Maghan is a physical therapist from a small town in Indiana who works in rehabilitation clinics that treat patients with injuries to their nervous system, such as stroke or spinal cord injury.

Maghan had been a physical therapist for 18 years and would describe her practice as "…very neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) focused. My treatment sessions focused on promoting normal movement patterns after stroke and included progressively mastering easier skills (like sitting) before harder tasks (like walking)." Maghan was eager to expose herself to new evidence, and decided to sign up for a course on gait rehabilitation.

Through the 3-day course, Maghan reflected on her clinical practice and on how it compared with the evidence presented. She states, "We learned that a key parameter in improving gait-related outcomes was intensity. Specifically, intensity as measured by heart rate. We also learned that practicing walking without perfect kinematics could result in improvements in sitting or balance abilities, or something they called reverse transfer effect. In the end, the patient's kinematics looked better without practicing normal walking."

Maghan had some concerns about the adoption of intensive walking practice.