The New Grad Physio Podcast

Biomechanical testing is great... When you use it with the right patients at the right time. So when is the right time? And with what sort of clinical problems should you use biomechanical testing with? Find out in this week's podcast episode! Enjoy the show. Andy Barker The New Grad Physio Mentor PS. At the end of the episode I make reference to my upcoming 'Rehab & Return To Performa...

I was out in Ireland last weekend, hosting a course at Connacht Rugby in Galway, to a room full of therapists eager to get better... And become the best therapists that they can be! Want to know what you missed? Listen to this week's podcast episode to discover the 3 biggest takeaways from this special event 'Rehab & Return To Performance.' Enjoy the show! Andy Barker The New Grad...

Do you think you can prevent injuries from happening? Some physio's think they can for sure. More than that, there are even some physio's that call them self 'injury prevention specialists'... And some top sports teams around the World employ physio's with a sole job to stop injuries from happening. But I am not sure... And the evidence backs me up. Take a listen to this week&#...

I do one thing with each and every patient I see that most therapists never think to do... I assess their feet! The test I do takes less than 20 seconds to do, and it is the second test I do, after assessing gait. As simple and as quick as this test might be, it can be like gold-dust and give you the information you need to make sense of what is going on with your patient... Identify movement comp...

Planning a rehab plan is one thing... Implementing it is a whole new level! It's even harder given that you have never been taught how to properly plan and execute a rehab programme... So you can take a patient from A to B... From injury and back to full health... Without fear of flaring up their symptoms. Check out this week's podcast episode to learn how to do this with any patient, with...

Getting asked those difficult questions in the clinic like... What is causing my pain? Or... How long will it take to get me back to full health? Are tough questions to answer, right? These questions are the bread and butter for a physio working in sport... As you get asked these questions almost every single day. But what if you do not work in sport? These tricky patient questions seem much harde...

You want to get your patient from A to B... From injury and back to full health, right? So you design a rehab plan... Then you implement the rehab plan! Sounds easy on paper, but much harder in real life! Here are some of the biggest lessons I have learnt working in professional sport... Including why you need a solid rehab plan to get your patient onside and to help you answer those most difficul...

You probably think it is all unicorns and rainbows... All glitz and the glam… And some of it is! Some of my best memories in my life have been some days at 'work'... The big games, the big stadiums and the parties that followed! But what about all the other stuff, the hard stuff and the bad things about working in sport? The stuff that nobody talks about and the stuff you would not underst...

Are you struggling to make headway in your career? Maybe you apply for a job, but fail at the interview stage. Maybe you do not even get to the interview stage. Is 'networking' on social media awkward... And largely a waste of time as 99% of your messages fail to get a response?  The key to getting your foot in the door at any sports club, clinic or that dream new grad NHS role is to make...

Do you struggle making sense of neck pain patients? Maybe you worry that you might miss something serious and fear getting your hands-on with these type of patients. This is a common worry for new grad physio's especially when you do not have a lot of experience dealing with neck pain patients... And especially so if you are presented with a patient that has neural symptoms like pins and needl...

I only use one special test at the shoulder. It is one of the most simple tests you can do at the shoulder... But it gives me valuable information as to the best way to manage my patient. Too many physio's, from new grad's to experienced therapists, overcomplicate their shoulder assessments. You think the shoulder is complicated... But that does not mean your shoulder assessment needs to b...

You might assess gait with lower limb patients... Like those with hip, knee or ankle pain? But do you do it routinely with patients with neck, shoulder or upper limb problems? If not... You should! Listen to this week's podcast episode to find out why. Enjoy the show! Andy Barker The New Grad Physio Mentor PS. I'd love to hear what you think of the podcast. Please leave a review or even be...

On the face of it the subjective assessment looks easy. You ask your patient a series of simple questions... They respond... And this gives you a fair idea about what is going on with your patient... Then you use your objective assessment to test this out and rule in or rule out this hypothesis. Sound about right? If only it was that easy! This is what you were told at University is meant to happe...

Why do physio's overcomplicate things? We make what should be a simple process, to assess, treat and rehab patients, far more complex than it needs to be! Everyone is chasing the 1% er's. Those magic tests, techniques and rehab exercises. You know the ones... They pop up on your instagram account almost daily. These techniques and exercises can be great and can help your patients... But on...

It probably is not what you think... And I almost guarantee that you are making this BIG mistake too as a new grad physio! Learn what this big mistake is and why you need to avoid it if you want to get consistent positive patient results, with even complex pain patients... Even as a young and inexperienced therapist! Enjoy the show! Andy The New Grad Physio Mentor PS. I'd love to hear what you...

Probably the biggest area I see new grads struggling with when rehabbing their patients, is knowing  when to progress (and regress) rehab. If you progress any patient too quickly, regardless of their injury, they will break down. Their symptoms will flare up and they will be back in your clinic asking you why. They might get bored and stop doing their rehab or even worse... Just not come back for...

I used to think that strength needed to be the focus of every rehab programme I wrote. I made the mistake of on spending too much time trying to get my patients and athletes stronger… Thinking it would ‘fix’ everything. It helped a lot of patient but, there were always some, that I could just not seem to help... No matter how hard I tried or how much stronger they got! They’d usual be progressing...

Just because you have been taught a certain way to do something and it is what you have always done, does not mean it is right! This is never more apparent than with manual muscle testing!!! You know that Oxford Strength Scale you use... Where you score patients from 0-5 having tested their muscle strength... You use this all the time, right? But did you know it is was actually designed to assess...

Many new grads struggle to get on top of patients with hip pain. You know the story... Your patient is progressing well, their hip pain has gone, they have full hip range of movement and can squat and lunge pain-free... You even got them to do some higher level rehab like some hops, and they did these easily and pain-free. But... No sooner had their symptoms gone away, as soon as you you allowed t...

Think about those patients that just seem to break down for no reason. There is no history of trauma in their story... But they just woke up one day with hip pain. How does this even happen? This week's podcast will tell you why! And even better than that... I'll discuss what you need to do about to help your patients with hip problems get out of pain and back to full fitness... And how to...

Seeing real-life case studies can be a great way to practice your assessment skills. Here you can ‘see’ a patient, review their assessment findings and clinically reason what you would do in the same situation... All without having the pressure of having the patient stood there right in front of you in your clinic room! So even if you get it wrong the first time, you will see (and learn) what you...

Do you ever feel you are just going through the motions when assessing the knee... And completing special tests even though you can not really reason why you are doing them? This is really common for new grads, and largely not your fault, as you are just following the method you were taught at Uni. But... This method of doing things is the quickest way to the wrong patient diagnosis and maybe even...

There is one question you MUST ask every patient you see! This is a question that 99% of therapists do not ask... And it is something you have probably not even considered. But it is such an important question! Learn what it is in this week's podcast episode. Enjoy the show! PS. I'd love to hear what you think of the podcast. Please leave a review or even better, share the podcast with any physio...

Most physio's overcomplicate treatment and rehab for lower back pain problems. The lower back can seem a complex and confusing area of the body, especially when the so called 'experts' in lower back pain cannot agree on the best way to care for patients with lower back pain. You have probably heard them telling you so many different things... From core stability to trunk strength... Treatment for...

You have seen it all over instagram but what is all this rib-cage stuff about? I'll be honest I was a bit skeptical at first... Until I started to use this stuff and see how quickly it could change patient symptoms... And keep them away! Is use it a lot with patients with lower back pain... But it has also been a game-changer for patients with pubic overload, hip impingement and especially with ov...