IPA: Institute of Physical Art

♀️In honor of Women’s Health Month, we’ve been thinking a lot about how we frame and organize women’s health presentations in the clinic.🤔 What systems do you find most influential in women’s health presentations in your clinical work? From an IPA perspective, women’s health presentations rarely live in a single region or isolated impairment. They reflect system behavior and how the body organizes itself around load, pressure, and movement strategy across multiple regions at once. In practice, the pelvis, respiratory diaphragm, and trunk function less as separate structures and more as an integrated pressure and control system. When one component loses efficiency, such as breathing mechanics, pelvic floor coordination, or proximal stability, the system adapts. Those adaptations often show up distally as symptoms that may feel disconnected from the true driver. This is where IPA principles of global assessment and Tracing and Isolating become especially useful. Instead of focusing on the site of symptoms, the clinical question becomes where the system is breaking down under demand and what is limiting efficient organization. For some patients, that constraint is pressure management and ribcage mechanics 🫁. For others, it is hip strategy and load transfer 🦵, fascial integration 🌐, or neuromuscular control in transitional movements 🔄. Often, it is a combination that only becomes clear with three-dimensional movement assessment under load. Women’s health, in this lens, is not a regional specialty. It is an integrated movement system analysis. The more clearly we see global patterns, the more precise our intervention becomes locally. Curious how others are approaching this right now 👇 What systems are you prioritizing most in women’s health cases in your practice? Pelvic floor 🌿 Fertility Challenges🍼 Menstruation pain⚡ Respiratory mechanics 🌬️ Strengthening for bone health🦴 Hip and lumbopelvic control ⚙️ Fascial integration 🌐 Something else entirely? Would love to hear how others are thinking about this space 💬

What patients are investing in isn’t just the time spent during their session — it’s also the years of education, mentorship, and continued training behind the scenes. This past weekend I was in NYC taking “Strategies for Optimizing Performance” through the Institute of Physical Art to continue advancing my clinical and hands-on skills. The goal is always the same: help people move better, perform better, and stay active without compensation patterns that can eventually lead to injury. We’re committed to continuously learning and evolving so we can provide the highest level of care possible. Thank you to @IPAFMT and @VidaPhysionyc for hosting.

Today we honor the legacy of Margaret “Maggie” Knott, a pioneer whose influence continues to shape the way physical therapists around the world approach movement, function, and patient care. 💙 Born in 1918, today we pause to celebrate Maggie’s birthday and remember the profound impact she had on our profession and our patients. Maggie passed away on December 12th, 1978, but her teachings and influence continue to live on through generations of clinicians. Known to many as the “mother of PNF,” Maggie Knott helped transform the profession through her groundbreaking work in Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation alongside Herman Kabat. Her passion for discovering human potential and restoring meaningful function inspired generations of clinicians and changed the trajectory of neurological and orthopedic rehabilitation. Maggie’s teachings had a profound impact on IPA founders Gregg Johnson and Vicky Saliba Johnson, helping shape the philosophy and development of Functional Manual Therapy®. Her emphasis on movement, function, and treating the whole person continues to live on through clinicians practicing PNF and FMT today. We are grateful for her vision, her mentorship, and the lasting impact she continues to have on our profession and our patients. Check out the photo of Gregg with Maggie in 1975.💖 #PNF #IPAFMT #FunctionalManualTherapy #PhysicalTherapy #MaggieKnott #ManualTherapy #DiscoverYourPotential #MovementMatters

🔥 June Course Flash Sale 🔥 Pre-game your 4th of July with IPA! Level up your clinical skills this summer! 🚨 This flash sale ends this Friday, May 15th at 11:59 pm! 🚨 June IPA courses are available for just $595 using the discount code: Flash26 at checkout. 🤯 Whether you want to sharpen your manual therapy skills, improve movement analysis, enhance gait assessment, or deepen your understanding of the pelvis, core, visceral systems, and total body integration, there is a course for you this June. 💪 Featured June Courses Include: • CFS (CoreFirst® Strategies) June 12–14 Glendora, CA • FMLT (Functional Mobilization Lower Trunk) June 5–7 Annapolis, MD • FMLE (Functional Mobilization Lower Extremities) June 12–14 Huntington Beach, CA • CBI (Complete Body Integration) June 26–28 Leesburg, VA • FMUT (Functional Mobilization Upper Trunk) June 5–7 Glendale, WI • GAIT (Functional Gait) June 12–14 Portland, OR • VFM (Visceral Functional Mobilization) June 12–14 New York, NY • PGP (Pelvic Girdle Puzzle) June 13–14 Belmont, CA & June 27–28 Des Moines, IA • KJD (Knee Junction Dilemma) June 6–7 Brooklyn, NY • KSC (Kinetic Shoulder Complex) June 27–28 Coronado, CA 📍Courses offered across the country throughout June 2026. ⚠️Use code: Flash26 Hurry before the sale ends and join us for an incredible summer of learning and growth! 🚀 Register for courses on our website #DiscoverYourPotential #IPAFMT #FunctionalManualTherapy #PhysicalTherapy #ContinuingEducation #MovementMatters #PTCourses #PhysicalTherapist

📄 Women’s Health Meets Hand Therapy: Rethinking Upper Extremity Rehab Through a PNF & Motor Control Lens A recent article in the Journal of Hand Therapy reinforces a key principle for upper extremity rehabilitation: optimal outcomes come from integrated, function-driven, multimodal treatment, not isolated techniques. For physical therapists, this aligns with how we approach movement training through systems like PNF and functional neuromuscular retraining. 🔍 Core clinical takeaways: • Task-specific training improves real-world hand use and carryover to daily activity • Early intervention reduces stiffness, adhesions, and long-term mobility limits • Multimodal rehab is more effective, combining manual therapy, exercise, progressive loading, sensory-motor re-education, and splinting or orthoses when necessary • Clinical reasoning guides progression based on irritability, motor control, and functional demand • Patient-centered goals improve engagement and outcomes 🧠 PNF motor control connection: These findings align with PNF, where movement is trained as an integrated system rather than isolated segments. In practice this includes: • Restoring automatic core engagement (ACE) for distal function • Integrating trunk stability with extremity mobility • Using manual facilitation and resistance to improve motor output • Identifying CoreFirst™ versus phasic driven motor strategies • Translating patterns into functional task performance This is especially relevant in women’s health across the lifespan, where hormonal and connective tissue changes can influence joint stability, motor control, and upper extremity presentation. 📌 Clinical takeaway: The upper extremity functions as part of an integrated system driven by motor control, postural stability, and task demand. Combining evidence-based hand therapy with PNF supports treatment beyond impairment toward functional restoration. 📚 Reference: Journal of Hand Therapy, Article S0894-1130(22)00080-1 #DiscoverYourPotential #FunctionalManualTherapy #EvidenceBasedPractice #WomenInPT #PhysicalTherapy #HandTherapy #UpperExtremityRehab #MotorControl #PNF #ClinicalReasoning #NeuroRehab #WomensHealthPT

💐 Happy Mother’s Day 💐 Today, we celebrate the strength, care, and resilience of mothers everywhere. The ways they support, nurture, and give of themselves reach far beyond what we can see. As clinicians, we are privileged to support mothers through every stage, helping them move, recover, and feel their best so they can continue caring for those around them. We also want to especially honor the mothers within our IPA community who serve as instructors. Your dedication to both your families and your students reflects a unique strength and depth of perspective that enriches every course you teach. Through your work, you continue to “pass it on,” shaping and inspiring the next generation of clinicians. To all mothers, and especially those in our IPA instructor community, your strength, care, and love do not go unnoticed. 💜 #MothersDay #IPAFMT #MovementMatters #WomensHealth #PhysicalTherapy #CareAndConnection #StrongerTogether

✨ Celebrating CFMT Excellence ✨ We are proud to highlight Ann Kaminski, MPT, OCS, CFMT, a clinician, educator, and practice owner whose career reflects passion, resilience, and a deep commitment to patient care. Ann earned her Certified Functional Manual Therapy™ (CFMT) credential in 2009, an experience she describes as truly life-changing. Ann is the owner of Lumina Physical Therapy and Wellness, a cash-based private practice in St. Paul, Minnesota, which she founded just a few years ago after a long and successful clinical career working as an employee. Her work continues to be driven by a genuine love for treating patients, something she credits to the renewed energy and purpose she found through the CFMT journey. Beyond her clinical work, Ann is deeply invested in developing other clinicians. She has been assisting and teaching IPA courses for over 16 years and serving as a primary instructor for PNF for the past decade. Her dedication also extends to local education, where she leads a mentorship program at Viverant Physical Therapy, helping guide and support new therapists as they build their skills and confidence. Although she did not have a traditional clinical mentor early in her career, Ann found inspiration through Gregg and Vicky Johnson, as well as through her teaching mentorship with Linda Costello. These influences helped shape her path and fueled her passion for both learning and teaching. CFMT not only elevated Ann’s clinical reasoning, it also helped reignite her career, allowing her to move beyond burnout and rediscover joy in practice. Today, even after 25 years in the profession, she continues to bring enthusiasm, expertise, and purpose to every patient interaction. 🎉 Congratulations, Ann, and thank you for your dedication to patient care, mentorship, and the IPA community. 💫 📍 Lumina Physical Therapy & Wellness - St. Paul, MN #DiscoverYourPotential #InstituteOfPhysicalArt #IPACommunity #FunctionalManualTherapy #FMT #CFMT #AdvancedMastery #PhysicalTherapy #PTLeadership #ClinicalExcellence #LifelongLearning #PatientCenteredCare #WomenInPT #MentorshipMatters

🧠 PNF: Efficient Movement in Action What a weekend at Campbell Clinic Orthopaedics in Collierville, TN. (@campbellclinicortho ) We had an incredible time diving into PNF through Functional Manual Therapy® with a group of highly engaged clinicians, all focused on restoring efficient movement. The course was taught by Jinny McGivern (@jmcgdpt ) and supported by Bradley Grohovsky, whose combined expertise created a dynamic and impactful learning experience. This course goes far beyond traditional PNF patterns. It presents movement as a three-system model comprising mechanical capacity, neuromuscular function, and motor control, and shows how these systems interact in real functional tasks. 🔎 What we explored Through hands-on, lab-intensive sessions, participants learned to: • Identify where dysfunction exists within a movement, including mechanical, neuromuscular, and motor control components • Apply targeted manual techniques to address those impairments • Reintegrate the treated segment back into the whole for more efficient movement What stood out most this weekend was the moment things clicked. Seeing how precise, intentional interventions can create meaningful, system-wide changes in movement was powerful. The energy, curiosity, and collaboration in the room made this an unforgettable course. Grateful to the team at Campbell Clinic Orthopaedics for hosting and to everyone who showed up ready to learn and elevate their practice. 📸 Swipe through to see highlights from the weekend. Ready to experience PNF for yourself? 📍 Upcoming 2026 Courses 📅Elmhurst, IL August 21 to 23 📅Antioch, CA September 18 to 20 #DiscoverYourPotential #PhysicalTherapy #ManualTherapy #PNF #MotorControl #MovementScience #OrthopedicPT #ContinuingEducation #PTEducation #RehabScience #PNF

💜 May is Women’s Health Month 💜 This month is a reminder of the importance of listening, learning, and advocating for women’s health at every stage of life. From movement and function to recovery and performance, every woman’s story and experience matters. As clinicians and a community, we have the opportunity to support, empower, and provide care that truly meets the needs of the women we serve. Through continued education, acknowledging the unique differences in the medical needs of women, and supporting connections through the medical community to advocate for high quality of care for women, we can help create better outcomes and stronger foundations for long term health for women. Here’s to supporting women in moving, living, and feeling their best. 💃 #WomensHealthMonth #IPAFMT #MovementMatters #PhysicalTherapy #WomensHealth #HealthcareCommunity #StrongerTogether

✨📚Gregg Johnson’s Book Recommendation📚✨ Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain 📖 @susancainauthor This thought-provoking book explores the strengths of introverts and challenges the idea that being outgoing is the key to success. Susan Cain highlights how qualities like deep thinking, listening, and reflection are powerful assets in both life and work. 🧠 Key Takeaways: • Introversion is not a weakness; it is a different way of engaging with the world, often rooted in depth, focus, and thoughtfulness • Environments that favor constant stimulation can overlook the strengths introverts bring to creativity, problem-solving, and leadership • Meaningful work and connection often come from quiet focus, intentional practice, and one-on-one interactions 💡 Why this matters for clinicians: • Listening deeply and observing are essential skills that support patient-centered care • Creating space for reflection can improve clinical reasoning and decision-making • Not all patients or clinicians thrive in high-energy environments; individualized approaches matter In practice, we see how presence, attention, and intentional interaction can influence outcomes just as much as technique. 📚 If you’re interested in understanding how different personality styles shape communication, learning, and performance, Quiet is a must-read! 💬 Do you consider yourself more introverted or extroverted in your clinical practice? Let us know in the comments👇 #GreggJohnsonReccommendedBooks #QuietThePowerOfIntroverts #FunctionalManualTherapy #DiscoverYourPotential #EvidenceInformedPractice #PhysicalTherapy #PatientCenteredCare #ClinicalExcellence #CommunicationSkills #PTEducation #MindfulPractice #HealthcareProfessionals

💥 Take Your Lower Extremity Skills to the Next Level with FMLE 💥 The lower extremity is more than a collection of joints. It is a dynamic, integrated system that drives movement, stability, and performance throughout the entire body. The Functional Mobilization Lower Extremities course provides a fully integrated Functional Manual Therapy® approach to assessing and treating the hip, knee, foot, and ankle within the context of whole body function. The foot & ankle section is a powerful “fan favorite”, where clinicians witness and experience dramatic changes in foot structure and function while being exposed to the transformative concept of why a “pronated” foot is actually a “compensated supinated” foot. In FMLE, you will 🔍 Explore complex clinical presentations and refine advanced assessment strategies 🧠 Integrate mechanical capacity, neuromuscular function, and motor control across the system 👐 Apply Functional Mobilization techniques combining movement, PNF, soft tissue, and joint mobilization 📏 Utilize PNF lower extremity and trunk patterns to improve dynamic stability and controlled movement FMLE equips you with practical, immediately applicable tools to treat myofascial, articular, and neurovascular restrictions while integrating CoreFirst® strategies into every intervention. 🎓 Upcoming FMLE Courses 📍 Seattle, Washington 📅 May 29 to 31, 2026 📍 Indianapolis, Indiana 📅 October 2 to 4, 2026 🔗 Learn more and register on our website /scheduled-courses/fmle-functional-mobilization-lower-extremities/ #DiscoverYourPotential #FMLE #FunctionalMobilization #LowerExtremity #ManualTherapy #ClinicalReasoning #MovementSystem #PhysicalTherapy #ContinuingEducation #IPACommunity

🧠 Peakspan and the Way We Think About Movement In healthcare, we often talk about longevity or lifespan, how long someone lives. More recently there has been more dialogue around healthspan, how long they live without disease. But what about Peakspan? Peakspan is the period of life where someone is functioning at or near their best, about 90 percent of their highest capacity. It is the difference between being “fine” and truly thriving. And here’s the key insight We do not age all at once. We age system by system. Strength, mobility, coordination, endurance, cognition. Each follows its own timeline. Which means decline is often happening long before disease ever shows up. This is exactly where physical therapists make the greatest impact. At the Institute of Physical Art, our approach is built around understanding and treating the movement system as an integrated whole. We are not just helping patients avoid dysfunction. We are helping them restore and then maintain the highest level of function possible across systems. With the foundational premise that “all patients have untapped potential”, practitioners trained in Functional Manual Therapy® have the capacity to enhance and optimize function across someone's lifespan, truly increasing and prolonging their PEAKSPAN. Peakspan is not preserved by chance. It is trained, assessed, and refined. 🔍 Identifying subtle losses in mobility and mechanical capacity to avoid a cascade of degeneration 🧠 Restoring and optimizing neuromuscular function and motor control 👐 Integrating systems to improve efficiency and resilience This is the space between “no diagnosis” and “not performing like you used to.” And it is where meaningful, proactive care lives. Peakspan challenges us to think beyond pain relief or pathology. It asks a bigger question, “How do we help our patients stay closer to their best selves for longer?” That is exactly what makes our work with Functional Manual Therapy so life changing and impactful. #Peakspan #DiscoverYourPotential #MovementSystem #PhysicalTherapy #FunctionalManualTherapy #ClinicalReasoning #PerformanceHealth #HealthyAging #Longevity #Healthspan #IPACommunity