Manual Therapy in the Emergency Department with Rebekah Griffith

Rebekah Griffith joins the podcast to talk about what it means to be a newly minted AAOMPT Fellow working in one of the most unlikely settings — the Emergency Department.She shares why OMPT-level manual therapy skills are not only relevant in the ED, but essential for rapid assessment, safe decision-making, and efficient patient care. Rebekah explains how fellowship training sharpened her clinical reasoning, helped her manage acute MSK presentations, and expanded her impact within emergency medicine teams.In this episode: • The PT’s role in the ED • How manual therapy speeds clarity and improves outcomes • Examples of OMPT reasoning in acute, high-stakes scenarios • Why fellowship training matters outside outpatient ortho • Reducing unnecessary imaging, opioids, and admissions • Rebekah’s journey through AAOMPT Fellowship and into ED practiceWhether you’re a clinician, student, or educator, Rebekah’s perspective will reshape how you think about where — and how — manual therapy skills should be used.