PTPN ACE Award Recognizes Innovation in Rehab Field
- 2006

PTPN has given its first ACE Award for Achievement in Clinical Excellence to Michigan physical therapist Paul J. Roubal, Ph.D., PT, OCS.

Paul earned the award for his innovative work in treating adhesive capsulitis. In Paul’s treatment, the shoulder is manipulated under local anesthesia, to allow the therapist to therapeutically work the joint while the patient is relaxed and free from pain. This combination of local anesthesia (administered by an anesthesiologist) and optimal manipulation leads to improvement and better functioning, Paul’s experience and research show.

Paul said he developed the technique in part because of his frustration with traditional methods of treating frozen shoulders. “I got tired of treating people for months on end without seeing significant improvement,” he said. “With manipulation under anesthesia, we can protect the bones and soft tissue from injury, prevent bruising, and more completely deal with the adhesions, leading to better and faster results.”

Paul, who has been a physical therapist for three decades, opened Physical Therapy Specialists in 1977. The clinic, located in Troy, Mich., now employs seven therapists, including Paul, and a staff of physical therapy assistants and other support personnel. The 10,000-square-foot site includes a state-of-the-art fitness center and hydrotherapy whirlpool. The clinic has been part of PTPN’s network of independent rehab offices since 1989, and Paul currently serves on the Board of Directors of PTPN’s Great Lakes region.

PTPN Director of Quality Assurance Mitch Kaye, PT, said PTPN’s ACE Award was created to recognize and encourage PTPN providers’ groundbreaking clinical success in the fields of physical, occupational and speech therapy. “The award allows us to honor the important clinical work individual PTPN providers are doing, and to help advance the practice of physical therapy by educating other therapists,” he said.

The winner was selected by a judging committee made up of PTPN member therapists from across the country. Paul’s award includes a cash prize and a free online clinical education course. This is the first year PTPN has given out the ACE Award. We encourage our members to submit an entry for the award during our next submission period at the beginning of 2007.

To request the protocol for this award-winning program, click here.