Pushing boundaries in physical therapy | Shelly Prosko | TEDxRedDeer | Shelly Prosko | TEDxRedDeer

[@aimeeahrons4527]

Well put Brittany! I'm a PT and pilates teacher and just gave a shoulder workshop to yoga and pilates teachers. I researched shoulder injuries in yoga and came across some fantastic websites and yoga teachers that modified poses to protect the shoulder during down dog, planks, chatarunga(sp?), etc. I learned so much! My attendees received basic anatomy and practical application. As a "functional" PT, I know the best way to learn for most of us is to do it ourselves. So I had them do the poses their way>modified by me>their way>modified. One teacher/practitioner of 30 yrs. kept asking if the modified way looked right because it felt so different. The yoga teachers all said "Yes!" The studio owner (pilates teacher and practitioner of over 12 years) texted me later to say that her normal neck and shoulder pain was completely gone and she felt muscles she had never felt before. I made sure to honor yoga principles while guiding the yoga teachers in injury prevention for their clients. One big take away is that each person should move within their own body's availability and not "push a little further." So many people have unaddressed neural tension that it can make them feel worse after class if they push past their limits....but that's a whole other discussion :-)

[@IPTVirtual]

That is absolutely true! The potential of human body movement is unlimited. It would take a lot more education to make more people understand that!

[@ritameier6599]

Thanks for sharing your story, Shelly. I've also found therapeutic yoga to be very beneficial. And that's a wonderful guided meditation!

[@ShellyProskoPhysioYoga]

Thanks for watching and for your kind words. I've been integrating yoga into my physiotherapy practice for almost 2 decades now and my patients have reaped the benefits of this biopsychosocial approach to care. And as I mentioned above, we're starting to see some evidence of the effectiveness of yoga with people suffering from a variety of conditions. The research is steadily growing :) Thanks for your input Rita!

[@erynkirkwood5046]

Fantastic discussion on the benefits of yoga above and beyond the postures it has come to be known defined by. That Shelly points out how studies have shown that stress inhibits healing, paralleled with the proven anti-stress benefits of yoga, is brilliant! Thanks so much for this, Shelly :)

[@ShellyProskoPhysioYoga]

Thanks for watching Eryn, and for your appreciation of the benefits of yoga in a therapeutic setting!

[@IPTVirtual]

Interesting approach! Definitely opening some doors to the new ways of doing physical therapy!

[@Singhae]

Wonderful discussion of incorporating yoga in clinical practice.. I have recently presented a review research article to our team (PT, OT and SLP) in weekly discussion. The article discusses about similariies of yoga and physiotherapy and incorporation of yogic essence in physiotherapy to provide holistic approach to our clients. The review also stresses to have a healthy discussion within physio community and may be included in syllabus at college level. It will be benificial for upcoming physios. Most of our team members were quite interested with this subject. Thanks.

[@heavenonearth1161]

When I asked myself what would it like today the answer was TRUTH

[@anonanon257]

PT is the most retrograde, antiquated, cultish profession on the planet. Give me a break.

[@alishapaul7504]

You probably haven't met a good one then.

[@anonanon257]

@@alishapaul7504 I trained at a reputable university as a PT, worked as a clinician in an assortment of areas and jurisdictions. I went back to grad school because I found the profession to be a complete joke. But you can tell me all about it if you like.

[@christosemper8715]

So let me get this straight, she wants insurance companies to pay $45-60 an hour for a physical therapist to do yoga and meditation with someone. Why? They can pay a yoga instructor $15 an hour to do this, that is if there even is a single shred of evidence to support it. Yoga can be a great intervention for someone in need of postural exercise and breathing exercise and as a preparatory stretching and mobility technique but to use it to "increase healing" of an injury not addressed in exercise would be a waist of money for an insurer and would needlessly add to healthcare costs.

[@ShellyProskoPhysioYoga]

I agree. Our PT profession does need to change or it won't survive. That is partly why I am an advocate for the integration of yoga into PT and why I did this TEDx talk -- to push the boundaries in healthcare and in our PT profession. Yes, we need to take a more biopsychosocial approach in helping people recover and optimize movement. Greg Lehmann's work on reconciling biomechanics with pain science in PT, as well as Pete O'Sullivan et al's Cognitive Functional Therapy approach in PT, and the work of several of my PT colleagues who are also advocates and researchers in bridging yoga and healthcare, are all positive forces (IMHO) and influencers in our PT profession to help it be more evidence informed and effective, valuable and sustainable -- for the ultimate intention of helping people recover function and reduce suffering.

[@ShellyProskoPhysioYoga]

No I haven't heard of them. I just looked them up. Looks like a wonderful and valuable network. Thank you for taking the time to share this with me, and I will look into this. Looks like their objectives are in line with and resonate with much of what I believe in and my mission to do whatever I can to help promote transformation of healthcare. Thanks so much!

[@ShellyProskoPhysioYoga]

Thank you. I very much appreciate your perspective and resources (and encouragement). :)

[@AccessibilityYogi]

The biggest trouble with PT is that many therapists are not making therapy fun or practical enough for patients to take home with them. Integration is how we rehab our bodies if they are injured. Much physical therapy is boring and feels like a waste of time because the healing movements aren't put into real use. Yoga is an excellent way to incorporate functional movement into an exercise regimen. Also, as someone who has gone through a basic yoga teacher training, I can attest to the fact that many teachers learn little about the inner workings of the body and end up teaching sequences TO and FOR healthy people, but also end up inevitably teaching postures in ways that will end up hurting their students because they have very little knowledge about how the body's put together.

[@ShellyProskoPhysioYoga]

Good points, Brittany. I would add that a good PT will be sure to integrate functional and patient-valued goals (short term and long term) and include meaningful and enjoyable activities in the treatment plan. There are some creative and excellent PTs I've worked with over my 2 decades of work -- and there are lots out there! :) Yes, I certainly found that integrating yoga practices and philosophy into my PT practice helped expand my treatment options; but in the end, it's still all about patient-valued and patient-centered care; and any good rehabilitation professional (OT, PT, RT, etc) will say that we must look at the entire individual and include activities that are important and salient to him or her and treat through a biopsychosocial-spiritual lens. Thanks for commenting and sharing your experience! Cheers.

[@andrewschwartz7056]

I appreciate the biopsychosocial perspective and approach, but I don't think therapeutic yoga is the only (or even best) way to bridge the gap between biological, psychological, social, and even spiritual interventions. Other methods would have understood that regularly loading the Achilles tendon with more than bodyweight forces contributes to increased tissue integrity (and resistance to rupturing with jumping rope), wearing high-heels places the Achilles tendon at a shortened position and therefore less resilient to jumping (or even running) forces, and that eating animal products (including collagen-rich parts) provides tendons the materials and nutrients necessary reparation and maintenance.