Dear Colleagues
Welcome to our Spring edition of the newsletter.
As I write this, many of us are either in lockdown or living with restrictions related to COVID-19. This can be quite difficult and unsettling on both a personal and professional level. Please stay safe and look after yourselves and those close to you during these difficult times.
Regarding MIA Board matters, Irene Leithhead recently resigned from the Board. We thank Irene for her contribution over the last 15 months. Following Irene’s resignation, an EOI was sent to all members. I am pleased to announce Emily Armstrong has been appointed and will serve as a Board member until the next AGM. You can learn a little more about Emily - click here
Since our last newsletter, we have successfully run another Part B online ... and another Part A online in early September. We also have a another Part B online course planned in November. We will continue to offer online courses as a regular part of our education program, so please keep an eye on the website's events calendar for details. And don’t forget MIA members receive a discount on all courses.
If you are looking for additional online education, don’t forget the MDT Case Manager series available here. Also keep a lookout for MIA Study groups that will be meeting in future. For further details please check the website. If you are considering starting a study group, please check the guidelines.
Thank you all for your support of MDT.
Mark Cheel
Chairperson / Faculty
Mary and Peter Knapman, Credentialed MDT - NSW Private Practice
Tell us a bit about your current work and how you ended up pursuing training in MDT
We both did our first McKenzie Course in Lismore in 1987 with Robin McKenzie, and loved it from the start. He was such an entertaining Educator, and we both found we could go back to work on Monday and use the assessment and treatment immediately. That inspired us to continue and follow up with Part B also with Robin, and then on to the Credentialling exam.
What does your current work look like?
We currently run a private practice in Parramatta, with 6 other MDT inspired Physio's. We treat a mix of patients, and use the MDT for all our patients. We find it provides a great system for assessing and treating. It's also a nice way for younger Physio's to learn great Clinical reasoning. As older Physios it has given us great longevity in our careers, and introduced us to other like minded Physios from all over the world.
What's impacting your clinical practice most at the moment?
Currently, more posture related problems as a result of people working from home with Covid, and more psychosocial issues- as we are currently in lockdown again in Sydney.
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Want to take your career and clinical abilities to the next level? Applications for the next cohort of students for the International Diploma in Mechanical Diagnosis & Therapy are now open. Full details and application forms available on the MII website…. but don’t delay, only 25 students are accepted worldwide and applications close 19 October 2021. |
** Save the Date ** |
When: Sunday, 31 October 2021 The Bronze Lady Awards for 2018, 2019 and 2020 will be presented at the Awards Ceremony. A new award titled the MII Silver Fern award will be introduced and presented this year as a recognition of 25 years “service” to the Institute. Please join the MII BOT in recognizing some truly remarkable people. Whether it be with a coffee or with a stronger beverage we welcome this opportunity to raise our glasses and celebrate the achievements of the Institute and all those who contribute to its success. In early October a Zoom link, an Order of Proceedings and RSVP will be circulated to MIA members. |
Borrella-Andrés, Sergio et al. “Manual Therapy as a Management of Cervical Radiculopathy: A Systematic Review.” BioMed research international vol. 2021 9936981. 3 Jun. 2021, doi:10.1155/2021/9936981
Submitted by Peter Schoch, Diploma MDT & MIA Faculty
Background & Objective
Cervical radiculopathy is defined as a disorder involving dysfunction of the cervical nerve roots characterised by pain radiating and/or loss of motor and sensory function towards the root affected. There is no consensus on a good definition of the term. In addition, the evidence regarding the effectiveness of manual therapy in radiculopathy is contradictory. This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness of manual therapy in improving pain, functional capacity, and range of motion in treating cervical radiculopathy with and without confirmation of altered nerve conduction.
Methods
Systematic review of randomised clinical trials on cervical radiculopathy and manual therapy, in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, PEDro, and Cochrane Library Plus databases. The PRISMA checklist was followed. Methodological quality was evaluated using the PEDro scale and RoB 2.0. tool.
Click here to read the full article .....
Thanks to Mitch Horwood, a Grade 1 Physio at Barwon Health and attendee at our recent Part A and B courses for taking the plunge and putting together this case study on a challenging patient we saw together in our ED and Outpatient department. Given the information provided, what would you do if this patient presented to your clinic? Peter Schoch, Faculty
Part 1 – Emergency Department
A 32-year-old female presented to the Emergency Department with right lower back pain extending to right buttock, postero-lateral thigh, leg and foot. Her symptoms had commenced six weeks earlier as back pain only, possibly due to increased time spent sitting, as a result of receiving medical treatment. The patient reported her symptoms were worsening, having progressed to unilateral right thigh, leg and foot pain in the last 2 days. Lower back symptoms were constant, whereas thigh and leg were intermittent.
She reported her symptoms were always worse with sitting and bending and sometimes worse with standing. She felt better on the move and lying. Sleep was disturbed, requiring her to get up and walk 3-4 times a night. The symptoms were limiting her ability to participate in normal activities of walking her dog and cycling.
Multiple previous episodes of lower back pain had resolved within weeks and had not included lower limb symptoms.
The patient had relevant medical history of Stage 4 ovarian cancer for which she was currently receiving maintenance chemotherapy. She had known metastases in lymphatic system, lung and pelvis. A whole body PET/CT scan 2 weeks prior also described right iliac bone metastases. There were no other red flags or known health issues.
The patient reported her main concerns were loss of function due to the pain and risk of further complications from cancer.
Given this significant history and the patient’s concerns regarding the effect of her pain on her function, she consented to a physiotherapy assessment to try and ascertain whether any of her symptoms were ‘mechanical’ in nature or whether further medical referral and investigation may be required.
Click here to continue reading this case study ....
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Part B - The Cervical & Thoracic Spine |
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Due to a change of venue and lack of space I'm needing to part with my REPEX table. This is the original model REPEX. Still in excellent condition and working perfectly but this model does not have the new touchscreen display and control. It needs to be collected from the Glen Waverley (Victoria) area ASAP (subject to COVID restrictions). Please contact Carmel on 0430 877 155
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Have you read something interesting that other MDT therapists would appreciate reading? If so, please reach out! Submissions to the newsletter are always welcome and contributions contribute to professional development points for MIA members. Tell us about your latest successes with treating patients; case studies are always welcome. Submissions can be emailed to: education@mckenzieinstituteaustralia.org