Posts by Dan Houglum

MSPT, ATC/L, PRC

Myokinematic Restoration - Minneapolis, MN - Course in Review

I grew up just 4 hours west of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, both of my parents are University of Minnesota grads, my aunt received her PT degree from U of M, and my mother is born and raised in St. Paul, so I am very familiar with the area. While not a true "home game" for me, I was in familiar surroundings.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul area has long been a hot-bed of PRI interest and practitioners. We had a great mix of professionals who were new to PRI, those who have taken a few PRI courses, and those who have been using the science of PRI for many years. We were very fortunate to have Karen Jiran as one of our lab assistants. Karen was in one of the very first PRC classes, so it was an honor to have her in the class and provide so many awesome answers and examples to the attendees. Our other lab assistant was Brent Albrecht, and he was in one of the very first PRT classes. We were very blessed to have two very experienced PRI practitioners to provide some great context during our discussions and labs.

Our exploration of joint mechanics, ranging from normal, to normal compensation, to abnormal pathological compensation, allowed us to move into the myokinematic discussion of performance based on position. We had great conversations about orthotics, footwear, diaphragm breathing, and how all of those things are directly linked to lumbo-pelvi-femoral mechanics. The value of having the correct "boy band", as well as the value of the hamstring during the gait cycle, were main concepts for our group discussions.

My thanks to Park Nicollet and the entire crew from that facility: Jerusha, Brigid, Laura, Deanne, Patricia, Joanna, Stephanie, and Shraddha. You all were fantastic and were great hosts, and had excellent questions. Thanks to Dr. Kris Zeller-Hack, Mary Spielman, OT, and Brain Kasel, PA-C for their attendance, questions, and interest in PRI. Jacob Talcott, Alissa Granholm, and Wendy Rader were our models during demonstrations, and my thanks to them for allowing us to learn from them. A huge thank you to Lisa Nelson, Tom Stork, Lizanne Pastore, Megan Gohlke, and Robyn Chip for their expert questions and restates, which helped everyone's learning process during the weekend.

Dan Houglum, MSPT, ATC/L, PRC

Posted March 7, 2018 at 7:39PM

Categories: Courses

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Myokinematic Restoration - Albuquerque, NM - Course in Review

It was a refreshing weekend in Albuquerque, NM, for several reasons. Since I had to use my snow blower three times before I left, it was great to see the sun and feel 60 degree weather again. More importantly, it was very refreshing to have the opportunity to explore human patterning and performance with so many individuals new to the science of PRI.

The introduction of the concepts of neutrality and asymmetry started our weekend. And those concepts were followed by why and how does the L AIC pattern develop and become the dominant neuromechanical pattern in our body. And that lead us into our conversation of normal mechanics vs. normal compensatory mechanics vs. pathological mechanics due to this dominant L AIC pattern.

As we moved into myokinematic behavior as a result of the L AIC pattern, Karen Bexfield, PT, asked a great question: why is our focus on the frontal plane? That question helped focus our conversation around the necessity to get out of system extension, either unilaterally or bilaterally. And helped drive our conversation around the idea that if the frontal plane isn't intact, then transverse plane motion will occur in the incorrect location and manner, causing further compensatory patterns, some of which will result in more pathology. When it's time to be "Batman," be "Batman." But when it's time to be "Bruce Wayne," be "Bruce Wayne." And we need to be "Bruce Wayne" much more often on both sides than we currently are.

We were fortunate to have a lot of lab time to focus on the value and application of the Hruska Abduction and Hruska Adduction Lift Tests. We were also very fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time in lab so we could experience several of the non-manual PRI techniques ourselves. The hamstring is the gate keeper of the gait cycle! My thanks to Nathanael Smith, ATC, CSCS, for being a great host and allowing us to use his awesome facility. New Mexico is just starting to gain traction in PRI, and it's exciting to see a facility like Nathanael's adopting PRI concepts. Meeting Nancy Allen , PT, was a real treat for me. She's been exposed to PRI for several years, and it turns out she grew up in South Dakota, not far from where I grew up! Small world!

My thanks to Nancy as well for bringing along her co-workers, Karen Bexfield and Andrea Deyloff, so they could get their first taste of PRI. My thanks to Pat Fraser, PT, for her great questions. Thank you to Alanna Phillips, a PT student, for making the trip for her first PRI exposure. Thanks to Karen Russo, PT, Lukasz Sokol, and Nathanael Smith for letting us use you as our demonstration models. Thank you to Sandra West and Emily Blair, DC, for their enthusiasm and great comments. And thanks to Maritza Castro, ATC, for making the trip all the way from the Dominican Republic for the course!

Dan Houglum, MSPT, ATC/L, PRC

Posted February 20, 2018 at 8:52PM

Categories: Courses

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Myokinematic Restoration - Sacramento, CA - Course in Review

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.

Dan Houglum, MSPT, ATC/L, PRC

Posted February 1, 2018 at 3:07PM

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St. Louis, MO - Myokinematic Restoration - Course in Review

If you ask any of our PRI faculty, the one thing that consistently makes every course enjoyable to teach is the course attendees. And the attendees in St. Louis for Myokinematic Restoration last weekend were no exception. It was a very rewarding experience to share the science of PRI to so many new health care professionals. We had 36 individuals who were experiencing PRI for the first time.

We were able to navigate positions, patterns, and mechanics, while not forgetting that position dictates function. Moving on into myokinematic performance, we were able to solidify the concepts through examples of Boy Bands, the Hamstring being the Gate keeper of the Gait Cycle, and why being The Hulk all the time is not necessarily a good thing. My thanks to Rachael Durnell, Timothy McArthur, Damon Reel, Matthew Rosenboom, and Chris Wolbert for keeping us on track with their questions.

Understanding the asymmetrical nature of the AIC pattern and how positional testing interpretation changes once that asymmetry is observed and appreciated can be a difficult task. However, this group took to this concept well. Which then allowed our progression through the Hruska Adduction and Abduction Lift tests to be a seamless transition.

My thanks to Chris Matarazzo, Mark Coalson (Mark and I went to PT school together), and Ellie Huff for allowing us to use them for demonstration purposes. We had some powerful demonstrations that allowed us to see the neuromuscular influence PRI has on the human body. A huge thanks to Nancy Hammond and Leslie Callaham for their help during the entire weekend, particularly during the lab sessions. And another huge "Thank You" to our host site, Complete Fitness Results. What a great group of people, a fantastic space, and a very enjoyable weekend.

Dan Houglum, MSPT, ATC/L, PRC

Posted November 15, 2017 at 9:43PM

Categories: Courses

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Myokinematic Restoration - Wilmette, IL - Course in Review

As a PRI Instructor, it's not often we have the opportunity to have a true "home game," but that's what we had this weekend with Myokinemtic Restoration. I had the opportunity to teach and collaborate with a great group of individuals with diverse backgrounds in my home clinic. And, since it was a home game, it was great to collaborate with my co-worker, Donna Parise Byrne, PT, PRC. We had a fantastic discussion about the positional tests in PRI, and how to look at them differently now that we can find and appreciate the human asymmetry inherent in the L AIC pattern. We had the opportunity to find and feel muscles during the lab section, and we had a great demo regarding how to approach an individual who has a more of a PEC presentation than a L AIC presentation. We talked about there are times to be "Batman," and times to be "Bruce Wayne." We talked about our Internal Rotation Boy Band and why we need to keep the band together. And we talked about how the hamstring is the Gate Keeper of the Gait Cycle. My thanks to Zach Lloyd, Jayson Leisenring, and Elizabeth Manning for being our models for the course, and allowing us to learn from them. It was great to have my friend of 15 years, Rick Noelte, in attendance as well. And great questions and dialogue with Susan Rocchini, Erik Smith, Aaron Doering, Julia Glick, Hetal Patel, and Kim Greenstein. Everyone in the entire group had great questions, and it was a pleasure to have everyone at our "home game!"

Dan Houglum, MSPT, ATC/L, PRC

Posted September 12, 2017 at 1:39PM

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Myokinematic Restoration - Seattle, WA - Course in Review

The Pacific Northwest was our host location for Myokinematic Restoration. What a gorgeous location and perfect weather we had in Everett, WA. Thanks to our host facility, ATI and Betsy Baker-Bold. We had a fantastic mix of individuals who were new to PRI, and those who have taken several PRI courses in the past. Not only that, but we had a great mix of fitness, strength, and rehab professionals, as well. I had never visited the Seattle area previously, and I was not disappointed. Thanks to Betsy, as well as Amy Malinowski and Chris Nicholson, who were kind enough to help in lab and show me some great places to eat. We spent a great deal of time exploring what makes us "Batman", and how to get more "Bruce Wayne" in our lives, as well as what it takes for us to get our "Boy Band" back together. And we were fortunate to have a lot of lab time so we could explore what it felt like to facilitate and, more importantly, inhibit polyarticular chains of muscles. My thanks to William Trujillo for letting us use him as my lab "volunteer." Thanks to Greg Lewerenz, Curtis Van Wyck, Xavier Williams, Sarah Black, Sarah Somers, and Julianne Clark for your great questions and keeping us on track. Great weekend!

Dan Houglum, MSPT, ATC/L, PRC

Posted August 22, 2017 at 4:24PM

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Dan Houglums first course! Myokinematic Restoration - Milwaukee, WI

PRI Nation made our maiden voyage into the Milwaukee area last weekend! I felt very honored to be the one to introduce PRI to an area that, as I found out during the course, is very interested in learning more about the science of PRI. We had 27 attendees who were learning about PRI for the first time, which was a great thrill. A big shout out to Sarah Petrich, DPT, PRC, who made the drive in from Minneapolis to be my lab assistant for the weekend. She was a great help and kept us on track with timely questions to promote further dialogue and explanation, such as "why and how is a resistance band in PRI used for 'assistance' rather than 'resistance'?" Another huge "Thank You" to Allen Weeks, DPT, who was gracious enough to be one of our main models for demonstration purposes, and allowed us to see and feel what a 4/5 Hruska Adduction Lift test looked and felt like. He allowed at least 15 of us an opportunity to slide under his leg so we could feel and see what a solid 4/5 Adduction Lift Test felt like as an examiner. Another huge thanks to Aurora and Marquette University for hosting the course, and special thanks to Gina Black, DPT, for all of her help as well. It was so exciting to see first time attendees like Brandon Yoder, ATC, Chris Turner, PT, Eric Davis, PTA, Nate Hornung, DPT, Eric Stone, CSCS, Ike Ogata, ATC, and Mark Payares, DPT, ask great questions about the gait pattern and how to apply PRI in their environment, as well as experience their own asymmetrical human form. It was also very rewarding to see familiar faces like Kali Frantz, ATC, Julie Martin, ATC, Jenna Wooten, CSCS, Kate Bowers, ATC, and Tenshi Furumi, ATC, coming back to attend another PRI course. It was a great weekend of skeleton sheets, asymmetrical patterned movement behavior, comparing the gait cycle to an interstate interchange, and needing less "Batman" and more "Bruce Wayne" in our lives!