As technology, medical research, and new minds add to the field of manual therapy, it can feel impossible to stay up to date on what's going on in this innovative field. One of the best ways to stay ahead of the curve is to follow manual therapy thought leaders – but that can be difficult.
That's why we've compiled a list of some of the forward-thinking folks helping synthesize the changes in our field. Check out some of the manual therapy thought leaders currently leading the industry.
1. Physiotutors
Why we follow them:
Besides putting out great content continuously, ultimately, we follow Physiotutors because they create short videos with links to their research and articles used for further reliable research. Their social channels are packed with quick and easy to recreate videos covering all topics from exercise to manual therapy to assessments.
More detail:
Co-founded by Andreas Heck and Kai Siegel, Physiotutors has a humble goal: to define the standards in online physiotherapy education. Suited for all levels, their website is a great resource for online courses and webinars taught by clinical experts. Their website also features research reviews and practice exams covering neurology, pathology, physiology, and other topics.
The Physiotutors blog is updated monthly and covers evidence-based practice, strength training, pain relief and treatment, knee care, and much more. Likewise, their Physiotutors podcast comes out every month. Each episode features a guest and does a deep dive into a specific issue with a subject expert.
In the ten years their YouTube channel has hosted videos, they've received 85 million views. Most videos are just a few minutes long, and topics include everything from an overview of Bechterew's Disease to How-To topics. You can follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
2. Modern Manual Therapy
Why we follow them:
Dr. E, as you’ll come to know him, provides quick manual therapy techniques for most conditions in whatever form you prefer. They offer both free and paid learning resources, and the free are top-notch.
More detail:
While Modern Manual Therapy has a premium insider’s subscription, they have plenty of free content for you to enjoy - especially their video clips on social media. Founded by Dr. Erson Religioso III, DPT, MS, MTC, CertMDT, CFC, CertMST, CNPT, FAAOMPT of Buffalo, New York who is focused on educating not only the manual therapy community, but also his patients to ensure they are empowered with the information on how to self-assess and know of treatment strategies. Topics cover treatments and conversations around TMD, spinal care, headaches, and chronic pain.
The major benefit that Dr. E offers teaching in whatever format you prefer to learn in. You want daily quick and easy snippets about manual therapy with an occasional video to go along? Follow him on Instagram. Looking for a more well-rounded variety of educational snippets that link to all sorts of content? Follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
For completely visual learning, follow Modern Manual Therapy’s YouTube channel. They post about 10 videos a month ranging from 30 seconds to 30 minutes to make for easy consumption for the time you have available on your breaks or in between patients.
Their final free offering is great for the drive to work or while cleaning up the clinic since it’s audio via podcasts. The Untold Physio Stories offers 5-10 minute snippets on the latest topics in manual therapy every week, while Therapy Insiders is a little older (from 2019 and later) but still very relevant topics to help any growing manual physical therapist sharpen their knowledge and skills.
3. Dr. Michael Giardina DPT, OCS, COMT
Why we follow them:
He's committed to sharing his opinions backed up with clinical research and stats making his online presence well worth the follow.
More detail:
Truly one of the manual therapy thought leaders, Dr. Michael Giardina shares stats, research, and diagrams geared toward practitioners on his popular Facebook page. Focusing on reminding his followers that rest is not the same as rehab, he also offers a unique perspective on some of the fads we often see in manual therapy.
Gain access to rehab exercises for issues like snapping hips and anterior pelvic tilt, or keep up to date on progressions for handstands, glute bridge, and more on his Instagram page.
4. Rehabscience
Why we follow them:
For refined tips and videos on treating musculoskeletal pain and movement disorders, Rehabscience is a must follow.
More detail:
Tom Walters is one of the manual thought leaders we keep an eye on and the founder of Rehabscience. His work combines kinesiology education, manual therapy, and individually tailored therapeutic exercises to find the right solution for every individual.
Rehabscience offers seven programs, each focusing on a part of the body: ankle, back, elbow, hip, knee, neck, shoulder, and wrist & hand. He has created unique videos within each of those sectors for specific hyper needs. For example, the Hip Program includes exercises for IT band syndrome, quad muscle strain, and hamstring strain, among other issues.
His 880,000+ Instagram followers get regular videos on a wide range of rehab topics, from quadriceps mobilization to subscapularis mobilization, or you can follow him on Facebook for the same content.
5. Physionetwork
Why we follow them:
While they have a strong paid offering for education, their social media offers quick advice via videos, comic relief, and links to a wide variety of top content.
More detail:
Physionetwork strives to provide physical therapy education that is clinically relevant, affordable, reliable, trustworthy, and not out of date. Their paid programs like ResearchReview, Masterclass, and Mentorship have a following, but you can find much of their content for free through their blog.
The Physionetwork blog has nearly 300 posts, all of which can be searched by choosing a body part you need information on or a topic, such as pain, tendons, exercise preparation, and running. Some of their all-time most popular blogs have included What Physios Should Know About Strength & Conditioning, ITB Syndrome – A Review of the Evidence, and To Ice Or Not To Ice An Injury.
You can also follow along with their 200,000+ Instagram followers or keep up with them via Facebook or Twitter.
6. Dr. Chad Cook PT, Ph.D., MBA, FAPTA, FAAOMPT
Why we follow them:
Dr. Chad Cook is not only one of the best in the industry and known for his lectures and clinical writing, but he also works closely with the best so both his tweets and retweets are valuable with information from him and others you should follow.
More detail:
Dr. Chad Cook is a Professor at Duke University and head of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program with a Category A position at the Duke Clinical Research Institute. The American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Therapy granted Dr. Cook fellowship status in 2006, and he's also an American Physical Therapy Association Catherine Worthingham Fellow.
Dr. Cook has delivered keynote addresses on six continents and in multiple nations, publishing more than 250 peer-reviewed articles, and has a lengthy history of serving in leadership capacities as editor-in-chief, associate editor, or editor of special themes for several journals, including JOSPT and BJSM.
Dr. Cook is the 2009 American Physical Therapy Association Baethke-Carlin Award winner, the 2008 Helen Bradley Career Achievement Award winner, and the 2005 J. Warren Perry Distinguished Authorship Award winner. He has earned multiple local teaching accolades at Duke University and won the AAOMPT Excellence in Research Award in 2011, 2012, and 2013. You can follow Dr. Cook on Twitter.
7. Dr. Dan Rhon
Why we follow them:
Dr. Dan Rohn is on the forefront of education when it comes to investigator trials, and we make sure we don’t miss a single tweet.
More detail:
Dr. Dan Rhon is the Director of Musculoskeletal Outcomes Research and a Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. As a physician doing ongoing research on health care at the Center for the Intrepid, Brooke Army Medical Center, he serves as the primary investigator for many trials.
He works as an assistant professor at Baylor University and an ORISE Research Fellow at the Office of the Surgeon General's Physical Performance Service Line. He has a significant research interest in the effectiveness of clinical treatment pathways for musculoskeletal illness, both at primary and specialty care levels and the junction of these two.
He has completed a postdoctoral research fellowship via the University of Utah and oversees a number of multi-site CDMRP and NIH-funded studies in the MHS that are targeted at these clinical issues. He has previously won the US Army COL Mary Lipscomb Hamerick Lifetime Research Award and the Rose Excellence in Research Award from the Orthopedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association.
You can follow Dr. Rhon on Twitter and learn more about his credentials on LinkedIn.