The Postural Restoration Podcast

Welcome to the first episode of the Postural Restoration Podcast! In this Episode, I am joined by Founder and Director of the Postural Restoration Institute, Ron Hruska. The foundation of the Postural Restoration Institute resulted from many years of Clinical Practice and a strong interest in the patterns and positioning that at the time seemed to be the cause of many patients’ pain and dysfunction.
Ron discusses his time in Graduate school pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration after receiving his Physical Therapy degree from the University Of Nebraska Medical Center. His time working at the V.A. Medical Hospital as well as his eventual role as Director of Physical Therapy at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Lincoln, NE both played roles in his desire to look at and treat the human body through a multidisciplinary, systematic approach.
This led Ron to create other ways of treating patterned dysfunction, initially through the use of the first “Re-Positioning” device called Protonics. Although Protonics looked and seemed to function to many in the orthopedic world as a Patello-Femoral “Brace”, it was actually much more. Using this device allowed him to "Re-Pattern” bi-lateral chains of muscle and look at orthopedics from a Femoral-Patella lens.
Eventually this device left Ron with the desire to move into the private practice setting, in order to dedicate more time to roles with the APTA Association, and more time dedicated to learning and discovering further ways to develop his ideas. Protonics allowed him to connect with and teach other clinicians, including some of the first PRI Faculty members. Following the creation of the Hruska Clinic, Restorative Physical Therapy Services in 1999, Ron worked with fellow Physical Therapist Jason Masek and others to create some of the earliest PRI Non-Manual Techniques.
As this science continued to grow, PRI Director Janie Ebmeier was put in charge of helping to develop what would become the first Postural Restoration course which would later be renamed to “Postural Respiration”. With the foundation of the Postural Restoration Institute in 2000, other courses including the "Influence of the Pelvic-Femoral Complex" which was later called Myokinematic Restoration was a quick addition. We are now proud to offer more than 15 different courses, which have been developed to build upon the three Primary Course concepts. I welcome you to join us on this journey as we continue to explore how the creation of this science has changed the way coaches and clinicians approach the treatment of the human body.
The Foundation of the Postural Restoration Institute (August 2008)

In this episode of the Postural Restoration Podcast I am joined by Jason Miller, PT, MS, CSCS, PRC. Jason graduated from Ithaca College in 1999 and started his career as a Physical Therapist in NY state working with individuals with developmental disabilities. In 2000, he moved to Missoula, MT and began a 20-year career in the outpatient orthopedic setting. After a decade of work in this setting Jason was first introduced to the science of PRI by a colleague, Kevin Vogelzang. Jason has always been fascinated by biomechanics and in 2011 took his first PRI course which was the catalyst for a paradigm shift in his approach to physical medicine.

Jason discusses his early years of integrating PRI into an orthopedic setting while being in on a PRI island. He discusses the difficulties of applying PRI on your own, while appreciating the baby steps along the way. Some of his earliest success was achieved by selecting the appropriate clientele to introduce a new approach to. By starting with the right client, his early integration of repositioning had much better success. We go on to discuss how general PRI treatment looked like for Jason in a large outpatient, post-op setting, and some of the limitations he faced as well as how they affected his desire to treat and integrate areas other than the site of post operative care.

In 2016, he joined the largest orthopedic practice in western Montana and later became the therapy department supervisor. He provided numerous in-services and had many discussions with his fellow therapists and AT's as well as the MD's and PA's we worked with. He has never forgotten the challenge of understanding and applying PRI from an orthopedic mindset and is passionate about helping smooth the transition for others.

In 2017, he received the designation of Postural Restoration Certified (PRC) as a result of advanced training, extraordinary interest and devotion to the science of postural adaptations, asymmetrical patterns, and the influence of polyarticular chains of muscles on the human body as defined by the Postural Restoration Institute ®.

Jason opened J Miller Physical Therapy in 2020 and currently practices in Mizzoula. Jason’s ongoing history and passion for teaching others was soon recognized by the Institute and in 2021 began training to teach Myokinematic Restoration which he has now instructed several times as he became a Faculty member of the Postural Restoration Institute. Jason is an avid outdoors man, skiing, fishing, hiking and enjoying all that the state of Montana has to offer!

In this episode of the Postural Restoration Podcast, I sat down with Dr. James Carlson who will be presenting at our 13th Annual Interdisciplinary Integration symposium on April 21-22nd. Dr. Carlson began studying gnathological principles while still a student at the University of Minnesota dental school nearly 60 years ago. While there, he had the opportunity to study under one of the top gnathologists at the time, Dr. Charles Stewart, and learn his techniques using the Stewart Articulator. From then on, he knew he wanted to pursue a dental career studying these principles. Following his dental schooling, Dr. Carlson spent 3 years in the Navy, eventually settling into his first private practice in Alaska. In his early years of clinical practice, he began studying and applying the concepts of Centric Relation (CR) of the temporomandibular joints, and Centric Occlusion (CO) of the bite. Around this time, he was also introduced to the concept of "Dental Kinesiology", published by George Eversaul. These studies and others, allowed Dr. Carlson to see the influence that the neuromuscular system has on jaw position. Throughout these early years his "patients became his professors" and he has continued to learn from them and numerous other integrative minds throughout his career.
Dr. Carlson began introducing these concepts within his appliance fabrication and began to see an even greater influence of the neuromuscular system on dentition. His appliances at the time were meant to calibrate the maxilla to the mandible through the use of vertical height, anterior/posterior guidance and other qualities. This led him to the work of Dr. Barney Jankelson, who is widely known as the founder of Physiological Dentistry. From this point, his career was focused on Form vs. Function within the Stomatognathic system. This thinking led him to collaborate with not only numerous other dentists, but also included a 20 year partnership with an integrative chiropractor who also introduced him to the influence of Podiatry and the foots influence on posture. Through these collaborations, he was introduced to the Acculiner System which he spent many years selling and training others on its use. During this period he learned the importance of a level bite plane, and has promoted the concept ever since.
Throughout his career, Dr. Carlson has authored numerous papers and publications. Starting off with "Beyond Dental Care", which he summarizes as "everything I wasn't taught in Dental School". We then discuss his original publication which was titled "Physiologic Occlusion" but was retitled "Orthocranial Occlusion & Dentition Design" following the release of a new edition. And "Analyzing the Stomatognathic System", in which the concepts of "Form vs. Function" of the entire system is addressed more globally. These publications played a large role in Ron's own study of the stomatognathic system and Dr. Carlson's experience and passion for these concepts were a primary factor in the decision to host this years symposium, "The Stomatognathic System - An Interdisciplinary Approach in the Management of Spatial Navigation and Structural Strength ". We end our discussion joined by Ron to discuss how they plan to navigate these concepts through their presentations next month. We are very excited for the opportunity to introduce our PRI community to Dr. Carlson and these topics as Ron Hruska, Dr. James Carlson and Jason Masek collaborate throughout this years symposium.

In this episode of the Postural Restoration Podcast I sat down with Jennifer Smart, PT, DPT, PRC who practices clinically in Oriental, NC incorporating PRI principles and many other modalities with her patients who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and those who she believes exhibit "Parkinson's like" symptoms before they are diagnosed. Jennifer discusses the impact that her life story has had on her clinical practice, including many trips across the Atlantic navigating the seas on her small sailboat. These experiences and interacting with a diverse set of mentors and patients have collectively led to her current understanding of neurological flow, perception of time and ground forces all used for human patterned stability.
Jennifer earned both a Bachelor's of Science and Doctorate of Physical Therapy Degree and because of the influences of neurological timing and one's position in space whether at sea or on land, her interest in involuntary neurological movement disorders grew. After starting her clinical journey in Oriental, NC Jennifer sailed to Samoa and had the opportunity to work as the head Physical Therapist for the Samoan Olympic team. It was during this experience that she appreciated the influence of pressure and air flow throughout the body while working with an Olympic power lifter. After returning to the U.S. her love for cycling stemmed from her perception of time and her desire to decrease her speed of travel as her body became used to the slow, calculated and predictable movement across open water. Jennifer was introduced to the science of PRI through her cycling interest and a "Bike Fitting" article authored by Faculty Member Lori Thomsen. To this day Jennifer incorporates cycling with numerous clients who have been diagnosed with PD and other autonomic disorders.
After her first few courses and clinical experimentation incorporating PRI techniques into her clinical practice she had finally felt that the patterns she had recognized through her own journey were being studied and discussed by someone else. Jennifer completed twelve courses over the span of the next two years and became certified as part of the 2015 PRC Class. Jennifer has extensive training in "LSVT", "PWR", Rock Steady Boxing, and has attended and contributed to numerous Parkinson's organizations, including the World Parkinson Congress. She has used these and various other modalities to incorporate PRI into her daily practice and weekly classes offered to her patients and individuals of all backgrounds experiencing involuntary movement disorders. Jennifer in collaboration with Ron Hruska discusses her upcoming presentations as part of this years 12th Annual Interdisciplinary Integration Symposium "Basal Ganglia Disease - An Interdisciplinary Approach in the Management of Kinesia Paradoxica" alongside Neal Hallinan. You can read more about Jennifer's topics of discussion and this years symposium held on April 22-23rd by visiting our website.

In this episode of the Postural Restoration Podcast I sat down with Jason Masek, MA, PT, ATC, CSCS, PRC who I have been fortunate to know and learn from over the past 20 years. Jason Received his undergraduate degree in Athletic Training at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, and went on to earn his Masters in Kinesiology in Minnesota while working as a graduate assistant Athletic Trainer for the Golden Gopher Football Program. Jason's Athletic Training knowledge between these two programs covered a span of 6 years as he studied under and was mentored by a handful of Hall of Fame Athletic trainers. While at Nebraska he was fortunate to see the program earn two National Championships. Following his Athletic Training years and completing his masters, Jason earned his Physical Therapy degree from what was then know as the Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center. This unique schooling offered him further exposure to holistic thinking and treatment approaches during his time there.
Jason was initially introduced to Ron Hruska while working with continuous hip and groin injuries during his time with Nebraska Athletics. While at the same time being introduced to the concepts behind the Protonics "knee brace", the use of repositioning activities and respiratory mechanics including the use of balloons. Jason carried with him some of this prior knowledge of the work Ron was doing to Minnesota, but it was not until his Physical Therapy clinical rotation that he would be able to further see and experience the use of these concepts on a broader scale alongside Ron and his patients. Through this opportunity and continual interest in this approach, following PT school Jason joined the Hruska Clinic shortly after it was established in 1999. In these first years each day was a new learning experience as the earliest form of the science of Postural Restoration was being implemented. Exercise techniques were drawn by hand, new positions were tried and tested and the foundation for the science as we know it today was solidified.
Working alongside Ron for over 20 years has provided them both with immense mentorship, clinical experimentation, and trust for the process as it has continued to evolve. The Hruska Clinic which has continued to grow and influence the ongoing evolution of this science, has always served as a clinical home of PRI as Jason and his colleagues continue their life long learning and integration of multidisciplinary care for their patients. Jason's close connection to Ron and this approach over the last two decades has allowed him and the rest of the Hruska Clinic therapists to be part of and further develop the ongoing research, training, and clinical implementation of the science of Postural Restoration. Jason was part of the first ever Postural Restoration Certified Class of 2004 and alongside several other clinicians helped lay the foundation for this Credential and the 250 plus professionals that have completed the process since then.
Jason has supported the science in many ways throughout the years and has had numerous opportunities to influence others on personal, local, and national scales. He has presented through the National Athletic Training Association, National Strength and Conditioning Association and many other organizations in an effort to introduce the concepts of respiration, neutrality and a multiple systems approach furthering these professions and their integration with other professionals. Jason continues to be passionate for ongoing research while appreciating that the research is many times already there if you are willing to look outside your current framework to find it.