ANPT – Academy for Neurologic Physical Therapy Podcast

Join us as we talk with Katie Blackburn, PT, DPT, NCS, MSHQS about SCI program development and quality initiatives to improve care. Please send comments or questions on this podcast to anptscisig@gmail.com The Spinal Cord Injury Special Interest Group is part of the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy - www.neuropt.org.

In this insightful episode, host Parm Padgett sits down with Dr. Alice Nieuwboer, a leading expert in Parkinson’s rehabilitation, to unpack the complex and frustrating phenomenon of freezing of gait (FOG). From the role of dopamine loss and neural "overload" to the influence of stress, motor challenges, and cognitive demands, Dr. Nieuwboer explains what we know about the factors influencing FOG. S...

In this episode, host Ken Vinacco sits down with special guest Donna Sperlakis to explore the wide range of resources and support services offered by the Parkinson’s Foundation. Together, they dive into the educational tools, community programs, and research initiatives designed to empower individuals living with Parkinson’s disease and their families. Donna shares personal insights and expert adv...

Tune in to the first episode of our new series, Navigating the Path: Resources for Patients with Neurodegenerative Diseases, which highlights organizations that provide resources and information to people with neurodegenerative diseases. In this episode, Lauren Corley, a National MS Society representative, joins our host Christina Burke to explore the many resources and programs offered by the soc...

In this episode, Parm interviews Lisa Inglis, the winner of the DDSIG poster award at CSM 2025 in Houston. Lisa, a PT and professor at Daemen college, explains her research related to measuring backward walking and comparing backward walking characteristics of people with and without Parkinson’s Disease (PD). She goes on to discuss potential uses of backward gait assessment in PT practice.   The D...

Dr. Dana Kahl, PT, DPT, EdD and Dr. Benton Lindaman, PT, DPT answer a question a student submitted to the Stroke SIG regarding spasticity after stroke. They discuss assessment and management of flaccidity and spasticity within this episode. This discussion may be helpful for both students and PTs/PTAs alike! Note: This podcast used Artificial Intelligence (AI) for its creation! Source: Notebook LM...

Join our podcast team members, Sara Zoeller and Parm Padgett, as they discuss the in-person and on-demand degenerative diseases programming (and some DD-adjacent talks) at this year’s CSM in Houston, TX. This podcast highlights talks and authors to help you plan your best CSM experience, complete with fun haikus and a CSM song at the very end of the bloopers - listen for that! The DD SIG committee...

In this episode, host Parm Padgett is joined by Miriam Rafferty and Monica Hendricksen from Shirley Ryan Ability Lab to explore the impact of current care models on individuals with neurologic conditions. Together, they delve into the opportunities and challenges of adopting innovative approaches to care and examine how these models can improve outcomes and transform practice. They take the discus...

In our newest CHATs episode “SCI SIG’s Guide to CSM”, we talk with SIG chair, Casey Kandilakis, about the exciting content being offered in Houston. We will also review events and places to meet with SCI SIG leadership and fellow SIG members to network and share ideas! SCI-SIG-Guide-to-CSM-2025Download

Whether you plan to attend in-person or watch on-demand, our host Marissa Lyon highlights an itinerary of education sessions, platform presentations, and poster sessions that will elevate your knowledge of balance training and fall prevention. Additionally, this month we throw in a few tips on having a successful and lower-stress CSM and eating well in Houston. We finish off with a lightning round...

In this episode, host Parm Padgett welcomes Taylor Takla to discuss her article, "Motor and Non-Motor Factors of Concern About Falling and Fear of Falling in Multiple Sclerosis” published in the October 2024 issue of JNPT. Taylor’s research delves into the complexities behind fear of falling and contributing factors among individuals with MS. Join the conversation to explore the clinical implicati...

In this episode, host Ken Vinacco talks to guest Kristina Vaughn to discuss the role of physical therapists working with individuals with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). NPH is a condition that leads to excess accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in ventricles of the brain. This  can lead to gait abnormalities, cognitive changes, and urinary incontinence. Ken and Kristina discuss how to differ...

Jason Adour, founder of Maine Strong Balance Center, speaks to me about the opportunities and challenges of starting and maintaining a small business focused on balance and falls while trying to treat his employees well, help them meet their definition of success, and serve the community good. Maine Strong Balance Center SCORE Small Business Mentoring Program Education from ANPT to improve your pr...

In this episode, host Marissa Moran, PT, DPT is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Thompson, PT, PhD, NCS and Dr. Darcy Reisman, PT, PhD, FAPTA to discuss their article "Increasing Activity After Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial of High-Intensity Walking and Step Activity Intervention". This article was published in January 2024 in Stroke. The conversation surrounding capacity vs. performance is continu...

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Laura Baehr about two recent publications from her team, titled Development and Feasibility of a Group Tele-Exercise Program for Individuals with SCI, published in JNPT in 2023.  The second publication we discuss is The Effect of Tele-Exercise to Promote Empowered Movement for Individuals with SCI (TEEMS) Program on Physical Activity Determinants and Behavior: A M...

In this episode, Dr. Heather Hayes talks to Dr. Michael Zervas about how he finds and utilizes evidence in practice. We hope this episode inspires you to continue learning and consider registering for a national conference, such as CSM or the ANPT Annual Conference to help keep you engaged with your profession and effective with your patients!

In this interview conducted in early 2024, Dr. Evan Cohen shares his pathway to becoming a physical therapist, and how he subsequently focused his clinical work and research work on persons with Multiple Sclerosis. The Historical Archive Committee is part of the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy - www.neuropt.org.

In this interview conducted in early 2024, Dr. Evan Cohen shares his pathway to becoming a physical therapist, and how he subsequently focused his clinical work and research work on persons with Multiple Sclerosis. The Historical Archive Committee is part of the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy - www.neuropt.org.

Host Sarah Pichini PT, DPT is joined by Dr. Robin Evans, PT, DPT, GCS discussing a case study of a patient with bilateral multi canal Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) and underlying Vestibular Migraine (VM). A systematic approach in assessing and treating multi canal BPPV as well as the criteria for VM is reviewed. This case discussion highlights the importance of nystagmus identificati...

For this episode, I speak to Dr. Mike Studer about dual-task balance training, including what it is and what it isn't, the benefits of this training modality, dosing dual-task balance training, the effect of task prioritization, measuring outcomes after dual-task balance training, and much more. Fact check: Mike was correct, the Peregrine falcon is the fastest bird in the world (and the fastest an...

Host Stephen Merchant PT, DPT, NCS is joined by Dr. Lisa Heusel-Gillig PT, DPT, NCS in a discussion regarding the development of the Modified Motion Sensitivity Test. Dr. Heusel-Gillig describes the reason she assisted in the development of this testing as well as the recommended standardized process to perform the test. The abstract of Dr. Heusel-Gillig's research article may be found at https://...

We talk to neurologic physical therapist, Nick Wendel, from the Center for Neurorehabilitation at Boston University about balance capcity and balance performance. We discuss measurement of performance and how he thinks about performance in designing treatments. Useful articles on this topic: Readiness to Change is Related to Real-world Walking and Depressive Symptoms in Chronic Stroke by Allison M...

In this special episode, our podcast team interviewed listeners and former guests at CSM 2024 to find out what they were excited about doing when treating people with neurodegenerative conditions. We are excited to share their answers with you, along with some commentary from our current team, as a celebration of our 50th episode.   The Degenerative Diseases Special Interest Group is part of the A...

In this episode, host Marissa Moran, PT, DPT is joined by Dr. Carey Holleran, MPT, DHS to discuss her article "Improvement in the Capacity for Activity Versus Improvement in Performance of Activity in Daily Life During Outpatient Rehabilitation." This article was published within the JNPT in January 2023. Activity capacity is what a person is capable of doing, and activity performance is what a pe...

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Chad Swank and Dr. Jaime Gillespie about the use of robotic gait training devices in their group’s paper, “Utilization of overground exoskeleton gait training during inpatient rehabilitation: a descriptive analysis.” Join us to hear about this exciting work! Article link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37542322/ The Spinal Cord Injury Special Interest Group is a...