Rephonic
Artwork for Tough to Treat
Physical Therapy
Chronic Pain
Low Back Pain
Gastrointestinal Dysfunction
Knee Pain
Shoulder Pain
Pain Management
Chronic Constipation
Menopause
Bowel Dysfunction
Physiotherapy
Chronic Pain Management
Chronic Knee Pain
Shoulder Issues
Pelvic Health
Postpartum Pelvic Pain
Food Allergies
Food Intolerances
Quality Of Life
Back Pain

Welcome to Tough to Treat: A Physiotherapists' Guide to Managing Those Complex Patients, with your hosts Erica Meloe and Susan Clinton, who discuss how they successfully treated patients that others could not. Via case history discussion, they share their physical therapy expertise from treating long standing pelvic pain to persistent neck pain. They present a holistic and integrative view on asse... more

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes236Founded9 years ago
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Health & FitnessMedicine

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Artwork for Tough to Treat

Latest Episodes

Her back hurt. But her back wasn't the problem. This is where the nuance comes in.

In this episode, I dive into a fascinating clinical case involving a hypermobile pole dancer presenting with low back pain — where the lumbar spine was the pain gen... more

If you have patients or are a person who "does all the exercises," gets stronger, and still doesn't feel better—this episode is for you. In this episode, Erica dives into how to advance exercise prescription for patients who are often labeled as "tou... more

In this episode, Erica explores how clinical reasoning informs decision-making across diverse areas of physical therapy practice. This is a clinical pearls discussion that will save you lots of time in the clinic.

From CKC to OKC brain mapping in ... more

How long should you keep treating a patient? And what's the best approach when they're skipping their home exercise program? In this listener Q&A episode, Erica shares practical strategies—illustrated through two real patient cases, one a golfer and ... more

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Host

Erica Meloe
Host of Tough to Treat; Physiotherapist based in New York City; multiple citations across episodes.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 150 ratings
  • Incredibly helpful for complex cases

    I recently found this podcast through the Michelle Lyons podcast and have found myself binging these episodes for the past week.

    I am a pelvic PT and these conversations are brief and jam packed with super useful and clinically relevant information. It’s helping me ask new questions and is highlighting a lot of the gaps in my own knowledge and is helping direct me towards what I need to be learning.

    Thank you both for your work and sharing your knowledge with us! It has absolutely made a di... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    EmilyRaeDPT
    United Statesa year ago
  • Love these two and their case discussions!

    I am a pelvic PT with ortho roots and I just started my own pelvic practice. Since I found this podcast not all that long ago, I have been binging all the episodes in the car and while I walk my dogs.

    I feel like this has really brought on all kinds of new thinking for me as well as guiding me towards the next type of con ed I take. I have new intake and subjective questions I never used before as well as now frequently taking my patients to “the wall” (lol) for weight shifting and squatting as... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Amazing cases!
    United States2 years ago
  • Always insightful, helpful information

    I have found this podcast to be very helpful in learning more in-depth clinical reasoning.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JaneyLSC
    United States2 years ago
  • Thought provoking

    The conversations between Erica and Susan are fabulous. They have some fabulous takeaways.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    BridgetKane
    United States3 years ago
  • Fantastic Conversations!

    Loving the podcast! Came across a great note on sitting postue that allowed me to make a small tweak that helped tremendously, can't wait to listen to more!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    SJamesClinton
    United States5 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

”Always insightful, helpful information” — listeners note deep clinical reasoning and applicability.
”Love these two and their case discussions!” — fans appreciate practical intake questions and movement assessments.
”Incredibly helpful for complex cases” — clinicians praise concise, clinically relevant discussions.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Treatment Timelines and Tackling HEP Non-Compliance: Real Patient Cases
Q: What about people who are non-compliant with the home exercise program?
Engage the patient by assessing how much time they can dedicate to exercises and limiting them to one or two effective exercises.
Treatment Timelines and Tackling HEP Non-Compliance: Real Patient Cases
Q: How do you get an athlete back to sport sooner rather than later?
By understanding their movement history and physical performance patterns through assessment and personalized rehabilitation programs.
When The Driver Is Not The Pelvis
Q: Would you then, based on what I've told you, go in and assess the muscles of the pelvis externally?
Yes, for sure.
Addressing the Gaps in a Patient's Exercise Program
Q: Knowing what we know about the thorax and the strength holes, and knowing what her fear-based pattern is, how are we going to get her to do that forward lunge without thinking about, without being afraid?
Consider utilizing props like a stick for balance, and focus on helping the patient feel secure when performing lunges.
Chronic Constipation: Interventions Beyond Pelvic Floor Dyssynergia Part 2
Q: Have you ever heard of manometry for constipation in a four-month-old baby? What could the findings from manometry provide us that we might be able to help with?
They will likely look at the reflexes to determine if the baby has a condition like Hirschsprung's disease, as the baby cannot participate actively.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Tough to Treat

What is Tough to Treat about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Holistic, case-based physical therapy discussions focused on complex, multi-system pain presentations. Episodes emphasize full-body evaluation, movement-derived insights, and getting patients to buy into long-term plans, often linking distant body regions (e.g., neck-related pain from foot or hip issues) and integrating pelvic health, menopause considerations, and psychosocial factors into treatment plans. The format blends clinical reasoning with practical exercise prescriptions and showcases strategies for handling challenging cases that typical protocols miss, making it valuable for clinicians seeking deeper diagnostic thinking and adaptable rehab approaches.

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Which podcasts are similar to Tough to Treat?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Tough to Treat:

1. You Are Not Broken
2. Pelvic PT Rising
3. Celebrate Muliebrity with Michelle Lyons
4. Good Hang with Amy Poehler
5. Up First from NPR

How many episodes of Tough to Treat are there?

Tough to Treat launched 9 years ago and published 236 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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