The storyline in far too many sports these days goes something like this:
Athlete A sets a record of some form or another in Sport B. Athlete A has never failed a drug test mandated by his/her sport. The general public can’t believe that a performance like this is possible without the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Questions start to accumulate, and people start to wonder if their much-beloved Sport B has been tarnished by a drug cheat.
The governing body of Sport B doesn’t have very good drug testing policies, or perhaps doesn’t enforce them very stringently, or perhaps just doesn’t really care when everything is said and done. Those that run Sport B are pleased that tickets are being sold, or TV contracts are being negotiated – or both.
Performance-enhancing drug use in Sport B is only illegal based on the rules of Sport B, not the fact that they are illegal to use in the United States. Now we introduce Group C – those with their own agendas that don’t want Sport B to be soiled - try to dig up the dirt on suspected drug cheat Athlete A.
Anything sound familiar here? Name the sport – and read on. The storyline has just begun.
A lot of folks might get a little superstitious about the number 13. Many would consider it an unlucky number. Sure, there are plenty of examples of 13 being a little unlucky. Apollo 13 had its problems - launching on April 11, 1970 at 13:13 CST and having an explosion of an oxygen tank on April 13, 1970. Some buildings don’t even have a 13th floor.
But to this writer, 13 has always been a good number. Why, I am not sure – but sometimes, you don’t ask.
The topic of speed and efficiency seems to be on my mind these days. Maybe it’s because I spent the better part of 18 hours last week waiting to make a 3 minute testimony in a committee meeting. Hurry up – and wait. Dedication to the cause, or insanity personified? You make the call. The Ruminations will head down that road and see where it ends.
1. Let’s start with something that does not move fast, and seems to be losing efficiency left and right – the US Postal Service. The postage rates keep climbing because they are losing money. Ever wonder why?
If there was ever a reason for Direct Access to Physical Therapy to exist – in ANY state of the US or country of the world – it would be back pain. There is no doubt that back pain could become the poster child for this consumer initiative. It also provides plenty of evidence-based reasons to counter the claims of physician naysayers.
First things first – back pain will affect 50 - 80% of the population at some point in their lives, and 40% of the population will have an episode of back pain within any given year. This amounts to about 31 million Americans that are afflicted with low back pain at any given point in time, or approximately 10% of the population.
The estimated costs of back pain in the US exceed $170 billion annually. Yes, that is BILLIONS of dollars.
In the world of back pain, evidence-based practice (via clinical practice guidelines) is going to be critical in order to increase access to care and to decrease the cost of care. I would like to think that physicians, chiropractors, and physical therapists alike would agree on this. So let’s try to weed out “conjecture” from “data” as it applies to the claims regarding back pain and patient direct access to physical therapy.
History was made on Wednesday, April 20 as HB 637 went to a public hearing in the House Public Health Committee. This is the first time in eight years that a direct access bill has made it to a hearing. But it didn’t come without it’s challenges throughout the day.
The initial meeting was scheduled for 8:00 am with a long agenda full of various bills addressing issues ranging from raw milk to EMS services and all points in between. By 10:00 am, our bill had not been heard, but committee members needed to return to the House for debate on other bills. Many of those wishing to provide testimony on HB 637 stood strong and patient throughout the day, waiting for the meeting to resume.
At 7:00 pm, the meeting finally resumed. Though our numbers had decreased slightly, many clinicians and patients were still in attendance to provide support for the bill.
After hours of testimony on raw milk products and the cottage food industry, physical therapists in Texas finally had their opportunity to speak out on behalf of their patients and their profession.
April 22 is officially known as Earth Day. The mission of Earth Day is an admirable one: environmental protection and sustainability. The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, which can now be viewed as the birth of the modern-day environmental movement. Though it has become a regular phrase in our society, “going green” has been a slow process.
This year’s theme for Earth Day is “A Billion Acts Of Green”. That’s a lot of green.
With thoughts of green on my mind on this day, I present to you four random thoughts about Earth Day 2011. Perhaps one of them will get you thinking about “going green”.
1. We have one pretty darn big solar system, and imagine this – as it stands right now, Earth is (currently) the only planet we can inhabit. Ponder that for a moment, if you will. If you ever needed anything to test your humility, that should do the trick. It also serves as a reminder of how important it is to maintain what we have in the here and now. If we don’t, we’re not running off to Saturn or Uranus any time soon.
April 20, 1931 was an important day in history. But perhaps it wasn’t important for the reasons that you think.
This is the date of birth for one Robin McKenzie, a physiotherapist from New Zealand. Mr. McKenzie’s astute clinical observations lead him to develop the McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis And Therapy. In 1981, he published his first text on MDT as it applies to the assessment and treatment of the lumbar spine, and since then has released books on MDT applied to the spine and extremities. He has contributed a unique and innovative approach to patient classification (and focus on self treatment) which has continued to gain research support over the years.
Not only has McKenzie laid the foundation for an assessment and treatment paradigm, he has provided the world with the first true “patient-centered” competent self care approach for musculoskeletal problems.
This didn’t come without great challenges and resistance from many angles, from outside his profession and from within.
I will start off by saying that I am a cyclist. There. I said it. Go ahead, Texas motorists, get pissed off with me riding on the wide shoulders of the highways and bi-ways of the great state of Texas.
There are some crazy things that take place between motorists and cyclists on the roads of Texas. Yes, there are times when it seems like it is the Wild West out there. I can say that I have had clients report to me that they have been shot with BB guns by passing motorists (among other craziness) – all while minding their own business. And there are far too many cyclists injured by motorists who are simply not paying attention.
But there are also far too many cyclists that simply don’t use their heads, and don’t follow the rules of the road. Regardless of who has the right to be on the road, cyclists don’t win any friends when they choose to ignore the rules of the road.
Who’s problem is it anyways? The cyclists, or the motorists?
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.
Top 5 finalist in three categories: "Best Overall Blog", "Best PT Blog" and "Best Advocacy Blog".
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