Research Based Care
SMART Physical Therapy will provide care based on the latest research in the field of Physical Therapy. Tim reads Physical Therapy Research journals regularly learning the latest Assessment, Treatment and Exercise approaches being used by experts in the field. He attends conferences consistently where leading experts present research and teach updated clinical assessment and treatment approaches. He forms relationships with researchers and clinical experts so he can stay on the cutting edge of Physical Therapy and get guidance with difficult cases or questions he may have.
In the Medical Community we treat clients everyday with techniques that have yet to be "proven" to cure the patients problems, but the research gives clinicians the background to choose treatments that are more likely to produce succeesful outcomes. At SMART PT we utilize the information from research to guide our care: especially in the following areas:
1. Chronic pain
In chronic pain the research has given us a framework to treat the "person" not the condition. It has shown we need to keep the patient as active as possible, help them understand their pain with effective patient education, and to have a multifaceted approaches in the self-management of their chronic condition. The work of David Butler and Lorimer Moseley has made an impact on Tim's approach, especially their book, "Explain Pain". Tim also took David Butler's course of the same name and has had the opportunity to hear Lorimer Moseley speak at Low Back Pain conferences. Their work helps the clinician find ways to reduce fear, improve their coping skills, and use graded exposure techniques to improve their tolerance to physical activity. They have done significant research with Mirror Therapy and Graded Motor Imagery which are used to help people manage their pain.
Lorimer Moseley, Author of Explain Pain, on what pain is.
David Butler videos on Graded Exposure with exercise
2. Low Back Pain:
Tim has spent significant time reading and studying spine research, taking courses by expert clinicians abd even attending the last two Interdisciplinary World Congresses on Low Back Pain and Pelvic Pain, in Barcelona in 2007 and in Los Angeles in 2010. There he attended presentations on the latest research and clinical approaches to treating Low Back Pain from the worlds experts and had opportunities to speak and form relationships with these experts.
3. Sports Medicine:
Tim has maintained his certification as an Athletic Trainer and has attended several National Athletic Training Conventions to take mini courses and listen to the latest Sports Medicine Research. Tim constantly reads articles on Sports Rehabilitation and specific sports injuries. He has done presentations on many topics such as Tennis, Golf, Rugby, Baseball, Basketball, and Running injuries in which he researched the topics extensively. He does not rely on personal experience only in his treatment or teaching. He believes each clinician should take advantage of all the hard work and information provided by researchers.