shift has not occurred without bumps and bruises along the way. While I have used PNE to help countless people shift…
“That’s the thing that scares me the most, is that I don’t know if it’s ever going to stop.”
“That’s the thing that scares me the most, is that I don’t know if it’s ever going to stop.” Is a great line from one of my favorite YouTube short film clips: It’s Not About the Nail. But the phrase also applies to my own worries about our constant attempt to so easily blame a weak…
Treating Pain: It is Much More Than “This” vs. “That”
Trying to follow the evidence to determine the best intervention for your patients can be a challenge, especially when it comes to persistent pain. It can be a challenge when you read well-done reviews that seem to have slightly opposite conclusions.
In one breath you can look at a study like the one by Hall, et al. and think…
Pain and Politics: Never Too Late to Get in the Game
I have a confession to make: I hate politics. Well, maybe hate is a strong word, but generally, I speed past CNN, MSNBC and FOX News when channel surfing, avoid reading headlines in the checkout aisle, and I have pretty much said goodbye to Facebook. My peace-keeping, Kumbaya, rose-colored-glasses-nature simply does not jive well with the…