4D: Deep Dive into Degenerative Diseases – ANPT

DD SIG Bonus Episode: Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) 2025 Preview
Released: February 6, 2025

Episode Overview

In this vibrant and witty annual tradition, host Parm Padgett and guest Sarah Zoller (both active in the DD SIG leadership) offer a comprehensive, insider’s preview of neurodegenerative disease–focused sessions at the upcoming 2025 Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). They highlight program formats, must-attend sessions, notable speakers, networking events, and creative touches (including AI-generated haikus!). The tone is informal, encouraging, and rooted in practical clinical insight, making this essential listening for anyone planning their CSM agenda—or considering the robust virtual offerings.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Different Session Formats at CSM

(02:00–02:55)

• Parm introduces newcomers to the variety of session formats: posters, platforms (short oral presentations), and extended lectures.
• Posters are a great way to quickly assimilate clinical advances and network.
  • Sarah: “We do give out poster awards from the DD SIG. So you might see our little awards team rotating around, or if you yourself are manning a poster, you may be lucky enough to get interviewed by our awards team.” (02:55)

Poster and Platform Sessions

Poster Session

• When: Friday, February 14th, 1–3pm (Exhibit Hall)
• Great for relaxing, mingling, and quick learning.
• Parm will present her own poster and hopes to see the DD SIG awards team.

Platform Session

• When: Saturday, February 15th, 8–10am
• Fast-paced series with eight short talks covering functional measures, reactive balance, ataxia, fatigue in spinocerebellar ataxia, and real-world mobility in Parkinson’s Disease.
• Sarah: “There’s like one or two that the titles don’t grab me, but for this particular platform, like, I want to see all of these.” (04:57)
• Haiku (AI-generated):
  “New voices emerge.
  15 minutes. Insights bloom.
  Research fuels the path.” (06:19)

Thursday: Jam-Packed with Neurodegenerative Content

Fatigue and Fatigability: Exam/Intervention for Neurological Populations

• When: Thursday, 8am (On Demand)

• Focus on differentiating fatigue from fatigability in neurological disorders (e.g., MS).

• Parm: “It’s an interesting concept and something if people have not had exposure to that Fatigue versus fatigability. I think it’s a good thing to check out.” (06:51)

• Speakers: Kirsten Potter, Evan Cohen, Herb Karpatkin

• Haiku:
  “Ms. Clouds the path.
  Fatigue and strength intertwine.
  Steps to clarity.” (07:45)

Adapting the Parkinson’s PT Guidelines to Advanced Disease

• When: Thursday, 8am (On Demand)

• Tackles the challenge of applying high-intensity exercise recommendations to advanced PD.

• Sarah: “That CPG team has done such a good job… they're continuing, it seems like, in terms of hosting this presentation, to expand and develop more outreach for clinicians.” (09:34)

• Speaker highlight: Miriam Rafferty (previous podcast guest)

• Haiku:
  “Guidelines take new form.
  Adapting to complex needs.
  Hope shapes every step.” (10:13)

Novel Perspectives in Parkinson’s Gait Rehab Across the Continuum of Care

• When: Thursday, 11am (Not On Demand)

• Focus on late-stage Parkinson’s and continuity across care settings.

• Featured speakers: Terry Ellis, Alice Neubauer, with a particular shout-out to Alice’s expertise in gait freezing.

• Parm: “It’s a little bit of a dream to have Alice Neubauer on our podcast.” (11:20)

• Haiku:
  “Steps falter yet hope
  Early strides to freezing feet
  Care spans every stage.” (11:40)

PRESCRIPTION: Slowing Parkinson’s Progression – Cycle 2 Clinical Trial Results

• When: Thursday, 3–5pm (On Demand)
• Updates on a large, 12-month, home-based aerobic exercise trial for people with PD.
• Excitement for this research is high; speakers include Anson Rosenfeld, J. Alberts, Lee Dibble, Selita Lopez Lennon.
• Sarah: “Petals turn with strength. Progress slows, a steady stride. Motion reshapes fate.” (13:08 / Haiku)

Spinning New Perspectives: Walking or Wheeling

• Focus on wheelchair prescription, but relevant for progressive disorders like MS.
• Parm: “These things are tools to kind of help us and trying to frame it that way for people can be hard.” (14:40)

Friday Highlights

DD SIG Poster Session is THE main event (1–3pm), but there’s much more for neuro PTs:

• NCS Breakfast, 7am: Expanding the fitness mindset and model with Megan Brown.
• Remote Therapeutic Monitoring in Neuro Practice (8–10am): Miriam Rafferty among speakers—new frontiers in telerehab.
• Moving Toward Precision Rehabilitation (Parts 1 & 2, On Demand): Focus on phenotyping in neuro PT.
• Regenerative Medicine & Neuro Rehab (11am, On Demand): Promising intersection of MS and ALS expertise.
  • Sarah: “If you’re involved in that area of specialty or in an ALS clinic, this might be a great option for you.” (18:42)
• Markerless Motion Capture for Neuro Rehab (11am, On Demand): Latest on making research tools clinical.
• Ann Shumway Cook Lectureship – Amy Bastian (3–5pm, On Demand): Must-see update on the cerebellum and motor learning.
  • Parm: “Anything from her, I think, you know, the potential to learn so much is...it’s so great.” (20:21)
• Level Up Your Clinical Reasoning – Movement Analysis & Balance Diagnoses (3–5pm, On Demand): For those new to movement system frameworks.

Friday Night: Myelin Melter

• 6:30–9pm: Networking and celebrating, meet the DD SIG team, get swag and connect with peers.
  • Sarah: “Come visit us. There will be stickers, there will be candy, there'll be other giveaways which I am not allowed to talk about yet, so come visit the SIG table. You won’t be disappointed.” (21:54)

Saturday: More Degenerative Disease–Relevant Talks

Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive PT Model

• When: 11am (On Demand)
• Speakers: Greg Bersola, Evan Cohen, Herb Karpatkin.
• Haiku:
  “Nerve spray yet we move
  Steps adapt to MS's course
  Care shapes steady ground.” (23:33)

High Fidelity: Delivering Interventions as Designed

• When: 8–10am (On Demand)
• Proponents of high-intensity gait training share optimal approaches for varied diagnoses.

Backward Walking for Neurologic Disorders

• When: 11am–1pm (On Demand)
• Research/clinical update from Nora Fritz and others.
  • Sarah: “That was one of those podcasts that was really fun to listen to and also not easy, but kind of conceptually easy. Right. To incorporate into clinical practice.” (25:29)

To Air is Divine: Harnessing Error in Neuro PT

• When: 3–5pm (On Demand)
• How error augmentation and learning from “mistakes” can drive motor recovery.
  • Parm: “I think this is going to be really interesting. All right, well, good stuff to listen to.” (26:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Parm, on platform sessions:
  “They get a lot of good information in a quick way. And I have to say, generally when I go to a platform, there’s like one or two that…don’t grab me, but for this particular platform, like, I want to see all of these.” (04:57)

• Sarah, about networking during posters:
  “It’s just a good way to kind of mingle and meet people… plan on Friday checking out the posters for sure.” (03:32)

• On tough session choices at CSM:
  “That’s the problem with CSM, is that there’s good stuff opposing and you have to choose what to go to… sometimes the divide and conquer is the way to go.” (08:04)

• Sarah, on assistive technology conversations:
  “These things are tools to kind of help us and trying to frame it that way for people can be hard. So this, I think this will be a really interesting talk to check out.” (14:40)

• Parm, encouraging attendees to connect at Myelin Melter:
  “Generally, the podcast team is there and happy to talk to people and hear your ideas.” (22:29)

• Just for fun:
  Sarah experimented with AI (ChatGPT) to generate haikus for each session, adding a creative and light-hearted touch.

Creative Touches

• Session Haikus: Nearly every DD-relevant session gets an AI-generated haiku as a memorable summary and talking point.
• Musical Parody: The episode ends with a Suno.ai–generated song, “Rise and Heal,” capturing the CSM spirit (29:34).
• Playful Banter: Discussion of haikus' merits (“Motion reshapes fate… could be your first tattoo… to the point where I was like, enough hope ChatGPT, tone it down.” – 28:23) showing the podcast’s trademark friendly style.

Useful Timestamps for Planning Your CSM

• Poster Session Preview: 02:55
• Platform Session Preview: 04:05
• Thursday’s Must-See Sessions: 06:45–13:18
• Friday’s Hot Topics: 16:21–22:29
• Saturday’s Focus Sessions: 22:29–26:19
• Networking (Myelin Melter): 21:35–22:29
• Haiku & Song Fun: Throughout, especially 06:19, 10:13, 13:08, 29:34

Final Takeaways

• Parm: “I’m actually really excited for CSM. I think a lot of these talks are going to be great.” (26:57)
• Sarah: “Sign up for the On Demand… come visit us [at the Myelin Melter]… we hope to see many of you there.” (27:26)

For more info, resources, and ways to connect, visit the ANPT Degenerative Diseases SIG at www.neuropt.org. If you’re seeking the latest in neurodegenerative PT, CSM 2025 and the DD SIG have you covered—in person and virtually!