Each year our Interdisciplinary Integration Symposium brings many different people and perspectives together for collegiate and collaborative discussion unified around a global topic of interest. This year, not only were we fortunate to welcome attendees from as far away as Australia, but we were also humbled to interact with attendees from at least 30 different states over the course of this two day Symposium. The variety of knowledge and unique approach that each individual brings with them, also strengthens the Symposium as a whole.

 The speaker panel this year included, Dr. Rosalba Courtney, Dr. Brad Story, Ruth Hennessy, Mandy Harvey, Dr. Howard Hindin, Dr. Ingo Titze, and Ron Hruska. Not only were their presentations perfectly in tune with the overall message, but the various backgrounds present allowed for even more resonance to occur between the speakers themselves and attendees as a whole. The power of PRI from my perspective is exactly this. The ability to bring together A Singer, a Myologist, a Physical Therapist, a Student, a Dentist, a Speech Pathologist, a Vocalist, a Optometrist, a Occupational Therapist, and a couple PhD’s in Voice Studies just to name a few. Not only does this Institute welcome all professions and mindsets, but we welcome them with the common goal of collaboration and integration at the forefront of this patient centered treatment approach.

Thank you all for contributing in your own ways, to the success of this year’s Symposium. You will continue to resonate with us all and your voices will continue to be heard all across #prination

The full photo album from these two days can be viewed HERE!

Stay tuned for more from Mandy Harvey’s presentation, and please consider joining us next year for the 2020 Symposium “Extrapyramidal Disorders: An Interdisciplinary Approach in the Management of Involuntary Movement” on April 23-24, 2020 Followed by a celebration of the 20^th Anniversary of the Postural Restoration Institute! See you there!

"A PRI Approach to Chiropractic Alignment of The Spine", was presented by Ron Hruska on March 10^th at the ACA Rehab Council! The two days prior to this presentation were as significant as the topics being discussed. What culminated as a room full of Chiropractic Doctors Blowing up a Balloon, started with collaborative discussions revolving around concepts such as rotation, orientation, respiration and, perhaps most prevalent, alignment of the spine. Coincidentally these concepts aligned themselves well with what was already being discussed by other vendors, presenters and most importantly Students.

After recently attending the APTA Combined Sections and then two months later this conference, it is apparent that the desire to collaborate and integrate among professions is at an all-time high! The students of these organizations are approaching their careers with an Integrative mindset and an overall interest in collaboration. Ron enjoyed discussing the future of this integrative approach with each of the student chiropractors in attendance and was able to show the powerful potential that PRI has within their profession. The group from Keiser University had a strong student presence and a few poster presentations even discussed topics such as the “Zone of Apposition” and Respiration as primary concepts! It was so awesome to see this PRI activity occurring without previous knowledge or awareness of its incurrence!

On the second day we were met by PRI Faculty member Dr. Robert “Skip” George, which allowed us to strengthen the Link between the Director of our Institute, a Physical Therapist, and the Chiropractors in attendance. Skip is a walking Reference Center of clinical knowledge and experience, and his input within our discussions was unprecedented. PRI truly is a common language that can be used and utilized by us all, not just one group or another. This particular group of Rehab professionals understood that long before our arrival.

They were not only excited and welcoming of our Institute but embraced the collaboration and encouraged it within their own organization. It was quite frankly refreshing to be a part of. With Ron’s presentation falling on the last day of this conference we were excited to see how many attendees stayed around to hear the culmination of Ron’s career. Skip gave a wonderful introduction about his relationship with Ron and this Institute to over 60 filled seats! PRI objective testing and core concepts were strengthened and the use of a few Non-Manual techniques allowed the group to appreciate the ability to integrate it into their daily practice.

Thank you to President Dr. Jeff Tucker, and everyone at the American Chiropractic Association Rehab Council for inviting us to this symposium. I would encourage anyone that appreciates this Science to strongly consider reaching out to an integrative minded Chiropractor in their area to collaborate with, converse with and possibly be challenged by, in order to strengthen the relationship between us all! We are excited for the future growth and collaboration between our organizations, and are hopeful that your patients and clients will see a direct increase in their results!

I am excited to introduce "The Postural Restoration Podcast" with #PRINation! Many of you may be familiar with our featured interviews, and you may have even been highlighted on one in the past. We will now be using this Podcast for our Featured
Interviews as a way to better familiarize the general public with not only our Faculty but also our Certified Providers. Check out the description of the first episode below, and I promise that not every episode will be this lengthy!

PS. Make sure to check out the History of PRI - The Foundation of the Postural Restoration Institute (August 2008) written by Ron in 2008, to discover how far we've come over the past decade!

Episode 1: The Foundation of the Postural Restoration Institute

"Welcome to the first episode of the Postural Restoration Podcast! In this Episode, I am joined by Founder and Director of the Postural Restoration Institute, Ron Hruska. The foundation of the Postural Restoration Institute resulted from many years of Clinical Practice and a strong interest in the patterns and positioning that at the time seemed to be the cause of many patients’ pain and dysfunction.

Ron discusses his time in Graduate school pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration after receiving his Physical Therapy degree from the University Of Nebraska Medical Center. His time working at the V.A. Medical Hospital as well as his eventual role as Director of Physical Therapy at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Lincoln, NE both played roles in his desire to look at and treat the human body through a multidisciplinary, systematic approach.

This led Ron to create other ways of treating patterned dysfunction, initially through the use of the first “Re-Positioning” device called Protonics. Although Protonics looked and seemed to function to many in the orthopedic world as a Patello-Femoral “Brace”, it was actually much more. Using this device allowed him to "Re-Pattern” bi-lateral chains of muscle and look at orthopedics from a Femoral-Patella lens.

Eventually this device left Ron with the desire to move into the private practice setting, in order to dedicate more time to roles with the APTA Association, and more time dedicated to learning and discovering further ways to develop his ideas. Protonics allowed him to connect with and teach other clinicians, including some of the first PRI Faculty members. Following the creation of the Hruska Clinic, Restorative Physical Therapy Services in 1999, Ron worked with fellow Physical Therapist Jason Masek and others to create some of the earliest PRI Non-Manual Techniques.

As this science continued to grow, PRI Director Janie Ebmeier was put in charge of helping to develop what would become the first Postural Restoration course which would later be renamed to “Postural Respiration”. With the foundation of the Postural Restoration Institute in 2000, other courses including the "Influence of the Pelvic-Femoral Complex" which was later called Myokinematic Restoration was a quick addition. We now are proud to offer more than 15 different courses, which have been developed to build upon these three Primary Courses

I welcome you to join us on this journey as we continue to explore how the creation of this science has changed the way coaches and clinicians approach the treatment of the human body."

The Postural Restoration Podcast
 

We are excited to introduce and congratulate our Postural Restoration Trained (PRT) Class of 2019! 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, Neil Rampe and Jennifer Platt.

Pictured above, (from left to right)

Back Row: Neil Rampe, Nathanael Smith, Peter Nelson, Ron Hruska

Front Row: Jennifer Platt, Lesley Moser, Takashi Mita

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 and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists who have completed the course requirements, application and testing process. With the addition of this class, there are now 54 PRT professionals throughout the U.S and Internationally.

PRT credentialed athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches and exercise physiologists offer a unique approach to physical medicine and fitness called Postural Restoration®. This approach addresses underlying biomechanics which can often lead to symptoms of pain and dysfunction. All mechanical influences on the body that restrict movement and contribute to improper joint and muscle position are considered, examined, and assessed. Techniques are utilized to restore proper alignment of the body while proper respiratory dynamics are considered. Management encompasses prevention and lifetime integration for long-term successful outcomes.

To view or download all the photos click HERE.

Congratulations to the PRT Class of 2019!