MDT Therapist Volunteers in Malawi

McKenzie Institute International
New Zealand

cc: Scott Herbowy, Dip. MDT
     United States

Dear Lawrence Dott, CEO:

Thank you again for your donation of books for the Physiotherapists in Malawi. Books are extremely hard to come by and medical books are rare in the country. Most medical professionals do not have the resources or money to order such books and the shipping to Malawi is astronomical. I believe the McKenzie books donated will be so helpful in Malawi (especially the Treat Your Own Back books), since the techniques are so patient-focused and the therapists in Malawi are so few. There is approximately one therapist per 500,000 people. In the U.S., it is 1 per 1800. With so many patients to care for, many of whom walk for miles to receive care, visits are few and far between. I have attached photos for your use of the book distribution.

Here, I am pictured with Blandina Chitikata, Physiotherapist at SVK Physiotherapy in Lilongwe. She works at an outpatient clinic serving all types of patients, but most commonly back patients.

In this photo, I am pictured with a traveling volunteer therapist from Holland. She has been working
in Zimbabwe, and most recently Malawi, serving the underserved.

This is Sylvia Kambalametore, Chair of the Malawi P.T. Association and Head of Physiotherapy at the University of Malawi. She will distribute the rest of the books to therapists through the Malawi P.T. Association and at the Physiotherapy School which is in its first year of operation. The school needs so much in the way of resources, books and instructors so if you know if any such resources, please let me know.

Thank you so much for what you have done.

Sincerely,
Aimee Killeen, PT, OCS, Cert. MDT
Austin, TX, 78739

MDT Clinicians...Let's start moving in the right direction!
Madhavi Kulkarni, PT, Dip. MDT

I recently had an opportunity to attend the Oregon Physical Therapy Association state conference. It was impossible to ignore it when I saw the title..."Grand Rounds: MDT, NAIOMT, and Kaiser/Maitland - Comparing Experts in Low Back Pain". OPTA invited experts in each of the areas. After introducing their theories, they each examined a patient in front of the audience. From watching the experts evaluate and provide their clinical reasoning, it confirmed my educational experience and many decisions I have made in my professional career.

First, I realized all over again just how brilliant Robin McKenzie is. We now have accepted the importance of having a classification system for non-specific low back pain. It helps to ease the communication between providers, improve predictability, and ensure appropriate management. Robin McKenzie had already done this many, many years ago. The MDT classification system has been shown to be reliable and valid. The comprehensive list of references can be found on the Institute's website within the Resource Center.

Second, I was happy to know that I had made the right choice to pursue the MDT diploma. I came to the United States a few years ago with a clean slate and attended many continuing education courses to improve my skills to treat low back pain. I was getting increasingly frustrated and less confident in treating low back pain until I attended the McKenzie Part A course. MDT has helped me understand the importance of the clinical reasoning process, to have differential diagnosis, and to come up with a provisional physical therapy diagnosis that will guide the treatment. MDT is considered just a treatment tool by many clinicians, but it is more like an assessment process. It is a tool box, not just a tool.

Third, I have to agree with Susan Bamberger, President of the OPTA, on the significance of educating our colleagues about MDT. It is very important that our peers understand the value of MDT. I realize now that the only way to impact, educate, and achieve excellence is for us, MDT- trained clinicians, to become a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, start attending their meetings and stay involved. It is high time now MDT clinicians...let's start moving in the right direction!