There is not a week that goes by in my world of PRI practice that someone does not either lament about or experience dizziness, motion sickness or nauseousness.    I had the opportunity to talk Dr. Thomas Stoffregen over two years ago about his work related to Motion Sickness and since then have read many, is not most of his articles that have been published on motion sickness as a movement disorder.  He works at the School of Kinesiology in Minneapolis MN and I can still recall the very first article I read that he wrote about this topic of “motion sickness” happening when we acquire unstable control of bodily orientation.  Also he believes recovery begins when we reacquire stable control of the body.  His suggestion that the symptoms similar to motion sickness or those that are related to motion sickness, arise from a temporary or transient movement disorder.  This was very intriguing to me, because of my recognition of similar events that occur at a time where adaption to asymmetry appeared to be very highly correlated with symptoms of dizziness, nauseousness and motion sickness.  These correlations were becoming even more evident based when the patients I evaluated were also being evaluated and co-treated with other integrative disciplines. 

Dr. Stoffregen will be presenting on both days of this year’s Interdisciplinary Integration Symposium and his experience and research will help all of us understand how those who have spent life on the moving sea and require a period of adaptation to “get their sea legs” can also help us better understand ways to control and stabilize the moving body with “their land legs”.   I have enjoyed every conversation I have had with him and look forward to meeting him personally because of his passion to study an area that I see every day, or week, with patients who believe they are on a water based vessel.   His direct comment to me was, “I would like to relate classical motion sickness to dizziness, migraine, concussion and quantitative ‘signatures’ of health that may exist in patterns of bodily movement.”   If you are working with patients who have dizziness and sea legs when on land you do not want to miss this presentation and discussion on how it relates to PRI patterns!

To learn more about Interdisciplinary Integration click HERE.

Precision Fitness hosted their first PRI course, Postural Respiration, this past weekend with about one third of the course being brand new to PRI and another third of the course being new to Postural Respiration. The balance of new attendees and new veterans provided a flow that kept everyone moving in a forward progression easily for the entire class to absorb and learn new material as well as deepen previous learning. This course was diverse in that their were numerous PT's from athletic departments at universities from Wake Forest to Florida State. An athletic trainer that works with solders was present and enthusiastic about taking his sixth course to deepen his skills with treating our fighting men and women. And Jennifer Smart, PT, PRC brought her wisdom and skill to make this weekend flow and to fill in any gaps of knowledge to aid in the teaching process. Did you know she has sailed halfway around the world in a sailboat with her family that her husband made? She also has a son who lives in a house that he made and just rode his bike to the tip of Baja California and back to the U.S.A.! Ole! There was so much enthusiasm from this group with a bunch of people wanting to become PRC's and PRT's. Cornelius may just be a new "hotbed" of PRI. Along with it being in the heart of Nascar racing!!

The word “symposium” means a formal meeting at which experts deliver addresses on a topic that relates to a collection of opinions on a subject.    Remodeling dynamic perception and behavior for appropriate functional periods of time and places of neurologic “instability” is the subject of this year’s 9^th Annual Interdisciplinary Symposium.  There probably is not a greater influencer on neuro-mechanical “over” or “hyper”compensation and “over” or “hyper” stabilization than pain.  That is why we asked Sue Falsone PT, MS, SCS, ATC, CSCS, COMT, RYT to give her perspective on the topic of pain and its influences on our intervention programs.   Her experience and practical methods that can be implemented to identify pain generators should help our patients, clients and athletes decrease this “over” or “hyper” drive for protection, stabilization and patterning.  The course attendee will not only appreciate the many perspectives of pain influencing functional outcomes but will also listen to a very well known and positive minded speaker who knows how to relate motor control or lack of to pain.

To learn more click here.

This Postural Respiration class was about 80% first time attendees to a PRI course. What was impressive was how good and how many questions were asked during the weekend. The questions were always relevant and "on point" helping to guide other students in their understanding of what can be an overwhelming experience for a first timer! This is when teaching a course is at its best when students are helping other students in understanding rib kinematics and the necessity of diaphragm shape and position as it relates to their rehab protocols and sport performance application. Erin Rajca did an incredible job as my lab assistant! Some of the questions included how does the shape of the left or right diaphragm reciprocate and alternate during dynamic activities like walking in different phases of gait? This is a first time hosting of a PRI course at this facility and the feedback on Sunday is that they want more! Thanks for hosting Apex Physical Therapy!