A recorded webinar available through the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Learning Center emphasizes a team approach to the evaluation and management of patients following sports concussion. The Learning Center website notes that concussion often results in a range of symptoms, including deficits in cognitive function and impairments in the vestibular and visual systems. To this end, effective management employs a multidisciplinary team approach in which these various deficits can be assessed and treated.

The “Managing Concussions with an Interprofessional Team” webinar emphasizes the evolving role of the physical therapist as a member of a core team managing concussion. As result of the prevalence of balance dysfunction along with symptoms of dizziness, motion sensitivity, cervical dysfunction, and deconditioning following this brain injury, the site notes that physical therapists are uniquely qualified to intervene.

The course is designed to provide an overview of the most recent evidence related to postconcussive disorders. Upon completion of the webinar, participants will be able to discuss the importance of a team approach in the effective management of individuals with concussion and the role of physical therapists on the treatment team. Additional objectives include describing the pathophysiology and epidemiology of concussion, discussing the latest research and guidelines related to sports concussion, and identifying factors that contribute to prognosis and outcome following concussion.

Attendees will also learn to identify common abnormal findings following concussion and potential interventions, as well as describe considerations for recovery and safe return to play.

Course presenter Anne Mucha, PT, DPT, MS, NCS, is the coordinator of Concussion Vestibular Programming for the Centers for Rehab Services and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Concussion Program. She received her bachelor’s and Advanced Master’s degrees in Physical Therapy from the University of Pittsburgh, and her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Temple University. She is a board certified clinical specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy with advanced training in vestibular rehabilitation. Mucha is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh and has over 20 years of clinical experience in treating individuals with neurologic conditions.

For more information about this and other webinars, visit the APTA Learning Center

[Source: APTA Learning Center]