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Agilus Health is seeking a Phyisical Therapist for IMMEDIATE HIRE!

Join our rapidly growing Clinic in Alexandria, Louisiana. We are currently looking to quickly hire a Full-Time Licensed Physical Therapist for our Alexandria location. 

If are a PT who likes to solve problems and have and have a genuine love for seeing people happy because of your ROCKSTAR skills, then you are just what we’re looking for! 

Requirements:

• Must posses the ability to work in and attribute to an overly happy, positive environment
• Must be patient, professional, and able to transform people’s lives with a smile on your face
• You must be a fully licensed in Physical Therapy
• Have an outgoing and friendly personality. (Stiff lipped and overly formal PTs are not who we are here at Agilus)

If you found yourself associating all of the above with the Physical Therapist that you are, then we want you ASAP!

Contact us if you’re interested in joing our Agilus Family:

Oday Lavergne, CEO, PT

W: (318) 443-5278

C: (318) 729-6200

olavergne@agilushealth.com

www.agilushealth.com

The spacious auditorium of St. Luke’s Hospital was the weekend home for 44 course attendees. The science of PRI continues to expand its reach to professionals from a variety of disciplines (PT, OT, PA, DC, PTA, ATC, and CSCS), with the lively Marquette University training staff well-represented.

This course dives right into discussion of our asymmetric diaphragm, creating lateralized patterns of air flow and obligatory patterns of movement, defined as the L AIC, and R BC. Attendees learned: the correlation between PRI tests and a person’s ventilatory – thus walking – strategy; how to identify joint pathology that can develop when the typical human patterns of the L AIC and R BC go awry; and how to identify pathological breathing strategies that develop from patterned position and activity – namely superior T4 and PEC syndromes.

Lab provided a kinesthetic and aural dimension to assessing activity of the left and right AIC, BC, and PEC, the quality of ventilation, and the degree of rib cage pliability/restriction. Our rib cages benefited from manual guidance to fully exhale and expand. Further lab was devoted to experiencing non-manual techniques that reinforce sensing of opposition muscles that shape the left diaphragm’s ZOA and shift our center of mass to the left while rotating the upper torso back to the right.

Special thanks to:

– The models who donated their bodies for the benefit of all: Cathy Curran, DPT, Audra Hawkins, PTA, Elizabeth Majszak, DPT, Steve Schmidt, DPT, and Brandon Yoder, ATC. ,

– Mary Jo Herrick and Selene Wang, DPT, of Aurora Healthcare, for the set-up, break-down, and keeping us hydrated and fed.

– Gabe Champeau, DPT, and Anita Panagiotis, MSPT, PRC for assisting during labs and sharing your clinical pearls.

The Cantrell Center for Physical Therapy, Sports Medicine, & Wellness is NOW HIRING!

We’re proud to have served Middle Georgia and the community at large for over twenty-five years, as an independently owned clinic and wellness facility.  We are a collaborative environment, where patient care is paramount and each team member’s gifts and experiences blend to create an atmosphere of integrity and encouragement. As part of our team, you will work side-by-side with like-minded and dedicated colleagues, while enjoying the opportunity to build your own career.  Located in Warner Robins, Georgia, the Cantrell Center is positioned in the Middle of the state!  Just a quick drive to Atlanta or the beach, Warner Robins offers convenience to any interest without the crime rate and elevated costs of a larger city.  Visit the website of the Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce for more information about the city of Warner Robins.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR:  

• Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
• Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA)

Here’s why professionals like Cindy and Erin has been with the Cantrell Center for over a decade…

• Cantrell Center clinicians work in a facility where their knowledge and skills are valued
• Cantrell Center clinicians possess a personal drive and desire for excellence
• Cantrell offers a unique mentorship program

Why settle for less than this in your career? 

DPTs & PTAs:  If this describes who you want to be, please contact:

Mary Oakley, PT, CHT
vpop@cantrellcenter.com
478.953.3535

Hear it straight from the Cantrell Center Team:

"21 years ago, I recognized that this company was like no other and latched onto it. The focus was on providing each and every client with the highest quality physical therapy experience available. Period.  The second focus was on treating employees like family. Period. These very basic premises have not changed. This living, breathing entity called The Cantrell Center is like no other." – Mary Oakley, PT, CHT

"Not many people can say that they’ve been with a company longer than they’ve been married.  Or that their boss helped welcome the both of their kids (age 12 & 7).  I seriously have the best bosses ever.  And my co-workers are just icing on the cake.  I couldn’t imagine my life without the Cantrell Center in it!" – Erin Bennett, PTA

"What initially drew me to the Cantrell Center was the small, intimate setting, and the fact that my classmate and friend, Erin Bennett, had already been hired earlier in the year.  I am so happy to work alongside my best friend and others who I can happily call my friends and family." – Cindy Rice, PTA, PRC

"After working at PT practices in 5 different states, I interviewed at the Cantrell Center and knew I had found a PT home. The camaraderie among the staff and the outstanding patient clientele sold me on the Cantrell Center. I’ve been here 14 years and have not once wanted to work anywhere else. There really is a Cantrell difference." – Lola Rosenbaum, DPT

"I have worked at the Cantrell Center longer than any other facility in my 30+ year career.  I have no desire to work anywhere else.  This is home!  I feel it is the people here at the clinic that make this place special, both staff and patients/clients.  The enthusiasm and friendliness of our Wellness clients and patients is up lifting.  The staff and their genuine care for others – coworkers, patients and clients, keeps me here.  I also enjoy the opportunity to continually learn and become a better therapist and the emphasis on quality care that is encouraged here." – Linda Bratcher, MPT  

"I initially chose to work at the Cantrell Center because I knew that when people asked me where I was working right out of school that I would be proud to say that I worked at the Cantrell Center over any other facility in the area. Eight years later, I feel the same way. I love providing quality PT to wonderful patients and working alongside amazing coworkers. The Cantrell Center is like a second family to me, and I can’t imagine working anywhere else." – Jamie Lochner, DPT, PRC

For information about the Cantrell Center, please visit us on: Facebook and Instagram.

In March, Ron Hruska participated in a live video webinar for the American Academy of Physiological Medicine & Dentistry (AAPMD), titled “Which Side Are You On? The Cervical Revolution.” If you were unable to join the live webinar, you can now get access to this one hour video via the AAPMD webinar library, as well as many other interdisciplinary webinars on the topics of airway management, sleep, myofunctional therapy, among others. If you are interested in viewing multiple webinars in the AAPDM webinar library, becoming a member of the AAMPD will be well worth the price. Otherwise, a single webinar can be purchased for $35.00.

Over the past several months we were given the opportunity to get to know Ron and Gabe Adams as we prepared for their visit to Lincoln, and eventual presentation at the 10^th Annual Interdisciplinary Integration Symposium. To be completely honest it is difficult to put into words the effect that our time together had on not only the Staff here at the Institute, but also our course attendees and family and friends who were able to hear Gabe’s Story.

Gabe was born in Brazil with Hanhart Syndrome, leaving him with no arms or legs. The Adams family, residing in St. George Utah were not currently looking to add another family member as Janelle Adams was expecting her 11^th child at the time, however after hearing about Gabe it was impossible for them to stop thinking about him. He is now a 19 year old young man, and is one of thirteen children raised by the Adams’. He is entirely independent in his daily life, but the journey from where he began to where he is now is full of falls and failures, that ultimately made him who he is today.

The focus of this year’s symposium of ‘Postural Restriction’ provided a great foundation for Gabe’s presentation, as he has overcome restriction every day for 19 years. Having both Gabe and his father Ron present, allowed us to hear both their perspectives of how Gabe was raised and how he overcame his struggles. Gabe’s Mom & Dad believed that in order for Gabe to ever be fully independent as an adult he had to become fully independent as a child. For Gabe the only way this was going to happen, was by failing, repeatedly, over and over again. He was restricted by literally every single task that you and I take for granted and he learned to do them all. Most of us would have likely given up. Maybe not right away but eventually. Instead Ron and Gabe and the entire Adams Family, embraced them. The struggles changed from day to day but one thing remained the same. He never stopped smiling.

During his presentation, he had the entire room smiling as well. Besides showing us how he performs everyday tasks, such as dressing himself, brushing his teeth, combing his hair etc. he broke out into a dance routine which none of us would ever succeed at! Dance is a big part of Gabe’s life and allowed Gabe to prove to himself and the community that not only could he do it, but he could do it well! Gabe was on his high schools dance team for several seasons, and continues to enjoy it into his adult life.

Gabe’s 19 year journey of overcoming obstacles is profound, and we can never understand the trials and tribulations that he has gone through, but the most exciting thing about Gabe is what’s yet to come. It is easy to focus on how he has gotten to where he is today, but his plans for the future are just as bright. Gabe has a strong desire to one day be able to drive, allowing him to become fully self-sufficient and mobile. His motivational speaking has taken off since graduating high school and he plans to continue sharing his story as opportunities arise. Gabe also dreams of becoming an interior designer and would love to create and design personal spaces for others.

It was a tremendous honor to get to know Gabe and Ron, and as we got to know them it became very clear that Gabe is perhaps the most un-restricted 19 year old we know.  Often many of the problems that your patients or clients may have, stem from their extremities. The in-ability to sense and successfully manage these extremities often leads to further issues. For Gabe, none of that is a problem. Although he has the same dominant patterns as you and I, he was forced from birth to learn to manage them and in some cases use them to perform everyday tasks. Gabe has plenty to manage throughout his day, but without extremities in his way his future is truly “Limibitless”.

(Gabe showing the group how he writes)

(Course attendees trying to write like Gabe)

It has been a couple weeks now since we wrapped up our 10^th Annual Interdisciplinary Integration Symposium, but we are all still boasting with excitement over the two days that we had on April 19-20^th! It was such a pleasure to host Matt Wallden and Phillip Beach, Osteopaths from across the pond who were our keynote speakers this year. Their clinical and educational backgrounds allowed them to expand on topics of tissue restriction, evolutionary and development factors, archetypal postures, and contractile fields relating to the symposium’s overall topic of “Postural Restriction”. Jacqueline Shakar blended her extensive clinical experience in assessment and treatment of the foot and ankle, with different methodologies, including PRI, Graston Technique, SFMA, and others, giving us all further appreciation of the role that the foot and ankle plays in restriction from the floor up and other areas of the body. Robert “Skip” George shared his personal journey as a chiropractor, the restrictions encountered within his profession and also some of the common clinical restrictions that occur in the cervical spine. Heidi Wise opened our eyes further to the role that extraocular muscles have on (or in response to) postural patterns, and possible restrictions that might occur with the EOMs. Pat Davidson took us through a fun journey reminding us how we have lost “authentic environments” that our ancestors thrived upon, and how this is influencing today’s healthcare and fitness industries. Ron Hruska got to further expand on chest wall restriction and the role of clavicle, hyoid and scapula position and alignment. His discussion on management of hyoid muscle ‘sling’ activity was brought to life with the ‘PRI Suprahyoid Sling Model’ that attendees received to help them further understand, and also educate their colleagues, patients or clients how mandibular and hyoid position/alignment influences suprahyoid muscle activity. And finally, it was an honor to have Gabe Adams speak, dance, and answer questions for our attendees on Thursday evening. His story (along with his father Ron) was more than inspiring, and reminded all of us that the thorax runs the show. With ribcage and thorax movement, you can walk, dance, and live life to its fullest!

While we are still boasting in excitement two weeks later, we are even more excited to be working on next year’s Interdisciplinary Integration Symposium topic and speakers. Save the date for April 11-12, 2019, and stay tuned for the topic and speaker announcements in the coming months!

Hey PRI Nation!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of enjoying teaching Myokinematic Restoration at Indiana State University. Cody Inskeep, ATC who I met originally at a Pelvis Course in Seattle invited PRI back to his stomping grounds in Indiana, and I am very glad he did! This weekend’s course was one involving learning on all fronts. We learned about muscles that move an acetabulum over a femur on one side compared to the other in the femoro-acetabular-ilio-sacro-pubic ring of bones and joints that affect position, balance normal asymmetry and allow us to optimize our gait and respiration. We touched on the fact that integration will involve muscular control of this pelvic ring to control both acetabulum and femur, what muscles in what position will assist in this venture, and toward the end of lab and lecture we discussed what we might consider learning if patients still have residual components of symptoms after acetabulo-femoral and femoral-acetabular lateralized control is established. This group was motivated and dynamic, attending for as many reasons as there were clinicians. Thanks Aaron Ford, DC and Canaan McClure for your story about why you attended your first course–a reference to PRI in a book by author Kate Bowler who noted PRI was the reason she could now fully function after a long span of ADL limitation, avoiding scheduled bilateral first rib removal. Thank you Sharon Wellbrook, DC and Tim Demchak, ATC for taking a weekend to learn principles of PRI that you can reference and teach your students in your respective learning institutions. Thank you Denny Wongosari, ATC, LMT among others for coming to learning functional strategies to allow your athletes to better perform. It was my pleasure working with all of these movement professionals as we worked to integrate Myokinematic tests, clinical reasoning and treatment strategies into their respective practices. Thank you Robert Pawlak for recognizing and initiating PRI science into your soon-to-be Orthopedic Surgery practice. Each of your stories encouraged this clinician-first faculty member with regard to the future of integrated medicine. Bravo!

 Thoroughly enjoyed lab sessions where Kelly (Kelly) Brock, DAT, LAT, ATC, Tim "The Beautiful Mess" Demchack, ATC, Wendy "PS I Love You" Schmidt, OT, former SD native Cara "Caragami" Lemon, ATC, among multiple others helped me demonstrate, nonmanual and manual techniques as well as theoretical principles to the class.

As a bonus this weekend, I got to visit the statue devoted of one of the greatest basketball players to put on short shorts–Larry Bird. The statue commemorates the 1979 ISU team that faced Magic Johnson’s MSU for the national championship game and was soul food for this old baller. Also interestingly, I learned that Larry played one game of college baseball that year in an effort to increase attendance at ISU’s baseball games–and it worked, of course. Thanks again Cody for your time, energy and for your insightful insider information on ISU history and thanks to each participant for making this course a blast!

This past weekend I had the pleasure to present Postural Respiration to a diverse mix of new attendees and "veterans" of PRI at Pro Sport in Redmond, WA. I would rename this weekend "Superior T-4 Syndrome in Seattle" considering how many course attendees presented with this patho-mechanical respiratory compensation and asked so many questions about patho-mechanical rib kinematics as it relates to this subject! We had an opportunity to demonstrate in front of class at least four students that looked like they could possibly be patho-mechanical in terms of their respiration and body type.

One take away is you may suspect a positional issue but always test and retest. Two of the students demonstrated the definitive assessment of decreased left apical expansion after a Superior T-4 manual technique. Superior T-4 came up during discussion on Saturday and was a topic that came up often during the entire weekend on how to define, assess and then treat it both manually and non-manually. One of the students that had non-manual techniques provided experienced the left side of her body in a way that she expressed with an enthusiastic smile and a new place that she could feel and find in her body! In addition, she felt a bit "unstable" when she first started walking and liked it! Welcome to variability! She not only found neutral, but she experienced transitioning right to left side and back again, alternating and reciprocating, lateralizing and realizing what tri-planer position, gait and breathing is all about. What a lesson for all to see, experience and what it means to reduce the reliance on end-ranges driven by asymmetries, respiration and patterns driven by neurology!

The enthusiasm and new awareness of Superior T-4, especially for students new to PRI, was totally fun for all involved including this instructor! Thank you PRI dedicated veterans Erin Rajca and Michael Ball, both PT’s and PRC’s, for their help and knowledge.

This course was a joy for all with them in attendance providing energy, experience and caring. Thank you Cory and Amanda for hosting at PRO SPORT and all of your hard work! And shout out to all of the students in attendance for your most outstanding questions and persistence in wanting to understand PRI principles especially regarding Superior T-4.

Saranac Lake, NY, was the site of the most recent Myokinematic Restoration class, and it was a very eventful class for a variety of reasons. One of them was the 4-6 inches that fell Sunday during the course. It was a very beautiful scene, until you realized it was April 29th.

More importantly, it was a course where we had the opportunity for as much, if not more, lab time compared to any course I have taught previously. We were fortunate to have two experienced and great lab assistants, Michelin Carroll, PT, ATC, and Sean Fitzgerald, PT, PRC. They have been in and around PRI for a long time, and having them help in lab was invaluable. My thanks to them!

We were able to delve into the differences between normal mechanics the L AIC pattern presents, as well as normal and pathological compensations that will arise. This led us into the polyarticular behavior the muscles of the pelvis and femur have on each leg as a result of the L AIC pattern. We were fortunate to have a lot of time to practice the positional assessments, as well as discuss what the positional tests indicate.

The value of the Hruska Abduction and Adduction Lift tests relative to the gait cycle and respiratory cycle was a significant topic of conversation and lab. We were fortunate to have two very good demonstrations with Matt Powers and Brendon Olsen. Matt gave us a good example of how to reposition someone who is in a L AIC pattern. And Brendon gave us a great example of how to get someone who is in a PEC pattern, and help them become inhibited enough to turn into a L AIC pattern.

My thanks to Shauna Thomas for helping us link the L AIC pattern to what she is seeing in her womens’ health population; Megan Haught for her great questions and re-states; co-workers Bill Doherty and Linda Horizny for their enthusiasm in learning this new material; and Hilary O’Connor, who is a student physical therapist attending this course.

We all need a little more "Bruce Wayne" and a little less "Batman," and we need to make sure we have the proper "boy band" in our lives!

I can’t begin to explain how much fun I had teaching this past weekend, for many reasons. One of the main reasons is the site host this past weekend was one of my very good friends, Suzie Maciel. Suzie and I went to PT school together, and we have been great friends ever since. She is responsible for PRI coming to Sacramento, as well as the success of our class this weekend. We had some IT issues, and Suzie was a real hero. My eternal gratitude, my friend!

We had a ton of great questions that helped us keep focused on our progression from normal mechanics to pathological mechanics. We were fortunate to have a very diverse class of rehab and strength professionals. It is both refreshing and exciting to have so many first-timers to the science of PRI. To have the privilege of introducing PRI to health care professionals, and sharing the ride with those eager to learn, is so enjoyable.

Our weekend started with a mechanical discussion and progressed to how patterned mechanics dictate muscular performance. We also discussed how we need to keep our muscles in the proper "Boy Band." There are times to be "Batman," and times to be Bruce Wayne. We discussed why the neuromechanics of patterned behavior leads to compensation, and how some compensation is expected, and others lead to pathology.

We were fortunate to have plenty of lab and demonstration time. My thanks to Dade Donovan, DC, for being our model for our repositioning demonstration. He has a classic L AIC presentation, and was the optimal model for our learning. , Additionally, Cole Hughlett, DPT, provided us the opportunity to learn how his testing revealed differing results when compared to Dade. We also had a great introduction to the Hruska Adduction and Abduction Lift tests, as well as how they are linked to the gait cycle. Which lead us into our discussion of how the hamstring is the gate keeper of the gait cycle. Susie Buchanan was a great model for us to learn and see how underlying every PEC is a L AIC.

My thanks to Robert "Pete" Lucente for his awesome and timely questions. Melissa Stahl, Teresa Wooden, Tim King, Joel, Smith, and Andrew Hughey kept us honest during lecture, and asked insightful questions during lab. And a huge thank you to Caleb Chiu, CSCS, PRT, for his help during the weekend. He is a fantastic lab assistant, and was invaluable in adding important points of discussion that needed to be clarified or emphasized more. An additional thank you to Taylor Lewis, MA CSCS, PRT, RKC II for his help during our labs. Having two certified individuals in the course really helped the course run smoothly and allow the first timers more access to how to apply the science of PRI from two very experienced practitioners.

Fortius Sport and Health in Vancouver is not only a world class Mecca for athletes wanting to perform at the highest level and for patients recovering from an injury, but it is also a practitioners dream location for a progressive, state-of-the-art, and integrative environment to work in and hone their professional skills. Fortius was developed as an enormous community based sport rehab and facility in the suburb of Burnaby, near Vancouver, that includes several ice rinks, grass fields for field sports and a world class weight training facility including basketball courts and therapy pools. There is a vision center for concussion rehabilitation. Physical therapists, chiropractors, athletic trainers and sport performance specialists all work in an environment that is focused on mutual respect and collaboration to provide the very best in athlete/patient outcomes. Regular meetings are scheduled with all practitioners to discuss cases including having medical consultations available for athletes. This group of practitioners that attended, many of which were from Fortius, had their first introduction to PRI this weekend. One husband and wife team from the US had taken Postural Respiration through a home study course and loved it so much that they opened up their new clinic based on breathing and respiration principles. This was their first live course for Postural and having a hands-on experience was invaluable from their response. Jon Rowe, CSCS, PRT is the only PRT/PRC in Canada and drove 4 hours through the mountains to assist this weekend from a town called Kelowna. Jon is a quiet force and by Sunday was providing an amazing amount of insight and help to new students. Some of the questions that came up included what does PRI teach in terms of breathing? Well, let’s just start with an ability to exhale fully and pause before taking a full breath in. Combine that with a new neurologic and bio-mechanical re-position or non-manual technique and now unlocking the secrets to a balanced bi-lateral human being is possible. It seems simple to veterans of PRI that if you hope to master breathing, you must see for starters that a left hamstring, glute, IO/TA’s are needed to create a left (and right) ZOA of a diaphragm. All the breathing techniques in the world aren’t going to re-position, re-train or restore function and performance without this basic building block. This one concept was reinforced though out the weekend. Many thanks to Ryan Murray, DPT and Erik Torchia, DPT for hosting this weekend in such a beautiful facility, city and country.