EP178 | The Future Of Physical Therapy With Kelly Starrett and Doug Kechijian

Tonight we've got a heavy-hitting roundtable with Doug Kechijian from Resilient Performance Systems and Kelly Starrett from MobilityWod and San Francisco CrossFit. We're diving deep into the state of physical therapy, the debate around standardizing care, and where our profession is headed. It's less about business tactics today and more about the core of what we do: working with messy, multifactorial human beings. Is PT broken? Do we need more standardization, or does that stifle the critical thinking and individualized approach that gets real results? Let's get into it.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Physical therapy isn't "broken"; like any profession, it has more and less competent practitioners. The call for "standardization" often comes from a desire to eliminate practices one disagrees with, rather than a true need for rigid protocols.
• True standardization requires enforcement. Without it, calls for standardization are often just rhetorical pleas for others to practice a certain way.
• Physical therapy is often more like coaching than fixing pathology directly. It requires individualized approaches based on patient goals, not just algorithms.
• The current insurance-based system often incentivizes volume and a "lowest common denominator" approach, which can hinder innovation and true patient-centered care.
• Transparency in outcomes and a willingness to discuss failures are crucial for the profession's growth, more so than rigid standardization.

🧠 Pro Tip: Focus on your own clinical excellence and problem-solving skills. Be transparent about what you do and why. Instead of demanding standardization, strive to be a practitioner whose results speak for themselves and inspire others. The best way to elevate the profession is by elevating your own practice and sharing what works.

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