Ep 248: Shoulder pain—what’s in a name? With Dr Amy McDevitt
Over the past decade, the term rotator cuff–related shoulder pain (RCRSP) has gained traction as a more accurate, patient-centered way to describe shoulder pain.
In this episode, Dr Amy McDevitt (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, University of Colorado) joins Dan Chapman and Marquis Sanabrais to unpack why shifting from structural labels like impingement or tendinopathy toward RCRSP can improve both communication and care.
They discuss how imaging often fails to match symptoms, why language matters for patient engagement, and how clinicians can explain shoulder pain without over-pathologizing.
Take home messages:
1. RCRSP reflects the multifactorial nature of shoulder pain, biological, mechanical, and psychosocial.
2. Clear and non-anatomic terminology helps patients understand and buy into treatment.
3. Future research should clarify mechanisms behind exercise and refine subgroups within RCRSP.
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RESOURCES
The case for using "rotator cuff-related shoulder pain" in practice: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.13405
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Ep 247: Shaping a career of influence, with Dr Seth Peterson
Some of the most powerful drivers of change in musculoskeletal rehabilitation aren’t researchers or administrators—but clinicians working shoulder-to-shoulder with their peers.
These so-called "local opinion leaders" often shape practice more effectively than top-down mandates or distant guidelines. And they're more than simply influencers or savvy social media marketers.
In today's episode, Dr Seth Peterson explores how local opinion leaders—those trusted voices within clinical settings—can play a pivotal role in translating research into practice. Dr Peterson shares practical strategies for fostering cultures of learning and supporting clinicians to lead.
Dr Peterson is a clinician-researcher based in Tucson, Arizona. He leads care at his clinic, The Motive, and teaches nationally with The Movement Brainery.
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RESOURCES
Empowering local opinion leaders in physical therapy systems: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.13508
Why higher standards are needed in physical therapist professional development: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2022.11377
2025 hip osteoarthritis clinical practice guideline: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.0301
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Ep 246: MTSS needs a new name - make no bones about it, with Laura Anderson
Pain near the posteromedial tibia is common in running and jumping athletes. Laura Anderson, physiotherapist and PhD candidate, is challenging the diagnostic labels "shin splits" and "medial tibial stress syndrome", and suggesting a new term: "load-induced medial leg pain" (LIMP).
In today's episode, Laura explores ways to improve how you diagnose and manage shin pain in athletes, including how you talk with athletes about their condition. She discusses loading, red flags and the role of running retraining.
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RESOURCES
Diagnosing medial tibial stress syndrome (including flow diagram): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28179260/
Re-naming MTSS as Load Induced Medial Leg Pain (LIMP): https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.13411
Effectiveness of running gait retraining - systematic review: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2022.10585
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Ep 245: Pelvic health and performing artists, with Jessica Frydenberg
Over half of performing artists and artistic athletes report pelvic floor symptoms. Up to 80% of female artistic athletes report pelvic floor symptoms, yet many believe these issues—like urinary leakage during performance—are par for the course, part of the job.
Today, Jessica Frydenberg explains who performing artists are, why they are particularly susceptible to pelvic floor symptoms, and what this means for your clinical practice.
Jess is an experienced pelvic health physiotherapist and PhD candidate at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. She has extensive experience working with performing artists, and recently led a systematic review investigating the epidemiology of pelvic floor symptoms in performing artists.
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RESOURCES
Prevalence and impact of pelvic floor symptoms systematic review: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.13452
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Ep 244: How physical therapists get paid, with Dr Chris Bise
Who pays you, and how, for your work as a physical therapist?
How health care is funded has implications for the way you work, and for the care that you can provide for patients. Societies all around the world are grappling with complex decisions about health care and how it is funded. Even more so as changing populations place different demands on health care systems, and as the health work force changes.
Today, Dr Chris Bise (Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh) explains the changing face of health care funding, and what it means for the physical therapist. Chris has 25 years of experience as a physical therapist and health system analyst who studies value-based health care and physical therapy practice - trying to find better ways of funding health care to deliver outcomes that satisfy patients, clinicians and payers.
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RESOURCES
Building the foundation for value-based physical therapy: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.13586
Perspectives for Payers - Heel pain/plantarfasciopathy: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.0502
Perspectives for Payers - Achilles tendinopathy: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.0503
The Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy brings you the JOSPT Insights podcast every Monday. On each episode, experienced clinicians and researchers unpack musculoskeletal rehabilitation topics in under 30 minutes. Guests share clinical tips and research discoveries with host Dr Clare Ardern, Editor-in-Chief of JOSPT. Sports physical therapists Dr Chelsea Cooman and Dr Dan Chapman are frequent co-hosts.
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