jessephysio

This post will be one I will add to as the list gets longer. I want to write a short post about the people I learn from in this industry. The key to being great at what you do is to never stop learning and with the advent of social media and the internet, staying current has never been so accessible. In no particular order, these are the people and websites I refer to and trust to provide me with current, thought provoking information…enjoy!

Erson Religioso III:
Having met him in person and worked with him professionally on the IFOMPT blogging team last year I can safely say that Erson is a wealth of information. His website (the manualtherapist.com) is exceptional for providing high quality instructional videos on manual therapy techniques. His eclectic approach is great because he incorporates so many different schools of thought into his teachings. He uses Mckenzie methods, Mulligan mobilizations, functional screening, Instrument assisted soft tissue work, and so much more to provide the reader with holistic ideas on how to treat patients…just look up one of his 15-20 minute videos to see what I mean!

I have the EDGE tool he created and it’s really quite awesome. If you don’t have one at least go to his website to check it out. It’s a great tool to have. Lastly, his OMPT channel provides more in depth and clear video instruction on so many orthopaedic related topics…and it’s $5/month!

Mike Reinold:
I first got introduced to Mike Reinold after reading his Current Concepts in Shoulder Rehab article back in physio school. I immediately went on to research who he was because the article was great and still provides me with solid shoulder related exercise progressions to this day. Mike is the head therapist for the Boston Redsox and is a shoulder specialist. His website (Mikereinold.com) is packed full of great articles for literally every part of the body.

I’m also a member of in Inner Circle group, where he has live video lectures and discussions posted every month on topics related to physiotherapy and strength and conditioning. It’s been a great resource for me and allows me to ask him questions about his topics in real time. He certainly makes himself accessible to his followers. He’s read my blog which I think is truly awesome because I’m sure he has 100’s of people wanting him to endorse/read their stuff. All in all, I would say he is the best physiotherapy-related writer on the social media scene.

Gray Cook:
This guy needs no introduction as I’m sure most if not everyone reading this blog has heard of him. He’s certainly a revolutionary thinker in our field and has probably done more to change the way manual medicine providers practice than anyone else has in the past 10 years. He is a proponent of creating a universal language we can use to describe and analyse faulty movement patterns. He has created a system to categorize acceptable levels of movement competency via his FMS and SFMA screening tools. Is there controversy within his methods? Yup! But at least he is creating the dialogue and forcing us to think outside the box. His book “Movement” is a must read…no questions asked.

Dr. Stu McGill:
Dr. McGill is a professor of spinal biomechanics at the University of Waterloo. I first got introduced to him in  my first year of Physio school when I “borrowed” my first clinical instructors copy of Low Back Disorders…I guess I just forgot to give it back to him (ooops!). The book was right up my alley…all his theories on the how and why of low back pain were backed up by solid research. It’s not bullshit with Dr. McGill…he uses objective data to defend his views on back pain and proper methods to train the back….which is more than I can say for many social media gurus in our field. His second book (Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance) should be right next to ‘Movement’ as a must read title for anyone treating athletes with back pain. I am yet to hear him speak live, but it’s on the to do list for sure.

Dr. Andreo Spina:
Functional Anatomy Seminars is a great website to check out even if you haven’t taken any of his courses (like me). I want to do an FAP course but time and money allows for only so many things to get done. He is a CMCC graduate who founded Sports Performance Centres in Vaughn, Ontario and later went on to create and instruct in a series of courses based around specificity of palpation. He has a few different sub-sets of courses (FAP, FRR, and now FRC). He is also a research nut who writes very thought provoking blogs. Some call him arrogant or cocky, but being asked to teach your courses to professional baseball teams in the MLB would probably make me that way too 😉

Dr. Craig Liebenson:
Craig is the master of blending in theories of exercise and rehab to make a point. After taking one of his courses in Toronto last year I can safely say that I have never learned more applicable skills in one weekend than I have with his course. He is passionate about bridging the gap from rehab to performance and is a tireless advocate for active care instead of pure passive care in the treatment of painful conditions. He is an engaging speaker who makes you question the way you practice…and we all need that from time to time!

Honourable mentions:
Dr. Harrison Vaughn of InTouch Physical Therapy Blog – very good writer and I love his ability to critically analyse popular beliefs in therapy

Dr. Jeff Cubos of jeffcubos.com- Like Dr.Liebenson, Jeff is great at putting it all together and making it interesting. I read his stuff all the time and get a lot out it…and he’s Canadian! The exercise section of his website is super useful!

Dr. Greg Lehman of Thebodymechanic.ca- Craig is what I would like to call a skeptic and his ability to question everything with such great detail is truly a gift. He articulates my concerns with so many of the common myths within rehab/training in a way that most could never do. I have profound respect for his writing and critical thinking skills and read pretty much everything he writes. Want to question the way you practice? Read his blog!

Dr. Shawn Thistle of Shawnthitsle.com- Shawn has created a website called Research Review Services. It is an ingenious idea that allows busy clinicians the time to read small digestible summaries of current research in our field. He is a great Chiropractor and someone who really ‘gets it’. The chiro profession should be proud to have him as a colleague.

This last one is not really one person but more so a collection of people that I learn from. As many of you know, I am working towards getting my FCAMPT designation through the Orthopaedic Division of the CPA. I have done quite a few manual therapy courses and have learned a lot about differential diagnosis, joint biomechanics, and neuromusculskeletal pathology. Not everything they teach is useful nor evidenced based, but I can still say I have enjoyed the courses that the Orthoapedic Division has laid out. You really do have to take the good with the bad with these courses and they really are what you make of them.

There are so many people that I learn from, but these are some of my favourite. They are game changers in the field of manual medicine and athletic development that should be part if everyone’s reading list.

Who do you learn from? Who did I miss? I’d love to know!!