Physiotherapy Considerations for the Examination and Management of Headaches: A Musculoskeletal Perspective

Dr. Shaffer is a bilingual (English-Spanish) clinical specialist, educator, and scientist with seventeen years of experience in the physiotherapy profession. After graduating with a master’s degree in physiotherapy he went on to complete residency, fellowship, and academic doctoral training in advanced orthopedics. Initially, he spent years traveling the United States as a traveling physiotherapist but currently works in private practice in Ontario, Canada. During his career he has specialized in the evaluation and management of spinal, extremity, jaw, and headache disorders. Additionally, his professional experience has involved extensive time managing chronic pain as well as both complex and rare cases. In clinical practice he places an emphasis on research-informed evaluation and management as well as manual therapy, clinical reasoning, and shared decision-making. Dr. Shaffer prides himself on making sound decisions on behalf of his patients and strives to ensure that they gain maximal benefit from their healthcare experiences.

In addition to clinical practice, Dr. Shaffer is a researcher with experience on topics related to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and advanced practice physiotherapy rights. He also has experience teaching post-professional courses on cervical spine, jaw, and headache disorders. Currently, he is an active member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT; https://aaompt.org) and is credentialed through the Canadian Academy of Manipulative Physiotherapy (CAMPT; https://manippt.org). When not busy with these activities, Dr. Shaffer leads a team of contributors for the AAOMPT Podcast (https://aaomptpodcast.simplecast.com/), an interview show that addresses a wide array of topics related to orthopedics, and serves as a peer reviewer for an array of scientific journals.