Jordan Couchon: My Road to Diploma of Manipulative Therapy (Dip MT)
What is a Diploma of Manipulative Therapy?
Diploma of Manipulative Therapy (Dip. MT) is a certification demonstrating mastery in orthopedic manipulative therapy. It is an intensive training program with a comprehensive oral exam and written case reports. It requires advanced clinical reasoning, advanced theoretical knowledge and advanced technical skills. Only a very small percentage of physical therapists achieve this elite status.
Jordan Couchon & Wrist Pain
Jordan’s thesis was on the Differential Diagnosis of Wrist Pain. It was a three patient case study highlighting the process of clinical reasoning.
More details: Jordan began with the development of multiple hypothesis encompassing the most likely potential causes for the wrist pain. He then streamlined a thoughtful and efficient series of questions and examination tools to rule in/rule out the potential causes of the wrist pain and guide the rest of the examination and treatment. Once the process has entered the treatment phase he continued the process of clinical reasoning and practice adaptability within this phase. There was constant re-evaluation, meaning the diagnosis and direction of treatment may change depending on how the patient responds and potential new findings. Patients may present with the same pain, but the cause, and the necessary treatment may be completely different. Understanding the big picture is necessary to attain a successful outcome, and the ART of critical thinking and clinical reasoning is a skill necessary to attain this understanding.
Jordan’s thoughts about the Dip MT process:
“The process of becoming manual therapy certified and fellowship trained has been a journey of hard work and dedication. A journey that took years. A journey that brought us all closer together. And a journey that provided huge amounts of both personal and professional growth. The art of clinical reasoning, identifying patterns, and understanding the patient and their problem completely are things that have opened so many possibilities in terms of what great things we can do for our patients. And with these skills, we will never stay stagnant and continually progress our potential as we work to maximize the quality of life for our patients.”