Institute for Musculoskeletal Advancement

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Institute for Musculoskeletal Advancement

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The Institute for Musculoskeletal Advancement (iMSKA) was created to engage in scientific research to determine the causes of injuries, disorders, and diseases of the musculoskeletal system; to inform, improve, and advance the diagnosis, treatment.

08/26/2026

With collaboration, and persistence between teams at iMSKA, ATI Physical Therapy, The Hawkins Foundation, CEROrtho and PrismaHealth, we are proud to share newly published research in American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons ASES family of journals: , examining an encounter-based “process of recovery” measure of patient benefit following rotator cuff repair.

This study marks an important step forward by validating an encounter-based measure against 12-month patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Researchers found a strong association between shoulder-related healthcare encounters during recovery and ASES scores at 12 months.

Why does this matter?

PROs remain essential, but they aren’t always consistently available across large patient populations. This research provides evidence that routinely collected healthcare utilization data may serve as a complementary measure of patient benefit for population-level outcomes research when PROM data are incomplete or unavailable.

It’s an exciting step toward expanding how we measure the real-world value and outcomes of orthopedic care.

Congratulations to the entire research team!

Check out the manuscript here: https://www.jsesinternational.org/article/S2666-6383(26)00148-9/fulltext

08/24/2026

We’re excited to welcome our new cohort of Research Fellows who joined iMSKA in July 2026.

As practicing physical therapist with ATI Physical Therapy, they bring expertise from across the country and in all areas. We are very excited to see how they will be able to contribute to innovative research and collaboration.

Join us in celebrating the newest members of the iMSKA community!

08/20/2026

Research has the power to turn identified needs into meaningful change.

Yanxin Li, is looking beyond the challenges patients face assisting in exploring practical ways to address them in everyday clinical care. By connecting research with real-world practice, we can help move physical therapy toward more equitable and actionable solutions.

Interested in learning more about iMSKA? Check out our website: www.i-mska.org

08/19/2026

Healthcare is moving beyond how much care is delivered toward the value that care creates.

care is well positioned to support this shift by prioritizing outcomes that matter to patients, improving function, and delivering care efficiently.

As value-based care continues to evolve, keeping these priorities at the center can help create better outcomes for patients and clinicians.

08/12/2026

Data gives us the ability to move beyond assumptions and better understand a patient’s progress throughout their care journey.
By using outcomes to guide clinical decisions, we can identify what’s working, adjust when needed, and continue building the evidence that moves musculoskeletal care forward.

Connecting research, evidence, and clinical practice helps turn meaningful data into better care.

Check us out here: https://i-mska.org/

08/10/2026

Thinking about where your clinical experience could take you next?

One of our external research collaborators, @ CU Anschutz are hosting a Virtual Open House for their Rehabilitation Science PhD Program. Connect with faculty and current students while exploring research, mentorship, and career opportunities in rehabilitation science.

📅 September 17, 2026
⏰ 6:00–7:00 PM MDT
💻 Virtual

*Bonus: Attendees will receive a PhD program application fee waiver.

Interested? Learn more and register at RehabSciencePhD.com or register using the QR code below.

08/04/2026

Since launching in October 2024, we have been committed to advancing research, education, and collaboration to improve patient care.

These milestones reflect the dedication of our research fellows, collaborators, mentors, clinicians, and partners who are helping bridge the gap between research and clinical practice.

We're just getting started and we're excited to continue building research that makes a meaningful difference for clinicians, patients, and the future of care.

Check us out here: https://i-mska.org/

08/03/2026

A new study published in the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons ASES family of journals: evaluated the reliability of the Forgotten Joint Score-12 (FJS-12) for patients following shoulder arthroplasty. The findings demonstrate that the FJS-12 is a highly reliable patient-reported outcome measure and an important step toward better capturing what matters most to patients, the ability to "forget" their artificial joint during everyday life.

Way to go Natalie Myers, and the entire research team on this important contribution to advancing patient-centered outcome measurement in shoulder arthroplasty.

Key takeaways for clinicians:
● The FJS-12 demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability, supporting consistent measurement over time.
● The questionnaire may better detect meaningful differences in high-functioning patients by reducing the ceiling effects seen with many traditional shoulder outcome measures.
● A concise, patient-centered PROM like the FJS-12 has the potential to improve both clinical decision-making and outcomes research.

Read the full publication: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2471549226000596

07/22/2026

Continuing our monthly series, Research Fellows are helping to bring research to life by selecting articles and highlighting key takeaways for clinical practice.

Sam Rodriguez highlighted the recent reviewed a 2025 study from the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy titled: “Physiological Effects of Local Theragun™ Application: An Observational Study in Healthy Female Participants.” Asking the question can percussive therapy actually change tissue physiology?

Key Takeaways for Clinicians:
♦ Local percussive therapy demonstrated acute physiological changes, including increased local microcirculation
♦ Effects were immediate and short-term, supporting use as an adjunct rather than a standalone intervention
♦ Findings suggest potential to enhance tissue readiness prior to exercise or manual therapy
♦ No adverse effects were reported in this healthy population
♦ Results are limited to healthy females, so clinical application should be cautious when generalizing

The clinical takeaway, percussive devices can be a useful addition to improve tissue readiness and short-term outcomes, but they should always complement (not replace) exercise and skilled clinical decision-making.

Check out the full article here: https://doi.org/10.26603/001c.141342

07/20/2026

How often is "shoulder pain" actually a neck problem?

Recently, the we partnered with the Hawkins Foundation and Prisma Health to explore the diagnostic clues, clinical red flags, and decision-making strategies that can help clinicians determine what is truly driving a patient's symptoms specifically for the shoulder and cervical spine.

One of the biggest takeaways is that imaging alone rarely tells the whole story.

Tom Denninger walks through the recent publication and highlights practical lessons that can immediately impact patient care.

Watch the full video below to learn more and check out the full publication here: https://tinyurl.com/24ub66dj

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Downers Grove, IL

Website

https://i-mska.org/

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