News

I enjoyed teaching Myokinematics of the Hip and Pelvis last weekend in Asheville, NC! This was a special weekend as I was able to take Mr. Jen Poulin aka Chris with me to help! It has been awhile since we were able to travel and teach together. We were joined by Josh Owen, ATC, PRT. It was great to meet Josh and have him help with the labs.

This course was hosted by the fun energetic group of clinicians from the Charles George VA Hospital. Tammy, Doug, Amy, Monica to name just a few of the staff, made us feel welcome.

Most of the class were taking their first PRI course! I always enjoy this class as it really hits home the fundamental concepts of AF and FA position and common compensations. We all appreciate the importance of respiration as it relates to stabilization of a pattern. This course really helps the course participant understand how respiration and gait are so interconnected. Concepts of swing vs. stance, AFIR, AFER and soft tissue compensations were understood as it relates to position, pattern and performance. I had so much fun teaching this past weekend! I can’t wait to come back!

I will get a few weeks off and look forward to heading up to Worcester, Mass on Oct. 13-14th to teach this awesome course again!

Thanks for everyone’s prayers for NC. Hurricane Florence left her mark, but we are Carolina Strong!

Regardless if you are a patient, a course attendee, a guest lecturer, or going there for consultation, when you enter the doors of The Cantrell Center for Physical Therapy, Sports Medicine and Wellness, you are family. The entire staff were engaging and enlightening.  All of the course attendees accommodated my needs to embed the center of our orientation, the orientation for autonomics, and the conduit of zones, i.e.  the foramen  magnum and the vertebral foramen of the atlas, in organized tri-planar revolving movement. They helped me teach future attendees that will appreciate the needs to embrace laterality, asymmetry and sensory integration for cervical function. The content of this course reflected the attendees willingness to consider the reasoning for the neck to revolve, as well as the reasoning to restore appropriate universal tension provided or placed on the neck and its contents. There was a wonderful example of a left Side Bend positioned cranium in class that was so willing to allow me to demonstrate re-positioning and re-patterning techniques with it. Courtney Stearn DPT owns this cranium and she and her cranium, cervical spine and cortex were anatomical gifts to all of us.  Her personality and behavior made the first day a complete day of enjoyment and learning. Thank you Courtney! Sitting to the right of Courtney was Amy Brown DPT who owned a cranium and neck that reflected right torsion through the sphenoid. She also contributed so much to the second day by allowing me to discuss her testing outcomes and her technique demonstration.  She could not have been in a better place or in a better time for this presenter.  Thank you Amy, we are all grateful for your attendance and willingness to share your head and neck.   

Course participation, by everyone, and I mean everyone, was awesome.  So thank you for making this weekend a very special one for me.   I can still see and hear Tassie Cantrell PT putting out strawberries and blueberries, putting furniture away afterwards, smiling ALL the time and answering questions on when she and her facility will be putting on another PRI course, and asking questions about O on A and A on O.

Lola Rosenbaum DPT thank you for being my “sphenoid” and Leah Whipple DPT thank you for being my “shift”.  And finally, Skip George DC, PRC, thanks for being there, and mentoring me, and guiding me, and listening to me, and assisting me, and putting up with my metaphoric satire, and for loving me.  

We are excited to announce the very first "Travel with PRI" European Tour, following our Impingement & Instability course in Munich, Germany next September! Don’t miss the opportunity to not only travel with Ron Hruska, but also other PRI colleagues and friends to Germany, Czech Republic, and Austria. This 10 day tour will begin in Munich following the Impingement & Instability course (September 14-15, 2019).

Highlights of the tour include:

• Travel from Munich to the Bohemian Czech village of Český Krumlov situated on the banks of the Vltava River.
• Next its on to Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. It avoided major destruction in WW II and is now much like a living museum.
• Travel south to Salzburg, birth city of Mozart and also admired as the film location of the “Sound of Music.”
• Journey to Olympic Innsbruck for a stay in the heart of the Tyrol. The city is surround by the majestic Alps.
• Conclude the tour in Munich as you sample the festive Octoberfest!

This tour is limited to the first 50 registrants, and will require a minimum of 25 passengers registered by March 1, 2019 to be confirmed. To view the daily trip itinerary, along with pricing, CLICK HERE. Please contact tour coordinator Joan Hanson, MPT, PRC, CFC, DPT if you have any questions. We are very excited about this opportunity and would like to thank Joan for suggesting this fun idea. Now, who wants to travel with PRI on this amazing trip?!

I had a great time last weekend teaching Pelvis Restoration in Newton, MA. I had not taught a class since last year! It was great being able to spend more time with my daughter Madison before we sent her off to college. Yes, the rumors are all true, she is a Freshman at the University of Vermont! My alma mater! I guess you can take the girl out of VT, but she can always go back! So now it was time for me to get back to #PRINation and share my "pearls" of PRI wisdom. The class was a nice mix of new clinicians to PRI and some that were looking to refine their PRI interventions and concepts. Pelvis Restoration is one of the three intro courses that allows a more integrated discussion of respiration as it relates to the Pelvis and frontal plane control. This course is so much fun to teach! Pelvis allows the clinician to explore how a "Laga Gaga" Born this Way chain can cause our "inner Beyonce" to come out as we learn to stabilize left stance. Thanks so much to Donna Behr for being an amazing host and Anita Furbush, PRC for coming to help me during lab. Since then, I have been busy getting ready for the impending Hurricane. Please pray for the Carolinas as we prepare for Hurricane Florence to hit our sweet states.

Ron Hruska is excited to be presenting at the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM) Convention next month in Charlotte, NC!

His 3 hour presentation is titled "Orofacial Myological Disorders (OMD) Relationship to Postural Asymmetry". The interdisciplinary convention is October 5-7th at the Embassy Suites Charlotte Uptown.

To learn more about this year’s IAOM Convention, Ron’s presentation and the other interdisciplinary speakers, CLICK HERE!

Providence, RI, one of the oldest cities in the U.S., is home to University Orthopedics. This PT clinic is GOAT, with large windows and water views on three sides, providing a parasympathetic balance to the focused attention on the impact of human asymmetry. It was wonderful to have professionals from different backgrounds (PT, PTA, ATC, CSCS, LMT) and skill sets come together to consider the profound impact of the diaphragm and rib cage on our movement. Following the discussion on the differences between optimal and sub-optimal breathing patterns, one attendee revealed that this was the first time in her life that she was able to inflate a balloon😊. The smaller-than-typical group size allowed for more one-on-one time in lab, ensuring attendees’ proficiency at carrying out objective tests and non-manual and manual techniques. Thank you to our models (Daniel Anthony, ATC; Kerri-Lynn Francis, LMT; Landa Pappas, PTA; Damion Perry, BS, CSCS; Joseph Robinson, ATC; and Maurice Sicard, ATC) and our reader, Stacey Brennan, MT, PTA – you greatly enhanced our understanding of course concepts. A huge thank you to our hosts at University Orthopedics (Dan Bien, PT, OCS, CSCS; Stacy Faiola, PT, CSCS; Kevin Mahoney, DPT, ATC; Dave Pezzullo, MS, PT, SCS, ATC; and Ed Wojciechowski, PT) for all of the work you put forth to provide a fantastic learning environment!

A huge shout out to Amy Goddard from Goddard Orthopedic and Sports Therapy for hosting Pelvis Restoration this past weekend in Dallas, TX. You are simply awesome. Thank you for everything from room set-up, food, organizing a dinner out Saturday, lab assisting, and your passion for PRI. Half of the class was attending their first PRI course and the attendees varied from Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, Athletic Trainers and Personal Trainers. The intellect in this group was amazing from seasoned PRI practitioners collaborating with their peers to assist them on their journey with PRI. This course "goes into the weeds" with AFIR/AFER tri-planar positioning of the pelvic inlet and outlet. If patients don’t have correct facilitation and inhibition on the left and right sides for gait, they will struggle with FAIR/FAER and trunk rotation with compensation thru the neck and ankle. It was a great weekend with colleagues who have a desire to learn and are open minded to the complexities of the human body. Thank you to this class for a wonderful weekend. On a personal note, mixing my passion to teach with a quick trip to Waco, TX with my sister to take in the Magnolia Market from the show Fixer Upper. It was a great trip to Texas!!!

Just returned from a trip to the beautiful bay area in Oakland, with gracious hosts Tim Appleford and Naomi Schambelan at Lafayette Physical Therapy. Thank you so much Tim, Naomi and your team for working through unpredictable variables to allow what turned out to be a tremendous course!

From the start, this crowd of diverse movement scientists from a variety of professions proved they were dialed into the science of PRI and Pelvis Restoration. We had a series of great discussions regarding the theory, science and rationale for why frontal plane control of the inlet and outlet of the pelvis is important for integrating a triplanar system together and developing patterns to oppose one of three categories of patterns that often lead clients to us in our varied settings.

Our lab demonstration and interactive discussion about eight special tests to assess pelvis position and specific need for intervention was a joy for this instructor and for our ace lab assistant, Taylor Lewis. Sam Eisenberg, George Cuevas, Naomi Schambelan, Drew Yoder, Shuan Buchanan and Sura Choi among others were champs, helping with lab demonstrations of special tests and with demonstrations of how and when to utilize PRI techniques in designing individualized programs. I appreciated John Ursone, Marisa Gulizia and others for your on-point questions about PRI the science, particularly with regard to application. Thank you Robert “Luceeeente,” Crystal Palmer and really the whole gang for your senses of humor and keeping the positive flow throughout the course.

Thanks again Lafayette crew. This weekend was a celebration of learners and functional movement science—what a blast!

Diversity is a wonderful thing. So is variability. And we were blessed to have both in abundance last weekend in Norman, OK. We had a very diverse group of movement and rehab specialists, with expertise ranging from working with professional athletes to dancers to pelvic floor specialists.

Variability was in abundance as we discussed getting out of patterned neuromechanical behavior. In order to get out of the performance rut that the L AIC pattern puts some of us in, we need to have variability. As we delved into how to recognize normal mechanics, normal compensatory mechanics, and pathological compensatory mechanics as a result of the L AIC pattern, the need for variability started to become clear. Then we progressed into our muscular patterned behavior conversation as a result of the dominant L AIC pattern. Additionally, we discussed the muscular performance consequence of the L AIC pattern.

As we further discussed testing and repositioning, it became more and more clear that variability in position is the key. We were very fortunate to have a lot of lab time; as much or more lab time as any other course I’ve taught. It afforded us the opportunity to feel the effect our human asymmetry has on our position, as well as our muscular performance. As a result, our ability to be variable in our movement patterns became our clear goal.

Many thanks to Alicia Oberholzer and Dustin Rhoades for allowing us to use them as our models for demonstration purposes. It was a great pleasure to have everyone ask so many great questions. Stuart Nichols, Kim Callahan, Deb Clark, and Kathy Bonar were particularly helpful in keeping us on track, re-stating, and offering their insight into our deep dive into the necessity of movement variability and how to achieve it. As always, we need more "Bruce Wayne" and less "Batman" in our lives, and make sure you have the "Good Boy Band" working for you!

We are excited to introduce SYMBA! (Synchronized Movement of Bilateral Asymmetry) As many of you may be familiar with the Pelvis Models that are frequently utilized within the PRI community, you may also begin to see the use of our newest collaboration with the team at SAWBONES. This articulated Ribcage is fully functional in providing visual feedback to your patients or clients and allows many PRI concepts to be demonstrated. We have been working over the past several months to develop this model which allows movement in all three planes!

The photos Included below show some of the many prototypes that were created between our staff here at the Institute and the team of engineers at SAWBONES in Vashon, WA.

This image shows the initial prototype (Left) which quickly progressed to the smaller size.

Sizing and designing of this model required creating a new mold to achieve the desired dimensions which was made from a newly created resin that allows the model to bend and rotate. Initially the spinal column was in a solid state and a new mold and material was again designed to allow flexion and extension of the spine to occur. The team at SAWBONES is top notch and although many of these requirements were difficult to achieve they never gave up and continued designing until these outcomes were met.

SYMBA, is available now!

For more Information CLICK HERE.

To see all available Tri-Planar Models CLICK HERE

Engaging into discussions regarding right lateral superior and posterior inferior chest wall expansion is so rewarding when the engagers truly want to understand the reasoning behind the intent and the outcomes purpose.  Regardless how we feel about internal physiologic or physical movement of our anatomy, we all stay alive through compression and decompression.  This course reviews the neuro-mechanical patterns of basic diaphragmatic decompression, i.e. expansion, and corresponding direction of compressive forces, i.e. abdominals and body position.  Having 50 engaged class participants from seven different areas of study, allowed all of us to compress and decompress not only in the lab setting, but during questions and answer sessions, that were as valuable, in my opinion as the material in the power point and in the manual.    Joseph Turic DPT, Aleena Kanner ATC, NASM, Beth Lewis and many others in the lab setting were so helpful in expanding minds, behavior and concepts.  Navin Hettiarachchi ATC, Dip MT, MCMT, ATC, PRT, CSCS and Sean Light MS, RSCC, LMT, CS, PRT, as lab assistants,  expand anyone or everyone that gets close to them with their smiles alone.   It was so wonderful to have Gail Wetzler DPT, EDO, BI-D, a very prominent Barral Institute instructor,  in attendance.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to get to know her better.  We were scheduled last year to present in Puerto Rico at the AAPMD conference, before Maria hit.   Please read my tweet on how people like her expand my moral compass.

Finally, I want to thank all the wonderful people at Finish Line Physical Therapy.

They not only allow us to expand PRI in the New York City region, again,  but actually took part in expanding this course by reviewing their lab discoveries, and by expanding my stomach through feeding me the peanut butter filled pretzels!  These have become a Finish Line staple of expansion. Thank you.  

Ron