CHSP’s Division of Physical Therapy hosting health-focused seminars April 21 and 22

Ohio University’s Division of Physical Therapy, part of the College of Health Sciences and Professions, will be hosting Amee L. Seitz, PT, PhD, DPT, an associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, on April 21 and 22. 

Dr. Seitz, a 1993 graduate of OHIO’s Division of Physical Therapy, will share two health-focused keynote presentations over the two-day period. 

Both events will be available via in-person and virtual formats; they are also free and open to OHIO students, faculty, staff, alumni and the surrounding community. Online registration is now available.

Both events have been made possible through the Sudha Agrawal Memorial Endowment, established in memory of Sudha Agrawal (1956-2016) by her family and friends for the benefit of the Division of Physical Therapy at Ohio University.

“A Cluster-Randomized Trial of the Northwestern Embedded Emergency Department Physical Therapy (NEED-PT) Protocol for Acute Low Back Pain”
Date: Thursday, April 21
Time: 12 – 1 p.m.
Location: Grover Center W115 and Microsoft Teams

Synopsis: Low back pain represents a significant health care burden in the United States and accounts for nearly four million emergency department (ED) visits per year. In nearly two-thirds of these visits, an opioid medication is administered or prescribed, making low back pain the most common reason for which opioids are prescribed. 

Despite this aggressive medication-based approach, patient outcomes after an ED visit for back pain remain poor. After three months, nearly half of all patients report persistent functional impairment, and one in five patients report continued opioid use. Nearly one in three ED visits for low back pain results in a plain radiograph, despite multiple professional society guidelines advising against routine imaging. ED-initiated physical therapy (ED-PT) is a promising new resource to improve patient care for low back pain. The Northwestern Embedded Emergency Department Physical Therapy (NEED-PT) protocol was established for an ongoing randomized trial. 

We hypothesize that patients receiving NEED-PT will experience greater improvement in functioning and lower use of opioids, and that ED visits with NEED-PT will utilize less diagnostic imaging.

Register online

“Combating the Opioid Crisis: Safe and Effective Approaches to Prevent Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain”
Date: Friday, April 22
Time: 3 – 5 p.m. 
Location: Walter Hall 235 and Microsoft Teams

Synopsis: The drug overdose epidemic in the United States continues to change and become worse. Prescription opioid use has decreased, despite challenges associated with patient expectations for quick, easy, physician-provided pain relief. Guidelines for the management of painful chronic conditions recommend exercise and active strategies over opioid use. Evidence suggests physical rehabilitation for musculoskeletal pain sought early, if not first, is successful at reducing high-cost low-value services, patient-reported function, and less opioid medication. 

Emerging evidence supports physical therapy interventions over surgical interventions for many chronic musculoskeletal disorders. Yet, barriers exist to patients seeking and receiving physical therapy and rehabilitation services. Perspectives, behaviors and policies must evolve to continue to improve first-line pain management.

Register online

About Dr. Amee Seitz, PT, PhD, DPT

Amee L. Seitz, PT, PhD, DPT is an associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. Dr. Seitz graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Ohio University. She has an Advanced Masters in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and transitional Clinical Doctorate from MGH Institute Health Professions, and a PhD in Rehabilitation Science from Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr Seitz leads the DPT musculoskeletal curriculum at Northwestern University with primary teaching responsibilities in lumbar and shoulder content. The goal of her research is to improve treatment outcomes for individuals with musculoskeletal disorders to prevent the transition from acute to chronic musculoskeletal pain. 

Her current research is focused on elucidating underlying neuromuscular mechanisms associated with failures of joint replacements for patients with shoulder osteoarthritis, neuromuscular control as a contributor to shoulder instability, and PT embedded care in the Emergency Department for patients with acute LBP.  

About the Sudha Agrawal Memorial Endowment

These events have been made possible through the Sudha Agrawal Memorial Endowment, which was established in memory of Sudha Agrawal (1956-2016) through a generous gift from her family and friends for the benefit of the Division of Physical Therapy. 

The endowment serves as Agrawal's legacy to the students and faculty of the Division of Physical Therapy at Ohio University through the funds it provides to the Division of Physical Therapy to invite annually one or more prominent researcher(s) or practitioner(s) in the field as guest speaker(s) to organize lectures, symposia, workshops, seminars or colloquia for the benefit of research and professional development of faculty and students.