Ramzi Hasan shares his physio journey, from Jordan to Victoria
We chatted with one of our Westshore physios about his passions in the world of physio and beyond.
What brought you to Canada?
That’s a good question! I’m Palestinian, was born and grew up in Jordan originally, and spent about 14 years in Saudi Arabia before thinking about moving somewhere else. Canada came up as a potential option, and eventually, I received a job offer with Interior Health in Penticton, BC. Moving was an adventure!
I worked with Interior Health for three years at both the Penticton Regional Hospital and the Keremeos Health Centre, before coming to Vancouver Island. My family and I were interested in moving to a bigger city, it would give us more job opportunities and more options for our kids, too. I visited Calgary and Edmonton, but after four visits to Victoria, we decided to move here. It’s a nice city to be in.
How has your career in physio evolved over the years?
Since graduating, I’ve worked with a variety of patients. In Jordan, I worked in pediatrics and with people experiencing neurological conditions (strokes, Guillain-Barré syndrome, cerebral palsy, etc). After moving to Saudi Arabia, I spent time in two large hospitals and stayed at one for 12 years, working mostly with musculoskeletal conditions, and people recovering from sports injuries or post-orthopedic surgeries; about 90% of my work was with these last two groups of patients. Physio for sports injuries is my passion; specifically knees and shoulders. I’ve seen so many ACL injuries in soccer players!
Public speaking is one of your hobbies!
Yes, I’ve given some lectures in physio in my past roles. Here in Canada, I joined Toastmasters! In the hospital I worked at in Saudi Arabia, there were routine presentations given to hospital staff every week. They would invite speakers from all departments to give presentations, and I would participate every now and then. One memorable presentation I gave was at Yanbu Industrial College, on sports injuries. There were hundreds of people in the audience!
Do you play sports?
I used to practice and instruct karate. Now I run, swim, and SCUBA dive.
I haven’t dove in Canada yet, but I’m hoping to find places around Victoria. One of my favourite diving spots is in the Red Sea, where there are so many corals and sea creatures, it is very attractive. My best diving memory was visiting the Iona Wreck, which is near the coast of Saudi Arabia. It is the site of a ship that sank during WWI. It was a new adventure for me! I went with an instructor who guided me inside the wreck. It really taught me about being calm – you have to be controlled in that situation, getting nervous can be dangerous.
Tell us more about your work with GUNN IMS
It is a technique similar to traditional IMS, but focuses on neuropathic dysfunction specifically. Most patients use IMS for muscle spasms and tightness, but GUNN IMS can provide treatment for people who have, for example, heel fissures, abnormal hair loss, or what we call ‘trophic changes’ in the body. During the course I recently completed, the instructors explained that this technique arose out of a concern that patients were not recovering following treatment; they were exceeding their healing time due to chronic pain.
Can you explain what you mean by ‘trophic changes’?
Essentially, it is changes in the body caused by a lack of axoplasmic flow. Examples include abnormal hair loss, sweating in one area of the body (but not the whole body), heel fissures (cracks), or changes to skin and nails.
GUNN is about treating these, as well as chronic pain, and improving neuropathic function. It’s not just for muscle tightness.
I was surprised that this technique could help with these specific conditions. It wasn’t until I completed my course and our instructor showed us photos of her own hands before and after GUNN IMS. She had experienced cracked and broken nails for 20 years, and after three sessions, her nails started to grow normally.
Where do you go to find new research in physio?
If I want to review something quickly, I consult Physiopedia, but if I want to get caught up on the latest research about something specific, I go to PubMed.
In Saudi Arabia, I used to be a representative of something called the Guidelines Task Force Committee. We were from different departments, and together, we built guidelines about specific topics in the workplace and discussed them together. It was a nice experience to help connect and build up other departments.
I enjoy putting together guidelines and protocols; it makes the work nicer and more streamlined. One of the courses I’m planning to take soon is the Certified Professional in Health Care Quality (CPHQ).
At Arbutus, we are sharing knowledge all the time, which is something I really appreciate about working here.
Do you have any memorable moments from the courses you’ve taken?
I was lucky to learn about the Mulligan technique (a physiotherapy approach) from Brian Mulligan himself! He was 88 when I took the course from him, but completely physically fit. It was nice to receive the information from the source.
