Last week, at our Annual Interdisciplinary Integration Symposium, we presented the PRI Director’s Dedication Award to two very deserving individuals who have had such a positive impact on our Institute; Joan Hanson and Robert "Skip" George. Although they were unable to join us in-person for the symposium this year, we knew we didn't want to wait to present them with this award, and so we did so virtually, with 40 in-person attendees and approximately 90 others watching on the live stream feed. The PRI Director’s Dedication Award was established by the Board of Directors (Ron Hruska, Janie Ebmeier, Jennifer Platt and Bobbie Rappl) in 2012 to recognize individuals’ ongoing dedication to their advancement in PRI. To date, we have presented this award to 18 individuals and an award recognition plaque, which is pictured above, is displayed at the Postural Restoration Institute® in Lincoln, Nebraska, recognizing each of the PRI Directors Dedication Award recipients.

Joan Hanson is a Physical Therapist in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Joan began her PRI journey 22 years ago, with a Protonics course, and since then has taken 32 PRI courses. She completed PRC credentialing in 2005, as part of the 2nd class to complete PRC credentialing. Joan owned an outpatient clinic, Physical Therapy Solutions in Sioux Falls, prior to merging with Sanford Health; now operating as Sanford Physical Therapy Solutions. Joan continues to make her presence felt in the PRI community, by attending courses in Lincoln on a regular basis, contributing questions and responses to peers in the PRI Google group, mentoring the colleagues at her clinic, and being an avid PRIVY fan, who regularly asks questions that prompt further PRIVY discussions. I have no doubt that Joan has watched every PRIVY, and many of them more than once. Joan is a life-long learner, and that includes merging other approaches with PRI for the best patient outcomes. She recently completed a week long Schroth training, and looks forward to integrating this approach within her practice. We feel like this award is long overdue, and we were so honored to present the PRI Directors Award to Joan Hanson.

Robert "Skip" George is a Chiropractor, who now resides in Logan, Utah. However, Skip spent much of his life and career in La Jolla, California, before moving to Utah this past year. He traded in surfing for weekly skiing or hiking, depending on the season in Utah. Skip took his first PRI course in 2012 and he completed PRC credentialing in 2014, becoming the first chiropractor to complete PRC credentialing. Skip was invited to begin training to teach on the PRI faculty, shortly after he completed PRC credentialing. He began teaching Postural Respiration in 2016, and Cervical Revolution in 2020. Skip is passionate about growing the science of Postural Restoration in his profession, and he has presented at numerous national, state and even international chiropractic conferences, including the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians annual conference, the American Chiropractic Association Rehab Council, the American Chiropractic Association, and the German Sports Chiropractic Association, among other state conferences. Skip is presenting next month at the California Chiropractic Sports Symposium on the “Two Roles of the Diaphragm for Chiropractic Care, Rehab and Sports Performance”. Skip is a vibrant member of our faculty, who is constantly wanting to learn more, and has become a wonderful mentor as he assists others in their training to teach PRI courses. We were incredibly honored to present the PRI Directors Dedication Award to Skip George.

Congratulations to both Joan and Skip! We are so honored, humbled, and proud to have you as friends, colleagues and PRC providers representing this Institute!

I honestly look forward to the Advanced Integration course every year. It offers a moment in time, at the end of the year to reflect and to resolve issues that arose in the time period between the last Advanced Integration course and the present one. It is a moment in my personal life where I can decide if I should move into areas of discussion built off of  platforms that were laid down in the recent past, or not. It is a brief period of time where I can review where we, as an Institute, are with respect to concepts that are better accepted and appreciated. This acceptance and appreciation will result in longer periods of time where application becomes a mainstream of future assessment and intervention, and more importantly, an expectation.  

Summarizing the same main concepts in 2004, at the first Advanced Integration course, offered me a moment to integrate neurological, biased, patterns of breathing with tri-planar movement and muscle through discussions on thoracic flexion and curvature of the spine, with 20 to 30 people. Who would have ever thought that there would be 80 plus people, from 8 different countries, attending a four day course with the same title, the same platforms, but advance application because of 17 other moments in time where this course, with the same title, in the same number of days, advanced the original moments in time, so exponentially.

Focusing on dextral orientation, thought processes the human uses for integrated  unilateral and contralateral anatomy and associated sense, two central diaphragm axis’s that regulate our spinal axis, and the importance of ‘left hand to right knee’ function, in today’s world of unlimited Artificial Intelligence (AI)  and limited Advanced Integration (AI), is a reflection of many, many moments in this Institute’s history, where planned periods of time, in this case 96 hours or 4 days, had a major impact on future AI.

Thank you Locatelli Rao DPT, OCS, PRC, Greer Mackie PT, DPT, OCS, Donald Ryan Hodge CSCS, LMT, and Beth Lewis for your help with live demonstration and discussion. We were so grateful. Thank you Taylor Boryca, PTA, for your Kolaches (Czech and Polish fruit pastry that I was raised on) that you served us. And most importantly, thank you Louise Kelley, DPT, PRC, Lori Thomsen, MPT, PRC, Dan Houglum, MSPT, ATC/L,PRC, Jean Masse, PT,OCS, ATC, PRC, and Lisa Mangino, PT, DPT, PCS, C/NDT, PRC for your integrative presentations and ongoing interaction. It was one of my favorite Advanced Integration courses that I have ever been a part of, or have given. Hopefully, if you haven’t been to one of these in recent years, you will consider coming in the next few.  Reach out and talk to someone who has attended this year’s AI course; and I believe you will be encouraged to attend or re-attend, regardless where you are in your PRI moments of time.

Click below to view full photo album,

ADVANCED INTEGRATION 2021 

Thank you to Impact Physical Medicine and Aquatic Center for hosting Pelvis Restoration this past weekend. It was a wonderful weekend of integration and learning with fellow colleagues as we dissected the pelvic inlet and outlet. Our goals were to Reposition (inhibit), Re-train (facilitate) and Restore (alternate, oscillate, resonate, vibrate).  Participants were energized with open minds with 7 new course attendees to PRI, 3 PRC’s, and the rest attending another PRI course with various backgrounds. I feel the attendees gained a better understanding with the Pelvic Ascension Drop Test (frontal plane stance phase) and Passive Abduction Raise Test (frontal plane swing phase) with application of the Hruska Abduction Lift test to assist with the pelvic inlet or outlet restoration. From Shirley’s purple highlighted hair reminding of us of internal rotation/inhalation, to Lindsey’s awesome questions, to Mylan’s “light bulb” moments—it gave me energy and found me grateful. Mike, Mara and Christie (PRC’s and lab assistancts) thank you for supporting the Institute and for your passion for the science of PRI.

We are excited to announce that we will soon begin offering a PRI Mini Residency Program, a formal program of post-professional education and mentorship for PRI-minded healthcare and movement professionals that is designed to enhance one’s understanding and application of PRI concepts, objective testing, and patient/client management. The foundational science from the Postural Restoration Institute’s three primary courses will be strongly emphasized by all PRI Mini Residency Centers, however each PRI Mini Residency Center offers a unique environment and experience, and many residency centers will also include exposure to interdisciplinary integration with other healthcare or movement professionals.   

This PRI Mini Residency Program is designed for healthcare or movement professionals who are self-directed learners, have completed the required PRI coursework, and would like to enhance their clinical reasoning, interpersonal communication and dialogue using PRI terminology with other professionals as well as patients or clients, and application skills of the science of Postural Restoration® through one-on-one clinical education and mentorship with a PRC or PRT professional at a PRI Mini Residency Center.

To learn more about this 6-week PRI Mini Residency Program, please CLICK HERE! And stay tuned for more information coming soon to our website, including information about the approved PRI Mini Residency Centers and the application for those interested in completing a PRI Mini Residency Program!