Every new year we make lots of resolutions. Exercise more. Eat better. Sleep more. Get organized. Did you keep yours? As all of our well-intentioned resolutions last briefly and then are thrown by the wayside, we may realize it's because they were a bit of an overreach. Maybe they were too much to handle on our own. It helps if we have a buddy to keep us on track-someone to work with and share the ups and downs of the process.

Here's one resolution I bet you didn't make-do more research. You might be thinking, "Now there's and unrealistic overreach." You have spent a tremendous amount of effort and energy to become specialized in women's health and pelvic health physical therapy with a mentor, maybe a residency or fellowship, and certainly several continuing education classes. You did all this because you wanted to become part of a community of expert professionals with these unique important skills.

We all agree on the need for evidence in support of practice. You probably participated in some type of research or had some type of research exposure in school. Perhaps this research introduction sparked your interest. But, as a busy clinician it's just not realistic to make a contribution to research. Or is it? Fortunately, all the critical thinking skills that you have developed as a clinician are the same as those necessary for research. You meet a new patient and take a history to identify their problems. This is the same process as developing your research question. You process all their information contemplating potential diagnoses, similar to forming research hypotheses. Performing a physical examination would equal data collection. You then analyze your patient data to formulate interventions. Your assessment and plan amount to your discussion. As the patient returns, you might proceed with your original plan or modify. Again, this is the same process generating a new hypothesis for future research.

Obviously, you possess the essential reasoning needed for research, but may still feel inadequate in the statistics and research design area. I have to put in a plug for getting a PhD, an academic research doctorate, because I am so grateful for having had that experience. It was an intense and wonderful time when I could just concentrate all my efforts on research. I didn't realize at the time what a privilege it was to immerse myself in a topic. A postprofessional research degree is clearly not for everyone. There are many other options, and like new year's resolutions, they work better with friends. If you are truly interested in performing research, partner with an established researcher. Offer to lend a hand with literature review, data collection, or even help with some writing. Most researchers are underfunded and would welcome volunteer assistance.

Not everyone wishes to be so involved and that level of research participation is just too much. Have you got a unique and unusually complex patient that you would be willing to share? A good case study can advance our knowledge producing much needed evidence for practice. Again I recommend that you consult with an experienced researcher to help put the pieces together. The Journal of Women's Health Physical Therapy (JWHPT) editors are willing to help in the process. Still too much commitment but you would like the intellectual stimulation and camaraderie of belonging to a research team? Build a group of like-minded colleagues who wish to expand their grasp of clinically relevant information to form a journal club. Agree to meet every other month or so online or in-person to talk about an article that is relevant to you. Of course, I'm going to recommend reading JWHPT, but I do admit that there are many wonderful journals to choose from. Select one with high standards for peer review so that you feel confident in what you are reading and discussing. Finally, you might find it interesting to talk to established researchers to find their path to research.

This issue brings an interesting variety of scholarly products to consider for discussion. There are 2 research reports dealing with running. Drs Rothschild and Schellhase survey adult female endurance runners finding 2 components of the female athletic triad, low energy availability and menstrual dysfunction, to be an issue. Dr Deering and colleagues examined interrecti distance and abdominal muscle thickness before and after an 8-week training program, which used ultrasound imaging as a biofeedback tool in their intervention. Dr Reisch reviews the literature on behavioral training techniques for overactive bladder finding good support for the theoretical rationale of these techniques. Dr Stone shared a case report on intervening for Peyronie disease in a male to help with his female partner's dyspareunia. Finally, Dr Bishop presents a thought-provoking clinical commentary on manual therapy for pelvic pain conditions.

I hope that in this new year you will promise yourself to become more involved in any part of the research process that appeals to you. It's a resolution that you may find deeply rewarding. If not, there is always next year when you can resolve to exercise more, eat better, sleep more, and get organized.

-Cynthia M. Chiarello, PT, PhD

Editor-in-Chief