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I do love the Christmas season. It can often become overwhelming with traveling, family gatherings, parties, and shopping but even in the midst of all the festivities and activities it is still an exciting time because there are those parties and gatherings with friends and family, and Christmas lights, and cookie decorating, and caroling and hot chocolate and nostalgic music. It is, indeed, a special time.
 
It’s a uniquely special time for me, too, because I celebrate my wedding anniversary five days before Christmas so there is an added romantic feel every year for me. My kids have also made my Christmas seasons extra joyful because of their daily excitement and longing for Christmas morning as they dream about the gifts they will receive and the reaction of those you will receive gifts from them.

But most importantly, in the midst of the holiday season, is the intentional reminder of the good news of great joy that we celebrate: Christ’s coming. The fulfillment of God’s great redemptive plan finally coming to fruition. The reality that peace with God will finally be made possible through the forgiveness of sins. Christmas is such a precious and treasured time.
​ 
And to help remind us of that great rescue plan, we often sing! I love the music of Christmas and one of my favorite hymns to sing every year is “Angels from the Realms of Glory." Embedded in the lyrics is the complete story and picture of redemption. So, I just want to leave the lyrics here for you as you celebrate Christmas this season to remind you of this good news of great joy.

​Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation’s story
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.
 
Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing;
Yonder shines the infant light:
 
Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations;
Ye have seen His natal star.
 
Saints, before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear;
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear.
 
Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you; break your chains.
 
Though an Infant now we view Him,
He shall fill His Father’s throne,
Gather all the nations to Him;
Every knee shall then bow down:
 
All creation, join in praising
God, the Father, Spirit, Son,
Evermore your voices raising
To th’eternal Three in One.

Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Have a wonderful holiday season and Merry Christmas!

Jason

​***Check out the new book "Rehab the World" written for Physical Therapists to encourage us in our workplace and prepare us to serve those around us. If you like, please leave a review and spread the word!!***

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I recently ran across a fascinating article in the most recent edition of the Journal of Orthopedic and Sport Physical Therapy (JOSPT). If you are not familiar this this journal, it is a popular publication in the outpatient sports and orthopedic physical therapy world. They cover a wide range of topics from unique sport case studies to intervention control trials to literature reviews.

So what was the unique article? It was about the need to begin to research and study the impact of mechanics and musculoskeletal injury in, none other than, E-Sports. That's right. Gaming. It is certainly an unconventional topic but as I began to read through the article it provided many fascinating statistics and legitimate arguments for exploring this largely unstudied arena of sport - if we classify gaming as a sport.

More Than a Game Article

In the article, the authors discuss some of the mind blowing statistics around esports including the billions of dollars of revenue and millions of viewers for esport events. It really is fascinating. They then go on to detail that this may be an untapped patient population for physical therapists because of growing musculoskeletal injury reports related to repetitive movements and static postural changes. The authors highlight that there is not much research but that maybe we should begin to explore this field further because it could really impact our profession.

So it got me thinking about you in your clinic. Have you seen patients who participate in esports in your practice? Is this a trend you have noticed in your clinic and, if so, have you identified any patterns of esport injury? 

I hope you get a chance to peruse through this article just because it is interesting and my be somewhat prophetic in the trends of sport. Who knew that esport would begin to compete with traditional sport and require the skill of physical therapists!

Jason

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As we approach the holiday season with Thanksgiving kicking things off, I thought it would be nice to reflect on an attitude of thankfulness. I recently read this poem that really spoke to me. I hope it encourages you and helps you set the tone as we all pause from the daily grind of our busy lives and just give thanks.

"Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day
We bow our hearts to You and pray.

We give You thanks for all You've done
Especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son.

For beauty in nature, Your glory we see
For joy and health, friends and family,

For daily provision, Your mercy, and care
These are the blessings You graciously share.

So today we offer this response of praise
With a promise to follow You all of our days."
 
                                                  -Mary Fairchild

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with all of your family and friends from PT's on Mission!!

Jason

***Check out the new book "Rehab the World" written for Physical Therapists to encourage us in our workplace and prepare us to serve those around us. If you like, please leave a review and spread the word!!***

Welcome to our new subscribers!! And if you haven't joined the conversation on Facebook, then find us @ptsonmission to continue to receive updates, encouragement, and information. Finally, tell a friend if you are benefiting from this site.

I’m sure you are familiar with the old adage sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. Cute, for sure, but wildly inaccurate. If we are honest with ourselves we have all been hurt by words. That’s why it’s no surprise that the Bible includes so much instruction on how we use our tongue. God wants to remind us that our words have meaning, power and can either build up or tear down. I mean, just look at what James says regarding our tongue and the words that come out of it.

“For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.” James 3:7-9

That's some strong language! Bottom line is our tongue and the words we say can bring life or bring destruction and we want to make sure that we are bringing life because we can’t take back the damage our words may cause. I remember a powerful analogy that helped me solidify this principle and I have done this same analogy with my kids. I gave them a small tube of toothpaste and told them that the toothpaste inside is your words. Then I told them to squeeze out all the toothpaste on the plate. They had a blast squirting the toothpaste everywhere. Then I told them to try and put the toothpaste back in the tube. Guess what? It couldn’t be done and so the lesson was watch what you say because you can’t undo what you say. You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. You can try but once it’s out, it’s out.

Hopefully that analogy helps you a little bit as we are reflecting on what we say and the weight of our tongue. I have not mastered this. I am a work in progress on this topic and that is partly why I’m writing this because I know I’m not alone and recently I have learned some helpful tips, which I will share in just a minute. But first, what does this have to do with physical therapy? Two quick points:

What we say to our patients and colleagues matters. We want to make sure that we are kind in our speech to our patients. We don’t always know what a patient may be going through in their life. We don’t always understand what may be occurring behind the scenes. So we must guard what we say and make sure that we are encouraging and building them up. Same with our colleagues. We should speak in a manner that edifies them and does not tear them down.

What we say about our patients and colleagues matters. There is probably nothing worse than being torn down in secret behind your back. And I have been so convicted in my life and practice in this regard. It is so easy after a patient encounter that might have been weird or awkward or frustrating to sit down with our colleagues and vent or poke fun at the patient or patient interaction. Brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. I am the first to admit that I have failed in this regard and that is part of the conviction to write this blog. We want to speak life about a patient even if they are not right in front of us. And if we can’t speak in a worthy manner about someone, then maybe we just need to hold our tongue. Again, we don’t know what the patient may be going through but we must remember that they are still created in God’s image and worthy of dignity.  Now, sometimes patients or colleagues do some funny things and it may be OK to share that story as long as the dignity and integrity of the person can be maintained. But I do think we need to be more careful with how we speak and what we say about patients in the office.
 
So is there a way to help us remember to pause before we speak? Yes! This acronym from my Pastor is one that I have found to be very helpful in framing what I say and how I say it both in the workplace with my patients and colleagues and in my home. The acronym is T.H.I.N.K. I have attached a bunch of passages for you to look up and be reminded of how often the Bible speaks to our speech. Take the time and go through this acronym.

T. Is it True - Prov. 15:2, 15:7, 15:28, 18:8
H. Is it Harmful - Prov. 12:18, 13:3, 29:11
I. Is it Inspiring - Prov. 10:21, 12:25, Eph 4:29
N. Is it Necessary - Prov. 10:19, 18:6-7
K. Is it Kind - Matt. 7:12

So next time when you are about to say something at your home with your family, at your workplace with your colleagues, or in a treatment room with a patient, T.H.I.N.K. before you speak and watch the words you say impact the people you interact with in a helpful, encouraging, and edifying way.

Jason

***Check out the new book "Rehab the World" written for Physical Therapists to encourage us in our workplace and prepare us to serve those around us. If you like, please leave a review and spread the word!!***

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“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” We have probably heard that old adage at some point in our lives. And the main principle behind it is that if you take care of the small things then you can often avert larger problems or issues. Think about your vehicle. I bet you take the time to make sure the fluids are good and that the oil is changed. You perform small, cheaper routine maintenance which will extend the life of the engine. You could ignore those things but as they pile up eventually the engine will fail and you have a much larger, more expensive issue. I think the same is true in the world of healthcare and especially physical therapy. The appropriate use of physical therapy for a number of musculoskeletal issues is a cost effective way to manage your health and prevent larger more expensive problems from occurring.

Today’s article is yet another valuable piece of research that sheds light on the cost effectiveness of physical therapy. This study is about 6 years old but continues to be relevant as it is corroborated by many more recent studies. This article looks at back pain in particular and overall medical costs associated with and without physical therapy. This is certainly an article to save, digest, and use to educate your patients.

Implications of Early Physical Therapy

The bottom line of this article to me is when the researchers say, “Early and adherent physical therapy was associated with significantly lower utilization of advanced imaging, lumbar spinal injections, lumbar spine surgery, and use of opioids. Given the enormous burden of excessive and unnecessary care for patients with LBP on society, cost savings from early guideline adherent physical therapy has important implications of single payer health care systems to design optimal care process models for LBP.”

In other words, for low back pain in particular, going to PT early and consistently significantly reduces the individual and societal health care cost. Another fascinating finding in the study was that not only was the musculoskeletal care cost lower but attending PT also had an effect in decreasing other in-patient healthcare costs. In other words, like we mentioned earlier, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. As people went through rehab, the primary problem was resolved but secondary issues improved as well because of exercise and movement. Cool stuff!

I hope you utilize this study and others like it to help your patients understand the importance of physical therapy and what you are trying to do to help them. There are significant, wide-ranging effects from attending PT for low back pain and beyond.

Jason

***Check out the new book "Rehab the World" written for Physical Therapists to encourage us in our workplace and prepare us to serve those around us. If you like, please leave a review and spread the word!!***

Welcome to our new subscribers!! And if you haven't joined the conversation on Facebook, then find us @ptsonmission to continue to receive updates, encouragement, and information. Finally, tell a friend if you are benefiting from this site.

In life it is often tempting to think far ahead into the future about things that we could be doing or about goals we want to achieve. Thinking long-term is not inherently a bad thing and we should consider planning for the future and having goals to achieve. But, I’ve been thinking recently about what is near, close, and those things that are not in the distance but right in front of me. We are comfortable working hard for distant things but we should be equally comfortable working hard on the tasks and relationships that are right in front of us.
 
Much of this thought comes from a passage I recently read in the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon is providing his reflection on life and what ultimately matters versus what is meaningless. Then, in chapter 9 he says this:

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.” Ecc. 9:10

There are people, tasks, and opportunities all around us in which we can work hard with all our might to serve and make an impact. One of my faith heroes, C.H. Spurgeon sums this up well in his sermon on this passage when he says:

“Here we will observe, first, that this refers us to the works that are near at hand. You are not called upon to-day, the most of you, to do works which your eye sees far away in Hindostan or China. The most of you are called especially to do the work which is near at hand. People are always desiring to be doing something miles off. If they could but be somewhere else what wonders they would accomplish! Many a young man thinks if he could stand up under a banyan tree, and discourse to the black faces in India, how eloquent he might be. My dear fellow, why don't you try the streets of London first, and see whether you are eloquent there. Many a lady imagines that if she could move in a high circle she would no doubt become another Lady Huntingdon, and do wonders. But why cannot you do wonders in the circle in which God has placed you? He does not call you to do that which is leagues away, and which is beyond your power; it is that which your hand findeth to do. I am persuaded that our home duties, —the duties which come near to us in our own streets, in our own lanes and alleys, —are the duties in which we ought most of us mainly to glorify Christ. Why will you be stretching out your hands to that which you cannot reach? Do that which is near, —which is at your hand.”

Think about your life. Think about where you work. I think you will be able to begin to identify so many areas in which you can work with all your might. There are so many tangible things to do that are near. Now, this is not to neglect those distant things in which you may be called but it is to say, especially in this post-COVID environment to pray and search out the close opportunities. What might some of these things be? This is not an exhaustive list but here are four categories I’ve been thinking about.

Work Hard in your Relationship with God. This may seem obvious but it is certainly something that is near at hand and something that we should work at with all our might. We should want to commune with God more, study his word more, know him more and more. As we do that we will begin to become more holy and more Christ-like. And truthfully, in our fallen nature, our tendency is to become complacent and lazy. There are times when it is easy to commune with God but there are also times when we have to work so consider that this is a glorious task at your fingertips.

Work Hard in your Marriage and Family. I think we all understand for those of us that are married and have children that cultivating those relationships are incredibly important. The health of our marriages and our families speak volumes to a lost and hopeless world. We want to work hard to be a great spouse and parent. And to do so might require assessing our work/life balance and taking some time to rest like we talked about last week.

Work Hard Investing in your Colleagues and Patients. We spend so much time with our co-workers and our patients that there are sure to be areas of ministry right in front of us. Our patients and colleagues are experiencing the ebb and flow of life’s hardships just as we do and we have an incredible opportunity right in front of us to minister and share God’s love and reconciliation. And if you are wondering about practical tips to minister to patients and co-workers then I would encourage you to pick up a copy of Rehab the World.
 
Work Hard in your Community. I think it is important to be involved in the community in which you live by serving in different capacities to make a difference. I am reminded of the Lord’s admonition through Jeremiah to the Israelites when they were in captivity, in this regard. The Lord tells them to build homes, plant gardens and eat the produce and then to build families. Then the Lord commands the Isrealites to “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” Jer. 29:7 The community in which we live is certainly near at hand and we will benefit from seeking it’s welfare.

Why does all this matter? Why should we work diligently in the work that is near at hand? Solomon gives the answer. It is because our days are fleeting. Our time is running out as each of us is one day closer to our death. And when that time comes, we will no longer have the opportunity to work with all of our might. Listen again to Spurgeon:

“Let us pause a moment, and think that in a short time we must die. The hour is not to be staved off. I may preach to you to-day and exhort you to flee from the wrath to come; but when this tongue is sealed in silence, I can no more warn you. Mother, you can pray for your children, now; but when death shall have sealed your eyes in darkness, there can be no more prayers lifted up for ever. You may now, O Sunday school teacher, instruct those children, and God blessing you, you may be their spiritual father and bring them to Christ; but it shall one day be whispered in your class, "teacher is dead;" and there is the end of your labor. When once death shall have come you cannot devise liberal things; your brain cannot form new devices for the spread of your Master's kingdom, neither can your heart, then, bend and weep over sinners perishing, or your tongue address them with earnest exhortation. Think, dear friends, that all we can do for our fellows we must do, now.”

I write this as a reflection and a challenge in my own life; obviously not wishing quick death on anyone, nor dwelling on death to the point of obsession, but I think we need to be reminded that we are not guaranteed tomorrow in order to be more effective believers today. So, let’s work with all our might in what is near at hand with a sense of hopeful urgency.

Jason

***Check out the new book "Rehab the World" written for Physical Therapists to encourage us in our workplace and prepare us to serve those around us. If you like, please leave a review and spread the word!!***

Welcome to our new subscribers!! And if you haven't joined the conversation on Facebook, then find us @ptsonmission to continue to receive updates, encouragement, and information. Finally, tell a friend if you are benefiting from this site.

If you’ve been following the blog recently, you know we had a discussion about the necessity of rest in our personal lives. Caleb did a fantastic job highlighting the need for rest to help us in our work days and with our families. If you missed it, you can get caught up by clicking here.

But another reason why I think resting is important for our careers is to avoid PT burnout. Burnout can happen in many fields and PT is no exception. There are many factors that can contribute to burnout (work environment, productivity standards, patient populations, etc) but today I wanted to highlight a study that have looked at the prevalence of burnout in our profession.

Burnout in Physical Therapists

As you can see, a fairly high number of physical therapists will experience burnout - anywhere between 77-83%. I think it’s important to be aware of the high prevalence to guard your work/life balance and incorporate some of the concepts of rest we discussed on the last blog. We have much needed skills in today’s healthcare environment and we all need to make sure we can operate in our field for the long haul. That will require rest and strategies to prevent burnout.
 
I hope today’s blog gives you some food for thought and that if you are feeling burnout, you begin to rest and assess your work/life balance.

​Jason

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I'm am thrilled to have Caleb Mellinger back on the blog today to discuss a topic that is important to him and necessary for all of us. Rest. We expend tons of physical, emotional, and spiritual energy in our jobs and for our patients and it is important for us to recharge to continue to be effective. I think you will really appreciate his thoughts and if you missed his previous post you can get caught up here.

​ "Have you ever had on of those “aha” moments in life? Something just clicks or you have a revelation in Scripture? Has God, in His grace, gently whispered pure truth and goodness for you to do something? I pray that He has because there is nothing like His presence and peace as He shepherds us. I experienced a moment/season like this in March and April of 2020 as God used the quieter months of life during the onset of COVID-19 to take me to new depths in Him. God wanted to teach me about rest. He wanted to turn down the volume in my life, to cut out extraneous noise, and to create a new framework for my days. God used a book called "The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry" by John Mark Comer to do this. Obviously, the book is about eliminating hurry but Comer challenges the reader to do this by calling out the lies of culture and the constant noise of life. He argues we can fight hurry through silence and solitude, practicing sabbath, living simply, and slowing down (literally and figuratively). Rest became the healing balm my soul needed in that season and rest in God was what I yearned most for day after day. This rest also started to change my work. This was especially true after I read another Comer book on work and rest in God's design called "Garden City." Eliminating hurry and finding better balance (always a journey never a destination) in my work/rest ratio has really helped my approach to my vocation as a physical therapist. Let’s see what the Bible has to say about rest and about work and how we might use these truths to number our days.

I love the first two chapters of the Bible. I always have because for 2 chapters humans live under God’s rule and blessing. For 2 chapters we see His perfect design and can see His purposes and plans for us as individuals, as spouses, as workers, and friends. Adam and Eve were free of sin, of distractions, of cultural and worldly enticements. Adam and Eve lived in a perfect society and ecosystem. They had what secularism today is so desperately searching for albeit incorrectly and wearyingly. Utopia. They were not free of work, however. They were not free of mandated rest. I want to ponder a few verses from Genesis 1 and 2 so that we can see the good that God has for us both in our vocation as physical therapists but also in our rest — real rest, not binging the office. To bring the garden to today and live in the freedom of His original design for His glory and our good.

"Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day." Gen. 1:26-31

"The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." Gen. 2:15

Adam and Eve were created in the image of God to have dominion (rule) over the garden (a vast expanse if you check the geography of the 4 rivers listed), to subdue it, and to be fruitful and multiply. Adam and Eve had work to do. God created them both for particular purposes and with particular gifts. John Mark Comer argues in his book Garden City “we don’t work to live, we live to work.”

"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation." Gen. 2:1-3

God rested and he blessed the 7th day. Adam and Eve again were created in His image and thus were expected to rest as He rested. So, the question becomes how do we marry these two things? Work. Rest. Are they opposites in perfect contrast? Are they meant to work together? John Mark Comer again in Garden City says “Work and rest live in a symbiotic relationship. If you don’t learn how to rest well, you will never learn how to work well (and vice versa). After all, the opposite of work isn’t rest — it’s sleep. Work and rest are friends, not enemies. They are a bride and groom who come together to make a full, well-rounded life.” If we are created to rule and reign, to love and serve but to also rest in this beautiful, God given symbiotic relationship then I have to ask — how are we doing?

How do we as physical therapists protect against burnout? Documentation, growing case loads/productivity standards, decreased reimbursement, difficulty patient personalities or workplace relationships. Are you anxious yet? What about personal financial struggles such as cost of living expenses, student loans, kids, or school choices? All these things push some to work more or do weekend PRN. We grind and strive and strain. If we aren’t doing these particular things then culture does that for us. Work. Work. Work. Be yourself. Be in control of your future. Work today so you can play tomorrow.

In contrast to burnout, we also love what we do. There is much altruism and service built into being a physical therapist. We provide healing physically and often encourage spiritually. We live life with patients and coworkers. Physical therapists also use the interests, gifts, and skills God has given us along with what we have learned and invested in to care for people. We get the opportunity to love thy neighbor every single day.

The awareness of my imbalance and my lack of good and true biblical rest pushed me to make significant changes. I was able to better see and understand I cannot work for my entire career (both as a PT but also very much so as a disciple of Jesus, husband, father, friend, etc) out of my own goals, personality, strength and wisdom. I needed to rest in God and out of that then I could fulfill my earthly calling and vocations to the betterment of my own soul and then also to those I am to serve (wife, kids, patients, etc).

What about you? Do you need rest? Real rest? Biblical rest? Do you see imbalances in work and rest? Is work to you joy giving or joy stealing? Might you take hold of the Bible’s teaching on rest?

I have a firm conviction from Scripture that we are meant to rest in God and out of that rest we can go live on mission in all categories of life. Unfortunately, as we have discussed, culture and life tend to say work, work, work and then schedule a vacation or a day off or some “you time” or a binge on Netflix. God has so much more for us in Him. I pray and hope we all find rest in Him and out of that we go work and live for the glory of God.

May I offer a few practical/tangible suggestions? I share these not as someone who has it all figured out or who is teaching you. Rather I share them as one beggar to another telling you I have found some food and nourishment.

Biblical Advice / Spiritual Rest

Have a Sabbath. A 24 hour period where you live anti-culture and restore your heart and soul as a family. Comer’s two books previously mentioned are a great resource here. Stop and cease. Rest and delight. Worship. A quick note here — sabbath in Jesus time started at sundown — our day starts with rest in Him and out of that rest we can live. Grace > works.

Commune with God. Slow down and sit in scripture. Meditate on what you are reading. Ask questions and then wait on the Holy Spirit to answer them. I can be so guilty of consuming scripture and time with God like I would consume a news article or television show. I am daily learning how to SLOW down with God.

Be refreshed and renewed by the Trinity. Psalm 23. Let the cliche and commonness of this passage go and drink deeply from the richness of this Psalm.

Noise Reduction / Mental Rest

Put your phone down. Consider getting your screen time down to 60 minutes and put your phone to bed. 8pm lights out for the ole’ iPhone.

Moments of silence and solitude with God. Start at 15 minutes and increase in 15 minute intervals. Have quiet. Pray. Cease. Listen.

Quiet Car ride. No music, phone calls or podcasts.

Number your Days / Physical Rest

Guard your calendar. Say no to good things.

Get 7-8 hours of sleep.

These applications points are not exhaustive. But may they encourage you, challenge you, and train you to rest in the goodness and grace and kindness of our Heavenly Father. Out of His peace, presence and power may we use that rest to live, work and have dominion in this life until He returns to restore creation and humanity to rule and reign as He originally designed.

Caleb

Welcome to our new subscribers!! And if you haven't joined the conversation on Facebook, then find us @ptsonmission to continue to receive updates, encouragement, and information. Finally, tell a friend if you are benefiting from this site.

We all know that outcome measures are so essential in today’s physical therapy practice. We’ve discussed some orthopedic outcome measures on this blog before to equip you in your practice. Those outcomes were directed at the outpatient sports medicine practitioners. Today, I want to share a great study for the outpatient neuro practitioners.

It is just as vitally important for you, as a neuro therapist, to have a set of highly reliable and valid measures to not only track potential progress but also document decrease in decline. In other words, sometimes the outcome measure will show you that your interventions are working because the patient is not getting worse.

So with that in mind, this article discusses a core set of outcome measures for adults with neurologic conditions. The researchers combed through many different types of outcomes for the neurological population and essentially did analysis to identify a set, or grouping, that will give you really good functional data.

A Core Set of Neuro Outcome Measures

I hope you use some of these already in your practice. If you do, I hope you begin to use this subset as a means to better quantify the progress or lack of decline your patients are experiencing with your interventions. If you are not using any of these outcome measures, I encourage you to get started this week!

***Check out the new book "Rehab the World" written for Physical Therapists to encourage us in our workplace and prepare us to serve those around us. If you like, please leave a review and spread the word!!***

Jason

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Prayer is a powerful and wonderful way to inject gospel care and concern to the patients and colleagues that we interact with on a daily basis. It can be so sweet and encouraging to take the burdens of others before the throne of God. In fact, it is something that God wants us to do!

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayer, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all people...This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Tim. 2:1-4

In my book “Rehab the World”, I talk about the importance and necessity of intercessory prayer in our daily clinic life if we are going to be faithful in our work. Two ideas I discuss in the book are praying for your patients in general every morning before your day begins and also praying specifically for your patients needs, fears, anxieties, and healing. This is a practice I work to be consistent in and I recently had a great example of the joy and positive benefit of incorporating intercessory prayer.

I was working with a patient to improve her mobility and stamina which had been severely limited because she had just finished a round of cancer treatments. We had had several conversations about church and the Gospel in the past and she was aware of my faith in Christ. One day she came in much more somber and anxious than normal. So, I stopped the treatment and we just chatted a bit. As tears began to well up in her eyes, she told me that she had to get another scan because the doctors thought the cancer might have returned and spread to other areas of her body. She asked at that moment if I would pray over her and specifically that the upcoming tests would come back negative. I obliged and we prayed together in a private treatment room. At the end of the PT session, I told her that I wanted a report at her next visit.

A week went by and I continued to think and pray for her. And as she came in for her next PT appointment, you could tell she was in an improved emotional state compared to the previous week. So, I asked her right away if she had the results of the tests and she told me with happy tears in her eyes the great news that the tests were, in fact, negative! We shared a joyful hug and praised the Lord together in our PT gym. God was pleased to answer that prayer in those moments.

And that is when I realized in a more tangible way the power of what Paul writes to us in 1 Tim 2:1-4. Namely, that God actually does delight in us interceding for others and offering prayers and supplications on behalf of those around us. It pleases Him! You might wonder sometimes how you can make God happy? Here it is! Pray for others. And not only does he delight in it, it is good for us to do it.

So, I want to challenge you this week to take a first step in praying for your patients or colleagues. Maybe, pick a patient to pray for or maybe pick a particular need of a patient. You don’t even have to tell them but if you hear about something going in their life, take it before the Lord. Take it into the heavenly realm and then watch what God does. Be a part of God’s plan and then discover the incredible joy, beauty, and glory of seeing your prayers answered for others. If this is an area in which you would like more guidance, I would encourage you to pick up a copy of “Rehab the World” because there are some helpful tips and ideas for you to get started. 

Jason

***Check out the new book "Rehab the World" written for Physical Therapists to encourage us in our workplace and prepare us to serve those around us. If you like, please leave a review and spread the word!!***