This post was contributed by Ann Wendel, PT.  Ann is the owner of PranaPT, a member of WebPT and active on social media. Thanks to Ann for being a resource and thought leader!

Preface

Anyone who is active in social media in the field of physical therapy knows that these are exciting times. PT’s are interacting in the public forum about practice issues affecting the current and future state of the profession. As more PT’s begin blogging, Tweeting, and connecting on LinkedIn groups, increasing opportunities exist to explore the role of communication. Last month I became intrigued with the idea of taking one research study and having two therapists with different communication preferences write about it. I asked Jason Silvernail, DPT, DSc if he would be up for partnering with me on this experiment.

Here is a link to a study that looked at techniques for evaluating the SIJ. Then, here is a Letter to the Editor written by Jason and Kyle Ridgeway, DPT. Their letter was written to describe their thoughts regarding the research and its applicability to clinical practice. It was written in language that would be understood by other physical therapists and healthcare providers. Finally, we will post my review of the study, written as I would word it for my blog, which is read by other therapists, but also the general public who is looking for more information regarding back pain. The “spirit” of this endeavor was to show how two therapists reading the same study would write about their thoughts, in words appropriate for their audience. This is important, because patients search the internet for information about their pain and possible treatments and part of our mission as PT’s is to educate the public.