Keep up to date with the latest PT news:
November 29th, 2020
Hi guys! Samantha here!
Success story alert! 🚨 Recently, I’ve been hearing a lot about Alex Smith’s recovery and return to the NFL. His story is so inspiring that I thought you guys should hear about it too!
Smith had a long 2-year rehabilitation process. During rehab, he received blood flow restriction therapy and advanced military rehab methods. In 2018 Alex Smith experienced a compound fracture injury to his tibia and fibula. He underwent 17 surgeries before his recovery could begin. During the surgical process, it was touch and go. After the initial surgery, Smith encountered a flesh-eating bacteria which left him fighting for his life. If the medical staff could not get the infection under control, they would have to amputate above the knee. Luckily they were able to tame the infection, and move forward with the rest of his surgeries.
During initial rehab in the NWB phase, therapists used blood flow restriction to combat further muscle wasting and begin regaining muscle mass. Shortly after he could get out of a wheelchair, he began physical therapy at the Center of Intrepid, a military rehabilitation facility where they see mostly amputees and burn victims. After an intense physical therapy regimen at this facility, he was ultimately able to return to playing in the NFL. The article below gives more in-depth information about his recovery and the use of blood flow restriction (BFR) early on in therapy.
https://richmond.com/sports/professional/alex-smith-leaned-on-advances-in-military-rehab-techniques-to-pull-off-one-of-footballs/article_f47c8170-1da0-5951-97ef-92374dc46a56.html?fbclid=IwAR1UT8HLiNcT4jGcbGJB7TN6s2a8XiZEhrM4iNcPNFC5suEBhI7n0_Z0Iuo
Hi guys! Samantha here!
Success story alert! 🚨 Recently, I’ve been hearing a lot about Alex Smith’s recovery and return to the NFL. His story is so inspiring that I thought you guys should hear about it too!
Smith had a long 2-year rehabilitation process. During rehab, he received blood flow restriction therapy and advanced military rehab methods. In 2018 Alex Smith experienced a compound fracture injury to his tibia and fibula. He underwent 17 surgeries before his recovery could begin. During the surgical process, it was touch and go. After the initial surgery, Smith encountered a flesh-eating bacteria which left him fighting for his life. If the medical staff could not get the infection under control, they would have to amputate above the knee. Luckily they were able to tame the infection, and move forward with the rest of his surgeries.
During initial rehab in the NWB phase, therapists used blood flow restriction to combat further muscle wasting and begin regaining muscle mass. Shortly after he could get out of a wheelchair, he began physical therapy at the Center of Intrepid, a military rehabilitation facility where they see mostly amputees and burn victims. After an intense physical therapy regimen at this facility, he was ultimately able to return to playing in the NFL. The article below gives more in-depth information about his recovery and the use of blood flow restriction (BFR) early on in therapy.
https://richmond.com/sports/professional/alex-smith-leaned-on-advances-in-military-rehab-techniques-to-pull-off-one-of-footballs/article_f47c8170-1da0-5951-97ef-92374dc46a56.html?fbclid=IwAR1UT8HLiNcT4jGcbGJB7TN6s2a8XiZEhrM4iNcPNFC5suEBhI7n0_Z0Iuo
August 22nd, 2020
Hey Folks,
You got me again this week. I want to talk about the board certified specialties available to physical therapists (PTs). A PT can be certified in cardiovascular and pulmonary rehab, clinical electrophysiology, wound management, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, orthopedics, pediatrics, sports, and women's health. Specialties in physical therapy offer clinicians advanced training in a specific area that further enhances their potential to have an impact in the lives of their patients. These individuals are truly experts in what they do and just another reason to #ChoosePT. More information may be found here on the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties website: http://www.abpts.org/home.aspx
I have had the most exposure with the Sports Section. This section just launch a new online community application. The software is aimed at encouraging discussion and networking among sports specialized PTs and students interested in the field. It is clear to me that the Sports Section is interested in engaging PT students and early career PTs. I really like how hard they are working to facilitate information transfer and networking opportunities specifically as a student because it shows how invested they are in us. The Sports Section Website may be found here: https://www.aaspt.org/
I hope to continue working with the section to become the best PT I can be.
Nickolas Pippert, SPT
Hey Folks,
You got me again this week. I want to talk about the board certified specialties available to physical therapists (PTs). A PT can be certified in cardiovascular and pulmonary rehab, clinical electrophysiology, wound management, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, orthopedics, pediatrics, sports, and women's health. Specialties in physical therapy offer clinicians advanced training in a specific area that further enhances their potential to have an impact in the lives of their patients. These individuals are truly experts in what they do and just another reason to #ChoosePT. More information may be found here on the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties website: http://www.abpts.org/home.aspx
I have had the most exposure with the Sports Section. This section just launch a new online community application. The software is aimed at encouraging discussion and networking among sports specialized PTs and students interested in the field. It is clear to me that the Sports Section is interested in engaging PT students and early career PTs. I really like how hard they are working to facilitate information transfer and networking opportunities specifically as a student because it shows how invested they are in us. The Sports Section Website may be found here: https://www.aaspt.org/
I hope to continue working with the section to become the best PT I can be.
Nickolas Pippert, SPT
August 30th, 2020
Hello I'm Anhar Sabri, the Director of Membership for the APTA Kansas Student Special Interest Group.
Today’s post is about a really informative podcast that is published earlier this summer interviewing the APTA oncology immediate past president Steve Morris. The podcast title “Benefits of Exercise Before and After a Cancer Diagnosis”.
There are many misconceptions about exercise and cancer that needs to be discussed and redirected. In this podcast Steve discusses the role of exercise in the prevention of cancer as well as its importance in improving quality of life in cancer survivors. He also talks about how all members of the cancer team need to feel comfortable and engage in the conversation of asking the patient about their fitness and health and be able to refer the patient to the appropriate provider to increase their wellness level. It is a team effort to help improve cancer survivors well-being.
If you are interested in learning more and listening to the full podcast, please visit the link below
https://www.choosept.com/radio/detail/benefits-of-exercise-before-after-cancer-diagnosis
Anhar Sabri, SPT, Director of Membership
Hello I'm Anhar Sabri, the Director of Membership for the APTA Kansas Student Special Interest Group.
Today’s post is about a really informative podcast that is published earlier this summer interviewing the APTA oncology immediate past president Steve Morris. The podcast title “Benefits of Exercise Before and After a Cancer Diagnosis”.
There are many misconceptions about exercise and cancer that needs to be discussed and redirected. In this podcast Steve discusses the role of exercise in the prevention of cancer as well as its importance in improving quality of life in cancer survivors. He also talks about how all members of the cancer team need to feel comfortable and engage in the conversation of asking the patient about their fitness and health and be able to refer the patient to the appropriate provider to increase their wellness level. It is a team effort to help improve cancer survivors well-being.
If you are interested in learning more and listening to the full podcast, please visit the link below
https://www.choosept.com/radio/detail/benefits-of-exercise-before-after-cancer-diagnosis
Anhar Sabri, SPT, Director of Membership
August 17th, 2020
Hello, I am Samantha Schoon the Vice Chairman of the KS APTA SSIG. This week I would like to share with you an advocacy opportunity that IMPACTS US ALL as we prepare to enter the career field of physical therapy.
At the beginning of this year, 2020, there was legislation passed that approved an 8% cut of Medicare and Medicaid billing of physical therapy services. Right now, there is more legislation in process for the beginning of 2021 that is proposing another 9% cut to Medicare and Medicaid billing of physical therapy services. These legislation acts reduce the payments for any physical therapy under Medicare.
Please take the time to reach out about this proposed 9% cut through the advocacy link below. Reaching out to your local legislators only takes less than a minute through this APTA portal. You can use the pre-typed message and add your own thoughts or story if you would like.
In the future to stay involved in advocacy such as this, you can look under the advocacy tab on the APTA website.
https://www.votervoice.net/mobile/APTA/Campaigns/76461/Respond
Hello, I am Samantha Schoon the Vice Chairman of the KS APTA SSIG. This week I would like to share with you an advocacy opportunity that IMPACTS US ALL as we prepare to enter the career field of physical therapy.
At the beginning of this year, 2020, there was legislation passed that approved an 8% cut of Medicare and Medicaid billing of physical therapy services. Right now, there is more legislation in process for the beginning of 2021 that is proposing another 9% cut to Medicare and Medicaid billing of physical therapy services. These legislation acts reduce the payments for any physical therapy under Medicare.
Please take the time to reach out about this proposed 9% cut through the advocacy link below. Reaching out to your local legislators only takes less than a minute through this APTA portal. You can use the pre-typed message and add your own thoughts or story if you would like.
In the future to stay involved in advocacy such as this, you can look under the advocacy tab on the APTA website.
https://www.votervoice.net/mobile/APTA/Campaigns/76461/Respond
August 3rd, 2020
Hey, my name is Joe Augustine and I’m the Treasurer for the KPTA SSIG this year. This week, I listened to a podcast from The Ask Mike Reinold Show titled, Starting Your Physical Therapy Career Off Right. The podcast was a recording of a Zoom Q&A done with PT students at McMaster University. Mike Reinold, PT, DPT, SCS, ATC, CSCS, C-PS is considered a world-renowned leader in the field of sports medicine, rehabilitation, fitness, and sports performance and he worked for the Boston Red Sox for years as Head Athletic Trainer and Physical Therapist before opening a private practice in Boston, MA.
I took notes on the major themes from the Q&A and I’ll do my best to summarize them succinctly here.
- The trend now is to say no more, to focus your time and eliminate everything that doesn’t align with your vision. Don’t be afraid to flip that and say yes to an opportunity that has potential to lead to development outside of your comfort zone.
- Traditional school/PT curriculums aren’t cutting it when it comes to developing you as a high-level clinician. Seek out continuing education opportunities and do more practical, hands-on work (strength coach, rehab psychology, mobility specialist, etc) in order to develop yourself.
- Get people better than baseline. PT isn’t 3 weeks of straight leg raises and now you can walk again, so you’re done with PT. We need to shift the notion of PT as only for those who are injured to helping people optimize their bodies for the lives they want to lead.
- Question asked about jumping into specialty out of school vs. building a base with general ortho. Audit yourself after 3-5 years in the field. What do I need to get better at? Joints? Activities? Skills? From there you can begin to refine your path and dig deeper if you’re where you want to be or change directions if necessary.
- Give people a plan, not a diagnosis.
- Don’t be afraid to seek out people you want to learn from even if they seem out of reach, often they are more open to helping you learn than you might think.
- Everyone wants to be an expert right away. And EVERYONE follows this path. Knowledge >> Skill >> Experience >> Judgement
To watch the video or listen to the podcast check out the link below!
https://mikereinold.com/starting-your-physical-therapy-career-off-right/
Hey, my name is Joe Augustine and I’m the Treasurer for the KPTA SSIG this year. This week, I listened to a podcast from The Ask Mike Reinold Show titled, Starting Your Physical Therapy Career Off Right. The podcast was a recording of a Zoom Q&A done with PT students at McMaster University. Mike Reinold, PT, DPT, SCS, ATC, CSCS, C-PS is considered a world-renowned leader in the field of sports medicine, rehabilitation, fitness, and sports performance and he worked for the Boston Red Sox for years as Head Athletic Trainer and Physical Therapist before opening a private practice in Boston, MA.
I took notes on the major themes from the Q&A and I’ll do my best to summarize them succinctly here.
- The trend now is to say no more, to focus your time and eliminate everything that doesn’t align with your vision. Don’t be afraid to flip that and say yes to an opportunity that has potential to lead to development outside of your comfort zone.
- Traditional school/PT curriculums aren’t cutting it when it comes to developing you as a high-level clinician. Seek out continuing education opportunities and do more practical, hands-on work (strength coach, rehab psychology, mobility specialist, etc) in order to develop yourself.
- Get people better than baseline. PT isn’t 3 weeks of straight leg raises and now you can walk again, so you’re done with PT. We need to shift the notion of PT as only for those who are injured to helping people optimize their bodies for the lives they want to lead.
- Question asked about jumping into specialty out of school vs. building a base with general ortho. Audit yourself after 3-5 years in the field. What do I need to get better at? Joints? Activities? Skills? From there you can begin to refine your path and dig deeper if you’re where you want to be or change directions if necessary.
- Give people a plan, not a diagnosis.
- Don’t be afraid to seek out people you want to learn from even if they seem out of reach, often they are more open to helping you learn than you might think.
- Everyone wants to be an expert right away. And EVERYONE follows this path. Knowledge >> Skill >> Experience >> Judgement
To watch the video or listen to the podcast check out the link below!
https://mikereinold.com/starting-your-physical-therapy-career-off-right/
July 13th, 2020
Hi everyone, my name is Jackson Mores and I am the Secretary for the KPTA Student Special Interest group for 2020-2021. This week I wanted to share with you all an informational and thought provoking webinar that was hosted by the APTA Student Assembly on July 6th.
Yusra Iftikhar, DPT & Laura Finkelstein, Ph.D chatted about all things mental wellness and self-care on #APTALive Student Night. Dr. Iftikhar is the current APTA Student Assembly Director of Communications and also runs her own blog “The DPT Diaries” where she chronicles her journey through PT school and everyday life. Dr. Finkelstein is the Assistant VP of Student Health and Well-Being at Marymount University and has been a psychologist since 2014.
Although this event was hosted live, the APTA was able to record their discussion and resulting Q&A for other students to watch. The webinar was roughly an hour long and hit on a variety of topics pertaining to mental health and self-care. This included topics on burnout, normalizing mental health conversations, how to recommend peers toward services, as well as tips to optimize one’s own mental, emotional, and physical health.
I recommend taking some time to kick-back, relax, and listen to these advocates. With it being a discussion and not a presentation, it’s available in several formats:
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh_4TwJXQls
Podcast - “Mental Health and Self-Care - APTA Live”: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/apta-podcasts/id1245783895?i=1000482920261
That’s it from me! In the meantime I highly recommend you follow the APTA Student Assembly (@APTAStudents) and Yusra Iftikhar (@YusraIftikhar) on Twitter. In doing so, you can stay informed, stay engaged, and continue the conversation.
Keep moving, keep advocating for the profession, & #ChoosePT !
- Jackson Mores, SPT
Hi everyone, my name is Jackson Mores and I am the Secretary for the KPTA Student Special Interest group for 2020-2021. This week I wanted to share with you all an informational and thought provoking webinar that was hosted by the APTA Student Assembly on July 6th.
Yusra Iftikhar, DPT & Laura Finkelstein, Ph.D chatted about all things mental wellness and self-care on #APTALive Student Night. Dr. Iftikhar is the current APTA Student Assembly Director of Communications and also runs her own blog “The DPT Diaries” where she chronicles her journey through PT school and everyday life. Dr. Finkelstein is the Assistant VP of Student Health and Well-Being at Marymount University and has been a psychologist since 2014.
Although this event was hosted live, the APTA was able to record their discussion and resulting Q&A for other students to watch. The webinar was roughly an hour long and hit on a variety of topics pertaining to mental health and self-care. This included topics on burnout, normalizing mental health conversations, how to recommend peers toward services, as well as tips to optimize one’s own mental, emotional, and physical health.
I recommend taking some time to kick-back, relax, and listen to these advocates. With it being a discussion and not a presentation, it’s available in several formats:
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh_4TwJXQls
Podcast - “Mental Health and Self-Care - APTA Live”: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/apta-podcasts/id1245783895?i=1000482920261
That’s it from me! In the meantime I highly recommend you follow the APTA Student Assembly (@APTAStudents) and Yusra Iftikhar (@YusraIftikhar) on Twitter. In doing so, you can stay informed, stay engaged, and continue the conversation.
Keep moving, keep advocating for the profession, & #ChoosePT !
- Jackson Mores, SPT
July 5th, 2020
Happy Sunday!
My name is Kayla Tweedt and I'm the Director of Public Relations for the APTA Kansas SSIG for 2020-2021.
Have you ever been interested in working in the Emergency Department as a Physical Therapist? Well this week I listened to an entertaining and informative podcast on the APTA website where John Seip, PT, DPT talks about his experience working as an Emergency Department PT in a medium size hospital in Duluth, MN.
If you want to see my highlights and listen to the podcast yourself check out our Facebook page!
Happy Sunday!
My name is Kayla Tweedt and I'm the Director of Public Relations for the APTA Kansas SSIG for 2020-2021.
Have you ever been interested in working in the Emergency Department as a Physical Therapist? Well this week I listened to an entertaining and informative podcast on the APTA website where John Seip, PT, DPT talks about his experience working as an Emergency Department PT in a medium size hospital in Duluth, MN.
If you want to see my highlights and listen to the podcast yourself check out our Facebook page!
June 21st, 2020
Hey Everybody,
My name is Nick Pippert and I'm the Chair Person for APTA Kansas Student Special Interest Group for 2020-2021.
I wanted to bring attention to this article because the changes may have come as a shock.
Want to see Nick's highlights? Click the link below to go to our Facebook page!
Also follow us on our other social media pages (Twitter and Instagram)!
Hey Everybody,
My name is Nick Pippert and I'm the Chair Person for APTA Kansas Student Special Interest Group for 2020-2021.
I wanted to bring attention to this article because the changes may have come as a shock.
Want to see Nick's highlights? Click the link below to go to our Facebook page!
Also follow us on our other social media pages (Twitter and Instagram)!
