Course Description:
This course is designed to help the clinician understand the complexity of the foot and ankle. It will explore what science can and cannot tell us about many of the common treatments used to treat the foot and ankle in physical therapy. The therapist will develop a solid understanding of the intricacies surrounding the foot and ankle movement, pathology, and post-surgical care.  The confidence gained by this understanding will help the Physical Therapist develop simple and effective treatment plans to help their patients on Monday morning!

While focusing on the foot and ankle this course will also attempt to take on some of the larger questions we have as a profession. Topics will include what it means to provide evidence-based treatment, what value-based care is, and how to decrease the variability of PT practice. 

Instructor:  Annie O’Connor and Mellisa Watson

This two-day course focuses information critical to the assessment and treatment of patients dominated by Central Nervous System (CNS) Pain Mechanisms.  The course will aid the sub grouping of CNS mechanisms into Central Sensitivity, Affective and Motor / Autonomic mechanisms. Incorporating the scientific literature and strategies for Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) approaches promoting when best utilized for each pain sub group.  This course will present specific patient motivational pain science education approaches, specific functional exercise prescriptions and CNS sensorimotor retraining. Outlining Chapter Six, Seven & Eight of “A World of Hurt:  A Guide to Classifying Pain”, pain clinicians will learn how to assess and classify CNS pain mechanisms including, Central Sensitivity, Affective and Motor / Autonomic utilizing psychometric measures, outcome measures, CNS sensory and motor evaluations. This course will focus on specific interventions of pain science patient education topics; patient readiness questionnaire, motivational interviewing strategies, graded exposure functional return and sensorimotor retraining for each CNS dominated pain mechanism. Video, paper cases and live patient demonstrations (when available) will aid application to each clinician’s practice by understanding the importance of the “words” and “moves” necessary to reverse CNS pain mechanisms.

This course has been approved by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association for 14.5 CE hours. Approval #647-7729

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

Instructor: Julie Wiebe, PT

The female runner presents practitioners with unique challenges. Women are 2x more likely to sustain a running injury than men; experience a higher rate of incontinence than age-matched women in the general population, and need to navigate the changes brought by pregnancy and postpartum to continue to participate in their sport of choice. It is critical that both male and female orthopedic, sports medicine, and pelvic health professionals recognize and have skills to address the inter-relationship of musculoskeletal, performance and pelvic/abdominal health needs of female runners in their care. These issues are intertwined within the brains and bodies of athletic females, we can no longer separate them in our clinical and fitness programming. 

All professionals that treat female runners need to be able to understand at depth, reason through and build programs that answer clinical questions such as:

●      How can we use running to return women to optimal musculoskeletal, pelvic and performance health, instead of eliminate it until they are “better”?

●      How does impact control, or lack thereof, simultaneously contribute to common musculoskeletal and pelvic health presentations in female runners?

●      How do we create dynamic control for a runner versus stiff stability offered by abdominal hollowing, holding or “core” stabilizing ideas?

●      Why are young women who have never had children leaking during running and how does that affect running efficiency and performance?

●      How do we harness optimal intra-abdominal pressure for trunk control without contributing to pelvic and abdominal health issues?

●      How do you build a program to prepare a new mom to return to running post-partum?

●      How are painful hips or low back while running and painful sex intertwined?

●      What is the path back to running for women with pelvic organ prolapse?

●      How does diastasis recti impact trunk and pelvic control in running?

●      What running form considerations common to females can be modified to address musculoskeletal, pelvic/abdominal, and performance needs?

●      How do we build resilience in our female runners to prevent future injuries?

This hybrid online/live 2-day course** will blend theory and practice to bridge the gap between our understanding of musculoskeletal, and sports performance with pelvic, abdominal and pregnancy/postpartum health considerations for female runners. The course is intended to be an entry level (and all external) opportunity for musculoskeletal and sports medicine practitioners unfamiliar with pelvic health AND pelvic health providers unsure of how to prepare a patient for a return to sport to gain the foundational knowledge, clinical reasoning and relevant skills to integratively assess and address the full clinical picture for their female runners.  

*(Information, reasoning, and strategies can be applied to other types of female athletes).

**Participants are required to complete a 2-hour online module that provides the evidence and conceptual foundation for the approach Julie Wiebe takes with female athletes. This module must be completed at least 2-months prior to attending the live course. This will provide participants time to apply the concepts clinically, develop questions, generate robust conversation and allow us to pursue more advanced topics in the live component. Module One will not be reviewed, but applied out of the gate in the live portion. You will need to provide a Module One completion certificate to receive course handouts.

The LIVE version of this course has been approved by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association for 15 CE hours. Approval #647-7733. We are looking into CEU approval for the recorded version of the class.

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

This super practical course will cut through the confusion and conflicting information around treating pelvic pain.  It is suitable for all health professionals who treat people with pelvic pain. The optional internal component is open to all participants who have prior training in vaginal and rectal examination. 

Participants will learn purposefully non-painful manual therapy techniques and neurodynamic options for the nerves of the abdomen, pelvis and upper leg. Labs will progress from acute to persistent pain treatment options and include education in self-treatment techniques for improved patient outcomes. Participants will be able to screen and design a progressive treatment for all of the major pelvic nerves. 

This course is full of movement and helps clinicians to push their creativity in order to design treatments for people who may be afraid to move.  Movement and exercise progression include return to fitness and heavy load as appropriate. The current evidence on pain and education are woven throughout the course. You will leave with an additional file of resources for use in your clinic and to help with adapting the information to your own patient population.

This course has been approved by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association for 15 CE hours. Approval #647-7480

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

Instrutor: Annie O'Connor

Course Description:
 This two-day course introduces information critical to the assessment and treatment of patients with acute, sub-acute and chronic pain. Utilizing pain science research regarding pain mechanisms this course teaches pain clinicians how to classify and treat pain as it relates to the peripheral and central nervous system. A Pain Mechanism Classification System (PMCS) will be introduced and then guide selection of patient education and active care interventions for each pain mechanism.  The PMCS demonstrated through live patient demonstrations when available, video and paper case studies will aid application to pain clinicians practice. This course highlights a sub grouping method, PMCS, which addresses pain throughout the continuum from acute, subacute and chronic stages covering chemical, structural, mechanical, cognitive, emotional, social, psychological and cortical mechanisms.  This course integrates pain science research into a biopsychosocial approach with practical application for patient education and active care interventions.  Promoting a common language between pain clinicians of all disciplines and patients. Included in this course, the application of peripheral nervous system neurodynamic evaluation, treatment, and central nervous system sensory and motor evaluation, patient rated outcome measures and psychometric tools outlined by dominant pain mechanism. The PMCS patient education and active care interventions support all patient ages and musculoskeletal to neurological diagnoses suffering from pain.

This course has been approved by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association for 14.5 CE hours. Approval #647-7730

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

Instrutor: Annie O'Connor

Course Description:
 This two-day overview course covers information critical to the assessment, clinical reasoning and treatment of patients with musculoskeletal pain. Participants will learn how to assess and diagnosis pain mechanisms as it relates to the dominant peripheral and central nervous system mechanisms. A Pain Mechanism Classification System (PMCS) will be introduced, discussed, and applied to multiple pain paper/video case studies and/or live patient demonstrations. Peripheral Nervous system (PNS) neurodynamic evaluation and treatment will be discussed, demonstrated and practiced for peripheral neurogenic pain mechanisms including spasticity management.  Central Nervous System (CNS) sensory and motor evaluation tests, patient rated outcome measures, psychometrics tools, and treatment strategies will be discussed, demonstrated, and practiced for all CNS pain mechanisms.

This course has been approved by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association for 15 CE hours. Approval #647-7405

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

Entropy Physiotherapy and Wellness is excited to be hosting Jean-Francois Esculier, PT, PhD. and Dr. Kevin Maggs, BSc Bio, Doctor of Chiropractic for a 2 day course on the Prevention of Running Injuries.

The Running Clinic is an organization providing continuing education intended for health professionals that has grown to become the reference in the prevention and treatment of running injuries.

 Our seminar entitled “New trends in the prevention of running injuries” has been delivered on all five continents, and has taken thousands of health professionals by storm. From diagnosis to treatment, including running gait analysis/retraining, detailed footwear analysis/prescription and appropriate load management… everything is presented in a structured way to ensure that registrants can readily apply learnings with recreational runners and athletes.

 Using the most recent scientific evidence, the instructors question several unjustified and widespread practices. Complimentary listing on The Running Clinic’s website and monthly literature updates are but a few of the little extras that will make this 17-hour high-quality seminar an awesome experience.

**Please note that Entropy Physiotherapy & Wellness is hosting this course, but all course logistics and payment will be done via The Running Clinic. Feel free to contact sarah@entropy.physio with any questions or concerns.

CCU's and CEU's

For Physical Therapists, there are 15 CCU's for IL, IN, WI, MI and MO.
    For Chiropractors, there are 17 CEU's for IL, IN, WI and MI.
    For Athletic Trainers there are 17 CEU's available nationwide.

Instructor: Chris Worsfold, MSc, PGDipManPhys, MCSP, MMACP
 

Course Description:
This is a time of great change in the management of musculoskeletal pain and injury. Whilst research has shown the limitations of hands-on manipulative approaches, clinicians are also recognising how psychological factors influence treatment and recovery.

But where do you start? How do you put the latest clinical research into practice? How do you decide whether to prioritise physical or psychological approaches in your clinical work?

On "The Neck: Clinical Rehabilitation” you will learn:
• The latest, cutting edge assessment and treatment approaches.
• A person-centred approach that refers to the evidence base but at the same time acknowledges the narrative of the patient.
• Novel ‘hands on’ techniques and approaches to use in your clinic immediately after completing the course.

You can become the neck pain expert in your clinic!

This course has been approved by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association for 12 CE hours. Approval #647-7402

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

PREREQUISITES: Licensed PT, MD, DO, DC or NMD or a student enrolled in a PT, MD, DO, DC or NMD program in their second year of study or attending with a licensed professional. Please bring proof of licensure or enrollment to class.

Course Description:

This is NOT JUST another course telling you movement is important or showing you some new exercises but a course about PEOPLE and how to actually apply movement and exercise to them in a systematic and informed way. You could describe it as clinical reasoning for exercise and rehab!

Many therapists struggle taking modern academia around pain and movement and translate it into practical application. This course will outline how to simply apply both physical & cognitively driven components for a therapeutic approach based around HUMANS rather than simply their structures. Functional Therapeutic Movement is a course designed to truly encompass a top down (cognitive) and a bottom up (physical movement) based approach to therapy.

This course has been approved by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association for 12 CE Hours. Approval #647-7401 
 

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

Instructors: Erik Meira and Adam Meakins

Course Description:  
Erik and Adam are coming back to Chicago!  (AGAIN!) While Adam is going to continue to Simplify the Shoulder, Erik is heading further south to cover the Knee.  The two instructors are excellent at lecturing, but the real value is after the lecture - the discussions and application of what the lectures were on!  Join us for this unique opportunity to learn from world-renowned experts in a comfortable, intimate setting!

This course has been approved by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association for 13 CE Hours. Approval #647-74014
 

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

Entropy is excited to be hosting Explain Pain! Registration is being handled by NOI USA.

Please click here to go directly to the sign up page.

In a world experiencing an epidemic of chronic pain and increasing evidence of the failure of synthetic drugs; simple but extremely powerful educational tools can effectively target the natural pain treatment systems within us all.

Knowledge is power. In the new series of Explain Pain courses delivered by Dr David Butler and the NOI teams around the world, cutting edge pain sciences are made accessible and understandable for all. The sciences are turned into metaphor and descriptive narratives, all on a framework of conceptual change science and the philosophy of emergence. Explaining pain is a two way process – the pain patterns, metaphors and stories from the patient’s viewpoint need reasoned analysis and are critical to meeting sufferers at their story.

We know more about pain in the last ten years than in the thousand years before and it’s all increasingly providing answers to “why do I hurt the way I do” and “what can I do about it”. The knowledge is applicable to the young and the old, from back pain to hemiplegia, general aching to the complexities of phantom pain and complex regional pain syndrome.

Decades of research and clinical experience have now been synthesised in the next step of the Explain Pain revolution – The Protectometer. A new device found in the most recently published book from Moseley and Butler, The Protectometer allows a person and their clinician to map out their pain experience, understand all the many factors that affect it, and develop a tailored therapeutic education and treatment programme.

This therapy works – there are no side effects, it is available around the clock, it continues to improve and you can share it with others. These are exciting days for neuroscience, but it must be made exciting for sufferers as well.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity. NOI Explain Pain courses are fun, intellectually stimulating, based on evidence, always challenging, and with the introduction of the Protectometer, you will come away with the most impressive therapeutic tool set ever. The NOI Explain Pain course is based on David Butler and Lorimer Moseley’s book Explain Pain Second Edition and The Explain Pain Handbook: Protectometer.

Instructor:  Annie O’Connor

This two-day course focuses information critical to the assessment and treatment of patients dominated by Nociceptive Pain Mechanisms involving the peripheral nerve.  The Peripheral Neurogenic Pain Mechanism (PNPM) requires specific neurodynamic mechanical exercise prescriptions as well as pain neuro-immune science education about peripheral nerves and the pain alarm system. Outlining Chapter Five and Six of “A World of Hurt: A Guide to Classifying Pain,” pain clinicians will learn how to assess and classify neurogenic nociceptive pain mechanisms as either “trapped,” “tight,” or “sensitive” utilizing neurodynamic evaluation testing and clinical reasoning.  This course assists identifying neural entrapments, dysfunctions and/or the beginning signs of central sensitivity in both the upper, lower body and spine. This pain neuro-immune science course provides interventions in patient education for neurogenic conditions and specific prescriptive neurodynamic exercises for each neurogenic mechanical problem.  This course includes an active manual therapy workshop for common upper and lower body neural entrapment sites and local tissue treatments. In addition, a workshop dedicated to both active neurodynamic exercise progression and passive neurodynamic testing and mobilization. Video, paper cases and live patient demonstrations (when available) will aid application to each clinician’s practice by understanding the importance of the specific “words” and “moves” necessary to reverse neurogenic mechanical nociceptive pain mechanisms.

This course has been approved by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association for 15 CE hours. Approval #647-7407

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

Dermo ‑> skin
Neuro ‑> nervous system
Modulation ‑> change

Dermoneuromodulating (DNM) is a method for handling the human body and, most of all, its nervous system, in order to facilitate change, particularly in terms of its pain and motor outputs. DNM will not replace everything therapists have already learned, but it may provide a new conceptual container for it. At the very least it provides the participant with a novel approach to handling that is patient‑ and nervous system‑friendly.

Light and interactive, DNM ignores musculoskeletal structure and instead targets pain directly, by focusing on the nervous system, continuous from skin cell to sense of self, directly. The only “structures” considered in any depth will be skin and the cutaneous nerve, long ignored in manual therapy ‑ participants will be exposed, perhaps for the  first time , to the extensive branched system that innervates skin. DNM will provide participants with an expanded frame through which they can set up the all important treatment relationship, assess patients and their pain problems from the brain’s perspective, teach the patient about pain production without faulting them, recruit their cooperation for manual handling, and put them in charge of their own recovery. DNM is based on Melzack’s Neuromatrix framework of pain as output, the most clinically useful pain model in existence from an interactive manual therapy standpoint. Persisting pain is the reason most patients come to see a manual therapist. DNM is a fully interactive treatment model: unlike a strictly operative model, in which, for example, biomechanical “faults” must be found, then “corrected”, DNM considers biomechanical expression as defense, not defect. We put “pain”  first; i.e., we put the nervous system of the patient (not their anatomy), and their own subjective complaint, their own interoceptive reality, front and center in the treatment encounter; we add a bit of strategic novel stimuli, then we wait a few minutes, and allow the nervous system to self‑regulate. Subsequent improvement in motor output is assessed and regarded as a sign that the nervous system now works with less intrinsic stress.

Course description:

This 2 day course aims to provide clinicians with the skills and knowledge required to assess and treat all common running injuries. There is a strong focus on practical solutions with real clinical value as well as thorough discussion of theory. Recent research will be integrated with clinical reasoning to provide an effective, evidence based approach.

By the end of the course the therapist should be able to;

• Understand the potential causes of running injury and be able to identify them in patients

• Appreciate the importance of injury prevention and our role within it

• Modify training volume, intensity and frequency to suit a client's needs

• Assess running gait and provide re-education where indicated

• Prescribe strength and conditioning programmes with a deeper understanding of how they effect pathology, pain and performance

• Integrate a depth of knowledge to treat tendinopathy, plantar fasciopathy, patellofemoral pain and other conditions commonly seen in runners.

This course is designed for current clinicans and students enabling participants to become better users of the research on clinical effectiveness. Participants will be able ot make detailed and informed judgements regarding the validity and the results of trials and systematic reviews and to consider what those results will mean to their practice.

This course has been approved for 13.0 CE hours by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association Approval 647-6436
This course content is not intended for use by participants outside the scope of their license or regulation

We are offering this course in person, virtually, and recorded. The cost is the same for each option. CEUs only apply for in person attendance.

Sign up now! June 28-June 30, 2019

We are very excited to announce a 2.5 Day course on Male Pelvic Health!

Professor Paul Hodges, Sandra Hilton, and Sarah Haag will cover Anatomy & Physiology (Friday afternoon), Pelvic Pain, Incontinence, and Sexual Dysfunction.  An honest course of what we know, what we don't know, and what we may be able to do to help.  This course will include lecture and lab with real-time ultrasound and male standardized patients.

**Please note there will only be 24 spots for this course. Book your spot early!

This course has been approved by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association for 18.50 CE hours. Approval #647-7403

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

Instructor:  Sarah Haag, PT, DPT, WCS

The world of pelvic health can seem intimidating to people experiencing bowel, bladder, pelvic pain or sexual issues, as well as to healthcare practitioners who would like to help!  Considering the high prevalence of issues like urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, and pelvic organ prolapse, and the large impact on quality of life these issues have, it’s unacceptable to ignore that many of these issues can be addressed with conservative care.

It is a common misconception that ‘pelvic health’ or ‘women’s health’ is a specialty niche practice available only to experts, and involves specialized equipment and invasive exams. In this two-day course, participants will learn about common pelvic/women’s health issues, how and when to ask about those issues, assessment, and interventions supported by current evidence, and when to refer to another practitioner.  All assessments will be ‘pants on’, but the pros and cons of intravaginal and intrarectal exams will be described and discussed.

Topics to be covered:

·      Urinary incontinence
·      Pelvic Pain
·      Diastasis Recti and Pelvic Organ Prolapse
·      Musculoskeletal issues during Pregnancy
·      Pelvic floor dysfunction
·      Common bowel issues
·      How to assess the evidence when choosing an intervention

This course has been approved by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association for 14 CE Hours. Approval #647-7408
 

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

Instructor:  Annie O’Connor

This two-day course focuses information critical to the assessment and treatment of patients dominated by Central Nervous System (CNS) Pain Mechanisms.  The course will aid the sub grouping of CNS mechanisms into Central Sensitivity, Affective and Motor / Autonomic mechanisms. Incorporating the scientific literature and strategies for Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) approaches promoting when best utilized for each pain sub group.  This course will present specific patient motivational pain science education approaches, specific functional exercise prescriptions and CNS sensorimotor retraining. Outlining Chapter Six, Seven & Eight of “A World of Hurt:  A Guide to Classifying Pain”, pain clinicians will learn how to assess and classify CNS pain mechanisms including, Central Sensitivity, Affective and Motor / Autonomic utilizing psychometric measures, outcome measures, CNS sensory and motor evaluations. This course will focus on specific interventions of pain science patient education topics; patient readiness questionnaire, motivational interviewing strategies, graded exposure functional return and sensorimotor retraining for each CNS dominated pain mechanism. Video, paper cases and live patient demonstrations (when available) will aid application to each clinician’s practice by understanding the importance of the “words” and “moves” necessary to reverse CNS pain mechanisms.

This course has been approved by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association for 14.5CE hours. Approval #647-7406

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

Instructor:  Kjarten Vibe Fersum

In this 2-day workshop a bio-psycho-social model for the assessment and management of chronic low back pain disorders will be presented. Within this model a management approach called ‘cognitive functional therapy’ for chronic back pain disorders will be outlined. This approach represents an integrated cognitive and movement / lifestyle behavioural approach to management these complex disorders.

This workshop draws together current knowledge from Peter O’Sullivan’s ongoing clinical work and collaborative ground breaking research around the world (Australia, Belgium, Norway and Ireland) investigating the classification and management of chronic low back pain disorders. The workshop is dynamic, interactive and practical. It includes patient demonstrations, clinical reasoning and equips physiotherapists to develop skills in diagnostics as well as the design of CFT interventions for specific disorders.

Instrutor: Annie O'Connor

Course Description:
 This two-day overview course covers information critical to the assessment, clinical reasoning and treatment of patients with musculoskeletal pain. Participants will learn how to assess and diagnosis pain mechanisms as it relates to the dominant peripheral and central nervous system mechanisms. A Pain Mechanism Classification System (PMCS) will be introduced, discussed, and applied to multiple pain paper/video case studies and/or live patient demonstrations. Peripheral Nervous system (PNS) neurodynamic evaluation and treatment will be discussed, demonstrated and practiced for peripheral neurogenic pain mechanisms including spasticity management.  Central Nervous System (CNS) sensory and motor evaluation tests, patient rated outcome measures, psychometrics tools, and treatment strategies will be discussed, demonstrated, and practiced for all CNS pain mechanisms.

Instructors:  Dr. Ellie Somers and Allison Tenney

This course will help to define strategies important in the care of a female athlete, before, during and after injury. We will cover the spectrum of female athletes from youth to the older adult woman, including common injuries sustained, management of those injuries through careful physical assessment and education, as well as techniques in training to facilitate an empowered woman or young girl. We will present a novel approach to evaluation, treatment, fitness management and coaching through an evidence-based approach. This course will cover load progressions strategies for the female athlete, appropriate training strategies and coaching cues to facilitate the safe transition back to sport or activity.

Instructor: Chris Worsfold, MSc, PGDipManPhys, MCSP, MMACP
 

Course Description:
This is a time of great change in the management of musculoskeletal pain and injury. Whilst research has shown the limitations of hands-on manipulative approaches, clinicians are also recognising how psychological factors influence treatment and recovery.

But where do you start? How do you put the latest clinical research into practice? How do you decide whether to prioritise physical or psychological approaches in your clinical work?

On "The Neck: Clinical Rehabilitation” you will learn:
• The latest, cutting edge assessment and treatment approaches.
• A person-centred approach that refers to the evidence base but at the same time acknowledges the narrative of the patient.
• Novel ‘hands on’ techniques and approaches to use in your clinic immediately after completing the course.

You can become the neck pain expert in your clinic!

Can't make it to Chicago for November 10-11, 2018? Don't miss this course! Head to Arizona November 3-4, 2018! Learn more here.

This course has been submitted to the Illinois Physical Therapy Association for approval for physical therapists.

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

PREREQUISITES: Licensed PT, MD, DO, DC or NMD or a student enrolled in a PT, MD, DO, DC or NMD program in their second year of study or attending with a licensed professional. Please bring proof of licensure or enrollment to class.

Instructor:  Sarah Haag, PT, DPT, WCS

The world of pelvic health can seem intimidating to people experiencing bowel, bladder, pelvic pain or sexual issues, as well as to healthcare practitioners who would like to help!  Considering the high prevalence of issues like urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, and pelvic organ prolapse, and the large impact on quality of life these issues have, it’s unacceptable to ignore that many of these issues can be addressed with conservative care.

It is a common misconception that ‘pelvic health’ or ‘women’s health’ is a specialty niche practice available only to experts, and involves specialized equipment and invasive exams. In this two-day course, participants will learn about common pelvic/women’s health issues, how and when to ask about those issues, assessment, and interventions supported by current evidence, and when to refer to another practitioner.  All assessments will be ‘pants on’, but the pros and cons of intravaginal and intrarectal exams will be described and discussed.

Topics to be covered:

·      Urinary incontinence
·      Pelvic Pain
·      Diastasis Recti and Pelvic Organ Prolapse
·      Musculoskeletal issues during Pregnancy
·      Pelvic floor dysfunction
·      Common bowel issues
·      How to assess the evidence when choosing an intervention

Instructors: Erik Meira and Adam Meakins
Course Description:  

Erik and Adam are coming back to Chicago!  While Adam is going to continue to Simplify the Shoulder, Erik is heading further south to cover the Knee.  The two instructors are excellent at lecturing, but the real value is after the lecture - the discussions and application of what the lectures were on!  Join us for this unique opportunity to learn from world-renowned experts in a comfortable, intimate setting!

This course is SOLD OUT!  Still interested in attending?
Email Sarah to be added to the waitlist!

Or...  head to Washington DC!  More info and registration here.

Instructor: Julie Wiebe, PT, MPT, BSc
Location:  Bellevue, WA

Course Description:

Despite its inclusion in most definitions of the core, few rehabilitation or fitness programs integrate the pelvic floor into strengthening or neuromotor training. An integrated clinical model of the pelvic floor requires a broadened definition of pelvic floor function beyond merely maintaining continence. When linked to the diaphragm, the pelvic floor acts as a powerful stabilizer of lumbosacral, sacroiliac, pubic symphysis, and pelvic-hip joints ensuring efficient LE and UE mechanics. In addition, the dynamic interplay of these deep muscular elements will balance and harness the intra-abdominal pressure system as a component of central stability.
Clinicians will be introduced to an innovative, clinical model that incorporates a neuromuscular-based core recruitment and IAP balancing strategy, driven by external cueing of both the pelvic floor and diaphragm. This provides a sturdy, yet dynamic foundation that is responsive to the demands of function, movement, fitness and sport. Regardless of age or sport of choice, building programs that maximize results without compounding common women’s health issues such as incontinence, and organ prolapse is a critical clinical skill for all clinicians who treat females (regardless of specialty).
Session participants will have the opportunity to experience the material themselves through exercises that integrate the diaphragm/pelvic floor piston into core stabilization, postural muscle patterning, gait, fitness and sport specific activities.

Instrutor: Annie O'Connor

Course Description:
 This two-day overview course covers information critical to the assessment, clinical reasoning and treatment of patients with musculoskeletal pain. Participants will learn how to assess and diagnosis pain mechanisms as it relates to the dominant peripheral and central nervous system mechanisms. A Pain Mechanism Classification System (PMCS) will be introduced, discussed, and applied to multiple pain paper/video case studies and/or live patient demonstrations. Peripheral Nervous system (PNS) neurodynamic evaluation and treatment will be discussed, demonstrated and practiced for peripheral neurogenic pain mechanisms including spasticity management.  Central Nervous System (CNS) sensory and motor evaluation tests, patient rated outcome measures, psychometrics tools, and treatment strategies will be discussed, demonstrated, and practiced for all CNS pain mechanisms.

This super practical course will cut through the confusion and conflicting information around treating pelvic pain.  It is suitable for all health professionals who treat people with pelvic pain. The optional internal component is open to all participants who have prior training in vaginal and rectal examination. 

Participants will learn purposefully non-painful manual therapy techniques and neurodynamic options for the nerves of the abdomen, pelvis and upper leg. Labs will progress from acute to persistent pain treatment options and include education in self-treatment techniques for improved patient outcomes. Participants will be able to screen and design a progressive treatment for all of the major pelvic nerves. 

This course is full of movement and helps clinicians to push their creativity in order to design treatments for people who may be afraid to move.  Movement and exercise progression include return to fitness and heavy load as appropriate. The current evidence on pain and education are woven throughout the course. You will leave with an additional file of resources for use in your clinic and to help with adapting the information to your own patient population.

Musculoskeletal pain is a public health problem because it affects a large
proportion of the population. There is also consistent evidence that people with persistent musculoskeletal pain are those most likely to have lifestyle related health risk factors, and suffer from other chronic diseases. For example, meta-analyses have found strong associations between pain and; diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, smoking, inactivity, alcohol misuse and mental health problems. This suggests that making substantial improvement to general and musculoskeletal health requires alignment of clinical care, population health and public health sectors. At this point however, musculoskeletal practitioners and researchers do not work effectively in the population health or public health space.

Research and development of models of care (clinical and population health) that integrate consideration of pain and lifestyle-related health risks is relatively new. Interest in the idea is high, new initiatives are being actively encouraged by governments and providers, and more efficient use of resources is an imperative faced by healthcare systems across the world. But arguably, intentions have progressed further than action.