PT Pro Talk

“We have no business treating pain If we don't treat both the sensory and emotional components .” Carolyn Vandyken Our guest is Carolyn Vandyken PT, Cert. MDT.  Carolyn is a physiotherapist, educator, researcher and advocate in the areas of low back pain, pelvic health and pain science.  She became an MDT credentialled therapist in 1999. Carolyn holds a CBT certificate from Wilfred University, and has been practicing in the field of pelvic health for the past 25 years.  She has been practicing as a physiotherapist for 39 years teaching post-graduate pelvic health courses that are steeped in pain science. Carolyn won the Medal of Distinction from the Canadian Physiotherapy Association in 2021, the distinguished Education Award from the OPA in 2015 and the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 2004.  Carolyn presents extensively at international conferences and has co-authored multiple chapters and papers on central pain mechanisms and pelvic pain.  She is actively involved in research with Dr. Sinead Dufour (McMaster University, Canada) and Dr. Judith Thompson (Curtin University, Australia) and has published multiple studies on the connection between low back pain and pelvic floor dysfunction. Carolyn co-owns a multi-disciplinary teaching company called Reframe Rehab and is engaged in breaking down the barriers internationally between pelvic health, orthopaedics and pain science. Carolyn practices locally in the areas of pelvic health and chronic pain at Physio Works Muskoka in Huntsville, Ontario with her daughter/physiotherapist, Brittany Vandyken.

“Mechanical pain and mechanical concepts don't exist in the practice of medicine.” Dr. Vikas Agarwal Our guest is Dr. Vikas Agarwal MD, Cert. MDT, FACP. Dr. Vikas is an Internal Medicine physician, also certified in the McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT). He is the first Internal Medicine physician to integrate mechanical concepts of the McKenzie Method into his primary care practice. Dr. Agarwal is a 1994 graduate of King George's Medical College (KGMC) in Lucknow, India. Following four and a half years of medical school, he spent six years as an Internal Medicine Resident, three with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS, New Delhi, 1995-1997), and three with the University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC, 1998-2001). Dr. Agarwal is Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine (2001/2011) and became Certified in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy in 2015. He is a two-time recipient of the Mosaic Life Care Distinguished Physician Recognition Award (2012 & 2014). Dr. Agarwal's goal is to create awareness of the mechanical pain and mechanical causes resulting in many of the human being's ailment. Dr. Agarwal specializes in managing patients with acute and chronic pain at Mosaic Life Care in Saint Joseph, MO where he also serves as a Physician Collaborator for Nurse Practitioners.