Episode 71 - Anja Franz, Part 2: Never Send Them Home With Nothing

Anja Franz, PT, Dip MDT

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Show Notes

Best Advice

“Never send a patient home with nothing.”  Anja elaborates describing how even if you’re unsure what to do, you should most often pick something out to test and and learn from that 

  

Non MDT Principle Utilized

Anja takes treatment many times further with recovery of function. She’ll often set up circuits of bending and lifting or carrying or she’ll have the patient go for 30 minute to 1 hour walk prior to their appointment to fit the patient and there goals and not just have them flex a few times.  

Doing Differently

Lt. Franz has observed herself listening to her patients better.  Truly listening in their story as to the causation of what makes them worse or better.  She also says that she is much better with educating her patients.  Anja differentiates compliance versus therapeutic alliance.

 

Resources

The nice thing, for Anja, is that she doesn’t need much of any resource.  She doesn’t need anything like modalities or even a treatment bed because of the utility of simple movement and posture assessment within the MDT assessment.  If she had to use something she would use a mobilization belt and her assessment forms.

 

Impactful Studies

A prospective study of centralization of lumbar and referred pain. A predictor of symptomatic discs and anular competence. Donelson, et. al. Spine 1997 May 15;22(10):1115-22.

Does it matter which exercise? A randomized control trial of exercise for low back pain.  Long A. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2004 Dec 1;29(23):2593-602.

Centralization phenomenon as a prognostic factor for chronic low back pain and disability.  Werneke M. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2001 Apr 1;26(7):758-64; discussion 765

 

Personal Habit Contributing to Success

Anja likes to prove herself wrong.  She likes to explore one direction of movement and make sure she’s confident she’s tested it thoroughly so that she doesn’t have to go back later and retest it.

 

Final Words

Anja would like to highlight how important reliability and validity studies are and how significant having an assessment that one can count on when making prognostic and predictive and return-to-work decisions for patients. 

 

Anja can be reached through email at franzanja@yahoo.ca

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