The Journal of Humanities in Rehabilitation’s new section, Critical Research and Perspectives is dedicated to publishing papers and other works that employ critical perspectives on rehabilitation. The creation of this focused section of JHR presents an exciting opportunity to showcase rigorous critical rehabilitation research and scholarship. See the full call for papers here. We seek submissions that explore the application of critical, post-structural, or postmodern theories (broadly defined) to advance understandings of rehabilitation—including original research, think pieces, and theoretical discussions of the philosophical basis of rehabilitation practices, education, and/or … [Read more...]
Are you interested in the history of physiotherapy?
A few months ago a new international group was formed by people interested in the history of physiotherapy. The International Physiotherapy History Association (IPHA) is a collection of clinicians, policy-makers, researchers, students and teachers, who are interested in bringing physiotherapy history alive. The group will be working over the next few years to promote the history of physiotherapy as a resource for present-day practice, professional decision-making, management and leadership, teaching, and regulation; to celebrate our past; challenge the profession to learn from its history; and support the safe archiving for future generations. But why now? Well perhaps the group … [Read more...]
What should critical physiotherapy do for you?
There have been a few occasions over the last few months when people within the Critical Physiotherapy Network have been asked to do more for physiotherapy. The first time happened after our CPN Salon in Cape Town last year. Our esteemed colleague Professor Dina Brooks began the discussion by asking the CPN to do more to help mainstream physiotherapists make complex theories and philosophies more accessible. In her Reflections of a quantitative researcher on the CPN Salon, posted in July last year, Dina argued that the CPN risked functioning like a 'club' that excluded those who didn't subscribe to its principles. One of Dina's arguments at the time was that the CPN should build … [Read more...]
Going beyond good and bad practice
The idea that one approach to practice is superior to another is a powerful discourse in physiotherapy today. Last week I was talking with a colleague who thinks of himself as a 'critical thinker', and we were debating the merits of active rehabilitation over passive treatment. So called 'passive' treatments (some forms of massage, manipulation and electrotherapy, for example), in which the patient has treatment done to them rather than taking responsibility and actively engaging, have been the subject of much criticism in the profession for some time now. There is, I was told, indisputable evidence for the benefits of active approaches over passive treatment, and that those who … [Read more...]
What’s next – A critical physiotherapy course perhaps?
One thing you can definitely say about the CPN is that we like a project. We try to keep a lot of things consistent (blogging, meetings, social media, etc), but also run large projects in the background (collaborative articles, presentations and books). And having just published Manipulating practices, it's time to think what's next. We've been talking for some time about developing an on-line international course in critical thinking, but until this week it was only the germ of an idea. Yesterday I hosted a video conference with some members from the CPN, to talk about what a course might look like. Here were our preliminary thoughts: There are probably three audiences for a … [Read more...]
Exercise is medicine
There has been a flurry of interest in the value of exercise as a therapeutic remedy in some sections of physiotherapy social media in recent months. Some of this, at least, appears to be a reaction to what have been called 'passive' treatments, and a neoliberally-inspired desire to see people take more responsibility for their future health and well-being. Exercise is clearly a very valid and appropriate intervention for some people. It has been for as long as human civilisation has walked erect, and it almost certainly will continue to be useful into the future. But a recent special edition of the journal Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health has cast doubt on some of … [Read more...]
Reflections on a tweet/Why I joined the CPN
CPN member Blaise Doran responded our call-out to members to write a short statement about why or how they have found their way to a CPN so we could use them as testimonials. However his response was so interesting (and too long for a testimonial) we thought it would work better in a blog post. Blaise Doran BSc (Physio.), GradDip (Neuro. Rehab.), MSc (Pain Mgt.) originally trained and worked in the UK. He is a physiotherapist and the coordinator for the Children’s Pain Management Clinic at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Previously he worked predominantly in adult neurological rehabilitation. Prior to undertaking his physiotherapy degree, he worked for ten years as … [Read more...]
