Do you see patients with SI joint pain? In the video below, NAIOMT faculty member, Stacy Soappman, discusses her approach to testing and treating a 27-year-old male who came into the clinic with SI Joint pain.

The lumbar scan was done to rule out neurological involvement and serious pathology. As part of her lumbar exam she did a biomechanical exam including joint and muscular assessment. What she found was the patient had a lot of muscular imbalance between sides. 

Since he experienced stability problems of the SI joint, she choose stability work that involved stance activities, as the SIJ is designed to be more stable in a loaded position. For example, she had him stand on the wobble board and balance, do squats on the flat side of the BOSU, and single leg activities while moving the non WBing leg. To wean him off the SI belt she had him start by doing short duration activity without it and gradually increased the time each day he was out of the belt. 

In the manual therapy video below, NAIOMT faculty member Stacy Soappman explains why it's useful to have three different muscle testing approaches for the lumbar spine. Essentially, each has a different intent:

Shortened Position

For neurological conductivity, fatiguing versus consistent weakness.

Mid-range Position

Looking at the power position, and giving it a manual muscle test grade to document in chart to use an objective measure to show how they've improved and gained strength over the course of physical therapy.

Lengthened Position

To pick up minor tissue damage, if looking for grade one strain.

Ever run into challenges performing a lumbar gapping manipulation on a patient larger than yourself? In the video below, NAIOMT faculty member Stacy Soappman demonstrates ways to improve effectiveness--as well as safety for yourself--despite the size of your patient. Get more tips and guidance from Stacy directly in her upcoming Manip Like a  Girl: Work Smarter Not Harder course (not just for girls!) in Dallas March 31, 2019 or in San Diego on May 19, 2019.

Ever get to a point while treating a patient, where it feels like maybe you've exhausted all the tools in your tool box? Every PT has been there. We may see some promising results, but eventually end up back where we started. Yes, it's frustrating. But it's also an opportunity for our clinical reasoning to really kick in. And if you've put the time into developing those skills, they will guide you forward when you--and your patients--need them most.

In the video below, NAIOMT faculty member, Stacy Soappman, discusses a patient case of low back pain, where she ultimately decided to combine treatment--working the mutifidus with the quadratus lumborum simultaneously--to get her patient feeling better.

In the manual therapy video below, NAIOMT’s Dallas-based faculty member, Michael Lucido, demonstrates a treatment of the sacroiliac joint for mechanical dysfunction. Let us know if you have any questions at all–we understand that each physical therapist that participates in our programs and courses is unique, so we design our con ed to meet you where you and your skills are at, focusing on clinical reasoning at every step.

The manual therapy video below is a recent moment in one of our courses. In it, NAIOMT teaching faculty member, Michael Lucido, performs a biomechanical assessment of the sacroiliac joint. We realize every physical therapist is at a different point in their professional skill set, so please let us know if you have any questions at all. We design courses to meet you where you're at, and take you where you want to go in strengthening your manual therapy and clinical reasoning skills for your patients.

In the manual therapy video below, Stacy Soappman discusses a patient presenting with pain and/or restriction when turning to the right--movement such as reaching to the back seat of the car--and who also has a history of a sensitive segment. She demonstrates one way to treat the upper lumbar spine segments with a "sensitive" segment in the lower lumbar spine.

In the manual therapy video below, NAIOMT's Bill Temes demonstrates a prone torsion test, as part of the Level I Scanning Examination for the lumbar spine.

Since spring-like weather is taking its sweet time in many parts of the country, full-on cycling season has yet to blossom. Not being a huge fan of the lingering cold, myself, I'm among all the fair weather cyclists that have been crowding into spin class, preparing for warmer outdoor riding.  And tends to happens when you're in our profession, :) people have been stopping me after class to ask questions about the various aches and pains they are experiencing as they exercise and get ready for summer sports.  The question I'm most frequently asked?