Author Archives: Joe Brence
Understanding cluster testing to improve diagnostic accuracy: Part 2
In my last post, I discussed how using a cluster of signs and symptoms can significantly improve our diagnostic accuracy for differentiating issues in the neck and upper extremity. Moving down the kinetic chain, there are other regions of the … Continue reading
Understanding cluster testing to improve diagnostic accuracy: Part 1
In the US, physical therapists are gaining increased autonomy by becoming direct access providers for medical care (by diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal conditions without a medical referral). A recently published large, retrospective study assessed the effectiveness of this system and … Continue reading
Psychological Education May Be More Effective than Core Stabilization in Prevention of Low Back Pain
One of the most common reasons individuals seek outpatient Physical Therapy services is due to low back pain (LBP). Literature indicates the LBP affects 60-90% of the population with reoccurrence rates documented as high as 90%. The condition is often … Continue reading
My knee hurts…because it is raining
Has your back, neck or knee ever “told” you that the weather was going to change? Chances are, yes. Or at least so you thought. For thousands of years, there has been a widespread and strongly held belief that pain … Continue reading
The Utilization (or overutilization) of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Diagnosis and Treatment of LBP
As medical professionals who treat painful conditions, one of our goals is figure out why our patients are in pain. In the United States, one of the ways in which we attempt to find the root cause is Magnetic Resonance … Continue reading
Clinical review: What is happening when we manipulate the lumbar spine?
For decades, physical therapists, osteopaths and chiropractors have manipulated the spine in countless patients with low back pain. Despite proposed theories to explain the effects and prediction rules to forecast who will receive benefit, little evidence has been produced to … Continue reading
How can we improve pain outcomes following total knee arthroplasties?
Clinically, one of the most persistent, post-surgical pains that I see in my practice is that after a total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Surgically, the objective of the physician is to replace a patient’s mal-aligned, osteoarthritic knee which in turn should … Continue reading
Core balance vs. strengthening in individuals with chronic low back pain
Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is one of the most prevalent and disabling conditions that we see as physiotherapists. In many countries, it is a leading cause for absenteeism from work and is one of the leading causes for long-term … Continue reading
Taping and arm-crossing: just two other ways of managing arm pain (article)
For this month’s addition to sportEX, I would like to present a review of two articles which highlight different concepts for controlling arm pain. The first article is a case series, published in this month’s edition of the Journal of … Continue reading
When is pain more than a symptom?
By: Joseph Brence, DPT As a PT, I am fascinated by the concept of pain and my first article for the sportEX blog (June 2011) is a reflection on the concept that pain itself may not always be a symptom, but instead, a … Continue reading
