Blog Posts in April 2022

Congratulations to The 2022 PRI Director's Dedication Award Recipients

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!

Jennifer Platt

Posted April 26, 2022 at 3:27PM

Categories: Clinicians Postural Restoration Certified (PRC)

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Impingement & Instability - Seattle, WA - Course Review

The pacific northwest has been a PRI hot bed for several years. The enthusiasm for the science and clinical application of PRI is palpable. It was my honor to have the opportunity to teach a fantastic group of movement professionals in Seattle. We had five PRC's in attendance for this newly updated I&I course.

This course is the perfect gateway to several PRI courses, including Cranial Resolution, Forward Locomotor Movement, and the Primary Non-manual Techniques Workshop. Our conversation starts with introducing the neurological learning process that the body needs in order to inhibit patterned behavior: alternating compression and decompression. This important concept is the foundation we build from as we progressed from the calcaneus to the femur and pelvis and into the scapula.

Founded in the concept of alternating compression, we were able to delve into medial and lateral hamstring relationships, as well as when and how to apply the right serratus anterior and subscapularis into a program. Along the way, the necessity of compression of talar bone and calcaneus, and management of pelvic inlets and outlets provide the necessary sense the body needs to allow the body the freedom it desires above T8.

I cannot thank the staff from Alpine Physical Therapy enough. Jeremiah Ferguson, DPT, PRC, Christopher Murphy, DPT, PRC, and Eva Bilo, DPT, were the perfect hosts. A huge shout out to their friend who was kind enough to loan us his projector for the weekend. It would have been a very different course without his generosity. My sincere thanks to the Alpine crew for all of their help.

We were fortunate to have a great mixture of seasoned PRI veterans as well as several who are relatively new to PRI. My thanks to Trevor Corrado, Jeff Fjelstul, David Shamash, and Katie Schaner for their willingness to ask questions. In addition to the Alpine staff, it was wonderful to have Erin Coomer, Zach Hawthorne, Wren McLaughlin, and Betsy Baker-Bold contribute their experience and perspective to the audience. It was helpful to have others in the audience provide their clinical validation to the topics of I&I.

Many thanks for a wonderful experience in a truly gorgeous region of the country!

Dan Houglum, MSPT, ATC/L, PRC

Posted April 13, 2022 at 11:09AM

Categories: Courses Clinicians Science

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Cervical Revolution - Fort Collins, CO - Course Review

Pro-Active Physical Therapy in beautiful Fort Collins, CO hosted Cervical Revolution this past weekend. This was a unique gathering of not only first timers to Cervical Revolution but seasoned veterans of PRI including a total of four faculty members and four PRC/PRT's. Included in the group was a local dentist, Dr. Behar Esmaili, who brought an enthusiastic perspective on how occlusion affects the entire physiologic and postural system. The subject of a stomatognathic consideration to the cervical, cranial and occlusal system with the cervical spine as the primary driver of the system was reinforced this weekend.

Postural Restoration is an interdisciplinary institute and that was reflected in the backgrounds of the attendees. Cervical Revolution bridges a gap, as does PRI, with many professions with respiration sacred to physical therapists, the atlas/spine with chiropractors, the cranium with osteopaths and occlusion with dentists. Mix in ATC's and fitness professionals for performance and this course, as well as every other PRI course, has a wide appeal and utilization for many health care disciplines.

Having four faculty members in attendance is rare unless a course is given in Lincoln and the energy with vast clinical expertise of Louise Kelley, DPT, Jason Miller, DPT and Craig Deperschmidt, DPT was appreciated by all. Louise Kelley, DPT will soon be ready to teach Cervical Revolution and her ability to describe testing and non-manual techniques, especially the Standing Stomatognathic Squat, was a "bonus" contribution to the weekend and was also greatly appreciated. The discussion of the A/O articulation being highly neurologic/autonomic went from a theoretical consideration in opening remarks to real lab experience when several "extension driven" students, with PRI Cervical repositioning non-manual techniques, got to experience first hand what neutral feels like. Thanks to all of the Pro-Active Staff for hosting this past weekend and this entire group of professionals that took time out of their schedules to "revolve" with us!

Robert George, Chiropractor

Posted April 6, 2022 at 2:59PM

Categories: Courses Science Clinicians Postural Restoration Certified (PRC) Postural Restoration Trained (PRT)

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Occlusal Cervical Restoration - Live stream - Review

Where Would We Be Without Interference? Our Recovery Depends On It.

After talking about the molars influence on “grounded” movement and the canines influence on “guided” exploration, I become more mindful about the direction, both the Institute and these teeth have always had on the influence of “posture”. Our recovery of food going down the wrong “pipe”, our recovery of losing our balance when slipping on a rug, our recovery of mis-pronouncing when using familiar vernacular, our recovery of our visual focus when we misjudge objects in the distance, our recovery of our anti-gravitational unilateral abdominals, hamstrings, and triceps, our recovery of our breath......etc. all require a sense of ourselves, our interoception, our ‘centric’ presence, that is given to us through occlusal and podal interference.

I have evolved my life around these human grounded and un-grounded concepts of reference and restraint guidance. And I am only hopeful, as illusory as the concepts, research and corollaries that were provided in this very highly integrated course on teeth and feet are and can be, that health care providers will appreciate how to “recover” better through the integration of the ‘floors’ the maxillae, and the ‘floors’ the feet depend on for postural balance. I am enlivened for those dentists and movement specialists who decide to immerse themselves into the world of recovery, by addressing how to put the neck to rest, through pterygoid, palatine, and plane alternation. The resonance of recovery is the most grounded state one can accomplish. Simply because the action, the guidance, and sense of limitation, which is what the sense of interference provides, protects and relaxes our necks and essentially, us.

If after reading this, you become more curious about our need for balance built off of interferences, please consider taking this course, offered on October 14th and the 15th, or consider attending this year’s Spring Symposium on “The Stomatognathic System: An Interdisciplinary Approach In The Management of Spatial Navigation and Structural Strength” on April 22nd and the 23rd.

Melissa Truska, thank you for balancing me out those two days. With you on my left and Jen Platt on my right, I felt so grounded and supported, as a presenter in front of a screen of so many I truly wanted to personally interact with, individually. There were countless questions, that were answered by Jen Platt. I appreciate her so much. Her talent and historical presence in this Institute allows me to do what I appreciate doing. And that is presenting material that has foundation, regardless of how familiar one is with that foundation of science. PRI applications and techniques, are built off of and around my beliefs, practice and principles. And Jen and her staff keep me, the faculty and all of us grounded, secured and consistent, in a world full of confusion and mis-interference.