Nutrition Crash Course for PTs

Oct 11, 2022
 

Recently I presented at the Florida Physical Therapy Conference at Disney World in Orlando, FL. My discussion was focused on Nutrition Recommendations for PTs. Needless to say the response was overwhelmingly positive! Here's a picture of the 190 chairs in the room before my presentation:

About 5 minutes into my discussion the event staff had to bring in more chairs as there was standing room only and people spilled out the door. The engagement of the PTs and PTAs in the room was amazing, and the feedback after the discussion was extremely positive and supportive. Overall, it is very clear that physical therapists and physical therapy assistants are hungry for more knowledge on nutrition for rehabilitation and PT outcomes.

As such, we are excited to announce a new course addition to our already fabulous line-up of nutrition courses for physical therapists and rehab professional: The Nutrition Crash Course for PTs. We understand some PTs may not want our full CNPT, 3 Course...

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PTs: Do No Harm but What About Diet?

Jul 20, 2020

The Oath

As many PTs and healthcare providers know and affirm: first, do no harm. Taken from one of the most widely known Greek Medical Texts, this oath commits doctors and healthcare providers to offering their best in care. The more modern version of this oath expounds:

"I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant: I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow."

Many physical therapists (PTs) have taken a similar oath. In DPT schools around the country, many student PTs (SPT) swear an oath to provide their best care prior to going into internship or clinicals. Upon entering the profession and joining the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), we as PTs swear by the APTA code of ethics, which outlines: "Above all, do no harm." The APTA code of ethics also asks PTs to provide our best ability and judgement, among other requirements.

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Physical Therapists Should Be Promoting Weight Loss

Feb 21, 2020
Image: Obesity by Jesper Sehested using Creative Commons - (CC BY 2.0) 

Physical Therapists Should Be Promoting Weight Loss

By Dr. Sean M. Wells, DPT, PT, OCS, ATC, CSCS, CNPT, Cert-DN

Physical therapists (PTs) specialize in movement, exercise, and rehabilitation. Our role as healthcare providers extends into many facets  of life and wellness. From stress reduction to nutrition, PTs ought to consider interventions beyond the basic modalities.  Diet can have a substantial impact on weight loss and its commiserate reductions in pain and inflammation, and improvements in function. Regardless of what setting (e.g. outpatient, nursing home, acute care), PTs can educate patients on the benefits of weight loss and even provide simple steps to reducing weight. 

What are the best nutrition methods PTs can provide patients to reduce or even prevent obesity in the first place? A simple answer can be found in the literature centered on the Whole Food Plant-based Diet...

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Top 3 Nutrition Resources for PTs

Oct 09, 2019

Top 3 Nutrition Resources for PTs

By Dr. Sean M Wells, DPT, PT, OCS, ATC/L, CSCS, CNPT, Cert-DN

Physical therapists (PTs) are unique healthcare providers. They are doctorally prepared, trained for direct and primary care, and work in a multitude of settings. Recently the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) released a new House of Delegate motion stating PTs ought to be more involved with nutrition care and should be trained and educated in nutrition further. Obviously the direct choice for nutrition care would be with a registered dietitian or nutritionist. But what if a PT has the training and legal right to provide nutrition care -- what resources does that PT have to provide optimal nutrition guidance? We will explore the top 3 nutrition resources for the PT!

NutritionFacts.org

Dr. Michael Greger established https://nutritionfacts.org/ with the intent of sharing evidenced-based nutrition knowledge for everyone -- for free! The lifestyle medicine physician has gone to...

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Which Physical Therapists Should Get Nutrition Education?

Sep 10, 2019

Which Physical Therapists Should Get Nutrition Education?

By Dr. Sean M. Wells, DPT, PT, OCS, ATC/L, CNPT, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, Cert-DN

The role of doctors of physical therapy (DPTs) is getting larger and larger. Many States and countries outside of the United States now offer direct access to physical therapists (PTs). Such immediate access requires the PT to be a primary care provider with a wide range of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs). Moreover, many PTs that are part of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Council on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Wellness (PHPW) or that have participated in courses offered by the Institute of Clinical Excellence (also known as PT On ICE) will tell you the importance of social determinants of health (SDOH). SDOH often have a much bigger impact and role in health and functional outcomes than medical care. One such SDOH that plays a major role in disease development, prevention, and treatment is nutrition. DPTs are seeing this...

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