Dear all,

Thank you all for your replies - keep them coming!

Australia and NZ do great research but i reckon in my surrounding suburbs of about 20 physio practices, there would only be a couple of physios doing stuff that i would do. If you can trust the patients that come to you from those practices, they seem to get moved down the electrotherapy line (heat then ice then I/F then U/S then TENS) and then down the exercise line (do these exercises 10 times for 3 sets and i will come back in 10mins after i have changed all these other people's electro and exercises to change yours:\ ). I may just be cynical though.

With respect to how long have i been qualified and where am i going...

I graduated at the end of 1996 and started working in a hospital at the start of 1997. I worked there for 3 years, 2 of which i could not honestly tell you why a mobilisation worked. I was an excellent orthopaedic physio though and could plaster anything that moved or get someone hopeless to walk again.

I then did Manual Concepts (www.manualconcepts.com) Certificate of spinal manual therapy which opened my eyes and shot me off down the path of furthering my education.

I have since done NAGs, SNAGs and MWMs (excellent), Muscle Energy Techniques for the C/S, T/S, L/S and Wikipedia reference-linkSIJ with Dr Barbara Hungerford (again excellent - www.amta.com.au), Diane Lee's Pelvis course and LJ Lee's Thoracic Spine course (both on www.dianelee.ca), Peter O'Sullivan's Clinical Instability course - basically the stuff he presents in Grieve's Modern Manual Therapy Chapter of a similar title (excellent again). I have also done dry needling (works great) in a mix between Chan Gunn/Travell and Simons and TCM. I have done the APA's Level 1 Sports course (www.physiotherapy.asn.au) but the old 4 day course. I have also done Craig Allingham's shoulder courses, Dean Watson's Migraine Headache course (excellent) and Dr Bill Vincenzo's Lateral Epicondylagia course (excellent MWM techinques and protocols). (i have also done a CST course but don't use it that much!). Apart from the books listed above, there are stacks of others that i read to try stay current. I am just about to be endorsed by the PGA of Australia and start treating pro golfers.

I wish to do my Masters in Manip and Sports at either UQ or Curtin. I have 3 clinics and my brother is also a physio (with less ambition that i have!) I have a very young family so study is difficult.

My passion is for the spine - migraine headaches

I feel isolated in that there aren't that many opportunities to talk to other physios out there as i am so busy.

How about you guys out there?

Also, how do you guys get a hold of articles in journals like Manual Therapy and Spine (without subscribing to each and every one of them or paying through the nose for one article???)

Thanks! Keep posting!