I am so thankful to PAIN OUT LOUD and Dr. Melissa Cady for having the opportunity to share my story of recovery from chronic knee pain/CRPS. Check out the trailer: Leda’s PAIN OUT LOUD Interview Trailer Create a FREE membership with PAIN OUT LOUD to watch the full interview here: PAIN OUT LOUD WEBSITE Steps…
What’s in a Diagnosis? Are Labels Helpful or Hurtful in Medicine?
One of the first debates in my clinical psychology class in college (that has obviously made an impression and stuck with me!) was about the pros and cons of a categorical system of diagnosis for mental illness (vs. a system that recognizes diagnoses along a continuum)1. Diagnoses for psychological illness are described in the “Diagnostic…
“Moments from a Year of Healing” Published: Paperback & eBook!
I am excited to announce that my book “Moments from a Year of Healing: A Book of Memories and Essays” is available for purchase on Amazon. There is also an eBook version available. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can read it on the FREE Kindle App on any computer, tablet, or smart…
Can A Checklist Make You A Better Physical Therapist?
Lately, I have been pretty obsessed with checklists. The main motivating factor to this has been reading Atul Gawande’s book “The Checklist Manifesto”2. I also admit, though, that I probably have a propensity for liking checklists given my inclination to make “To-Do” lists and write post-it notes to myself and enjoy the satisfaction of crossing…
The Opiate “Epidemic”: Corporate Wealth at the Expense of Individual Health
The Opiate “Epidemic” America’s opiate “epidemic” is a little bit like an iceberg. Its massive reach is difficult to comprehend if you are just taking it in via the surface level sound bites and headlines available in the news media. But, once you begin to dig deeper into the problem of opiate addiction and overdose…
The Making of Surgeons
Surgeons are trained, not born As I’ve written about before (HERE), the acquisition of skills or knowledge in any field requires vast amounts of practice. This requirement for many hours of practice in order to attain competence, or indeed expertise, holds true across disciplines: athletics, music, chess, writing, and yes…surgery.1 In their article, “The Making…
Different Approaches to Total Hip Replacement Surgery
(www.dreamstime.com, free stock photos)14 Imagine for a moment that you are the “typical” hip replacement patient: you are 65 years old and your right hip has been increasingly painful for the last 4 years during most of the activities that you enjoy: playing tennis with your husband, walking in the neighborhood with your best…
Is That Okay? The Importance of Informed Consent in Health Care
The recent social media campaign #metoo has brought to light the staggering number of women and men who have been victims of sexual harassment, assault, and battery. Women and men have been using the #metoo hashtag on facebook and twitter to show that they have been victims of sexual harassment or to show solidarity with…
The Circles You Move In: Part 2- Practice
How do you become an expert at something? Or even competent? The goal for physical therapy programs across the country is to graduate “entry level physical therapists”. I am currently participating in my first clinical rotation as a physical therapy student and I am incredibly humbled by the skill and tact demonstrated by the health…
The Circles You Move In: Part 1- Begin Again
Do you ever catch yourself thinking about your movement goals or training program as linear? That is how we seem to talk about movement and acquiring skills or strength: there is the beginning when you are “untrained” and then you build up to “intermediate” status and then “advanced” levels. The assumption seems to be that…
Foreshadowing Movement
The best novelists I know have an uncanny ability to weave the most interesting of stories and yet, when I finish a good book, I can’t help but think, “I should have seen that coming.” This phenomenon, I think is partly due to the expert use of foreshadowing. The adept author sprinkles his or her…
Are you stuck in 2-D?
Even though we live in a three-dimensional world, we often get caught in two-dimensional ways of thinking and doing. As physical therapists and coaches, it is important that we cultivate awareness of how our models inform our practice. Here is my single perspective with three examples of 2-D paradigms and the danger of not striving…
