Muscle activation during gait

Visualisation of muscle activation during gait using an anatomically-based model of the lower limbs. Concentric contraction is indicated in yellow, isometric contraction in orange and eccentric contraction in purple respectively. (Research in musculoskeletal modelling at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute)

Physical Therapy EBP videos, advices, ideas - Physical Therapy Nation

Physical Therapy Nation is platform which facilitates the sharing of evidence based information worldwide among both physical therapy students and active clinicians. PT Nation is also a completely free evidence based video database of over 1,000 internally filmed videos. The video library is free to all student PTs and licensed clinicians. It includes instruction covering manual therapy techniques, examinations, special tests, and many specialty areas like vestibular therapy and orthotic casting and fabrication.

The goal of Physical Therapy Nation is to promote, enhance, and move the profession of PT forward by providing a free video focused resource to all clinicians.

www.PhysicalTherapyNation.com

Neurology - Spinal Cord Introduction

A wonderful video on the basic knowledge around spinal cord. very nice YouTube channel too if you want to subscribe.

Why you should care about the drugs your Doctor prescribes

Watch the video and you will be amazed about this great project. They have taken the data and put it into an online database that allows anyone to look up a doctor's prescribing patterns and see how they compare with those of other doctors!!

Read also this very interesting article on this subject. it gives you a brief overview on the reasons you should care about the drugs your Doctor prescribes.

Barium swallow and achalasia

A barium swallow (or esophagography) is a medical imaging procedure used to examine the upper GI (gastrointestinal) tract, which includes the esophagus and, to a lesser extent, the stomach.

Achalasia, also known as esophageal achalasia, achalasia cardiae, cardiospasm, and esophageal aperistalsis, is an esophageal motility disorder involving the smooth muscle layer of the esophagus and the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). It is characterized by incomplete LES relaxation, increased LES tone, and lack of peristalsis of the esophagus (inability of smooth muscle to move food down the esophagus) in the absence of other explanations like cancer or fibrosis.

Inspired by orthopedicmanualpt.com.

Principles of natural running

Instructional video on natural running, by Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, Director of the Natural Running Center. http://naturalrunningcenter.com.

Pelvic drop in running

I have already posted an article with some studying tips and a file I have created with all the muscles of the lower extremities with origin, insertion, action and innervation. One of the first pathologies we learn in our education is a dropping pelvis due to weak hip abductors. A pathology that can be tested with the Trendelenburg test.

In this video you can clearly see a dropping pelvis while an athlete is running. Keep in mind that the week abductors are always on the side of the leg that touches the ground at the specific moment. In this case, it appears that both sides are affected.

PNF patterns: upper and lower extremities

There is still much controversy on the effect of PNF in rehabilitation, but its basic patterns are incuded in almost every Physical Therapy curriculum.

Diaphragmatic breathing

It is really important for a Physical Therapy student to understand the action and range of motion of the diaphragm muscle. This will help him/her in the deeper understanding of the physical therapy for the respiratory system.

Sleeper stretch for the posterior glenohumeral capsule

When I first learned about the sleeper stretch technique for the posterior glenohumeral joint I asked myself "why would anyone want to put so much stretch on a body structure that is so thin and sensitive, since we know that the posterior part of the glenohumeral joint lacks the ligaments that are at the anterior part of the capsule?". Then I found out that I am not the only one that has the same doubts about this technique. These 3 very interesting articles at Mike Reinold.com worth reading:

The Correct Way to Perform the Sleeper Stretch

The sleeper stretch is one of those exercises that unfortunately gets abused.  As I have said, I don’t really like the sleeper stretch and I do not use it often – go back and read why I don’t use the sleeper stretch.  The stretch is probably overused and often times used used so aggressively that it may actually be doing more harm than benefit.

But I do see the need for the sleeper stretch for certain individuals.  Just like everything else, there is a time and a place to use it, but when something is very popular, it probably gets overused.  Plus, the sleeper stretch has been shown to be effective in restoring posterior shoulder tightness in overhead athletes.  So there is definitely some validity to it’s use, especially if done safely, but more on this below.

Read more

3 Reasons Why I Don’t Use the Sleeper Stretch and Why You Shouldn’t Either

Ah, the sleeper stretch.  Pretty popular right now, huh?  Seems like a ton of people are preaching the value of the sleeper stretch and why everyone needs to use it.  It’s so popular now that physicians are asking for it specifically.

I don’t like the sleeper stretch and I rarely use.

There, I said it, I felt like I really had the get that off my chest!  Every meeting I go to I see more and more people talking like the sleeper stretch is the next great king of all exercises.  Then I get up there and say I don’t use it and everyone looks at me like I have two heads!  Call me crazy, but I think we probably shouldn’t be using as much as we do.

Read more

Alternatives to the Sleeper Stretch that May Actually Work Better

It is no secret that I am not a huge fan of the sleeper stretch, I have written about why I don’t use the sleeper stretch that often in the past.  While I do realize that there is a need for it at times if you know how to perform the sleeper stretch correctly, I also think there are alternatives to the sleeper stretch that may be safer and even more effective.

To begin, let me ask the question – what is it we are trying to achieve by performing the sleeper stretch?  It is probably to work on shoulder internal rotation or cross body horizontal adduction mobility (we’ll refer to the later as posterior shoulder mobility).  So let’s explore what else we can do to work on those areas.

Read more

Anatomy of the human body_1

This video was recorded at the Institute for Plastination in Heidelberg, Germany, in front of an international audience of body donors and anatomy students.

All bodies dissected were formally donated to the Institute and the donors consented to their remains being used for educational purposes.

Take on the role of the surgeon

Edheads creates unique, free Web experiences designed to make hard-to-teach science, technology, engineering, and math concepts understandable. Harnessing the myriad possibilities of the Internet and connecting to nationally recognized educational standards, we deliver in-depth content that allows K-12 students and the curious of all ages to learn intuitively in an online environment.

In this video you take the role of the surgeon throughout a total knee replacement surgery.

In this video you help Dr. Vanessa Mei cut, probe and drill her way to helping her patient cope with a movement disorder through brain surgery.

Have fun..!

Osteoarthritis

A nice educational video on osteoarthritis. You can also find two treatment guidelines here and here. Below you can see a patient with difficulty of walking due to severe osteoarthritis.

Orthopaedics: educational videos

A very nice and useful YouTube channel by Nabil Ebraheim, MD, Orthopaedic Surgeon at University of Toledo Medical Center.

Fracture healing

  

It is important for the better understanding of this process to view the basics of wound healing.

The ICU experience

The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensive-care medicine. Normally, in such a unit, you see a team of health professionals, doctors, nurses, and physical therapists, working together.

This video from Virginia Commonwealth University gives a brief overview of how an ICU works and what you should expect in it.

Wound healing process in human beings

Very important issue for a Physical Therapist - the wound healing process. He is going to use this knowledge in many cases, especially in the Intensive Care Unit and the intervention after open fractures or injuries.

How your body gets damaged in a whiplash injury

Whiplash is a non-medical term describing a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck associated with extension. The term "whiplash" is a colloquialism. "Cervical acceleration-deceleration" (CAD) describes the mechanism of the injury, while the term "whiplash associated disorders" (WAD) describes the injury sequelae and symptoms.

Whiplash is commonly associated with motor vehicle accidents, usually when the vehicle has been hit in the rear; however, the injury can be sustained in many other ways, including headbanging, bungee jumping and falls. It is one of the main injuries covered by the car insurers.[citation needed] In the United Kingdom, 430,000 people made an insurance claim for whiplash in 2007, accounting for 14% of every driver's premium.

source: wikipedia

And here are the KNGF guidelines for the Whiplash Associated Disorders

Mechanism of cough reflex

The cough reflex has both sensory (afferent) and motor (efferent) components. Pulmonary irritant receptors (cough receptors) in the epithelium of the respiratory tract are sensitive to both mechanical and chemical stimuli. Stimulation of the cough receptors by dust or other foreign particles produces a cough, which is necessary to remove the foreign material from the respiratory tract before it reaches the lungs.

The cough receptors, or rapidly adapting irritant receptors are located mainly on the posterior wall of the trachea, pharynx, and at the main carina, the point where the trachea branches into the main bronchi. The receptors are less abundant in the distal airways, and absent beyond the respiratory bronchioles. When triggered, impulses travel via the internal laryngeal nerve, a branch of the superior laryngeal nerve which stems from the vagus nerve (CN X), to the medulla of the brain. This is the afferent neural pathway.

The efferent neural pathway then follows, with relevant signals transmitted back from the cerebral cortex and medulla via the vagus and superior laryngeal nerves to the glottis, external intercostals, diaphragm, and other major inspiratory and expiratory muscles.

source: wikipedia

And here you can see some nice techniques for respiratory and cough facilitation:

Depression, Anxiety and Heart Disease

Video describing the feelings that are most regularly observed before and after a heart disease. And here you can find the KNGF treatment guidelines for cardiac rehabilitation.