Episodes

When Elizabeth first walked into the Mayo Clinic’s Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Center and saw someone faint right in front of her, she knew that she was in the right place. At this point Elizabeth had been struggling with chronic pain and a condition called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, for several years. Her symptoms included migraine headaches, vision and hearing problems, and fainting also became a daily occurrence for her. Her symptoms were so severe, they forced Eliz...

In 1993, Clay Walker’s music career was taking off with his debut, “What’s It To You,” at the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. He followed it up the next year with his single “Live Until I Die.” But in 1996, his future seemed to darken when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a chronic disease of the central nervous system. It affects approximately 2.5 million people worldwide, but the symptoms are unpredictable and vary from person-to-pe...

What you might know about Gabrielle “Gabby” Reece is that she is a former professional beach volleyball player, a TV personality, a New York Times bestselling author, a model, and a fitness advocate. She embodies what it means to live a full and active life. What you might not know about Gabby is that she has an artificial knee. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Gabby discusses her approach to staying in shape, the difference between discomfort and pain, her opioid-free approach to pain man...

May 31, 2017: Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that causes joint inflammation and pain. Unlike osteoarthritis, which is the result of wear and tear on a specific joint, the effects of rheumatoid arthritis can be felt across a person’s entire body. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, a physical therapist discusses what we know about rheumatoid arthritis, which affects approximately 1% of Americans, and how to effectively manage its effects. Read more about rheumatoid arthritis on...

May 11, 2017: Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects somewhere between 27 million and 30 million Americans. It’s a chronic condition that can cause pain and stiffness. Osteoarthritis can make movement difficult, and yet one of the best ways to manage osteoarthritis is to move. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, we’ll talk about hip and knee osteoarthritis with physical therapist Mary Ann Wilmarth, who doesn’t just treat people with the condition, but lives with it too. R...

April 27, 2017: These days, whenever ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell meets an elite athlete who has undergone surgery to perform core muscle repair, she has a good idea about who might have performed the procedure. Dr. William Meyers has been at the forefront of core muscle injury treatment dating back to the late 1980s, when he pioneered efforts to diagnose and treat this problem that somehow gained popular awareness under a different and misleading name: sports hernia. In this episode of Mo...

April 13, 2017: As the lead team physician for the Washington Nationals and the head team physician for the Washington Redskins, Dr. Robin West, Chairman of Inova Sports Medicine, knows what good teamwork looks like – and not just on the field of play. To make sure that Nationals and Redskins players return from injury and avoid it in the first place, she constantly collaborates with other members of the health care team, including physical therapists, athletic trainers, surgeons, and more. In t...

March 23, 2017: Public understanding of concussion risks has improved significantly in recent years, due in large part to increased media attention about head injuries in football. And while many Americans now know to take concussion symptoms seriously, most probably don’t know what to expect when it comes to concussion treatment and management. Treating concussions today is typically a collaborative effort, involving professionals from across health care settings. In this episode of Move Forwar...

March 10, 2017: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability in childhood. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year about 10,000 babies born in the United States will develop cerebral palsy. CP is incurable and permanent, but it isn’t life threatening or progressive. It is incredibly unique to each individual. Some may be able to walk, while others cannot. Some have significant intellectual disabilities, and others are not affected in the same way. In thi...

February 23, 2017: It’s not often that physical therapists are mentioned in the same sentence as paratroopers, stunt professionals, and martial arts instructors, but that’s what happened in a January 2017 article from the New York Times titled “The Right Way to Fall.” According to the article, falls cause more than one-third of injury-related emergency room visits, and while avoiding falls in the first place is ideal, falling safely when gravity strikes is second best. In this episode of Move Fo...

February 9, 2017: A recent New York Times article “How to Run Like a Girl,” explored the differences between women and men who run. Running mechanics is a new area of research. Much is still unknown, but this much is clear: women and men do tend to run differently. One of the experts featured in the story is physical therapist Blaise Williams, PT, PhD, who studies running mechanics at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). In this episode of Move Forward Radio, Williams discusses how women and ...

January 26, 2017: When Elizabeth first walked into the Mayo Clinic’s Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Center and saw someone faint right in front of her, she knew that she was in the right place. At this point Elizabeth had been struggling with chronic pain and a condition called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, for several years. Her symptoms included migraine headaches, vision and hearing problems, and fainting also became a daily occurrence for her. Her symptoms were so severe...

January 12, 2017: In 1993, Clay Walker’s music career was taking off with his debut, “What’s It To You,” at the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. He followed it up the next year with his single “Live Until I Die.” But in 1996, his future seemed to darken when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a chronic disease of the central nervous system. It affects approximately 2.5 million people worldwide, but the symptoms are unpredictable and vary...

December 19, 2016: What you might know about Gabrielle “Gabby” Reece is that she is a former professional beach volleyball player, a TV personality, a New York Times bestselling author, a model, and a fitness advocate. She embodies what it means to live a full and active life. What you might not know about Gabby is that she has an artificial knee. In April 2016, after many years of living with the pain from an arthritic knee, Gabby underwent knee replacement surgery. Since then, Gabby has been o...

December 8, 2016: Charlie Plaskon spent most of his life thinking that recreational running was a foolish way to exercise. That’s why he didn’t actually try it until he retired at the age of 55. Quickly, his opinion began to change. Not quite 2 decades later, Charlie has completed more than 50 full 26.2 marathons and 8 full Ironman triathlons. And despite meniscal tears in both knees, multiple hernias, a rotator cuff tear, and a back injury that left him unable to walk, the now 73-year-old is de...

November 22, 2016: When Morgan Hay broke her big toe, she assumed it was a small injury. Weeks later, however, her foot was still discolored and swollen, and the pain was so intense that she passed out. Morgan was referred to a neurologist, who prescribed numerous medications, including opioids, to mask the sensation of pain. The quick-fix approaches created more problems, and Morgan felt like she was living outside of her own body. She was ultimately diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrom...

October 24, 2016: Broadway productions, such as the currently touring sensation Hamilton, provide audience members a memory that could last a lifetime. But for the cast and crew, that performance will be one of many in a packed schedule of rigorous routine. Beyond the music and lyrics, there is a lot of action in each show: dance numbers, costume changes, stage changes, and stunts. Behind any show like that, someone has to keep the human machinery moving. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, w...

October 5, 2016: The American health care system is currently grappling with how to safely prescribe opioids, a group of drugs that can be key to the successful treatment of severe acute pain, but that can be dangerous, even deadly, when used long-term for the treatment of chronic pain. In an August 17 article for TIME Magazine, Dr Andre Machado, chairman of the Neurological Institute and the Charles and Christine Carroll Family Endowed of the Cleveland Clinic, compared prescription opioids to a...

September 15, 2016: Margaret’s experience with pain started with an accident when she was stepped on by a horse. She didn’t suffer any broken bones, but the pain didn’t go away. It was thought that it was a bunion, so she had surgery. But the pain continued. Eventually, Margaret was diagnosed with complex regional pain disorder. She began extensive physical therapy to simply help her get over her fear of putting weight on her foot, and then to begin walking. Today, her therapy is ongoing, but he...

September 1, 2016: Joanne was enjoying her life as an art teacher when she started experiencing hip pain. The pain increasingly intensified, making it hard to stand or walk. The pain ultimately forced her into retirement. She began to accept the pain, and loss of mobility and quality of life as a normal side effect of aging. But when Joanne was set on a path, including hip replacement surgeries and physical therapy, she launched a personal mission to regain what pain had taken from her. In this ...

August 23, 2016: The 2016 Olympic Games showcased a week's worth of track and field, the single sport, with its wide variety of events, may best exemplify the Olympic motto, "Citius, Altius, Forius" - "Faster, Higher, Stronger." How do elite athletes get faster, higher, and stronger? With a smart training program that seeks to maximize performance and minimize injury. That’s the kind of program that physical therapist Shannon Singletary oversees at Ole Miss, where he directs the Health and Sport...

July 29, 2016: Erin Jackson's pelvic pain - a mysterious, stabbing pain that felt both internal and external, plagued her for over a decade. She endured it through college and law school, but it was alwasy there, preventing her from having an active life. She saw multiple health care providers in multiple states. She was prescribed multiple medication, none of which worked. And it made her pain worse. After moving states to seek better health care treatment, Erin began working with a physical th...

July 14, 2016: New staggering statistics illustrating the reach and toll of America’s opioid epidemic seem to be released almost daily. In 2012, health care providers wrote enough opioid prescriptions for every American adult to have their own bottle of pills. In 2015, roughly 1 in 3 Medicare beneficiaries were prescribed at least 1 opioid. Approximately 60% of adults prescribed opioids have leftover pills, and that 1 in 5 of them reported sharing their medication with someone else. But adults a...

June 30, 2016: For the past 15 years, Americans in pain have increasingly been prescribed opioids – painkillers that include Vicodin, OxyContin, methadone, and combination drugs like Percocet. These drugs can be effective over short periods and safe in low doses. But they come with risks, including depression, overdose, addiction, and withdrawal symptoms. The result is a national health crisis that involves not only prescription opioids but heroin, as well. There are safer ways to manage pain – ...