Think about how much time you spent learning about the 'normal' body in physiotherapy school. Think about how much time you spend in clinical practice assessing people to see what's 'abnormal.' And all of those clinical trials that develop sensitive, reliable and valid measures of activity, bodily function, movement and pain; all based on some universal notion of normality. Tests and measures have to assume that there is one universal normal for them to be universal. So, in principal, a score of 13 on the Modified Borg Scale means the same thing in Afghanistan as it does in Alaska, and a BMI of 28 is obese no matter where you live. Physiotherapists learn the principal of … [Read more...] about New: Normals
Critical physiotherapy research update
Lived Observations: Linking the Researcher’s Personal Experiences to Knowledge Development Lisbeth Thoresen & Joakim Öhlén As researchers in palliative care, we recognize how involvement with seriously ill and dying persons has an impact on us. Using one’s own senses, emotional and bodily responses in observations might open intersubjective dimensions of the research topic. The aim of the article is to highlight how phenomenological theories on intersubjectivity can be useful to develop rich and transparent data generation and analysis. We present three field note examples from observation in a hospice ward, which illuminate how researcher awareness of aspects of intersubjectivity can … [Read more...] about Critical physiotherapy research update
Suffrage suspended? Counter-narratives of womens’ quest for professional legitimacy
Each day over the next week I'll post up an abstract for a paper being presented by a member of the Critical Physiotherapy Network at the In Sickness and In Health conference in Mallorca in June 2015. (You can find more information on the conference here.) Suffrage suspended? Counter-narratives of womens’ quest for professional legitimacy David Nicholls A great deal has been written about the role the suffrage movement played in the development of nursing and midwifery during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Much of this research points to roles played by middle- and upper-class women in professionalizing socially validated notions of caring, and the importance of this … [Read more...] about Suffrage suspended? Counter-narratives of womens’ quest for professional legitimacy
Opening doors to disability
I've been in Wellington for the last three days exploring the archives to find any trace of physical therapy activity in New Zealand in the 19th century. So far it's been a frustrating search. While I've been down here, I've been having some interesting discussions with people about disabled physiotherapy students. We have just graduated our first tetraplegic physiotherapist and I've been in discussion with our regulatory authority about the conditions for their license to practice. So this article sent to me by CPN member Anne Hudon came at a very convenient time. Thanks Anne. Across the country, people with disabilities are redefining the possible by excelling in scholarly … [Read more...] about Opening doors to disability
Bodies, embodiment, advertising
Embodiment is a hard concept to grasp. We don't just have bodies, we are bodies, movements, capacities, abilities...we experience the world through our bodies and literally and figuratively feel what it's like to be alive. Here are three recent advertisements that shamelessly play on the idea of bodies and embodiment. As a result of watching these you should definitely vote, buy a Volvo and drink Smirnoff vodka. If you do, remember to be a donor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nc-lmer_TQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbEVE0CPdR8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPQJXhZK_4k … [Read more...] about Bodies, embodiment, advertising