Community News

The Cantrell Center in Warner Robins, GA, has long been a PRI facility under the long-time leadership of Tassie Cantrell. For me, it was a full-circle moment. In 2006, after taking a few years to study PRI concepts, and my first course to get back into PRI was at the Cantrell Center. The course was Postural Respiration with Ron as the instructor. And from that point forward, PRI has been an exceptionally rewarding professional and personal journey. So it was not lost on me that nearly 20 years later, I was teaching the same course in the same facility that jump-started my professional relationship with PRI.

This course was a wonderful mix of PRI veterans and those new to the science of PRI. The labs were wonderful, with the help of Samantha Anderson, PRC. There is so much lab on the second day of this course, and with Samantha’s help, everyone had the opportunity to experience the manual and non-manual techniques. This course has been tweaked and massaged several times since the first time I took this course in 2004, most recently in 2022. If you haven’t taken this flagship course of PRI, I would encourage you to do so as this course is the gateway to Cervical Revolution, Cranial Resolution, Impingement and Instability, Human Evolution, Voice Box Resonance, and Forward Locomotion Movement.

Day One of this iteration of Postural Restoration is designed to provide hard evidence and rationale for how and why the rib cage needs to move backwards and in alternation. The thorax and rib cage movement necessary for acquisition and maintenance of a Zone of Apposition is the recurring theme of Day One. We present exhaustive peer-reviewed literature evidence of why the ZOA is the body’s best opportunity for proper use of the diaphragm for inhalation.

Day Two is primarily lab so the attendees have the opportunity to experience the manual and non-manual techniques recommended by the science of PRI to achieve and maintain a ZOA. For many years, Superior T4 Syndrome was a mystery to me. So I do my best to flush out how this course has evolved to hopefully remove the mystery of what Superior T4 Syndrome is, how to identify it, why it occurs, why it is problematic, and how to manage it. There are a few “deal breakers” in PRI, and Right Superior T4 Syndrome is one of them.

My thanks to the Cantrell Center and specifically the staff that were in attendance: Johnathan, Maria Christina, Samanatha, Erin, Linda, Braxton, Dina, Elizabeth, Keeley, and Cindy. And Sunshine was the perfect host as she attended to all of our needs during the course. It was also so great to reconnect with PRI veterans Karen Warren, PT, Mary Beth Verlander, PT, Melissa Baudo PT, and Angela Nelson, LMT. Hope to see you at the new and improved Postural Restoration!

Cervical Revolution is a highly integrative secondary course that blends physical therapy, chiropractic, osteopathy, dentistry and a whole lot of neurology with arthrokinematics to provide a detailed understanding of how critical the cervical spine is especially at the atlas and occipital articulation.

An international group, as well as attendees from the US and Canada, experienced Cervical Revolution in Lincoln, NE Sep. 13-14, 2024. There were 14 live participants including two dentists and even a DVM who performs chiropractic manipulation and acupuncture to small and large animals and sees similar patterns in animals and humans!

This international group included PT’s, DC’s, strength and conditioning personal and an LCSW who is integrating PRI with her holistic practice. The students attending from Taiwan, Japan, Australia, China and South Korea were staying up all night their time to attend and the students from the Netherlands, Poland , Germany, Norway, Italy, Slovakia, Spain and even Iran were up into the late night participating with tons of energy and great questions with all helping to teach this course with discussion and dialog that provided clarity and understanding of this information dense and detailed course.

Every course in PRI has more detail in the course manual than can be covered in one weekend and the material presented is often experienced as being “fed by a firehose” of information! This is especially true for this secondary course called Cervical Revolution where defining and exploring the cervical, cranial and occlusal system in two days.

The big picture of this course is that it is a right stance course that primarily relates to and starts at the atlas and occipital bone with the right atlas being in a position of flexion in relationship to the occipital bone. Inside the cranium, where the occipital bone connects to the sphenoid, right cranial extension occurs. This cranial position drives right temporal bone internal rotation that results in a protruded jaw on the right and a retruded jaw on the left with a mandible positioning more left! (If the mandible positions right this could indicate a compensation or pathology) The opposite occurs on the left side and this course is designed to identify this pattern and position, inhibit it, shift to the other side and then alternate back and forth. This variability of alternation is essential for upright human beings and whatever the feet, pelvis and ribcage are doing (Refer to the three primary courses), the neck knows it! Simply put, the goal is to achieve right A/O extension, left A/O flexion and go back and forth as if you are walking! (Because you are!)

This big picture description succinctly describes the basics of this course and then add the five cervical revolution tests with repositioning and then alternation techniques and the basics are covered! As with any course in PRI, day two adds a dimension that is considered pathological from the basic dominant pattern and position and for this course it is called right torsion. Right torsion is essentially torsion and stress located in the cranium that may result in neurologic symptoms including headache, ataxia, vision disturbances, dizziness and TMJ disorders to mention a few.

With the basic big picture reinforced and repeated a complex subject with the basics provided as a foundation helps to provide application on Monday morning and beyond. This weekend all of the students maintained an energetic focus throughout and now have not only more tools for patient care but a pathway to tertiary courses that include occlusion, cranium and the new vision course!

– Skip George

This was my 2nd time teaching in Valencia at the Henry Mayo Fitness and Health Center. Just like before, the staff and facilities are top notch and very welcoming to myself and the attendees as well. There was a mix of PRI experience among the attendees with half being their first PRI course and others that have multiple courses under the belt including Yoshi Fujii PT with 17 courses in his history. The local Californian, Locatelli Rao DPT, PRC, was my trusted lab assistant and he knew half the room. His insights clinically helped throughout the weekend and I’m grateful for his presence. This goes to show that reviewing primary course material is always still beneficial even after years of practicing PRI. We had a handful of chiropractors, PTs, PTAs, personal trainers, a chiropractor student, yoga and Pilates instructors, and overall an eager room of attendees. We began the morning with the didactic material and discussing the common pattern, the left anterior interior chain, and how it becomes dominant as we as humans center our body over our right half more often due to neuro respiratory demands and asymmetry of multiple systems beginning with the brain. After a morning of sitting, we hopped into lab and found some “money muscles” to help reposition the pelvis to close the day out. The second day was majority of lab and mastering the Hruska Adduction lift test, which we dove into being a gait assessment test. A humbling test for most but I saw all the wheels turning and improvements in test scores after we completed our treatment lab. Overall, a fantastic weekend and a good one to be inside as that part of California was in a heat wave. Being from Texas, I know heat, and it was HOT! Thanks to all who traveled and made it a memorable weekend of learning for me.

– Kasey Ratliff

About Us

We are a team of healthcare providers who specialize in soft tissue therapy, chiropractic adjustments, postural restoration, personalized fitness training, reformer Pilates and nutrition in Lomita, California (5 miles from Redondo Beach). We take care of athletic-minded people in the south bay area that want elite-level care to help them feel, recover and perform better. Our clients include youth & professional athletes, business professionals and busy mothers from Palos Verdes Peninsula, Torrance and all the beach cities. For more information, please visit www.backtofunction.com.

Full-Time Chiropractor/Physical Therapist

Job Description & Responsibilities

A well-established practice in Lomita, CA (10 mins from Redondo Beach) seeking an Associate Doctor of Chiropractic or Physical Therapist to see an active and affluent patient population. This position provides a salary of $85,000-$120,000 per year based on training/experience and ability to integrate into the current practice model. The schedule consists of M-F with 1 Saturday/month and your responsibilities include patient consults/exams, soft tissue and chiropractic treatment, exercise rehab & fitness training. Having taken 2 primary PRI courses is a necessity and being a PRC is a huge plus. The expected individual patient volume is 30-50 patients/week. We have a shared patient model, therefore training will be provided to ensure a similar patient care approach to the other members of the team. All team members are required to maintain cleanliness and organization of the gym/clinic and workstation.

Excellent relationship-building skills are a must along with the ability to provide consistent high-quality care. This opportunity allows you to be part of an innovative health & wellness practice for motivated and active patients including elite-level athletes. The position includes bonus incentives, paid time off, retirement contribution, employed paid health & malpractice insurance and CEs.

Requirements

• Doctor of Chiropractic or Physical therapy degree from an accredited program.
• Doctor of Chiropractic or Physical therapy license in CA.
• Excellent communication with other healthcare providers and office staff.
• Ability to diagnose musculoskeletal disorders and apply treatment strategies effectively.

To Apply

• Please submit your resume and cover letter to Chad Moreau at drchad@backtofunction.com.

“This has been a season of change for me, personally and professionally. My wife and I dropped our oldest child off at college, which is a transition as any parent will tell you. And I have had been challenged professionally as the neurology of PRI has started to become more clear and one of the gateway courses that PRI offers in that endeavor is Impingement and Instability.

If you have not taken this course since 2021, I would encourage you to do so. This course is allows the attendee a pathway to use the information from Cervical Revolution, Cranial Resolution, Forward Locomotor Movement, and Voice Box with increased proficiency. Given how important it is for the human system to demonstrate cervical freedom, many of our patients of clients benefit from improved alternating pressure management.

Impingement and Instability address the necessity for using reference centers for pressure management. We discussed the necessity of being able to cue PRI Non-manual techniques for improved neurological advantage and the necessity of asking your patient or client to verbalize their interpretation of their new and novel sensory experience. This new experience allows their brain to redefine and recover what it means to alternate through their entire system.

If you have any interest in pursuing future PRI courses, Impingement and Instability facilitates that route. Even if you are not looking to pursue further coursework in PRI, this course provides so many “ah-ha” moments for attendees in the application of advanced concepts of PRI application. Once the attendee is able to use the concepts from the three PRI primary courses and expand their clinical experience with I&I, their clients and patients will progress through their desired goals much faster. I hope to see you in future iterations of Impingement and Instability!”

– Dan Houglum

“On a beautiful August weekend I had the distinct pleasure of traveling down the street (I-90, 460 miles) from my home base in Missoula, MT to Sammamish, WA, just outside Seattle. Heading to the Seattle area is a second PRI home for me as I have attended many courses hosted by the good folks in the area, the big difference this weekend was I was the one doing the teaching!

G2 Sports and Physical Therapy hosted Myokinematic Restoration and we had a nice mix of mostly new to PRI attendees with a handful of more seasoned folks. Mike Ball, PT, PRC hopped on the ferry from Vashon Island to join us and lend his expertise as our lab assistant.

We delved into human asymmetry and the L AIC pattern with an emphasis on the positions that the pattern creates. Position preceding facilitation and driving appropriate pattern inhibition was the focal point for day one. We concluded with a demonstration addressing Miguel Punsalan’s L AIC pattern and a great representation of how our tests of position changed once the pattern was inhibited and the pelvis re-positioned.

Day two opened with more beautiful Seattle sunshine and we hammered down on using the Hruska Adduction Lift Test to identify what ingredients need to be focused on in treatment to hold onto our new pattern inhibition and ultimately get the body to alternate. I had a great discussion with Sumita Rao, PT, DPT, OCS in regards to the role muscle strength plays in our ability to be supported and stable in L stance. We discussed how strength work in a biased L AIC pattern will often result in just strengthening the pattern. We need to account for the pelvic and hip position necessary to achieve pattern inhibition and correct muscle facilitation as “weak” muscles are unable to demonstrate their true “strength” unless they are in a position to do so.

Our journeys’ through this process of life long learning at times meet with challenging information that may conflict with how we were taught and understand the human body. PRI is not here to knock down anyone’s foundation, that is where we come from, but it is no where near our ceiling. We are all incomplete and evolution requires openness, humility, and drive. Thank you to this group for helping me on my own path, my greatest hope is that our time together can serve as another rung onward.”

– Jason Miller

Sometimes going small has a big impact. That is indeed what happened in Chicago this past weekend. The in-person Cranial Resolution course that was hosted, so graciously, by Pilates Central may have only had 11 attendees but the learning that occurred was phenomenal. About a third had never taken Cranial before, about a third had taken it once and the remainder had taken it multiple times. As an instructor this blend initially intimidated me since I didn’t know to whom or how to target the material. I ultimately decided to start out with a clean slate, laying down a solid foundation to make sure everyone understood and was on equal footing with regards to the basic anatomy of the predominantly paired structures that are involved in Cranial Resolution (including their position, their functions, their movement, their linkages, and the flow of air, fluid and/or brain waves through or around them) and by introducing the model of tensegrity that is involved with the cyclical integration of our autonomic and central nervous systems.  

Once this foundation was laid, the dynamics of the group worked in such a magical manner. I felt more like of a facilitator at times, allowing the knowledge and experience of those present to be exchanged in a way that was beneficial for all of us. Dan (Houglum) occasionally stood to give his concise explanations of biomechanical realities, Neal (Hallinan) offered and even demonstrated his insights into auditory influences, Loc allowed us to all witness how much further addressing the autonomics can take someone on their (already extensive) PRI journey, and everyone got to experience how fast the modulation of airflow can make someone feel unstable, dizzy, and/or lost in space.  

Because of the way the material unfolded, the didactic meat and potatoes of the course was completed by lunchtime on Day 2 so we had a full 4 hours to focus exclusively on clinical application; getting a chance to progress through the algorithms, use and discuss the ‘whens and whys’ of all the props that this course is known for (cotton balls, hemi-billed caps and hyperboloids) – and we even had time to go through the cranial manual techniques! 

By having the eye of tropical storm Debby pass directly over the scheduled time and path of my flights out of eastern NC, nature made my getting to Chicago more than a tad difficult. Foreseeing this, I left a day earlier than planned. However, the pre-storm rain bands and tornado threats still ended up delaying or cancelling nearly 5000 flights through Charlotte during my time of transit. Suffice to say I spent an extended amount of time dozing in airports and/or in planes that were under “ground stops.”  Luckily though, once I got there, the course attendees made it worth my while. It turned out to be one of the best PRI learning/teaching experiences I’ve ever had. Thanks to everyone involved, especially Donna Parise Byrne, who I know had to pull strings to get this small of a course to happen and who provided a great space, incredible good snacks and a great tour of Evanston in her Mini convertible.  I also must thank those attendees who were new to Cranial Resolution (Shelley, Heather, and Jess), for helping to keep us all grounded. And although Alex, David, Kasia and Jill may have taken this course before, they all continually inspired me with their questions, enthusiasm and visible ‘ah hah’ moments. The live stream courses are convenient and offer recordings, but in my opinion, nothing could have beat this in-person experience! 

-Jennifer Smart

Seeking a full time Licensed Physical Therapist in Omaha, NE. 

Restore Physical Therapy is currently looking for a full time Licensed Physical Therapist in a Postural Restoration Certified Clinic in Omaha, NE.  The clinic’s patient’s base is extremely diverse. We currently have two PT’s and a PTA on staff and are looking to add to this cohesive group.  This candidate must be driven and willing to pursue a rewarding career treating patients through PRI principles while working with a great group of professionals.  A graduate degree is required,  the clinic will provide PRI training for the chosen candidate.

Contact Restore Physical Therapy for more information!

402-933-7272

We had a fantastic panel of speakers for this years Annual Interdisciplinary Studies Summit and are looking forward to the same level of presentations next spring!

Abstracts are due in 2 weeks on July 15th!

Consider sharing your passion incorporating PRI into you or your clients lives with the PRI community as a whole!

Can’t wait to hear what YOU have to share!

Submit an Abstract HERE!

It was such a pleasure presenting this course material to a European audience! These attendees, with their strong interest in PRI and numerous questions across all four days, made the Postural Respiration and Cervical Revolution courses as interactive as ever! Questions mainly concerned the clinical application of course concepts related to the human species’s asymmetrical body and the impact on nervous system processing to produce desirable (and undesirable) movement. Attendees shared their clinical perspectives, providing a collaborative vibe and ancillary information that deepened our understanding of course concepts. And what a diverse set of perspectives we had, from osteopaths, physicians, chiropractors, physiotherapists, to a hand specialist, speech and language pathologist, pelvic floor specialist, yoga and massage therapists, sport scientists, personal trainers, … and Simon Holmlund, who is leaving the field of IT to pursue a degree in physiotherapy.

Postural Respiration was presented the first weekend. We guided our “patients” to a left diaphragm ZOA, via non-manual and manual techniques, to direct air flow into regions previously closed off in the thorax. Doing so enables our center of mass to alternate from the left side of our body to the right and back again during upright movements. Considerable time was spent discussing the meaning behind the objective tests, guiding clinical decision-making using our treatment algorithm, and learning how to coach the techniques.

In the interim week, my husband, Bruce, and I took in the sights of Munich, including a basketball game at the German National Championships, and decompressed with runs through the English Garden, hikes in the Bavarian Alps, and quite a few pints of German lagers.

Next up was Cervical Revolution, which introduces a chain of muscles, the TMCC. This chain on the right side teams up with the familiar chains, the L AIC, PEC, and R BC, to hold us in the right hemisphere. We thread concepts of Myokinematics, Pelvis Restoration, and Postural Respiration into the discussion of the neck (on the left and right) and cranial positions (the left and right spheno-basilar synchondrosis and articulations between the spheno-temporal, spheno-maxillary, and occipital-temporal bones). We discover additional “floors” – beyond what’s under our heels – that have a profound impact on movement: namely the left and right OA articulation and the left and right occlusion. The
language of the brain, frequencies, are produced by the alternating compression of these floors.

Thank you to all who stepped up to act as patient models for tests and techniques: In Postural Respiration: Courtney Fearon, Victor Grunack, Kelly Hudson, Justin Lam, Lucas Peter, Andi Roessler, Roman Steinweg, and Sean Yau. In Cervical Revolution: Julia Felber, Andi Roessler, Seana Ryle, Pauline Staneker, and Max Wolter.

A huge thank you to Timas Peteraitis, Physiotherapist and PRC, who was an enormous help during lab and who added to class discussions. Timas, you are a natural educator. I wish you well on your path to teaching at the University level. Finally, thank you to our hosts at the beautiful Lindebergs Academy: Regina Frank, Lorenz, and Daniel Mueller. The PRI faculty have enjoyed your hospitality through the years, and we look forward to the continuing collaboration to spread the science of PRI!

– Louise Kelley

In collaboration with the AAPMD, Jennifer Smart, PT, DPT  will be presenting this Free Webinar on June 19th, from 9:00 – 10:00 PM EDT

The Autonomic Nervous System, and especially how it integrates with the Central Nervous System, can be a daunting topic. This conceptual presentation, based extensively on current research, is designed to give a clinically applicable overview so that all attendees, whether dentists, movement specialists or clients, gain an understanding of:

• What tensegrity means and the interoceptive role it plays in autonomic variability
• How upright humans can use phases of respiration to “tune” their autonomic state
• How functional “over tuning” (hyperinflation) may contribute to convergence (or lack of alternating lateralization in the mouth, in the body and in the brain).

Register Here:

https://aapmd.org/event/air-flow-and-autonomics-using-respiration-to-tune-our-iinteroceptive-sensejennifer-smart-dpt-prc

We are excited to introduce and congratulate the Postural Restoration Trained™ (PRT) Class of 2024! PRT is the result of completing multiple advanced PRI courses, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the science through completion of the PRT application, and successfully participating in practical and analytical testing. This past weekend, four professionals earned the designation of Postural Restoration Trained™ (PRT) under the direction of Ron Hruska and Jennifer Platt. This year, we were honored to have Colby Mamigonian, CSCS, PRT, assist with the testing process.

The Postural Restoration Institute® established this credentialing process in 2011 as a way to recognize and identify individuals with advanced training, extraordinary interest and devotion to the science of postural adaptations, asymmetrical patterns and the influence of polyarticular chains of muscles on the human body as defined by the Postural Restoration Institute®. The PRT credential is available to Certified Athletic Trainers, Certified Athletic Therapists, Exercise Physiologists, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists, and Certified Special Population Specialists, who have completed the course requirements, application and testing process. With the addition of this class, there are now 72 PRT professionals throughout the U.S and Internationally.

To view/download the photos, click here.

Back Row (L to R): Michael Zhao and Colby Mamigonian
Front Row (L to R): Ron Hruska, Eric Phillips, Kasia Galica, Karla Hollan, Jennifer Platt