I've spent a lot of time this year doing the background work for the book that will follow The End of Physiotherapy (available now in paperback from all good book sellers, and an ideal Christmas present). On the advice of a friend of mine, who is a prolific author, I try to write books, book chapters, and articles in one go. What I mean is that all of the arguments are corralled first, along with the data, references, texts and quotes, and then when I've ironed out what my arguments will be, I write the whole thing in one go once. This is quite different to a collaborative writing project, which is much more iterative, but it helps to reduce the seemingly endless re-writing … [Read more...] about Common problems
Is physiotherapy linked to the birth of modern writing?
Here's a thought. On Stephen Downes' ever reliable site, Downes recently reviewed an essay on Aeon by William Eamon, titled 'Six centuries of secularism: When the first ‘how-to’ books began to explain the way the world worked, they paved the way for science and secularism' (link). Now before you close the blog and think "what on earth did that have to do with physiotherapy", consider this argument from Downes, who summarises Eamon's ideas as an; [i]nteresting thesis: "by elaborating mechanical processes and spelling out how things worked – in striking contrast to the well-documented secrecy of the guilds – writers began to transform the mechanical arts from personal know-how into … [Read more...] about Is physiotherapy linked to the birth of modern writing?
Who writes a physiotherapy blog anyway?
I suppose if you’re going to start a blog about physiotherapy the first question you need to ask is ‘why are there so few good critical blogs about the profession?’ It can’t be because blogs are so new that we haven’t caught up on the trend yet, or that physiotherapists are any more technophobic than anyone else in hyperspace. Nor can we say that physiotherapy is any less worthy than medicine, nursing, psychology, acupuncture or osteopathy, or any of the other health professions, to close critical scrutiny. Granted, it’s not a particularly common thing for people within their own professions to write critically about their work, and even less so to think that this should be available to … [Read more...] about Who writes a physiotherapy blog anyway?
New: Stories
For reasons I've never really understood, physiotherapists seem really reluctant to tell their work stories. I'm not talking about the conversations we've all had with our partners, families and friends about interesting clinical problems we've faced or patients we've treated, but rather the kinds of things that give us pause to reflect on what we're doing, or make us think that there's a lesson here that others could share in. A long time ago, doctors, midwives, nurses and psychologists recognised the value of stories, giving birth to the whole idea of narrative-based medicine and the medical humanities. But physiotherapists have been slow on the uptake. The latest edition of the … [Read more...] about New: Stories
How to write a thesis
This post, which originally appeared here, reviews and celebrates Umberto Eco's book How to write a thesis, which is now in its twenty-third edition in Italy and translated into seventeen languages. If you are thinking about engaging in a thesis, are already doing one, or have students working through their doctorates, the new English translation of Eco's book might be just for you. The passing of time and technological developments have altered the way researchers engage and interact with their source material. In light of this, Eco’s How to Write a Thesis becomes increasingly significant and even more when one considers the publication has not been edited or revised since its release … [Read more...] about How to write a thesis
Critical Physiotherapy returns
If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, today probably marks your return to work day. For some in the South it should be holiday, so wherever you are I hope you had a relaxing and peaceful break. I stopped doing a lot of work-related things on the 19th December and am only coming back to it now in anticipation of an exciting year ahead, so apologies for the 'radio silence' over the last three weeks. It's been bliss. I stepped down as Head of Department at the turn of the year and start a six month sabbatical today, so I'll be doing a lot of blogging, reading and writing over that time (more about this in the next few days). I did, however, keep reading some of my favourite news-sites and … [Read more...] about Critical Physiotherapy returns