Thank you Forward Fitness (Mike) for hosting Pelvis Restoration this past weekend. Fourteen healthcare and fitness practitioners were attending their FIRST PRI course. Seasoned PRI course attendees were also present and helpful for our newbies. I am more convinced than ever getting a sound foundation and understanding of the three primary PRI courses helps us the most clinically to assist our patients, athletes and clients.

Appreciation of PRI objective tests and how they demonstrate PRI neutrality, need for clinical inhibition of muscle, frontal plane integration, and restoring the human gait pattern for a reciprocal and alternating pelvis were capitalized this past weekend. Most importantly, hitting home how the respiratory and pelvic diaphragm and synchronization of the left and the right side for integration of all the above to occur.

I truly appreciate all that attended and sacrificed a weekend away from family and friends to learn. It was a beautiful fall weekend, but we rocked it inside learning and developing our skills.

A shout out to Jon, Tim, and Nancy who brought treatment tables. Nancy Hammond my amazing lab assistant, your passion for PRI is inspiring. Again, thank you Mike for hosting your first PRI course. It was truly humbling to teach you all.

“I have several cases I can apply this to already.”

“The course met the objectives to the full extent. Loved the course!”

“I am so glad I finally got to do a PRI course!”

“I learned a tremendous amount of information that my client base can benefit from.”

The physical therapy team of Charles George VA Medical Center hosted the most recent Postural Respiration course. This facility is considered among the top VA hospitals in the country, noted for its clinicians’ care and expertise. Surrounded by the splendor of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the 40 attendees, comprising PTs, OTs, PTAs, ATCs, DCs, and one student contemplated the asymmetrical diaphragm and its influence on pelvic-femoral and rib cage position and function. Movement starts with diaphragm, driving our lower half to one side while our upper half counter-rotates to the other. It’s a neurological concept, and it's what allows humans to be adept at things like throwing a ball, dancing, and doing flips and twists mid-air. Rib cages come in all shapes and sizes, formed not just by genetics but also by the activities a person engages in, positions they hold themselves in, and his or her unique responses to physical and emotional stress. However, regardless of rib morphology, every cage is under the influence of a powerful diaphragm that pulls it to the right, driving predictable patterns of air flow and movement. When not countered, and if skewed too far for too long, the result is pain, rib deformity, poor physiology, shortness of breath, anxiety, etc.

Lab time was generous to allow proficiency in PRI techniques, both manual and non-manual, and objective tests that indicate an individual’s neurological patterning and presence of pathology. Attendees experienced the power and swiftness of PRI’s neurological techniques -- inhibition and facilitation – to create changes to pathology-producing patterns. There isn’t a patient population out there that wouldn’t benefit from the PRI approach. Thank you to lab assistants Josh Owen, ATC, PRT, and Tracy-Lynn “I am SO ready to get my PRC” Schuster, DPT, whose guidance and clinical expertise provided clarity throughout the weekend. Great to see PRC clinics well-represented: Josh Olinick’s Steps for Recovery, Jen and Chris Poulin’s Sandhills Sports Performance, Advance PT, and Tracy Lynn’s Schuster Physical Therapy. Thank you to our avatars Debra Albrecht, PT; Nathan Crosby, DPT; Charles Fairbanks, PTA; Anthony Figuera, DPT; Linda Gutowski, DPT; Carl Heldman, DPT; Megan Humpal, PT; Caroline Lounsbury, ATC; Christiana Marron, DPT; and Pete West, DPT. Also thank you to our reader, Onyeamaechi Arinze, PT (my apologies again for botching your name all weekend. If we meet again, I’ll need to shorten it to “O”!). Finally, thank you so much to our hosts, who made the weekend go smoothly: Nathan, Anthony, Carol Harty, Deanna Mihok, Monica Sety, Keith Silcox, Pete, and Sharon Wisner. It was a pleasure to meet you all! Charles George VA will be hosting Pelvis Restoration in 2020. I highly recommend a visit to Asheville for this course. Be sure to treat yourself to a few days before or after the course to enjoy the gorgeous hikes and all that Asheville has to offer.

Rosencutter Ultra Fitness, also known as Rosen-Cutting Edge Fitness, was the location of their second hosted PRI course this past weekend. Nick Rosencutter is always looking for a way to help his clients improve whether it is thru strength and conditioning, nutrition, the latest in soft tissue workand especially PRI as it applies to performance and rehabilitation. Rosencutter Ultra Fitness had six of their trainers in attendance including Nick and they have a team approach integrating PRI into client programming. Position prep is part of their programming to provide sense awareness for neutrality before, during and after workouts. We discussed this weekend that PRI loves extension for power and performance--we just don't want you to stay in extension. Equally, and perhaps more important, is the issue of rest and neutrality via flexing into neutral with adequate rib internal rotation.

The job of strength and conditioning professionals is to help clients and athletes become stronger, faster, more skilled at movement and especially durable whether you are a grandmother picking up grand kids or an olympic speed skater. Since this class was attended by so many strength and conditioning individuals, the issue of "saggitalization" was explored as well as the ability or inability to maintain or achieve competent transverse plane-ability in rotational sports. Since all sports require rotation for power and performance, the ability to orient a pelvis fully left and right then have adequate and full counter rotation of a ribcage is a must for what is known as separation of torso and pelvis.

Testing and non-manual techniques are always "ah ha" moments as they relate to position pelvis, femur, ribcage, scapulae and even neck. What is driving these positions in this course and the best answer when a student is called upon? The diaphragm of course! Manual techniques included the big three that we cover in Postural Respiration as well as a two person infra-clavicular pump that is often needed for a person that loves to stay in extension even after the best efforts via non-manual techniques to get them neutral. Also in attendance were physical therapists, a massage therapist and an ATC from Alaska who was travelling locally with the hockey team he works with. Shout out to Nick and all of his staff for their support and enthusiasm this weekend.

As all the PRI Faculty will tell you, having the opportunity to teach a PRI course in Lincoln at the Postural Restoration Institute is kind of like a homecoming. Even though it isn't really our "home court," it does feel like it. That's a testament to Hannah, RJ, Sage, and, of course, Ron and Jen. As I said in our introduction at the beginning of the course, those new to PRI couldn't have picked a better course than this one for their first dive into the science of PRI.

It was such a great experience to teach with Kasey Aikin, our newest PRI faculty member. She did an awesome job, and I'm eager to watch her develop and grow into her new role. We had two other PRC's in attendance as well this weekend: Lisa Bartels and Jason Masek. They have been integrated in PRI for many years, and it was so beneficial to the attendees to have them in class and during lab. Additionally, we had five other attendees who had attended multiple PRI courses prior to this one.

With all the experience in the room, with Ron and Jen providing context during the course and lab, and with the interest and energy from the attendees, the course proved to be a very fertile environment for those new to the science of PRI. Kasey presented an excellent opening and really set the table for the rest of the weekend. We opened the course with discussing osteokinematics and myokinematics surrounding the relationship between the pelvis and femur. And we finished the day with a great repositioning wrap up, which lead us right into Day 2. Kasey again set the table with another stellar opening session, and the table was set for our day of lab.

Our lab times were very productive and engaging. And a lot of it was due to where we were, and the expertise in the room. I have to thank Lisa, Jason, and Jen for their help during our labs. Kasey ran a great lab session on Sunday afternoon, as well. We were fortunate to have nearly 7 hours of lab during this course. We had a 4.5:1 ratio of student to PRC in the lab. I'm not sure the first time attendees realized how valuable the lab time was, and how much we were able to get out of the time we had.

My thanks to Jennifer Bacon, Meghann Vanslager, Kelli Reilly, Kellen Goertzen, Joe Siracusano, Kristen Wassung, and Benjamin Sandman for their wonderful questions. Honestly, we had great questions from nearly everyone in the room. I think every course attendee asked a question at some point during the weekend, which just shows how great a group we were fortunate to have. For many reasons, this particular Myokinematic Restoration course was unique, and Kasey and I feel very fortunate to have been a part of it.