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 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
New Podcast: Manual therapy in speech therapy, on the Sunshine Speechie I was recently interviewed by Nancy Hillman, for her Sunshine Speechie podcast. You can listen at: Spotify Stitcher Apple Podcasts Cheers, Walt Fritz, PT Foundations in Manual Therapy Seminars and The Pain Relief Center www.waltfritz.com Please consider checking out my online course offering, which… Continue Reading
Hold-times for stretching in manual therapy I’ve been in the niche of manual therapy for nearly 3 decades. When I entered this world, via myofascial release (MFR) training, hold-times were recommended at a “minimum of 90-120 seconds”, as this was the time it was said to have taken for the fascia to begin to change… Continue Reading
Tools from my past, reflecting on change. by Walt Fritz, PT Recognize those objects in the photo? They are pelvic wedges, used by some health professionals for a variety of reasons. Most rationales center around their use to balance the asymmetrical pelvis. I learned why and how to use them in a myofascial release (MFR)… Continue Reading
Manual Therapy: A Conversation with Walt Fritz on the NiceSpeechlady website Wilson Nice, SLP, interviewed me for an article on her website. In articles like this, I get a chance to unpackaged things a bit and Wilson leads me through a series of questions to speak more about the role I play in the speech-language… Continue Reading
This is a repost of an article by my colleague Jamie Johnston. Jamie is a British Columbia-based RMT, owner of the Massage Therapist Development Centre, a website packed with information. Jamies is among a small but growing group of professionals who are breaking free of the culture of the tribalism inherent in many manual therapy… Continue Reading
Applying patient preferences and values in the EBP model How do you put into practice the 1/3 of the evidence-based practice (EVP) model that involves patient preferences and values? Information seems rather scarce when I explore the websites of ASHA, RCSLT, and the APTA, though all are replete with recommendations on choosing proper evidence and… Continue Reading
The feeling of a voice (or any other) issue What does it FEEL like? -The Feeling of a Voice IssueThe approach used in my Foundations in Manual Therapy: Voice and Swallowing Disorders requires a bit of a different framing of the issue. Traditionally problems, be they voice, swallowing, or a variety of other issues facing… Continue Reading
Crossed-arm syndrome The past decade seems to have been about losing friends. Leagues of MFR-type friends have gone away, no doubt due to my counter-culture statements and posts questioning much of what I was taught in my MFR training. I bid them a happy goodbye. So I suppose it’s time to alienate another cohort group;… Continue Reading
Podcast with The Knowledge Exchange on Biopsychosocial Aspects of Manual Therapy I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend an hour today with Sydney, Australia-based personal trainer, exercise scientist, and exercise physiologist Daniel Pablo Arbillo. We spoke at-length about incorporating aspects of the biopsychosocial approach in manual therapy and, specifically, how my approach… Continue Reading
Anatomy Matters … But Which Anatomy? As a contribution to the NiceSpeechLady website/blog, I wrote an article about the way we view anatomy. It is important, but how do you view this importance? How does anatomy influence your evaluation and intervention? You can read the article here. Cheers, Walt Fritz, PT Foundations in Manual Therapy… Continue Reading
I can take it… Manual therapy, myofascial release, massage, and the host of other touch-based interventions often rely on the perception of the clinician’s expertise to gauge pressures. Patients will often give up power to the therapist in order to (try to) feel better, though isn’t that an odd arrangement? Allowing someone else to decide… Continue Reading
“Would you pay for that?” As an educator in the continuing education setting, I occasionally get a participant in one of my seminars who seems resistive to what I’m sharing. While I’ve not had any full-blown hecklers (I’m confident that that day will come) but I have had a few who seem utterly unimpressed by my… Continue Reading
Finding my voice: A patient-centered perspective In the latest edition of Massage & Fitness Magazine, I was asked to contribute an article relating to touch. The current issue is devoted to what might be happening beneath your skin (and in your brain) when we touch or are touched. Nicolas Ng, the publisher of Massage & Fitness Magazine,… Continue Reading
21 Questions: Manual Therapy for Voice and Swallowing Disorders July 2023: While this post is dated regarding the title of my work (I evolved away from “Myofascial release/MFR” and into “manual therapy” due to issues of credibility), the content remains quite relevant. The playlist has expanded well beyond the original 21 videos to give the… Continue Reading
