Receive expert intervention from the person who teaches others Walt Fritz, PT, has been in private practice for over two decades and has been educating health professionals through person-centered manual therapy intervention since 2007. More recently, he has taught this work to speech-language pathologists and voice professionals to aid them in their interventions with patients… Continue Reading
Manual therapy safety in the head and neck: A person-centered guide
Manual therapy safety in the head and neck: A person-centered guide The December 2022 issue of the Massage New Zealand publication contained a feature article I was asked to write. The topic of safety when working in the head and neck field can take many forms, including strict medical concerns. I wrote a broader article… Continue Reading
Manual Therapy vs. Touch-Based Cueing. Can touch be non-denominational?
Might touch-based cueing be more similar to manual therapy/massage touch than many believe?
Thirty-seven years of a physical therapy career has taught me much but left me confused about just as much. I’ve learned the value of movement, be it presented as strengthening for the remediation of problems or a more generic movement for those same outcomes. I’ve seen the importance of balance, though now I shy away from seeing the solving of issues being dependent on achieving perfect balance. And I’ve seen touch help move people through their dysfunctions, though I no longer worship one form of touch as I once did. Continue Reading
Building self-determination in our patients
Building self-determination in our patients “What I find so hard to understand is how I continue to improve without seeing you regularly!”These words, paraphrased based on my memory, were recently said to me by a patient. I frustrate new patients when they ask me how frequently they should be seen, and I reply with a… Continue Reading
Wedge Revival
Wedge Revival Recognize these? Various professions use pelvic wedges to “balance the pelvis” or other more nefarious (manipulative) usages. In my early training, I was presented with a decidedly biomechanical model of causation and intervention. If the body is misaligned, this was seen as the cause of problems, along with restricted fascia and emotional stuck-ness… Continue Reading
Are we the modality? A common denominator
Are we the modality? A common denominator The longer I exist in the world of manual therapy, the more I see little difference between styles of work or modalities. Despite claims of unique access to single tissues or pathologies, all manual therapy is performed in remarkably similar ways. What are the underlying qualities of each… Continue Reading
Putting patient preferences and values back in EBP
Putting patient preferences and values back in EBP Evidence-based practice (EBP) has been the accepted norm in medicine and rehabilitation for nearly 30 years, though exploration began of its concepts in the early 1970s (Zimerman, 2013). EBP consists of three elements: the best available evidence, the clinician’s knowledge, and skills, and the patient’s wants and… Continue Reading
Mastery: A Dangerous Concept
Mastery: A Dangerous Concept Recently Scott Dartnall, RMT, and I sat down for a talk on the concept of mastery in manual therapies. Keeping humble not only benefits our reputation but also keeps us from avoiding errors. With a higher call for adherence to evidence-based practice (EBP) models of care, clinicians are often caught between… Continue Reading
Flipping the Script
Flipping the Script: Shared Decision-Making Hi new patient, I’m the expert. I a physical therapist (no DPT, sorry) with 35 years of experience. Those years include a ton of continuing education and independent research. They include tens of thousands of patient-contact hours. I’ve been an educator in the continuing education field since 1995. With all… Continue Reading
The myth of the micro-managing client
The myth of the micro-managing client We’ve all had clients or patients who seem to want to script or control the session, telling us what to do, how long to do it, and always asking for different levels of pressure—telling us how to do our job. What to do about this person?? How about listening… Continue Reading
Complexity; simplified
Complexity; simplified Causation in manual therapy scenarios is often discussed as tissue (or pathology) specific issues. But causation is complex, and in this podcast, I joined Rani Lill Anjum, Ph.D. in philosophy at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Rani has authored several books, including Rethinking Causality, Complexity, and Evidence for the Unique Patient, which… Continue Reading
Top Massage Therapy Continuing Education Listing
Top Massage Therapy Continuing Education Listing I’m honored to be included on Massage & Fitness Magazine’s list of top massage therapy continuing educators. You can read the list at this link. Cheers, Walt Fritz, PT Foundations in Manual Therapy Seminars and The Pain Relief Center www.waltfritz.com Please consider checking out my online course offerings, ,… Continue Reading
Podcasts and Articles
Walt Fritz, PT’s Podcasts, Videos, and Articles Over the past few years I’ve been fortunate enough to participate in a number of podcasts and interviews that are available for listening. They range from voice/swallowing-specific, to more general interviews that speak to various aspects of the manual therapy work that I teach. Strongly represented are principles… Continue Reading
Person-Focused Manual Therapy and the Singer
Person-Focused Manual Therapy and the Singer Recently, I had the extreme pleasure to take part in a Facebook Live interview with Rachel Lynes, from The Sing Space. We unpacked a wide range of topics, including does fascia matter, how manual therapy impacts the singer (from tissues right up to the brain), and many more. We… Continue Reading
Downplaying pathology.
Downplaying pathology. One of my favorite podcasts is Dr. Oliver Thomson’s Words Matter. Through his podcast, Dr. Thomson addresses a wide range of topics relevant to my practice, both as a physical therapist as well as an educator. While an entire hour spent unpacking concepts surrounding the way a clinician approaches a patient presenting with… Continue Reading
Rules and Recipes: Moving on from older models of manual therapy
Rules and Recipes: Moving on from older models of manual therapy As I sat at the head of my treatment table this morning, looking down at my patient, I viewed their right leg in external rotation while at rest, I flashed back to my training. This patient is seeing me for sciatica-like symptoms on the… Continue Reading
