Tackling health misinformation one story at a time
My mission is to challenge health misinformation by improving knowledge translation from research to clinicians and patients.
I am a Certified Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy. I currently serve as the National Director of Quality and Research and Orthopedic Residency Program Coordinator at PT Solutions Physical Therapy.
On my profile, you will find articles tackling health misinformation, short-forms explaining health research, short-form book reviews, and articles on growth and personal development from the perspective of a healthcare provider and educator.
Here are my most popular stories. Thank you for reading.
Most Successful Story
A physical therapist addresses misconceptions around intensity, soreness, and pain
“No pain, no gain” might be the worst phrase ever uttered in the gym. Asking the question, “Is it soreness or pain?” is a close second. At the end of the day, both pain and soreness are unpleasant. Attempting to delineate between the two is meaningless for most of us. For trained people who are highly attuned to each response their body has after exercise, sure, they can tell the difference. For everyone else, any kind of discomfort is typically a deterrent to continue making treks to the gym or lacing up running shoes.
The article started on Medium but it went viral elsewhere
I have finally written a viral article. I would love to tell you the reason is due to extensive content and keyword research, writing 14 different drafts, and enlisting the help of social media influencers. Those take substantial effort.
Nope. It was one singular change in a story I had already written.
I added a clickbait headline.
A Tale of Two Headlines
Simply telling someone to build resilience is a cop-out. Understanding perception and cognitive fallacies point to better solutions.
“The world in our heads is not a precise replica of reality; our expectations about the frequency of events are distorted by the prevalence and emotional intensity of the messages to which we are exposed.” — Daniel Kahneman
To address burnout, we cannot adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. Cutting hours, building in mandatory breaks, increasing pay, adopting a monthly one-on-one meeting model, or building an office gym can certainly help, but it is a shotgun approach. It will help a few people while missing many others. The magnitude of help will vary as well. …
6 strategies I used to transform my complex writing tendencies
Two pieces of writing advice are responsible for rapid and painful growth in my writing abilities:
“Never say anything in writing you wouldn’t comfortably say in person.”
And
“You learn to write by writing.”
These quotes are from William Zinsser’s On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Nonfiction Writing. The book has been instrumental in my development as a writer. However, these two tidbits led to a bad habit.
The Influence of Academic Writing
I write research articles and newsletters for clinicians regularly. I have endured scathing rejections from journal reviewers that have called into question my intelligence. While I conduct research and teach in…
Tiger’s body will never be the same
As a physical therapist, one of the first thoughts I had about Tiger Woods after hearing of his injuries was how difficult the road to recovery would be.
The rehab process for Woods will be long and arduous.
First, his bones need to heal. There is a difference between healing and retaking pre-injury form.
Dr. R. Malcolm Smith, the chief of orthopedic trauma at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Mass, estimates Woods has about a “70 percent chance of it healing completely.”
Depending on the severity of the bone injuries and level of blood flow compromise, bone healing may…
The strategies we learn in school don’t translate well to our careers
What separates the best residents from the rest?
As a physical therapy orthopedic residency program coordinator, I am often asked this question by applicants. Common answers from fellow faculty members include grit, experience, passion, intelligence, and emotional intelligence. While all important, these are not the sole differentiator.
What consistently separates the elite performers from the rest?
Curiosity.
The best residents have a desire and ability to learn independently. The best residents are the clinicians who seek to understand. They are not satisfied with the information provided by educators and mentors. …
Build rapport with these 4 nonverbal behaviors.
I’ll never forget when my uncle showed up to my high school graduation in a suit.
He was the only one in the stands with even a tie. It meant the world to me. He demonstrated respect and admiration for my accomplishment. I don’t remember any words of congratulations or advice from that day. I remember the suit.
The phrase “actions speak louder than words” is often used but is ill-defined. All actions are not created equal.
As a physical therapist, I am often concerned about the education I provide patients, but the words are a small piece of the…
Einstein, Feynman, Munger, and Buffet all fueled their success with curiosity.
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” — Albert Einstein
Einstein is often considered one of the smartest men who ever lived, yet he did not attribute his intelligence to his success. It was curiosity that fueled one of the most remarkable minds in history.
How can you use curiosity to fuel personal success?
Curiosity Precludes Knowledge
“The question of doubt and uncertainty is what is necessary to begin; for if you already know the answer there is no need to gather any evidence about it.” — Richard Feynman
Many people think of being smart as an accumulation of knowledge…
I get the best outcomes when I partner with my patients
How do you make medical decisions? Do you have a plan? If you do, how do you come up with that plan? Does the clinician — a physical therapist or doctor — make all the decisions or is it a team effort?
Building a treatment plan of care is challenging for both patients and clinicians. It is a combination of art and science. Patients and clinicians must each consider a variety of factors. This is a joint decision, but the patient’s goals are the priority.
Throughout physical therapy school, I was taught how to build a plan. I learned various…
