It was late in the afternoon on a Thursday. I had just finished with a patient and as I was walking them to the reception area, I ran into our Nurse Practitioner (NP) Eric and one of our Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioners. Unfortunately, our physiotherapist was somewhat in distress and walking bent over and shifted due to intense low back pain. His pain gradually increased over time that day. He was very concerned as he wanted to be able to care for his patients the remainder of his work day.
With our NP observing, I examined our physiotherapist’s low back. The initial clinical diagnosis was acute facet joint pain on the right at L4-5 along with muscle spasm. As our NP is highly trained in ultrasound-guided injections (as are our MD’s), he was able to confirm the diagnosis within 5 minutes via an ultrasound-guided local anaesthetic injection into the L4-5 facet joint. Our physiotherapist experienced a significant amount of pain relief within minutes! We were able to collaborate on a treatment plan to get him through the remainder of his work day. Minutes later, we returned to our regular day in the clinic.
Although this experience seemed routine to us, it put a smile on my face. It reminded me of what we are all about. Our clinical team has dedicated our professional lives to continuing education, advancing our skillsets, and a strong foundation in communication and collaboration. With numerous specialties under one roof we have the ability to provide our patients with not only effective specialty care, but timely care. Timely and effective collaboration is important to resolving painful injuries. We understand how much your life is affected because of pain and we are dedicated to helping you. I know that if I was in a difficult situation where I had a musculoskeletal pain problem, I am comforted by the fact that I am surrounded by clinical experts who care. The last 22 months have been challenging for many of us on many levels, but when a bright light shines in your day, you cherish it and realize there are many good moments in our lives.
Geoff Schneider, Clinical Specialist in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy
PT, PhD, DSc, BScKin, BHScPT, DipManip(PT), cGIMS, FCAMPT
Geoff is a clinical specialist in musculoskeletal physiotherapy. He is a partner at Evidence Sport and Spine in Calgary, Alberta. Geoff is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, at the University of Calgary. He also holds adjunct faculty appointments at Andrews University, McMaster University, and the University of British Columbia in their respective Departments of Physical Therapy. Following completion of his Bachelor of Health Science in Physiotherapy from McMaster University, Geoff completed his Fellowship in Manual and Manipulative Therapy (FCAMPT) in 2002. He also became certified in GunnIMS in the same year. Geoff completed his doctoral studies (DSc) from Andrews University. His research involved cervical spine facet joint mediated pain and its effect on sensory hypersensitivity in chronic whiplash patients. He has presented at numerous conferences and clinical rounds and has taught post-graduate courses across Canada and the United States. He is a co-developer and instructor of a modular based, evidence-based course in the management of whiplash associated disorders. Geoff has a strong interest in clinical epidemiology, in particular diagnostic accuracy in cervical spine disorders. As a result, he is pursued further doctoral studies, a PhD, at the University of Calgary in the Faculty of Medicine. He completed his PhD in May 2013 and his research involved the derivation of a clinical prediction guide in the diagnosis of facet joint mediated pain in the cervical spine. Geoff was awarded a CIHR doctoral research award Canada Graduate Scholarship. Geoff has published numerous peer-reviewed papers in the area of musculoskeletal pain. He completed a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta. His postdoctoral research is in the area of advanced physiotherapy practice and spine care management. Through his passion for life-long education, his vision is to see physiotherapists continue to advance their involvement and expertise in multidisciplinary environments for the betterment of patient outcomes world-wide.
