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Kennis delen met collega’s van de Engelse ACPTMD In september verwelkomde de NVOF de Engelse vereniging ACPTMD in het St Antonius ziekenhuis in Nieuwegein en in praktijk Kinèsis Fysiotherapie in Ugchelen. Doel van het bezoek: kennismaken met de orofaciale fysiotherapie en kennis over verschillende behandelingen delen. Bestuursleden en fysiotherapeuten Helen Cowgill uit Engeland en Wouter van Leeuwen uit Nederland werkten hieraan mee. Tekst: Helen Cowgill en Wouter van Leeuwen
HELEN COWGILL Helen is a 34 year old physiotherapist who works in London. She graduated in 2003 from St George’s Medical School with a Bachelor degree in Physiotherapy and has since then completed extensive post graduate training, particularly in the management of TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) dysfunction. Helen has been specifically treating TMJ dysfunction for over 9 years. She
Helen Cowgill FysioPraxis | april 2015
currently works within the NHS at King’s College Hospital as a Clinical Lead Physiotherapist and was fundamental in setting up a pioneering TMJ Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) in 2009. Within the TMJ MDT Clinic, she works alongside a leading Maxillofacial Surgeon who specialises in the management of TMJ disorders. Alongside her NHS work, Helen is also the Clinical Director of TMJ Physio (www.tmjphysio. co.uk) and has two private practices. Helen regularly lectures on post graduate MSc TMJ courses, multi-professional courses and is a key board member of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Temporomandibular Dysfunction (ACPTMD). Visiting two settings In September of last year, Helen and three other board members visited The Netherlands to meet with the Dutch association to increase their understanding of the Dutch approach to orofacial
therapy. Two days in two different settings; one in a hospital clinic and one in a private practice. During their visit to the St Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, they met with Marianne Gerrits and her colleagues at the Clinic of Special Dentistry to participate in the treatment and management of patients with orofacial pain. Next on the schedule was Wouter van Leeuwen’s practice in Ugchelen to experience first hand how several patients, with a wide variety of orofacial disorders, are managed. According to Helen this has been an invaluable learning experience: “Being able to see how the Dutch orofacial therapist works, the way they do their assessment and management with patients and to experience the clinical reasoning with TMD (Temporomandibular disorders) patients has given us valuable insight”, Helen says. Impressed The depth of the speciality of orofacial therapy in the Netherlands has left an impression. In the UK, members of the ACPTMD specialise in the management of TMJ dysfunction, whereas in Holland, the orofacial therapist specialises in all aspects of orofacial pain including Bell’s palsy. This is an area in which Helen would like to expand her knowledge further. Helen was also impressed with the structure and success of the Dutch Association. “Because the ACPTMD is a rather young organisation (set up in 2009), we have gotten great insights on how to expand and grow as a successful association”, says Helen. In the UK, TMJ disorders are not taught as part of undergraduate Physiotherapy education and is considered a specialism which very few Physiotherapists are qualified and capable of managing. Clinical observations allowed Helen to see similarities in the assessment, treatment and management strategies used between the Dutch and English Physiotherapists. All in all the
Helen: ‘Because the ACPTMD is a rather young organisation, we have gotten great insights on how to expand and grow as a successful association’