PT Inquest

Can we predict which shoulder patients will get better with physical therapy? How much does the psychology of the patient play into their response? Does it have anything to do with the actual treatment provided by the therapist or were these patients going to get better no matter what? Is JW actually DYNOMIIIITE!!!!! Hip Psychological factors are associated with the outcome of physiotherapy for pe...

Running on a treadmill is not the same as running over ground!!! Or is it? It appears that in most respects it's a wash. But what about regarding loads to the patellofemoral joint and the Achilles tendon? Find out as Rich Willy (the author of the paper) joins Erik and JW to discuss this and more! Hip Patellofemoral Joint and Achilles Tendon Loads During Overground and Treadmill Running. Willy RW,...

Clinical depression has a known correlation with chronic pain. Can exercise be an effective treatment for these patients by using it to "treat the depression"? Well, before we can explore that, we need to get a better understanding of the psychological effects of exercise on subjects with clinical depression who DO NOT have pain. Also, JW now has an IQ higher than a sea cucumber! Hip Strength in "...

Deficits in quadriceps strength after ACL reconstruction are a well known problem. Is this specific to the quadriceps or is this just an example of general weakness throughout the lower extremity? What about hip strength? Does this change as well? Is JW smarter than a sea cucumber? In this episode we are joined by Ohio State researcher and clinician Matt Ithurburn ! Hip Strength in Patients with Q...

When treatments don't seem to work for a diagnosis we will often try to see if they work for particular subgroups. Sure, that's a thing, but that is a very difficult thing to determine that demands a very specific process. How have we done with subgroup analysis regarding low back pain? Have JW and Erik found the Ultimate Prime Number?! A systematic review reveals that the credibility of subgroup...

JW and Erik are having a lovely conversation about Bozeman, handball, and the number 86 when they are rudely interrupted by Adam Meakins  from The NAF Physio Podcast to talk about preventing shoulder injuries. Can we prevent overuse shoulder injuries? If we can prevent them, do we know what about the program actually worked? Is it specific to the program? How do numbers needed to treat and time in...

JW and Erik are having a lovely conversation about Bozeman, handball, and the number 86 when they are rudely interrupted by Adam Meakins  from The NAF Physio Podcast to talk about preventing shoulder injuries. Can we prevent overuse shoulder injuries? If we can prevent them, do we know what about the program actually worked? Is it specific to the program? How do numbers needed to treat and time in...

Systematic reviews are a great tool to boil down decades of research into a single paper. But what if those decades of research were full of low quality studies? Can we make strong "Level 1a" statements from that? Well, as long as those statements are vague it looks like you can. What should we do when the evidence doesn't support or refute something? (HINT: Be skeptical!!!)

Running is bad for your knees. It will wear them down and lead to arthritis. We've all heard it and it makes sense, right? But does that really happen? And what does this have to do with Uranus?!

Can we predict injuries in athletes? Is it like screening for disease or is this kind of screening a different animal? Will this episode be the greatest thing since sliced bread?!

What is required for rotator cuff tendinopathy? Scapular stability? Manual therapy? What if you just gave exercises? How about just one exercise? In this episode we explore all of that as Erik explores living in an apartment again for the first time in 15 years.

When engaging in athletic activities, many physical therapists recommend bracing with the abdominals for stability as a better way to manage loads, but is it? Is it possible that bracing actually  increases forces through the body? How might that be? Is Erik's singing in any way tolerable to our listeners?

If your patient has completely torn their supraspinatus, then their humeral head must translate superiorly during arm elevation. Or does it??? In this episode JW and Erik look at a novel kinematic study that found the exact opposite. Remember, there is always more to a hypothesis than, "It makes sense."

Some patients complain of severe pain after rotator cuff repair way more than others. Is this something that can be predicted? Does the extent of the injury have any correlation to postoperative pain? What about specifics of the surgery? Or is it something else? Find out all that and more by listening to "The Gold Episode"!

Erik and JW have a history of skepticism regarding the use of platelet rich plasm (PRP) injections for tendon injuries, but can it have an effect on osteoarthritis? What would they need to see in order to be convinced? Does this article provide that? Or do Erik and JW just hate every new thing no matter what?

Can hamstring injuries be predicted? Does sustaining an injury permanently change something about its function? Is it just a matter of strength or is there something else? How does strength training effect it? Or does it? Time to buy a mfMRI! (Does not stand for "motherf**king MRI" by the way.)

Is eating salt a good thing or a bad thing?! Why do we as physical therapists care? This study actually has to do more with the problem of opinion infiltrating the evidence in what appear to be unbiased studies. How common is this in physical therapy literature? How can we spot it? Is it more than financial bias? Is JW turning into Batman...again?!  

Jill Cook and Karim Kahn gave a very interesting lecture on understanding tendinopathy at APTA's Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) in February 2016. PT Inquest decided to take a deeper look. Can disorganized tendon tissue change? If it can't does it matter? When we understand the true nature of tendinopathy, certain treatments become much more plausible and others appear almost silly. Also, Erik pro...

Uncertainty is not just a reality in life it is a reality of professional practice. The ability to embrace uncertainty is known to have a positive effect on critical thinking and avoiding errors in judgement. That's all great, but do medical professionals acknowledge uncertainty in their practice? Is this harmful to patients? Does it raise healthcare costs? What about informed consent? As William...

A couple years ago, Alessandro Lelli described his new test for ACL insufficiency via YouTube . Originally known as "Lelli's Test", he first published it in the literature as the "Lever Sign" in late 2014 reporting 100% accuracy. Ok - seemed a little TOO perfect. Now the literature has its first independent study on the Lever Sign so let's take a closer look at this test.

Sure, we know that ACLs get torn and the vast majority of those mechanisms are non-contact. So what EXACTLY happens in those knees? We have some plausible ideas like dynamic valgus, but how does that tear the ACL without any injury to the MCL? How would we answer such a question? Will JW survive the current heatwave in Minnesota?

When dealing with a high ankle sprain (syndesmosis injury) Grade I never requires surgery whereas Grade III always requires surgery. But what about Grade II? In this episode we explore predictors of syndesmotic instability when assessing a Grade II sprain and the return to sport prognoses. All this while JW approaches absolute zero!

Sports-related concussions have been getting more and more attention over the past decade. The growing understanding of the potential for developing chronic brain disease is creating a cause for concern. Are sports medicine professionals managing concussions differently today? How well do we understand this process? Has Erik had too many concussions over the years to form a complete sentence? Here...

It's that time of year again and the PT Podcast Network crew are in the holiday spirit! The gang got together, as best they can scattered across the world, to share a little eggnog and make fun of each other. So pour yourself a drink, sit by the fire (or pool in the Southern Hemisphere), and enjoy a little holiday cheer.

It is well known that quadriceps strength asymmetries are commonly seen in subjects who have difficulty returning to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), but does that asymmetry correlate to a specific presentation on landing mechanics? What do we know about second injury in these subjects? Can we do anything about it? We ask these and many other questions when we chat wit...