Explain Pain (Schmerzen verstehen), Bad Zurach

Hugo Stam graduated from the School of Physiotherapy Leffelaaer, Amsterdam in 1981 and since then has mainly been working and living in Switzerland. He is currently the clinical supervisor at the RehaClinic in Zurzach where he has been practising since 1984 and also works as a private practitioner in Würenlingen.

In 1990 he became an accredited instructor of the Maitland Concept of Manipulative Physiotherapy and received membership of the International Maitland Teachers Association (IMTA). Since 1994 he has been a senior member of the IMTA teaching faculty.

His postgraduate training brought him to Australia, where he completed a Masters of Applied Science in Physiotherapy at the University of South Australia in 1994 where Hugo came into contact with NOI and has been a member of its teaching faculty since 1995.

His special fields of interest are frozen shoulder, neuropathic pain disorders and explaining the related clinical signs and symptoms to patients, in particular nerve root and carpal tunnel syndrome, and the use of ultrasound as a diagnostic instrument for peripheral-neurogenic disorders.

Alongside a busy professional life there is a happy little family and our fluffy dog Luna to keep life in balance. www.physiotherapie-wuerenlingen.ch

Irene joined the NOI team in 2005. She’s teaching the MONIS, Clinical Application(upper and lower quadrant) and Explain Pain courses in German speaking countries and Italy.

Irene works as a physiotherapist and clinical supervisor at a hospital in Lucerne/ CH. Moreover, she teaches pain science in different programs at the ZHAW (Zurich University of Applied Sciences) and at the SUPSI (University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland).

In 2011, her interest in pain science brought her to London. She completed a Master’s program and gained an MSc in Pain: Science and Society at King’s College. As part of her master’s thesis, she immersed herself in the topic of the contribution of the immune system to sensitisation processes. Another area of her interest is the impact of exercising on acute and chronic pain.

Deutsch

Irene unterrichtet für die NOIgroup seit 2005. Bis anhin liegt der Fokus auf dem peripheren Nervensystem mit den Kursen MOTNS und den Klinischen Anwendungskursen, dies hauptsächlich in deutschsprachigen Ländern und in Italien. Ab 2020 kommt zusätzlich der Kurs Schmerzen Verstehen dazu, zumindest in Italien.

Sie arbeitet als Physiotherapeutin und Klinische Supervisorin in einer Privatklinik in Luzern/CH. Ausserdem unterrichtet sie Schmerzphysiologie in verschiedenen CAS-Programmen an der ZHAW (Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften) und an der SUPSI (Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften der Südschweiz).

Ihr Interesse an der Schmerzphysiologie brachte sie 2011 nach London.  Dort studierte sie am King’s College Schmerzwissenschaften und erhielt ein MSc in Pain: Science and Society. Im Rahmen ihrer Master’s Thesis tauchte sie ein ins Thema des Beitrages des Immunsystems an Sensibilisierungsprozessen. Ein weiteres Interessegebiet liegt in den Auswirkungen von Training auf akute und chronische Schmerzen.

Italiano

Irene insegna per il gruppo NOI dal 2005.  Fino ad oggi, la sua attenzione si è concentrata prevalentemente sul sistema nervoso periferico con i corsi MOTNS e Applicazione clinica, che ha insegnato soprattutto nei paesi di lingua tedesca e in Italia. Dal 2020 al suo repertorio si aggiungerà il corso Explain Pain, in una fase iniziale solo in Italia.

Lavora come fisioterapista e supervisore clinico in un ospedale privato a Lucerna/ Svizzera. Insegna anche fisiologia del dolore in vari corsi universitari Certificate of Advanced Studies CAS presso la ZHAW e la SUPSI (Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera Italiana).

Il suo interesse per la fisiologia del dolore l’ha portata a Londra nel 2011. Lì ha studiato la scienza del dolore presso il King’s College ed ha conseguito il suo MSc in Pain: Science and Society. Come parte della sua tesi di laurea, si è immersa nel tema del contributo del sistema immunitario ai processi di sensibilizzazione. Un’altra sua area d’interesse specifico sono gli effetti dell’allenamento sul dolore acuto e cronico.

Martina gained her qualifications as a Physiotherapist in Germany. Working in sports and orthopaedic clinics in southern Germany after graduation led to an interest in Neurodynamics and on to further study with Martina completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Manipulative Therapy in 1996. Later, Martina completed a Masters by Science Degree at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, in 1999 focused on manual therapy concepts and their integration with pain science and psychology. This knowledge and experience was put into practice from 1999 to 2003 working in an interdisciplinary team in a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) programme for chronic pain patients at the Pain Management and Research Centre (PMRC), The University of Sydney.

Martina’s passion for pain neuroscience and application of pain management strategies led to the development of the course The Problem Pain Patient, which she taught for 10 years together with Max Zusman. Later, Martina was instrumental in setting up a specialised pain physiotherapy training through the German Pain Society. Based on the IASP Curriculum, this course was first piloted in 2014 and Martina remains committed to updating and improving the design and delivery of this training.

In 2004 Martina joined NOI to undertake the translation of Explain Pain into German – Schmerzen verstehen. In 2006 she started teaching a course by the same name, and since then has been responsible for updates to the course including the translation and integration of the Protectometer, as well as translating the Graded Motor Imagery course so that no valuable content will be lost in translation.

In 2013 it was time for Martina and her family to return Down Under where they continue to live in Melbourne. Martina presently works in an outpatient Pain Network Program for patients with persistent pain after work or traffic accidents (Precision Ascend) and in the Barbara Walker Centre for Pain Management at St. Vincent’s Hospital. She regularly tutors for Latrobe University on the Physiotherapy Sports/Musculoskeletal Masters Programme. In 2019 she was titled ‘Pain Physiotherapist’ by the Australian Physiotherapy Association.

Martina’s main interest is to bridge research findings from pain sciences and behavioural medicine to clinical practice and she continues to do this with her teaching in both German and English.

Durch Ihre manualtherapeutische Arbeit in Physiopraxen in Süddeutschland begann 1995 Martinas Interesse am Neurodynamischen Konzept. Ein Postgraduate Diploma in Manipulative Therapy (1996) und ein Masters by Science degree (1999) an der Curtin Universität in Perth, West Australien, sowie Forschung im Bereich der Schmerzphysiologie/Schmerzpsychologie ermöglichten Ihr sich in die Materie zu vertiefen.
Von 1999 bis 2003 hat Martina in einem Kognitiv-Verhaltenstherapeutischen Programm für chronische Schmerzpatienten am Pain Management and Research Centre der Universität Sydney gearbeitet woraus der Kurs ‘Interaktionen mit Problematischen Schmerzpatienten’ entstanden ist den sie über 10 Jahre lang zusammen mit Max Zusman (+2013) unterrichtet hat. Seit ihrer deutschen Uebersetzung des Buches ‘Explain Pain’ hat sie den Kurs ‘Schmerzen verstehen’ für den deutschsprachigen Raum mit entwickelt, den sie seit 2006 regelmässig unterrichtet. Zusätzlich engagiert sie sich bei NOI für die Übersetzung des ‘Protectometers’ und des ‘Graded Motor Imagery’ Programms.
2009 begann Ihre Curriculums- und später Dozententätigkeit in der seit 2014 bestehenden Weiterbildung zur ‘Speziellen Schmerzphysiotherapie’ der Deutschen Schmerzgesellschaft.
Nach 10 Jahren in Basel und München, zog es Martina und ihre Familie zurueck nach Down Under. Seitdem arbeitet Martina im ambulanten Schmerzmanagement Programm Precision Ascend in Melbourne, ausschliesslich mit Arbeits- und Verkehrsunfallpatienten, sowie im Zentrum für Schmerzmanagement am St. Vincent Krankenhaus (Barbara Walker Centre for Pain Management). Sie ist Tutorin für Schmerzwissenschaften an der Latrobe Universität. 2019 hat sie von der Australian Physiotherapy Association den Titel “APA titled Pain Physiotherapist” verliehen bekommen.
In ihrem Unterricht versucht Martina immer wieder eine Brücke zwischen Forschungsergebnisse aus den Schmerzwissenschaften und der klinischen Arbeit in multidisziplinären Teams und ambulanten Praxen zu schlagen.