A few months ago, I posted a review of three brilliant books about walking. I wanted to highlight these books because walking is not only a fundamental part of everyday life, it's also a defining feature of a lot of physiotherapy practice, and I'm often bemused by how narrow-minded physiotherapists are about it. It's almost a metaphor for the profession: here is a human experience that has been written about for centuries, that engages all manner of human achievement, and we've reduced it to mere gait patterns. The point about all three books is that walking is so much more than heel strike and toe off. Not that these are unimportant, but in the grand scheme of things I don't believe … [Read more...] about Update on philosophy of walking
How does it hurt: Narrating pain – new book from Stephanie de Montalk
Victoria University Press in Wellington, New Zealand have just published a new book by Stephanie de Montalk which has been very well reviewed here in New Zealand. de Montalk is an accomplished writer and documentary maker in New Zealand and she has lived with chronic pain for more than a decade. She tackles questions like 'why is it so hard to measure and describe pain? and 'why are health professionals well equipped to manage acute pain, but less capable at helping people manage unremitting chronic pain.' de Montalk's approach would be perfect for UG and PG physiotherapy students. It's accessible and readable, but comprehensive, diverse and erudite. Here is a link to an interview … [Read more...] about How does it hurt: Narrating pain – new book from Stephanie de Montalk
Podcast – Prof Teresa Mangum – The Future of the Academic and Public Humanities
This podcast if the first in a series of lectures on the future of the humanities in public life. The series began on 28 November 2014 with a leture by Professor Teresa Mangum, Director of the Obermann Centre for Advanced Studies at the University of Iowa. Professor Magnum talks about how the humanities are being systematically undermined by discourses that privilege economic efficiency and utilitarian learning. There are a lot of parallels with the way we are seeing the long-valued capabilities of empathy, caring and altruism in education and health care practice being replaced by capitalistic notions of measurable cost and benefit. Abstract: In the United States, the pressures on the … [Read more...] about Podcast – Prof Teresa Mangum – The Future of the Academic and Public Humanities