Hi, I’m Geoffrey Maitland. Well — not really. I am actually Dan Harvie. But I do have the honour of holding (and upholding) the position he once did: Program Director of what’s now called the Master of Advanced Clinical Physiotherapy (Musculoskeletal and Sports) at the University of South Australia. This program is the legacy of the manipulative physiotherapy program of probably the most influential manual therapist and physiotherapy/physical therapy thinkers of all time. I take this responsibility very seriously, and in his spirit I ask many question.

I come at this work with a pretty unique mix — I’ve got a PhD in pain science……. and masters level training in musculoskeletal and sports physiotherapy and 18 years as a physiotherapist,

I’ve written a book on the science of pain, and I teach manual therapy techniques at the postgraduate level.

I’m also recognised by the Australian College of Physiotherapists as a research specialists. This should re-assure you that (while I can definitely be wrong) I take research seriously, warts and all.

Importantly, I’ve wrestled with my own experiences of using manual therapy that are sometimes remarkable, and defy outdated explanations. An I’ve been frustrated for over a decade that manual therapy has lost its credibility because science and practice of manual therapy have become so misaligned.

And maybe most importantly — I don’t want us to lose what’s good about therapeutic touch. I’m convinced we can update the science behind manual therapy, move it into the modern age, and still keep it as a valuable, meaningful part of what we do.

Allow me to sharesome new science, some of my favourite manual therapy and integrated techniques, and a new approach to manual therapy that I call Active Manual Therapy, that does away with passive models and approaches and embraces the dynamic nature and pain system and motor system processes.