Good morning all,

As dedicated professionals in the field of manual therapy, your commitment to advancing our practice is invaluable. We are reaching out to encourage your active participation in shaping the future of manual therapy, with a particular emphasis on clinical reasoning and hands-on techniques.

Your voice is crucial in advocating for the importance and efficacy of manual therapy. By sharing your experiences and insights, you can help elevate our profession and ensure that manual therapy remains a cornerstone in the management of musculoskeletal conditions. At the 2024 IFOMPT conference in Basel, the IFOMPT board voted to change the name from the International Federation of Manual and Manipulative Physical Therapists to the International Federation of Manual and Musculoskeletal Physical Therapists. The name change is reflective of the move away from a  hands on PT approach over the last few years This was reflected in the course offerings at the conference, where the lectures were excellent, but none of them offered any hands-on activities and very few offered any insight in advanced problem-solving.

The next International Federation of Orthopaedic Manual and Musculoskeletal Physical Therapists (IFOMPT) Conference will be held in Vancouver, Canada, from June 1 to 3, 2028. This prestigious event, held every four years, brings together practitioners, educators, and researchers from around the world to share the latest advancements in our field. The Vancouver conference promises to be an excellent opportunity to engage with global experts and explore contemporary practices in manual therapy.

Recent discussions within our community have highlighted the need to modernize manual therapy education and practice. Emphasizing clinical reasoning and hands-on techniques is essential for effective patient management. A contemporary framework suggests integrating safety, comfort, and efficiency into our manual therapy approaches, moving beyond traditional biomechanical models. This holistic perspective enhances our ability to tailor interventions to individual patient needs.

To further these efforts, we encourage you to be a voice for manual therapy. IFOMPT is currently collecting information to plan the 2028 conference. This information can be found here: https://www.ifompt.org/About+IFOMPT/Vancouver+2028.html. Under number 1, you have the opportunity to help establish the values of the conference. The “hearing to learn…learning to apply” option may be of interest if you believe we should have more options to have hands-on sessions. Number 2 provides you with the opportunity to provide topic ideas. 3 allows you to denote how you would like to experience the conference. Finally, the link in bullet point 4 allows you to see where the conference currently is positioned. Your feedback will provide valuable insights into current practices and help identify areas for improvement in our educational programs. Engaging in these activities not only contributes to your professional development but also strengthens our collective knowledge base. Even if you are not planning on attending the conference, your voice will help shape the manual therapy community moving forward.

Your dedication to an Orthopaedic Manual Therapy approach is the foundation of our profession’s success. By advocating for our practice, engaging in continuous learning, and contributing to educational initiatives, you play a pivotal role in advancing manual therapy. We look forward to your active participation and hope to see you at the IFOMPT Conference in Vancouver in 2028.

Thank you for your commitment to excellence in manual therapy.

Pieter