As a doctoring profession seeking to obtain direct access, and as a potential first entry point into the healthcare system, medical screening is a vital component of the clinical examination. This may be especially true in settings, such as in outpatient orthopedics, where patients are least likely to have close physiologic monitoring and may not be referred directly from a physician. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that risk factors for the development of low back pain and osteoarthritis, the most common diagnoses treated by outpatient physical therapists, are nearly identical to those for heart disease. It is also worth considering that often patients with acute pain demonstrate significant increases in blood pressure and heart rate. Given that common interventions utilized by rehab providers such as resistance training, aerobic training and spinal manual therapy interventions generate a hemodynamic response, screening for cardiovascular disease is critical.

 This course will provide rehab professionals with the most recent evidence regarding the impact of cardiovascular system, specifically the hemodynamic response to exercise in physical therapy practice rehab interventions. This course will also provide guidelines based on the most current evidence for effectively screening patients and how to potentially adapt programs for orthopedic patients with cardiovascular disease

This course has been approved for 7.0 CE hours by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association Approval 647-6438

This course content is not intended for use by participants outside the scope of their license or regulation