By Dave Emond
So you’ve been looking for some new resources to continue learning. The world of continuing education is confusing. Here at ARME, we pride ourselves in making learning accessible, however we haven’t had the opportunity to discuss some of the fine clinicians, researchers and authorities who have influenced us in some way along our own journeys.
So today’s reading material is going to be a little different than our typical articles. We want to bring awareness to some of the other fantastic resources to help with your journey of continuing education. I’ve divided this piece into categories, including communication, pragmatic and practical resources and some wide range miscellaneous resources.
I will note, some of the resources below are affiliated with some of our guests on the ARME Radio podcast. We are in no way being incentivized to promote these resources - this is simply a list of resources that I have curated based on accessibility and quality of content.
Communication
We’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again: communication is one of, if not, the most important components of being a good professional in the healthcare and fitness industries. The first resource on this list was one of the strongest influences on my personal development into psychologically informed, evidence based practice.
Words Matter Education with Dr. Oliver Thomson
Words Matter offers a number of services dedicated to improving clinical communication skills for musculoskeletal clinicians. I was first personally exposed to Words Matter through the podcast. The podcast is fully loaded with captivating discussions with some of the world’s leading scientists and clinicians. It is a digestible and free resource to open up the mind to positive communication strategies with patients, and to enhance critical thinking, by approaching clinical practice with a far wider lens than provided while in school. There are also mentoring services, and a very affordable course on improving communication in the management of low back pain.
https://www.wordsmatter-education.com/
The Level Up Initiative
The fine folks over at Level Up are trying to change the game (and succeeding) with continuing education for students and recent graduates of musculoskeletal programs. They offer a free mentoring service that promotes critical thinking skills, patient and professional communication skills, and a willingness to learn and grow through experience as a young clinician. This is simply one of the highest value programs out there for any clinician looking to grow and develop into a complete clinician. They also have a podcast, which may be a great start in learning their philosophies and hearing from some of their influences.
https://www.thelevelupinitiative.com/
Pragmatic/Practical Resources
Do you lack confidence in your ability to work with people presenting with certain conditions, problems or goals? Hopefully this short list helps guide you in the right direction.
The Shoulder Complex with Adam Meakins
Adam doesn’t mince words on social media, and though some may not see eye to eye, his expertise when dealing with conditions involving the shoulder should not be ignored. His two day course runs through a variety of shoulder conditions, how to approach a shoulder assessment, and offers a wide variety of practical rehab strategies. If you aren’t feeling confident in your ability to assess and help manage a person with a shoulder complaint, this is a course worth your time. You can also check out Adam’s podcast - the NAF Physio podcast.
https://www.thesports.physio/courses/
Hip and Knee: Complex Understanding for Simple Solutions with Erik Meira
This course tackles a wide variety of topics within the realm of hip and knee injuries or pain. The course aims to improve and simplify a clinician’s approach to these conditions, by going over mechanisms of injury, presentation, and then offering effective and evidence-based management programs and tools. There is also an emphasis on injury risk reduction and post-surgical rehab. This is your one stop shop for the hip and the knee.
https://courses.thesciencept.com/courses/live-courses/hip-and-knee/
Greg Lehman
I can’t narrow down any of Greg’s countless resources, as there are so many great tools for clinicians. His course “Reconciling biomechanics with pain science” is one of the most highly regarded courses in the realm of musculoskeletal healthcare. Greg takes a completely unbiased approach in presenting the totality of evidence when approaching the management of pain. His ability to be open-minded and ask questions will also help in developing good critical thinking skills.
If you are not in a position to be paying for content, his blog dispels common myths on a variety of topics, and offers countless references to must-read papers on the topics he covers.
He also has one of the simplest and most accessible tools for patients hoping to manage their osteoarthritis, through OA Optimism. Not only will this resource help clinicians, but may be a good tool to be relayed to any patients you may be working with.
Course and blog: http://www.greglehman.ca/
OA Optimism: https://www.oaoptimism.com/
Miscellaneous resources
Barbell Medicine
The folks over at Barbell Medicine never fail to offer the highest quality content, not just for healthcare and fitness professionals, but also for the general public. We won’t lie, they were one of our biggest influences in creating ARME. They offer well thought out articles on their website, a podcast that includes a pain and rehab division, weekend seminars, as well as consulting services.
https://www.barbellmedicine.com/
E3 Rehab
Similar to Barbell Medicine, the folks over at E3 rehab have a podcast, blog articles, but more importantly, a youtube channel which offers practical rehab advice and options, if you are running thin on imagination. Being able to adapt to someones’ needs in a rehab setting is far more important than choosing specific exercises, and they offer plenty of options and progressions/regressions to fit anyone in need of physical activity.
Honourable mentions
There are far too many great resources available, and without making this piece any longer than it has to be, I’ve listed a few more great resources worth looking into.
Chronic Pain Diagnosis and Management with Demetry Assimakopoulous
A practical course in understanding and working with individuals living with chronic pain.
San Diego Pain Summit
An annual conference with some of the top names in the field of understanding pain. They also have a catalogue of past events which can be purchased for a nominal fee.
Therapy Live & The Physio Matters Podcast
An online conference with great speakers on a wide variety of topics. The podcast is also a high quality listen in your spare time.
You are not so smart podcast with David McRaney
This is an abnormal entry on this list. It does not directly deal with healthcare, however it tackles many of the cognitive biases and fallacies that can present in a health and fitness setting. A few listens to this show, and your entire way of thinking of clinical interactions will change.
Closing thoughts
This is just a small list. There are plenty of other great resources available. Do your due diligence when looking for continuing education or learning opportunities. You’ll notice a pattern with the list. There are no cookie cutter methods and no special techniques or systems. They promote critical thinking and evidence-based content to widen your clinical lens, and help develop competent clinicians.