Manual therapy education. Does e-learning have a place?

A blended learning approach to palpation and ultrasound imaging skills through supplementation of traditional classroom teaching with an e-learning package

“…Thus, an Italian study (Filippucci et al, 2007) obtained promising results, although the access of students to digital ultrasound images was limited and the previous experience of participants was variable. No evidence is available on the effectiveness of e-learning for the combined acquisition of skills in manual therapy and ultrasound imaging, but we hypothesized that this modality would be useful as a supplement to on-campus education (Carbonaro et al, 2008;Bowley and Holey, 2009).…”

Knowledge exchange and knowledge translation in physical therapy and manual therapy fields: barriers, facilitators and issues

“…6,24,25 Physical Therapy Field Rehabilitation clinical practice, including PT, requires the integration of theoretical (explicit) knowledge combined with practical and psychomotor skills (tacit knowledge) not only during education but also to continue developing treatments and protocols in clinical settings. 26 In order to apply specific techniques in a clinical setting, PTs must combine the proficient performance of motor skills, comprehensive understanding of the theory and application of them with a critical decision. 27 Furthermore, clinicians are expected to integrate clinical experience with conscientious, explicit and judicious use of scientific evidence in order to make informed decisions that maximize the well-being of their patients.…”

“…26 The fundamental combination of both dimensions of knowledge can be considered as a barrier since the characteristics of knowledge available in research reports is different from those used in clinical practice. 22 The knowledge disseminated and available in research papers is the explicit, theoretical knowledge and does not involve the tacit, practical knowledge needed to apply the PT techniques in the clinical settings.…”

“…13,31,33 Specifically in Manual Therapy Area Manual therapy requires practical development of psychomotor skills to ensure that a practitioner is competent and safe. 26 According to Levykh, 34 motor skill acquisition has three stages: interaction (the teacher demonstrates the technique and the student observes), self-help (the student practices the demonstrated technique) and internalization (the skill has been learned and becomes automatic). Therefore, in practice, the practical knowledge of MT learning can be described as a cycle: students observe the teacher's demonstration of the technique and practice the technique with each other.…”

“…This process is both effective and efficient for the learner. 26,35 The students have to experience the feel of normal tissues and joints and the way they respond to manual techniques. They also experience the same in patients with different abnormalities in order to feel, distinguish and learn the difference between normal and pathological tissues.…”