1. Tell our newsletter community about yourself
My name is Erik Schmidt and I am proud to now be one of Canada’s 3 Mulligan Concept teachers.
Currently, I live in London Ontario Canada. My wife Sarah and I have been together for over twenty years and we are blessed with two young boys; Colin (7) and Declan (3). In the rare free time I have I enjoy spending time outside with friends and family traveling, camping, hiking, biking, climbing, skiing, and fishing… (almost any activity that is active and gets me outdoors!)
Professionally, I am an owner, manager, and active clinician for two multidisciplinary clinics in London. I hold two undergraduate degrees in both Kinesiology and Psychology and two master's degrees in the area of Physiotherapy.
Beyond my personal and professional duties, I have spent nearly 13 of my 17 years serving on various national executive boards such as the Canadian Academy of Manual and Manipulative Physical Therapists (CAMPT) and the Orthopeadic Division. I have also been a longstanding adjunct lecturer for several university programs and community-based programs.
2. How did you first become interested in the Mulligan Concept?
Fun story; as a high school student I stumbled into Jim Millard’s clinic. I’m still not sure what he saw in me that day but he offered me an opportunity to shadow him at his clinic.
During my time, Jim exposed me to a host of physiotherapy concepts, most of which centered around the Mulligan Concept. At that time, I was too young and inexperienced to understand what he was teaching me, but as I completed my physiotherapy Master's program, I came to appreciate the differences in the clinical reasoning and methodology that the Mulligan Concept could offer.
Truthfully, I was the only one in my physiotherapy program with any exposure to the Mulligan concept and that knowledge greatly benefitted me while I excelled on my clinical placements. After that, there was no turning back - I knew that the concept would be part of my practice throughout my career.
3. Tell us about your journey to becoming an MCTA teaching member
My journey to become an MCTA teacher began in 2012. I completed my second Masters's program, set down roots in London Ontario, and informed Jim Millard of my desire to progress my way through the system. It was a very gradual process. The geography of Canada doesn’t always lend itself to a high volume of teaching opportunities, but Jim always went above and beyond to generate times when I could assist and learn. Notably, there were two gaps in my process; the first was my choice when we started a family. The second was in 2020 and affected everyone. In 2022 I began the final steps in the process by completing the required literature review (hip) and case study (lateral epi). My first attempt at the practical exam was in 2023, followed by my successful attempt of the exam in June 2024.
4. Why do you love teaching the Mulligan Concept?
Over Covid, there was a pivotal moment when I needed to decide where to invest my teaching time. The reason I chose the Mulligan Concept was for the same reasons I love the Concept. Here are 5 examples;
- Teaching the concept in Canada means introducing clinical reasoning and treatment behaviors that differ from many of the core concepts found in the university program. Having an opportunity to challenge those paradigms while witnessing the change in the student’s perspective about what is possible as a manual therapist has always been exhilarating.
- Offering a test-treat-retest concept that happens simultaneously is practical from both a treatment perspective and a clinical efficiency perspective
- Offering a concept that generates a “wow” factor for the students when they see (or sometimes feel) the instantaneous change is always quite fun.
- Even though the concept has been around for forty-plus years, it’s always fun to point out how the concept has grown in efficacy with each decade. The ease of which it the concept falls within the biopsychosocial model and how it has the power to bridge manual therapy, pain sciences, function exercise, communication, and a patient-centered approach is impressively relevant in today's healthcare landscape.
- The growth in confidence (and sometimes the restoration of a student’s confidence) in the utility and joy of manual therapy is gratifying.
5. Why should someone consider taking a Mulligan Concept Course?
Perhaps a more interesting question; should anyone practicing manual and/or neuromusculoskeletal physiotherapist not take a Mulligan Concept Course??
To answer the question, students should consider our course when;
- They feel their manual therapy skills are not meeting the needs of their clientele
Their confidence in their manual therapy skills is waining or they feel their education to date has not encouraged manual therapy. - They feel manual therapy, pain sciences and functional exercise can’t compliment one-another or co-exist
- They would like the ability to practice in a “pain-free” methodology
- The power to generate instantaneous change appeals to them.
Any manual or neuromusculoskeletal therapist looking to gain a modern pain-free, patient driven and evidence informed manual therapy approach should consider the benefits of a Mulligan Concept Course.