Jimmy was invited to the annual conference for AAOPMT - American Association of Orthopedic Manual Therapists - and got a chance to talk to keynote presenter Jo Nijs from Belgium about the topic of his presentation, Sleep and it's effect on pain.
Jo Nijs, PT, MT, PhD


Jo Nijs holds a PhD in rehabilitation science and physiotherapy. He is professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels, Belgium) and physiotherapist/manual therapist at the University Hospital Brussels. He is guest lecturer in the master in manual therapy of the Universidad Europea in Spain, and the PhD neuroscience program of the University of Genoa, Italy. His research and clinical interests are patients with chronic unexplained pain / fatigue and pain-movement interactions. He has (co-)authored 185 peer reviewed publications, obtained €5.6 million of grant income, supervised 8 PhD projects to completion (excluding 16 ongoing PhD projects) and served more than 200 times as an invited speaker at (inter)national meetings in 24 different countries (including 23 keynotes). His work has been cited >2700 times (ISI Web of Knowledge). Jo is ranked 1st in the world among chronic fatigue syndrome researchers, 4th in the world among whiplash researchers and 7th in the world among chronic pain researchers (expertscape.com).

Website: www.paininmotion.be
Twitter: @PaininMotion

 


Dr. Nijs holds a PhD in rehabilitation science and physiotherapy and also has a master of science in physiotherapy and rehabilitations sciences as well as in manual therapy.

He is currently a associate professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (in Belgium), and a practicing physiotherapist at the University Hospital Brussels, and holder of the Chair ‘Exercise immunology and chronic fatigue in health and disease’ funded by the European College for Decongestive Lymphatic Therapy.

Dr. Jo Nijs, PhD also runs the “Pain in Motion” research team and a physiotherapy-based treatment program for patients with chronic pain at the University Hospital in Brussels. His research and clinical interests are patients with chronic ‘unexplained’ pain and fatigue and the interactions between pain and movement, with a special emphasis on the central nervous system. The primary aim of his research is improving physiotherapy based care for patients with chronic pain. He has co-authored more than 150 peer reviewed publications.

Without further ado, here are 20 quotes from physiotherapist Dr. Jo Nijs, PhD:

“It is well established that the biomedical model falls short in explaining chronic musculoskeletal pain. Although many musculoskeletal therapists have moved on in their thinking and apply a broad bio- psychosocial view with regard to chronic pain disorders, the majority of clinicians have received a biomedical-focused training/education. Such a biomedical training is likely to influence the therapists’ attitudes and core beliefs toward chronic musculoskeletal pain. Therapists should be aware of the impact of their own attitudes and beliefs on the patient’s attitudes and beliefs.” Dr. Jo Nijs, PhD

“Self-reflection is required for the musculoskeletal health care professionals, even for those who have moved on in their thinking. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that previous (biomedical oriented) treatment by physiotherapists is a risk factor for long- term sick leave in patients with low back pain” Dr. Jo Nijs, PhD

“Therapists should become aware that focusing on the biomedical model for chronic musculoskeletal pain is likely to result in poor compliance with evidence based treatment guidelines, less treatment adherence, and poorer treatment outcome” Dr. Jo Nijs, PhD

“Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a complex and challenging medical problem. Therefore, it is a challenging issue for researchers and clinicians, including manual therapists. Over the past decades, scientific understanding of chronic musculoskeletal pain has increased substantially.” Dr. Jo Nijs, PhD