Episode 129 - Susan Bamberger, part 2: Leaving Your Ego

Susan Bamberger PT, Dip MDT

Ms. Susan Bamberger received a Masters in Physical Therapy from the College of Saint Scholastica in 1999. She started her career by pursuing many different approaches for managing orthopedic conditions and by 2002 she started to focus her career on the matching the right treatment for each patient through Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT). In 2004 Susan received her certification in MDT, and in 2009 she received her Diploma in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy. She assists with MDT classes around the country and mentors other physical therapists in advanced clinical decision-making. She is also involved in development projects through the institute through the MDT Diploma Steering committee, which has been working to mobilize MDT Diplomates throughout the US. 

Show Notes

A memorable patient story

Susan remembers a patient with a lingering symptom whose history led her to question her initial classification. She reflects on the importance of advocating for your patients and being confident in your assessment, especially when things “don’t add up.”

 

Useful Analogies

Susan utilizes the “bent finger,” but has recently been utilizing the analogy of making deposits and withdrawing money from a bank to help patients understand the importance of posture and specific exercises.

Susan also speaks about the educational tools used to describe derangement and dysfunction classification to her patients

 

Useful Resources

Susan talks about the helpfulness of local study groups, online study groups, and the value of taking in information from clinicians outside the realm of MDT.  She gives some helpful hints on setting up or participating in local study groups through the McKenzie Institute.

Susan also refers to some helpful studies to improve compliance when centralization is found, and encourages us to suggest using search engines to get patients interested in this phenomenon.

 

Best Advice

Susan remembers a mentor who told her, “Whatever you do, leave your ego at the door.” She would pass this on to other clinicians who are hopeful to learn

She recommends that we seek out mentors and become mentors to others. She goes on to talk about some exciting mentorship opportunities coming soon from the McKenzie Institute USA.

 

Mechanical Care Everywhere

Susan speaks about an initiative to provide a short term service project to provide mechanical care to underserved populations. We discuss the challenging but rewarding prospects of giving back and using the simple mechanical assessment to allow for people around the world to treat their own issues. Visit our webpage here: Mechanical Care Everywhere

 

Contacting Susan

If you are interested in reaching out to Susan, you can email her at susanbamberger@gmail.com, or look into her website at Creative PT Solutions

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