I had a hard time trying to come up with a word that best described Susan Hastings because I couldn’t choose between innovative and insightful. The truth is that Susan intertwines these two qualities into her therapy approach with such single-minded brilliance that she has developed her clinical practice into something that is arguably the most exciting approach to neuromotor rehab that I have had the pleasure of delving into ever.
Susan’s enthusiasm for trying new things has led her down the path of PWB gait training, FES, WBV and some new techniques that are so exciting they’re going to blow the roof off what we are able to achieve with our kids. Plus Susan’s approach is so fun. She never asks does this work, she says, let’s give this a go and if I see changes, how can I figure out why I’m seeing them and how can I make it work better.
This interview made me see things from a completely new perspective...
Actually, in retrospect, I think the word that best describes Susan is exciting!
You are going to love this interview – enjoy!
The Podcast: Listen, enjoy, share...
If you have a slow internet connection, you may need to download the podcast first by clicking on the download symbol (the little down arrow) in the player below or listen on iTunes or Stitcher
Time Stamps (drag the cursor along the sound wave - might only work on desktop)
Content
NDT vs task-specific training 06:21 minutes
The trouble with botox 10:38 minutes
Getting started with eStim 13:28 minutes
BWSTT 19:07 minutes
Fixing the Snake Bum 25:53 minutes
An innovative foot technique 35:18 minutes
WBV 39:32 minutes
Combining estim + WBV 45:30 minutes
Leaping forwards with eStim 46:18 minutes
The key to excellence in clinical practice 48:39 minutes
Galileo because... 51:44 minutes
Questions 55:07 minutes
Epilepsy 55:31 minutes
Training 56:22 minutes
Combining WBV and Estim 58:26 minutes
Hypervibe vs galileo & using WBV as a HEP 01:00:20 minutes
FES and WBV in babies and toddlers 01:02:22 minutes
Unit recommendations 01:10:46 minutes
estim parameters 01:11:13 minutes
Central Pattern Generators 01:14:04 minutes
For handy links to things we've discussed in this interview, scroll down to the Resources Section at the bottom of the page.
__Breaking News__
"Some eStim is better than none, more is better than some" - Gad Alon -
"Functional eStim is better than more eStim"
- Susan Hastings -
Susan Contact Information:
Names Mentioned
Resources and Articles Mentioned
Susan Hastings Bio
Susan Hastings, PT, DPT, PCS is a Board-Certified Pediatric Certified Specialist, who graduated from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP) with a tDPT, specializing in Pediatrics in 2010. Upon graduation, she opened her own practice, utilizing mainly FES and WBV in her treatment. She has used functional electrical stimulation (FES) in children with upper motor neuron lesions for the past 20 years, developing new applications of stimulation for treatment in children with CP, with the focus on motor learning. She has presented her findings at Combined Sections Meeting 2016 and at APTA SoPAC 2016, where she co-taught a pre-conference course with Beverly Cusick. Susan was invited to present at the 2017 California APTA Annual Conference, as well as 2016 New Mexico APTA Annual Conference, and has given courses in numerous other cities, including Rio de Janeiro. Most recently she was asked to present her findings at AACPDM 2018, and again in 2019, where she gave a short presentation to the NMES -Gait-Assisted Group. Currently, she is collaborating with Dr. V R Edgerton and Dr. P Gad from the Edgerton Research Lab in UCLA, in order to help children with CP through novel FES applications of transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation (TESS). Previous to opening her practice, she was Sr. Therapist for Santa Clara County California Children Services (CCS) for a staff of 45 therapists. During that time she was asked to assist in courses taught by notable pediatric therapists, including Beverly Cusick (biomechanics and casting), Judy Carmick (FES), Mary Massery (function and breathing), Lois Bly (NDT baby treatment), and Lauren Beeler (NDT). Susan was co-instructor with Judy Carmick (2010-1015), for courses on pediatric electrical stimulation.
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