336: Stop Guessing, Start Localizing: Dr. Jennifaye V. Brown, PT, MSPT, PhD, NCS, CAPS, on Neuroanatomy-Driven Treatment

Why do two patients with what looks like the same stroke on paper walk out of rehab so differently — and why does a home exercise program built on ankle pumps and heel slides so often fail the people who need it most? In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, talks with returning guest Dr. Jennifaye V. Brown, PT, MSPT, PhD, NCS, CAPS, a four-time ten-year board-certified neurologic clinical specialist and author of Brace Yourself: Everything You Need to Know About AFOs After Stroke, about why going back to foundational neuroanatomy — knowing exactly where a lesion sits, how large it is, and how edema and brain shift distort the initial picture — is the difference between generic protocols and precision rehab. Dr. Brown walks through how she uses movement observation and cranial nerve testing to localize lesions when imaging isn't available, why upper versus lower motor neuron signs (and even mixed presentations) change her clinical reasoning, and how she builds five-exercise home programs tailored to a specific synergy pattern, flexion contracture, or cerebellar presentation rather than handing out the same generic list to every client. The conversation also digs into intensity: why so many stroke survivors aren't actually reaching the high-intensity thresholds the neuroplasticity research calls for, how Dr. Brown uses culturally relevant, music-paced activities and a color-coded RPE scale to get clients there, and why she separates muscle strengthening from muscle endurance in her programming. She previews a case study she'll present in an upcoming NeuroSpark webinar and makes the case for how clinicians can build self-efficacy rather than aim to see patients forever by using neuroanatomy.

Order ebook (Flipbook or PDF): jvbneuropt.com/book

Website: jvbneuropt.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifaye-brown-pt-mspt-phd-ncs-caps/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-0M-apffkZl4vqjAqomd8g

Email: info@jvbneuropt.com

Get Dr. Jennifaye Brown’s 90 minute AFO FITT-CORRECT: A Plan to Improve Foot Drop Webinar Just $29.99