I Love Neuro

Erin Gallardo and Claire McLean

We are a couple of neurologic physical therapists on the quest to keep the passion, commitment, and possibilities alive for those who love neuro rehab and wellness like us, without burnout and overwhelm. This show is great for neuro therapists and trainers looking to stay up to date and make a greater impact. Join us in this important movement to elevate healthcare!

  1. 6d ago

    337: Why Edema Management Belongs In Every Neuro Clinician's Toolbox: A Conversation With Rachel Walker, PT, DPT, GCS, CLWT, CBIS

    Have you ever worked with a stroke survivor or patient with spinal cord injury who had swollen limbs and not been sure what to actually do about it? Maybe you tried something, maybe you didn't because you didn't realize you should.  In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, talks with Rachel Walker, PT, DPT, GCS, CLWT, CBIS about why edema is so common — and so consequential — in the neuro population. Rachel walks through why unmanaged edema leads to pain, joint contracture, and long-term functional loss; how to run a full assessment (girth measurements, skin and lymphedema staging, and a bedside ABI to rule out arterial insufficiency before compressing); and what actually gets patients to stick with their compression, from donning aids to garment length and brand selection. Whether edema management has felt like an afterthought in your practice or you're looking to sharpen your clinical reasoning around it, this conversation gives you a clear, practical framework to start using right away.

  2. Sep 21

    336: Stop Guessing, Start Localizing: Dr. Jennifaye V. Brown, PT, MSPT, PhD, NCS, CAPS, on Neuroanatomy-Driven Treatment

    Why do two patients with what looks like the same stroke on paper walk out of rehab so differently — and why does a home exercise program built on ankle pumps and heel slides so often fail the people who need it most? In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, talks with returning guest Dr. Jennifaye V. Brown, PT, MSPT, PhD, NCS, CAPS, a four-time ten-year board-certified neurologic clinical specialist and author of Brace Yourself: Everything You Need to Know About AFOs After Stroke, about why going back to foundational neuroanatomy — knowing exactly where a lesion sits, how large it is, and how edema and brain shift distort the initial picture — is the difference between generic protocols and precision rehab. Dr. Brown walks through how she uses movement observation and cranial nerve testing to localize lesions when imaging isn't available, why upper versus lower motor neuron signs (and even mixed presentations) change her clinical reasoning, and how she builds five-exercise home programs tailored to a specific synergy pattern, flexion contracture, or cerebellar presentation rather than handing out the same generic list to every client. The conversation also digs into intensity: why so many stroke survivors aren't actually reaching the high-intensity thresholds the neuroplasticity research calls for, how Dr. Brown uses culturally relevant, music-paced activities and a color-coded RPE scale to get clients there, and why she separates muscle strengthening from muscle endurance in her programming. She previews a case study she'll present in an upcoming NeuroSpark webinar and makes the case for how clinicians can build self-efficacy rather than aim to see patients forever by using neuroanatomy.   Order ebook (Flipbook or PDF): jvbneuropt.com/book Website: jvbneuropt.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifaye-brown-pt-mspt-phd-ncs-caps/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-0M-apffkZl4vqjAqomd8g Email: info@jvbneuropt.com Get Dr. Jennifaye Brown's 90 minute AFO FITT-CORRECT: A Plan to Improve Foot Drop Webinar Just $29.99

  3. Sep 14

    335: Fire Yourself From These Tasks: A Business Reset With NeuroBiz Coach Emily Duval Ledger

    What tasks do you keep doing in your business that you secretly hate? In this episode, hosts Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, and Claire McLean, PT, DPT, NCS, talk with returning guest and favorite NeuroBiz coach Emily Duval Ledger about the reflective milestones of her 20-year entrepreneurial journey — from leaving her full-time job, to closing her brick-and-mortar gym during COVID, to running a leaner, more sustainable solo practice today. The conversation moves through the martyrdom trap so many clinician-business-owners fall into, how to actually trust a virtual assistant or new hire with work you've always done yourself, and the emotional nuance of transitioning long-term one-on-one clients to other team members without them feeling abandoned. Emily closes with a challenge born out of a personal practice of pausing before volunteering for anything: identify at least two things you can fire yourself from, and notice how much better you get at the few things you keep. Listeners will feel seen and inspired to take a new path toward freedom in your business rather than working a job you'd never sign up for if it weren't your own business.

  4. Sep 7

    334: Aerobic Priming, RAS, OPTIMAL, And Overground Training: Small Shifts, Big Outcomes With Jamie Haines, PT, DScPT, NCS

    What if the biggest gains in your patients' outcomes came from four small, free shifts you could start using tomorrow? In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, talks with Jamie Haines, PT, DScPT, NCS, who recently left a long career as an associate professor at Central Michigan University for mobile concierge PT in Florida, where she treats patients with a wide range of neurologic conditions in their own environments. Jamie and Erin preview the "amplify your practice" framework, covering aerobic priming to get the nervous system ready to learn, rhythmic auditory stimulation and music-based cueing, the OPTIMAL theory of motor learning (autonomy, enhanced expectancies, and external focus), overground training. Learn how tapping into a patient's identity can be the difference-maker in adherence. You'll also hear that overground training is NOT simply walking overground. You'll take away specific examples of how to incorporate these evidence-based boosts to enhance recovery in your patient sessions.   Register for the free webinar live on September 10 HERE Join NeuroSpark during our next opening September 14–17 at www.joinneurospark.com

  5. Aug 31

    333: Gadgets, Grasp, and Goals: Jenna Barber, MOT, OTR/L, BCPR, Talks Hand Recovery

    How much hand function can come back after a neurologic injury, and how do you know whether to remediate or compensate? On this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, talks with Jenna Barber, MOT, OTR/L, BCPR, an occupational therapist who specializes in neurorehabilitation across acute care, inpatient, and outpatient settings. In the show you'll learn how to assess fine motor deficits through activity analysis and standardized testing, the difference between remediation and compensation and when to use either. We'll also discuss favorite tools like FES, focal vibration, and rocker knives, how to keep the non-dominant hand and shoulder involved even when it's not the primary focus, and discuss emerging tech including MusicGlove, Vivistim, Bioxtreme, VR, and other devices and their place in rehab. Follow Jenna for tips, tricks and giveaways at @Neuro_OTPT_Nerds on Instagram

  6. Aug 24

    332: Can Transcutaneous Stimulation (TSS) Help Patients With Spinal Cord Injuries Improve? With Dr. Yi-Kai Lo, PhD and Rose Tilton, OTR/L, OTD

    In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, talks with returning guest Rose Tilton, OTR/L, OTD, an occupational therapist at Marquette University's Neuro Recovery Clinic, and new guest Dr. Yi-Kai Lo, PhD, CEO and co-founder of ANEUVO, about transcutaneous spinal stimulation (TSS) for people with spinal cord injury. Rose shares how she discovered TSS through her own research, became a clinical trial site investigator at Marquette, and now uses ANEUVO's ExaStim® device — a multi-channel electrode array system that can be individually programmed and timed to match specific functional movements — alongside other TSS devices on the market, including ONWARD Medical's ARC-EX. Dr. Lo walks through the engineering behind ExaStim, how the device is positioned and calibrated for each patient, and the proposed mechanism of amplifying descending brain signals to the spinal cord. Together they cover who's actually a good candidate (spoiler: it's hard to predict), what a typical treatment session looks like from aerobic priming through hand-strengthening work, and real patient outcomes ranging from improved grip and transfers to unexpected anecdotal gains, like bowel and bladder function for some. Dr. Lo also shares results from ANEUVO's ASPIRE clinical trial and home-use study, including a newly designated CPT code that will make TSS billing possible starting January 2027. Whether you're new to TSS or already using it in your practice, this conversation is full of practical, clinically grounded insight into where this intervention is headed. ANEUVO website: aneuvo.com Contact ANEUVO here: contactus@aneuvo.com Dr. Lo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yi-kai-lo-53531977/ Dr. Lo Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=cqiyyYgAAAAJ&hl=en ANEUVO LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aneuvo 276: Clinical Use of Spinal Stimulation for SCI Rehab with Rose Tilton, OTR/L, OTD

  7. Aug 17

    331: The First 30 Seconds: Winning Patient Trust On The Phone With Danny Bobrow, MBA

    What if the biggest threat to your practice's growth isn't your marketing budget, but the way your team handles the very first phone call? Getting the phone to ring is necessary, but never sufficient. In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, talks with Daniel A. "Danny" Bobrow, MBA — creator of The Art of First Impressions™ and The Persuasion Blueprint, and President of AIM Dental Marketing — about the three pillars of persuasive communication: caring, connection, and collaboration. Danny reframes the moments clinicians tend to fumble, like the "do you take my insurance?" question that quietly hands control of the call to the caller, and "expert override," the well-meaning habit of finishing a patient's sentence that costs you the connection you were trying to build. For neuro clinicians, the throughline lands close to home: therapeutic alliance measurably improves outcomes, and small shifts keep the nervous system out of threat mode so real behavior change can happen. Whether you're fielding first calls in a cash-based practice or trying to get a patient to actually do their home program, it's a practical masterclass in influence as an act of caring rather than coercion. Learn more about Danny's work at dannybobrow.com. Support Danny's foundation at: https://www.climbforacause.org Www.Facebook.com/danielabobrow Www.Linkedin.com/In/Danny Bobrow

  8. Aug 10

    330: Working With The "Excluded" Patient: A Case Study Using Modified CIMT After Stroke With Briana Elson, MS, OTR/L, BCPR, CBIS

    What do you do when the most evidence-based intervention you have is also the one your patient is "not allowed" to receive? Constraint-induced movement therapy has decades of research behind it, yet its exclusion criteria — especially around cognitive impairment — rule out a huge share of the stroke survivors clinicians actually see. In this episode, hosts Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, and Claire McLean, PT, DPT, NCS, talk with neuro OT Briana Elson, MS, OTR/L, BCPR, CBIS, about her decision to try modified CIMT with an 86-year-old stroke patient who had significant cognitive impairment and underlying dementia — a textbook exclusion — and why his profile, a left-handed man whose affected side was his dominant hand, made forced use feel natural and salient rather than confusing. Briana walks through how she built the protocol around safety and supervision in inpatient rehab: getting a physician order for the constraint mitt, educating and enlisting his wife, keeping a consistent daily schedule, breaking the three-to-six hours into non-consecutive blocks, and removing the mitt before late-day sundowning. She shares the outcomes that surprised even her skeptics — meeting the minimal detectable change on the Box and Block Test and a standardized motor scale within roughly thirteen days, plus real gains in grooming and feeding independence — alongside the honest caveats, including that his cognition never improved and that real-world delivery never looks as clean as the published article. It's a practical, encouraging conversation about reading the research, respecting its limits, and giving more patients a shot at an intervention they're usually told they can't have.

See All (100)

5
out of 5
35 Ratings

About

We are a couple of neurologic physical therapists on the quest to keep the passion, commitment, and possibilities alive for those who love neuro rehab and wellness like us, without burnout and overwhelm. This show is great for neuro therapists and trainers looking to stay up to date and make a greater impact. Join us in this important movement to elevate healthcare!

Information

  • Creator
    Erin Gallardo and Claire McLean
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © NeuroCollaborative 2020
  • Show Website
    I Love Neuro

You Might Also Like