Julie DeWerd, PT, OCS, and Jo Fasen, PT, OCS, CSCS, recently were featured in the Chicago Tribune in an article about how Swiss balls are replacing chairs in workplaces and classrooms.

Julie DeWerd, PT, OCS, and Jo Fasen, PT, OCS, CSCS, recently were featured in the Chicago Tribune in an article about how Swiss balls are replacing chairs in workplaces and classrooms. Swiss balls create "active sitting," forcing you to constantly exercise the muscles you need for good posture, says Fasen. DeWerd says that office workers who trade their chairs for balls may find it fatiguing to use a Swiss hall for 8 hours a day. She recommends that workers take frequent breaks by standing, walking, or returning to a chair.

A recent article in AMA News, the American Medical Association's newspaper, about Ohio physical therapists getting direct access featured Nancy Garland, JD, CAE, executive director of the Ohio Chapter. In the article, Garland explains how direct access eliminates the need for a referral for patients with chronic conditions. "There is no evidence from other states that would indicate that patient safety is put at risk by direct access to physical therapists," she says.