Episode 23: Rehabilitation after spinal surgery by integrating physical therapy and mindfulness training (with guest Dr. Julie Fritz)

My guest Dr. Julie Fritz is Distinguished Professor of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She is also the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Health. She is a licensed Physical Therapist, and a fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association. Her research has focused on non-pharmacologic treatments for spinal pain, including clinical trials and health services research. She is leading projects funded by PCORI and the National Institutes of Health including those under the HEAL initiative addressing pain management and opioid use. She also leads a trial within the NIH-VA-DoD Pain Management Collaboratory investigating non-pharmacologic pain management in the Military Health System. We discuss her current trial that tests the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention that is integrated with physical therapy for rehabilitation after lumbar surgery.