Healthy Wealthy & Smart

On this week's episode of the Healthy Wealthy and Smart Podcast, Dr. Jason Silvernail joins me for Part 2 of Ask Jason Anything! Dr. Silvernail is a Doctor of Physical Therapy who was selected for the prestigious Army-Baylor Doctoral Fellowship in Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy at Fort Sam Houston for subspecialty training and graduated in 2010, earning him both a Doctor of Science degree from Baylor University and Fellow status in the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists. A clinician and researcher, he has published clinical commentaries and original research in the medical literature including the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Manual Therapy, and the Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapy. In this show, we discuss: -The roadmap to a military physical therapy career -Jason's hiring process for seasoned professionals and new graduates -How to translate the present body of knowledge into clinical practice -Jason's overall outlook for the physical therapy profession and advice for fresh PTs -And so much more! For more about Jason: Jason Silvernail DPT, DSc, FAAOMPT qualified with a Master of Physical Therapy degree from the University Of Scranton Pennsylvania in 1997, and he has been in practice as a physical therapist since then. He completed his Doc tor of Physical Therapy Degree in 2006. He was selected for the prestigious Army-Baylor Doctoral Fellowship in Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy at Fort Sam Houston for subspecialty training and graduated in 2010, earning him both a Doctor of Science degree from Baylor University and Fellow status in the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists. Dr. Silvernail is a board-certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He is a career military officer, practicing in the US Army since 1998, and has been stationed across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and in Afghanistan. Dr Silvernail has worked with a wide variety of patient populations and settings including orthopedic/sports, chronic pain, amputee and neurological rehabilitation, and strength and conditioning. A clinician and researcher, he has published clinical commentaries and original research in the medical literature (including the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Manual Therapy, and the Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapy) and he has a prominent professional presence online where you can connect with him on Facebook or Twitter. Dr. Silvernail is married to Carolyn T. Silvernail, who is a graduate student at American University with degrees in Exercise Science, Digital Film and in Music Performance. They live in the northern Virginia area and enjoy hiking, fitness, and ballroom dancing. Opinions expressed by Dr Silvernail are his own and do not represent the official policy or position of the United States Army, the Department of Defense, or the United States Government. Resources discussed on this show: Keith Smart Publications Systematic Clinical Reasoning in Physical Therapy (SCRIPT): Tool for the Purposeful Practice of Clinical Reasoning in Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy The Mechanisms of Manual Therapy in the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain: A Comprehensive Model Soma Simple US Army-Baylor DPT Program USA Jobs San Diego Pain Summit 2017 Make sure to follow Jason on twitter and facebook for more great resources and conversations! Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes! Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart! Xo Karen P.S. Do you want to be a stand out podcast guest? Make sure to grab the tools from the FREE eBook on the home page! Check out my latest blog post on The Do's and Don'ts of Social Media!

On this week's episode of the Healthy Wealthy and Smart Podcast, Dr. Jason Silvernail joins me for Part 1 of Ask Jason Anything! Dr. Silvernail is a Doctor of Physical Therapy who was selected for the prestigious Army-Baylor Doctoral Fellowship in Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy at Fort Sam Houston for subspecialty training and graduated in 2010, earning him both a Doctor of Science degree from Baylor University and Fellow status in the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists. A clinician and researcher, he has published clinical commentaries and original research in the medical literature including the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Manual Therapy, and the Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapy. In this show, we discuss: -How manual therapy is integrated into the biopsychosocial framework -Rethinking the goals of your initial evaluation -Strengths and limitations of a pain science perspective on patient care -The roadmap to a military physical therapy career -Jason's hiring process for seasoned professionals and new graduates -And so much more! While Jason is a proponent for making advances in research, he also believes that there is more to gain from the existing literature to improve patient care. He challenges clinicians and researchers to "actually start using the evidence we already have. What can we do to build processes in our health systems to help us better integrate existing research evidence and clinical practice to make it relevant to clinicians, to make it relevant to payers, and to make it popular and effective for patients so patients start asking for it… What can we do to integrate and better use what we already know?" Jason believes that there is a positive outlook for physical therapy and that the profession can fill a desired role in the current marketplace. He states, "Patients are looking for a low cost, low risk, non-invasive approach that they can have quick access to that is an appropriate match to their goals, that is matched to exactly what they want, and you can get what you want when you want it. There are not too many people in medicine that are offering something close to that, but PT is one of them." Utilizing the biopsychosocial framework for patient care has proven to be effective for Jason in his career. He advices, "One of the things I say the most to PT students is this job is half psychology and I used to think that my job was the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of non-surgical musculoskeletal conditions. That's actually not my job. I am in the business of behavior change. And if you're a PT, you're in the business of behavior change too. And the sooner you understand that and the sooner you start to work on your ability to help engage others for behavior change, the more success you will have in your profession. " For more about Jason: Jason Silvernail DPT, DSc, FAAOMPT qualified with a Master of Physical Therapy degree from the University Of Scranton Pennsylvania in 1997, and he has been in practice as a physical therapist since then. He completed his Doc tor of Physical Therapy Degree in 2006. He was selected for the prestigious Army-Baylor Doctoral Fellowship in Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy at Fort Sam Houston for subspecialty training and graduated in 2010, earning him both a Doctor of Science degree from Baylor University and Fellow status in the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists. Dr. Silvernail is a board-certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He is a career military officer, practicing in the US Army since 1998, and has been stationed across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and in Afghanistan. Dr Silvernail has worked with a wide variety of patient populations and settings including orthopedic/sports, chronic pain, amputee and neurological rehabilitation, and strength and conditioning. A clinician and researcher, he has published clinical commentaries and original research in the medical literature (including the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Manual Therapy, and the Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapy) and he has a prominent professional presence online where you can connect with him on Facebook or Twitter. Dr. Silvernail is married to Carolyn T. Silvernail, who is a graduate student at American University with degrees in Exercise Science, Digital Film and in Music Performance. They live in the northern Virginia area and enjoy hiking, fitness, and ballroom dancing. Opinions expressed by Dr Silvernail are his own and do not represent the official policy or position of the United States Army, the Department of Defense, or the United States Government. Resources discussed on this show: Keith Smart Publications Systematic Clinical Reasoning in Physical Therapy (SCRIPT): Tool for the Purposeful Practice of Clinical Reasoning in Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy The Mechanisms of Manual Therapy in the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain: A Comprehensive Model Soma Simple US Army-Baylor DPT Program USA Jobs San Diego Pain Summit 2017 Make sure to follow Jason on twitter and facebook for more great resources and conversations! Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes! Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart! Xo Karen P.S. Do you want to be a stand out podcast guest? Make sure to grab the tools from the FREE eBook on the home page! Check out my latest blog post on The Do's and Don'ts of Social Media!

On this week's episode of the Healthy Wealthy and Smart Podcast, Nick Lucius and I chat about physical therapy wellness services. Nick is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist working with Barwis Methods as an Applied Coach in Port St. Lucie, Florida. In this episode, we discuss: -How to transition from episodic care to wellness services -The role of strength and conditioning in physical therapy services -Nick's thoughts on the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist -How to develop a therapeutic alliance in a biopsychosocial model framework -Advice for #FreshPTs -And so much more! When communicating desired outcomes to patients, it is important to stress the long-term wellness and quality of life aspects. He states, "have them understand that the goal is not to run you through the ground and to make you hurt, it's really to empower you to live the rest of your life in the most positive and healthy way possible." In contrast to the biomedical approach to patient care, the biopsychosocial model can allow you to empower the patient and ultimately develop buy in for future wellness needs. He believes, "it really would benefit us to not look at us as a lifelong PT or lifelong clinician insinuating the mechanic, 'Oh yeah, just come back to me and I'll fix you up.' It's not like a car, you have feelings and emotions and thought processes, it muddies the water really fast, and that's what really benefits having that wide range of education from strength conditioning to pain science to traditional physical therapy and that ties it all back in together." As a new graduate, Nick offers some advice for fresh PTs to, "Keep the hunger for knowledge and the hunger to really make substantial and life changing change for these individuals. When you get a couple of cases that might be discouraging or make you feel uncomfortable, everyone feels uncomfortable and at some point they got comfortable being uncomfortable, they got very used to having that hunger to try to keep driving to be better and better." For more about Nick: Nick graduated from the University of Michigan with a Doctor in Physical Therapy in 2015. Previously Nick earned a Bachelors of Science from Grand Valley State University in Clinical Exercise Science in 2012. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and CPR/AED certified through the American Red Cross. Nick began at Barwis Methods as an Intern prior to starting his DPT studies and is a Barwis Methods Applied Coach. Make sure to follow Nick on twitter and facebook and find more educational materials at Barwis Methods where Nick is offering 10% off with the code: barwismethodHWS! Resources discussed on this show: Nick Winkelman Twitter Mike Reinold Twitter Kelly Starrett Twitter Doc and Jock Podcast Therapy Insiders Podcast Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning Neuromechanics of Human Movement Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes! Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart! Xo Karen P.S. Do you want to be a stand out podcast guest? Make sure to grab the tools from the FREE eBook on the home page! Check out my latest blog post on The Do's and Don'ts of Social Media! P.S.S. Check out the inaugural Women in PT Summit here! Sign up now as space is limited!

Thanks for tuning into the Healthy Wealthy and Smart Podcast! I had the pleasure of chatting with Mike Connors about advocacy in physical therapy. Mike is a private practice physical therapy owner, an outside consultant for a professional ballet company in Fort Worth and an adjunct professor in orthopaedic physical therapy for the DPT program at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. In addition, Mike is the current President of the Texas Physical Therapy Association advocating regularly for the PT profession in Austin and DC on regulatory and payment policy issues impacting PT. In this episode, we discuss: -Levels of advocacy and ways to demonstrate the efficacy of physical therapy -Mike's pitch for APTA membership -Mike's initial wellness consultation and his focus on preventative care -Advice to new professionals on empathy and preventing burnout -And so much more! Mike stresses the need for PT advocacy which can take many forms including calling an insurance company, talking to medical colleagues, and increasing awareness in the community in addition to legislative change. He states, "What did you do today that was in the patient's best interest that the patient couldn't do for themselves or didn't have the knowledge or the resources to do for themselves? We treat patients. We manage their complex presentations, but we do a lot more than I think we give ourselves credit for. That's a big part of why it is we don't have the widespread knowledge base about what we do because we don't talk enough about what we do. PT has become the new fight club and the #1 rule of PT is not to talk about PT." Mike believes there are untapped candidates for physical therapy services due to public unawareness of the healthcare benefits. "Ironically, in private practice, we are sitting here all competing against one another for 20% of the pie and what we're not seeing is another 75+% that's out there that's doing everything but physical therapy." Mike encourages entrepreneurship within physical therapy and recommends to continually strive for excellence. Mike advices, "Entrepreneurs are going to continually learn and evolve over time. Count your successes as much as you count your failures as long as you learn from them and you evolve then it was a worthwhile endeavor." For more about Mike: Mike has a BS in Biology from Stockton College with a minor in Psychology (2001). His entry level degree in physical therapy is a Master of Physical Therapy from University of Medicine & Dentistry of NJ-Rutgers University (2003). Mike has a post professional Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Temple University (2008). He became a board certified specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy from the American Board of PT Specialties in 2011. Mike is currently finishing (ABD) the remaining requirements for completion of a PhD degree in Physical Therapy with an emphasis in applied biomechanics from Texas Woman's University (Anticipated completion 2016). Mike began working with GTC in October 2004. He most recently rejoined the GTC family in June 2015 as the Director of the Fort Worth Clinic. Mike's focus and specialization in orthopaedic physical therapy makes him an efficient clinician in managing patients with orthopedic dysfunction. He utilizes a multimodal approach to meet the needs of his patients and clients that include spinal manipulation, dry needling, KT taping, and various other interventions. Mike is certified in functional dry needling from Kinetacore. He has experience working with patients of all ages, from kids to adults and from the weekend warrior to the elite athlete. He is an outside consultant for a professional ballet company in Fort Worth and is an adjunct professor in orthopaedic physical therapy for the DPT program at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. In addition, Mike is the current President of the Texas Physical Therapy Association advocating regularly for the PT profession in Austin and DC on regulatory and payment policy issues impacting PT. Mike is happily married to his wife Shannon. He enjoys spending time with his family, that includes two beautiful daughters. Mike enjoys staying active, running, traveling, exercising, biking, golfing and staying active in his faith community. Personal statement: It's ALWAYS all about the patient. We exist as PTs to help patients move better with less pain. It's my pleasure to help patients achieve this goal on a day to day basis. Social Media: Greater Therapy Centers Twitter Facebook Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes! Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart! Xo Karen P.S. Do you want to be a stand out podcast guest? Make sure to grab the tools from the FREE eBook on the home page! Check out my latest blog post on The Do's and Don'ts of Social Media! P.S.S. Check out the inaugural Women in PT Summit here! Sign up now as space is limited!

On this week's episode, I share the first part of my talk with Dr. Bronnie Thompson from one year ago on chronic pain management which will change the way you practice. Dr. Thompson has worked in the field of chronic pain management, helping people develop 'self management' skills for 20 years and has a passion to help people experiencing chronic health problems achieve their potential. In this episode, we discuss: -How to learn to live well despite chronic pain and her research on the 3 phases to reoccupy your self-concept -How to incorporate values based pain management into your practice -The value of motivational interviewing, the specifics of implementation, and why it's not always about pain -Why patience is key to a person-centered practice -And so much more! Healthcare providers should address the nature of chronic pain and the goal of treatment should be to educate patients on how to understand and manage their pain. Dr. Thompson found that for patients with chronic pain, "Hearing that this pain is likely to remain was a really important turning point for all the participants. So they stopped that search for the cure." Dr. Thompson promotes a psychosocial approach to learning to live well with chronic pain and making new sense of your self-concept. Dr. Thompson states, "When pain comes on, life becomes incoherent—it doesn't make sense anymore. Your self-concept, the person that you think you are, suddenly goes. You can't rely on yourself to do the things that you used to be able to do and the expectations you have of yourself disappear. For a long time, people are sustained on this search to go back to the person they used to be. But 5, 10, 15 years later, they are never going to be that person. It's about saying, 'Who can I be now?' The process of learning to live well is about recognizing, 'I do need to let go of that desire to go back to my old self and look to build this new person.'" One of the key aspects of learning to live with chronic pain is to find a sense of community and begin building new meaning in your life. Dr. Thompson states, "Carrying that invisible sort of separation, 'I'm not who I used to be, I feel like I'm not who I used to be and yet nobody can see that' is so isolating. It's unbelievably isolating. To be able to say, 'I can connect,'—what you do connects you with other people, the way you dress, the way you happen to tidy your house or not, the way that you drive—you're going to look at other people and you're going to say I'm like them or I'm different from them and that's how we find our way." For more about Dr. Thompson: I trained as an occupational therapist, and graduated in 1984. Since then I've continued study at postgraduate level and my papers have included business skills, ergonomics, mental health therapies, and psychology. I completed by Masters in Psychology in 1999, and started my PhD in 2007. I've now finished my thesis (yay!) and can call myself Dr, or as my kids call me, Dr Mum. I have a passion to help people experiencing chronic health problems achieve their potential. I have worked in the field of chronic pain management, helping people develop 'self management' skills for 20 years. Many of the skills are directly applicable to people with other health conditions. My way of working: collaboratively – all people have limitations and vulnerabilities – as well as strengths and potential. I use a cognitive and behavioural approach – therapy isn't helpful unless there are visible changes! I don't use this approach exclusively, because it is necessary to 'borrow' at times from other approaches, but I encourage ongoing evaluation of everything that is put forward as 'therapy'. I'm especially drawn to what's known as third wave CBT, things like mindfulness, ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and occupation. I'm also an educator. I take this role very seriously – it is as important to health care as research and clinical skill. I offer an active knowledge of the latest research, integrated with current clinical practice, and communicated to clinicians working directly with people experiencing chronic ill health. I'm a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Orthopaedic surgery & Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Otago Christchurch Health Sciences. I also offer courses, training and supervision for therapists working with people experiencing chronic ill health. Check out her blog HealthSkills for more great resources and follow Dr. Thompson on twitter, facebook, and LinkedIn. Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes! Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart! Xo Karen P.S. Do you want to be a stand out podcast guest? Make sure to grab the tools from the FREE eBook on the home page! Check out my latest blog post on The Do's and Don'ts of Social Media! P.S.S. Check out the inaugural Women in PT Summit here! Sign up now as space is limited!

On today's episode of the Healthy, Wealthy and Smart Podcast, Dr. Rachna Patel joins me to discuss common misconceptions of medical marijuana. Dr. Patel has been practicing in the area of Medical Marijuana since 2012 and step-by-step walks patients through how to use medical marijuana for their specific medical condition. In this episode, we discuss: -How medical marijuana functions in the body -Conditions that can be treated with medical marijuana and surprising outcomes -What the side effects of medical marijuana are and how to avoid them - Alternatives to smoking medical marijuana -Why lab-tested medical grade marijuana is very different from what's found on the streets -And so much more! The therapeutic range for medical marijuana varies from patient to patient. A practitioner can help find the optimal ratio of the THC and CBD components of the plant which work best for the patient. Dr. Patel states, "You can adjust the effect that the medication will have on you based on the proportions of these different chemicals." One of the practical benefits of medical marijuana is the fact that, "These chemicals are fat soluble… Patients don't have to take this medication every day. Once you take it, you have stores of it in your body." Medical marijuana has proven to be less addictive and have fewer side effects. From Dr. Patel's clinical experience, there is growing evidence that medical marijuana could serve as a potential alternative to opioids. "When I was reading the research studies, a couple studies I came across said that when medical marijuana is used in conjunction with opioids, the marijuana helps to reduce the dose of the opioids that you have to use. What I found surprisingly, patients were able to come off of a lot of these pain medications and just use medical marijuana in its place." There are potentially many patient populations that could benefit from the use of medical marijuana. For some conditions like fibromyalgia, medical marijuana has revolutionized patient treatment plans. "I expected [medical marijuana] to be a part of the arsenal, I didn't expect it to be the only tool in the arsenal that these patients were using." For more information on Dr. Patel: Dr. Rachna Patel has been practicing in the area of Medical Marijuana since 2012. She step-by-step walks patients through how to use medical marijuana for their specific medical condition. She completed her medical studies at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine and her undergraduate studies at Northwestern University. You can learn more about the work she does at www.DrRachnaPatel.com Resources discussed on this show: YouTube channel How to Choose a Medical Marijuana Doctor. Facebook Page: Listeners are welcome to ask questions on the page for Ask Me Anything on Wednesdays every week. Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes! Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart! Xo Karen P.S. Do you want to be a stand out podcast guest? Make sure to grab the tools from the FREE eBook on the home page! Check out my latest blog post on The Do's and Don'ts of Social Media! P.S.S. Check out the inaugural Women in PT Summit here! Sign up now as space is limited!

On this week's episode, I had the pleasure of discussing financial strategies for Doctor of Physical Therapy student loans with Joseph Reinke. Joseph Reinke is the CEO and founder of FitBUX, Inc which is introducing innovative finance products and technology to the student lending industry with a specific focus on physical therapists. In this episode, we discuss: -Why FitBUX is in the business of aiding human capital development -Helpful and actionable strategies to manage student loan debt -Options for new graduates in debt that want to start their own business -Why student debt should not get in the way of a worry-free retirement -And so much more! Joe recommends starting as early as possible on the road to entrepreneurship if that is your long-term goal. "Even if you're a student and you know you're going to be an entrepreneur, start networking at all these events with people who have podcasts or have private practices. Get into that setting so all that human capital that you are developing is geared toward being that business owner because the more you do of that the higher probability you will be successful." Joe has found that finance is more about discipline and delaying gratification. Developing strategies to tackle financial obstacles can help provide the extra discipline needed. Joe states, "The other thing you're doing that is even more important is you're developing discipline. That's one of the hardest things to do in finance. We want instant gratification on everything. It doesn't matter what you're doing in finance, it can be paying off your loan, saving for retirement, buying a house and paying that off—there is no instant gratification..." Joe cautions his clients to consider the downside. The more prepared people are for unexpected shocks, the less they will struggle with financial obstacles. He recommends, "Keep it simple and strategize… The stress a lot of people get financially will be gone or it will be a lot less because you'll be prepared. That's when I see a lot of people get into financial stresses. They just get hit with a tsunami at some time and they are not ready for it and that's when you start seeing people stress out about money." For more about Joe: Joseph Reinke is the CEO and founder of Fitbux, Inc. FitBUX is introducing innovative finance products and technology to the student lending industry with a specific focus on physical therapists. Thus far in FitBUX's beta test, they have helped PTs develop financial strategies on over $11mn in student loans. Joe has been in the finance industry for over a decade and is one of the few CFA Charterholders in the world who has experience in both wealth management and business valuation (globally, there are only 120,000 CFA Charterholders). He has hosted numerous live chats about student loans with SPTs across the country, presented at the California Student Conclave, appeared on podcasts, and written numerous financial blogs. Resources: FitBUX: Sign-up for the beta test that is testing FitBUX technology to help answer SPTs and DPTs questions about student loans such as "do I invest or prepay my loans?", "do I pay down my loans or go onto a Federal Income Driven repayment plan?", "what are my refinancing options and should I refinance?"…And the beta test is FREE! FitBUX Blog for Physical Therapists FitBUX Blog on Finance FitBUX videos on student loans PT Pintcast Episode NewGradPT: How Physical Therapy Careers are Changing Social Media: FitBUX Twitter FitPT Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes! Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart! Xo Karen P.S. Do you want to be a stand out podcast guest? Make sure to grab the tools from the FREE eBook on the home page! Check out my latest blog post on The Do's and Don'ts of Social Media! P.S.S. Check out the inaugural Women in PT Summit here! Sign up now as space is limited!

On today's episode of the podcast, Sarah Ecker PT, DPT, PRPC joins me to discuss the STAND (Sustainable Therapy And New Development) Haiti Project which is a nonprofit organization working to provide continual, orthopedic care to Haitian communities most in need. Sarah is a physical therapist specializing in pelvic health and has been traveling the country as a "Travel Therapist," working in some of the United States' most impoverished communities. Sarah is STAND's Director of Pelvic Health and is continuing to help further the mission of STAND and ensure that women in Haiti have improved access to pelvic health and education. In this episode, we discuss: - What is the STAND Haiti Project and how you can get involved -How Sarah's pelvic health specialty led to surprising insights while volunteering in Haiti -How language and cultural barriers impact your treatment -Advice for physical therapy volunteers traveling abroad -And so much more! While volunteering in Haiti, Sarah began to realize that her pelvic health training was in need for this female population. She states, "Are the infections prevalent and common there? Sure, but also with chronic infection comes chronic tissue changes. We were definitely seeing a lot of prolapse, general pelvic floor dysfunction, different tissue changes, and incontinence. Things that are very common ailments I've seen in patients in the States. Just no one has ever really examined these women before. There is really very little, if any, gynecologist care or care surrounding pregnancy." After breaking through the language and cultural barriers, Sarah discovered that many Haitian women were not being treated for common pelvic health issues. She then set out to lead a team to focus specifically on pelvic health treatment. Sarah believes, "This is a population we can do something about. Once we started having that conversation and digging a little deeper with the women we were seeing that were in child bearing ages, it was really coming to the surface that they think this is normal, and this is okay, and this is something they have to live with." Empowering the Haitian women by educating them on pelvic health dysfunction was important to reaffirm their experiences. Sarah discovered, "I think this was a game changer when I said, 'We see patients like this all the time in the United States. I treat these patients all the time. These are normal symptoms that happen with different life changes and experiences as a woman going through pregnancy and childbirth.' Just to see the look on their faces when their like, 'Oh, this is not just me. This is not my fault that I have these problems.'" Once cultural barriers are broken and patient-therapist trust is built, educating patients can lead to breakthroughs. She stresses, "The most powerful, impactful thing you can do is to just start the conversation. It has to start with you because you're the clinician and you have the information regardless of whether you have trepidation around even breaching the topic in cultures that stigmatize sex or pelvic health or embarrassing issues more than we do in our native countries… it's really just educating, disseminating the information, letting people know these are common problems and it's not their fault and most importantly you can do something about it. That's the message that translates through any culture and any population." For more information about Sarah: Sarah Ecker, PT, DPT, PRPC received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from New York University in 2011 after working for several years in the science, medicine, and technology department of a publishing company in the New York City area. She fell in love with pelvic health early on in her physical therapy career and worked in the NYC area at a specialized practice during which time she received her Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certificate from the Herman and Wallace Institute. For the last few years, Sarah has been traveling the country as a "Travel Therapist," working in some of our nation's most impoverished communities in just about every setting imaginable. Last year, Sarah discovered STAND: The Haiti Project, volunteered for 2 weeks in May, and instantly fell in love with the project, the people of Haiti, and the amazing co-founders of the organization, Morgan Denny and Justin Dunaway. Sarah is committed to continuing to help further the mission of STAND, and as STAND's Director of Pelvic Health will help to ensure that women in Haiti have improved access to pelvic health and education. When Sarah is not working and traveling, she enjoys- well... traveling, cycling, anything that gets her outdoors, playing guitar, spending time with family, and home-brewing delicious craft beer. For more information on STAND: STAND (Sustainable Therapy And New Development) believes that freedom from pain and disability is a basic human right, not a privilege. In rural Haiti, only the highest socioeconomic class can afford medical care, but most people do not have access at all. This lack of access to the most basic care leads to widespread suffering from disabling pain and injury. These unaddressed ailments engender an environment where people lack the ability to work, farm, and care for themselves and their families. The social effects of this lack of care and community support are too often poverty, famine, and even death. By providing access to rehabilitative care, STAND aims to decrease disability and reverse its social effects on the populace. As a result, Haitians will be able to work, provide for their families, contribute to their communities, and ultimately enjoy a higher quality of life. STAND: The Haiti Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization working to provide continual, orthopedic care to Haitian communities most in need. To accomplish this, STAND will equip local health workers with a rigorous orthopedic curriculum. A competent team of Haitian practitioners will be able to provide relief from disabling pain and injury at STAND facilities year-round, allowing people to return to productive, happy, and fulfilling lives. You can give a man a fish, or you can teach a man to fish. We do both. During our trips to Haiti, we work to restore people's functional mobility by providing comprehensive evaluation and treatment for a variety of conditions and injuries. Many have experienced traumatic and injurious events with no assistance or counsel from trained medical providers. Others are children born with orthopedic or neurological conditions. Each and every one of these people deserves a safe environment in which they can access quality and professional care. STAND provides manual physical therapy, wound care, patient education, orthotics, and the fabrication of prosthetics to meet the diverse needs of its patient population. Volunteer teams consisting of physical therapists, orthotists, prosthetists, general medical staff, educators, and students work to deliver these services to the highest standard. STAND also provides outreach programs to local hospitals, schools, orphanages, and assisted living facilities. Ultimately, our clinics will be staffed year-round by STAND trained Haitian clinicians. Sarah welcomes your questions via email (sarahecker123@gmail.com) to find more information on the winter trip with the STAND Haiti Project! Make sure to connect with Sarah on LinkedIn! Check out the episode with Dr. Justin Dunaway and Dr. Morgan Denny about the STAND Haiti Project here! Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes! Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart! Xo Karen P.S. Do you want to be a stand out podcast guest? Make sure to grab the tools from the FREE eBook on the home page! Check out my latest blog post on The Do's and Don'ts of Social Media!

On this week's episode, Dina Behrman joins me to share strategies for healthcare professionals on how to utilize publicity and public relations. Dina is a journalist-turned-publicity coach who is passionate about empowering business owners to get the best kind of publicity for their business to raise their profile, position themselves as an expert, build their brand, find new opportunities, reach new audiences, put their prices up and help more people. In this episode, we discuss: -Why you should start calling yourself an expert -How introverts can break personal barriers and promote their brand -How to pitch to the media and gain your brand access and coverage -Dina's top tips for attracting more publicity -And much, much more! The media often selects authority figures who are "experts" on a topic or field. As a healthcare professional, you have expertise and must learn to communicate and represent yourself as an expert. Dina suggests, "The main thing is to start seeing yourself as an expert, because especially if you're a health entrepreneur and you've got that expertise in a particular area then you want to be pitching yourself to the press as an expert and as someone who can talk knowledgably about a subject. A lot of people have an issue calling themselves an expert and it's almost like they need someone to come along and say, 'Yes, you're an expert' as opposed to feeling very confident about saying you know what I really know my stuff." Sometimes introverts can be preoccupied with their own discomfort to pitch to a journalist. Dina suggests instead focusing on the huge benefits your expertise can provide to so many people. Dina recommends, "Having a bit of a mindset shift and thinking about it from the point of view of coming from a place of service and thinking whatever it is that you're sharing, if it's your knowledge and your expertise that's going to be helping other people... The people that read that, it's going to have a huge impact on them it's going to really help them and the reason for getting that PR and publicity is that you can reach so many more people than you would be able to reach normally. So there is the potential for you to be helping so many more people and you're doing something really good in the world by getting publicity and sharing your knowledge and your expertise and your experiences." Starting your publicity journey doesn't have to be complicated. Often the very basics of your education are immensely valuable to the public and can start the conversation. "You only need to be a couple of steps ahead of the people you are talking to to be of help to them… Journalists can't possibly know all of the ins and outs of your industry the way that you do and so you're going to know more than they do and you're going to be useful to them… They don't have those years of training and everything that you have. There is so much value you can give even if it seems like it's the basic level." For more information about Dina: Journalist-turned publicity coach Dina Behrman is a PR and publicity expert who works with female entrepreneurs who are struggling to take their business to the next level. She helps them get their business seen and heard in the media so they can share their story and help more people, whilst gaining more followers, raising their prices and making more sales. She has featured as a PR expert in The Guardian, BBC Radio, Huffington Post, Raspberry Magazine, BussinesZone, YFS, Prowess, Women Unlimited, Business Rocks Magazine, amongst others. Click here to download her media kit. To get in touch, email her on dina@dinabehrman.com or click here to fill out a contact form. Find Dina on social media: Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Make sure to grab her free publicity prep cheat sheet and check out her group program Business Fame School! Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes! Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart! Xo Karen P.S. Do you want to be a stand out podcast guest? Make sure to grab the tools from the FREE eBook on the home page! Check out my latest blog post on The Do's and Don'ts of Social Media! P.S.S. Check out the inaugural Women in PT Summit here! Sign up now as space is limited!

Thanks for tuning into the Healthy Wealthy and Smart Podcast! On this week's episode, Dr. Christian Barton joins me to discuss the running retraining program. Dr. Barton is a physiotherapist in Melbourne, Australia who has published over 40 papers in Sports Medicine, Rehabilitation and Biomechanics journals and he is also an Associate Editor for the British Journal of Sports Medicine. In this episode, we discuss: -Current evidence on the optimal foot strike pattern -Do traditional PT interventions have a place in a running retraining program? -How to configure a physical therapy plan of care for limited office visits -Managing expectations on recovery timeframes for runners -The growth in wearable devices and how to use them in your practice -And much more! An important aspect of running retraining is educating patients on how they can self-modulate their technique while they run. Dr. Barton states, "When you're doing running retraining, it's not trying to dictate the way someone runs for an entire run, but it's giving them options that they can use throughout that run and try things. Often, if they do try these things, they can find a happy ground where they can run pain free again." Offering the most value to patients with limited office visits can be challenging. Patient education is integral so you can prioritize exercise rehabilitation and running retraining during your treatment sessions. Dr. Barton believes, "Most runners are incredibly motivated… If you're giving them value in terms of their running and you're giving them great guidance with their rehab and great guidance with their running technique and they can see that after a few months, they will probably pay for another couple of sessions to follow up and keep progressing things." Managing expectations and setting realistic goals is important for optimal patient satisfaction and outcomes. Dr. Barton stresses, "You have to talk to your patient. It's about a shared decision process. I don't think we get to dictate to every patient exactly what they need to do. We need to ask them that question at the beginning—what is the most important thing for you moving forward? Is there a short term goal you really, really want to get to... At the end of the day, it's about patient choice and working with them to their goals." The growth in technology allows physical therapists to make better clinical decisions and help with patient buy-in. Dr. Barton states, "[Technology] is just a great facilitator and a great way of measuring things. It's educating the patient as well. It's not only your analysis but it's also your ability to educate the patient on what's going on." For more on Dr. Barton: Dr. Christian Barton is a physiotherapist who graduated with first class Honours from Charles Sturt University in 2005, and completed his PhD focusing on Patellofemoral Pain, Biomechanics and Foot Orthoses in 2010. Dr Barton's broad research disciplines are biomechanics, running-related injury, knee pathology, tendinopathy, and rehabilitation, with a particular focus on research translation. Dr. Barton has published over 40 papers in Sports Medicine, Rehabilitation and Biomechanics journals, and he is an Associate Editor for the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Resources discussed on this show: British Journal of Sports Medicine British Journal of Sports Medicine Facebook British Journal of Sports Medicine Podcast British Journal of Sports Medicine App Conversation with Dr. Claire Hiller Hudl App Kinovea Program Coach's Eye App Garmin Foot Pod La Trobe University Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre Twitter La Trobe University Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre Blog La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Facebook Group Running Physio Twitter Make sure to follow Dr. Barton on twitter to get exposed to more on the latest research! Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes! Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart! Xo Karen P.S. Do you want to be a stand out podcast guest? Make sure to grab the tools from the FREE eBook on the home page! Check out my latest blog post on The Do's and Don'ts of Social Media!