I’m thrilled to joining the team of bloggers for the APTA Health Policy & Administration Technology Special Interest Group. Today, I published my first post on the APTA Tech SIG’s blog – the first in a series I’ll be writing about Twitter in society and health care. Here’s an excerpt: “There is no doubt that…
Tag: physical therapy
On walking (and why you won’t see a physical therapist’s kid using a baby walker)
As my youngest son is just starting to stand on his own, cruise along the coffee table, and walk with a push toy on his own, I have been reminded once again how amazing and significant learning to walk really is. As a physical therapist, one of the most common questions parents ask me is,…
APTA House of Delegates kicks off the 2013 session
The APTA House of Delegates kicked off its 2013 session tonight in Salt Lake City, Utah. Tonight’s House activities consisted primarily of introductory remarks, elections, and some logistical/procedural items to get us ready to dig into House business first thing tomorrow morning. Here’s a quick recap and a few things you need to know: All…
What do babies do in the first year? A lot!
During the spring semester, I get to introduce second-year DPT students to “normal” motor development as part of their Control of Human Movement course. I created this 5-minute video (starring my three boys: Max, Charlie, and Bobby) for my students as a quick review of motor milestones in the first year. As I note in…
Swaddling your newborn
Created using The Keep Calm-o-matic: https://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-swaddle-on-3/ As many new parents will tell you, swaddling can mean the difference between a happy, rested baby and cranky, sleepless nights. In fact, one of my favorite parenting books – The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp – lists swaddling as one of the “5 S’s” to…
Primitive reflexes (or, cool party tricks you can do with your newborn)
I’ve taken a several-month hiatus from blogging, but with good reason. In December, I welcomed this little guy to my family. Look at those cheeks! The fatigue of late pregnancy and the early newborn weeks – combined with a busy work schedule, my two older boys and husband, and a host of other “real-life” obligations…
Kids and football – my thoughts as a physical therapist and a Mom
Creative-commons licensed photo by Flickr user stuseeger Yesterday, the medical journal Neurology published a study suggesting that professional football players are 4 times more likely to die from the Alzheimer’s disease and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) than the general population. This is just the most recent addition to a growing body of evidence linking football to neurodegenerative…
More trouble for Bumbo
Approximately 4 million Bumbo Baby Seats have been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in response to reports of injuries – including skull fractures – in babies who wiggle out of the popular (and controversial) infant seat. The recall provides Bumbo seat owners with a free repair kit including a restraint belt, a new warning…
#WhyIChosePT
This year, we added social media communication as a professional competency in our Doctor of Physical Therapy curriculum. During their 5-week Professional Interactions course, our first-year students were required to complete a number of assignments on the social media sites Twitter and LinkedIn. For their last Twitter assignment, students were asked to reflect upon their choice of…
Social media & physical therapy: a look back on the 2012 House of Delegates and RC 23
My view from the floor of the APTA House of Delegates Earlier this month, I attended my very first session of the American Physical Therapy Association’s House of Delegates. There were a couple of large issues – namely governance review and what is now known as Physical Therapist Responsibility and Accountability for the Delivery of Care (formerly…