Renée Johnson: 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.
Renée Johnson & Anterior Shoulder Pain
Renée’s thesis was the Anterior Shoulder Pain of Varying Origin. It studied how forward head posture, a loose-body at the elbow, & posterior glenohumeral ligament instability result in shoulder dysfunction and pain. She did a comparison of three case studies.
More details: Each individual presented similarly with a chief complaint of anterior shoulder pain, yet had differing etiologies as to the mechanism leading to the shoulder pain. One had poor posture leading to dizziness and shoulder pain, another had arthritis in the elbow leading to shoulder pain, and lastly, the third patient had instability in the shoulder after repeatedly dislocating the joint which was impeding her ability to swim at the collegiate level. This, therefore, demonstrates the importance of sound differential diagnostics and robust clinical reasoning for assessment and treatment of shoulder pain.
Renée’s thoughts regarding her Dip. MT process:
“The experience has inspired me to not only be a more skilled and effective therapist, but to teach others about the importance of sound clinical reasoning and in-depth understanding of the biomechanics of the human body. I have gained so much from the experience and it has awakened my desire to pursue continued education in my field. I also feel very fortunate to have been a part of a co-hort with my new co-workers from PTIS for the last 3 years, joining this physical therapy practice feels just like coming home to family.”