An intermediate-level, hybrid self-study, 1-day seminar available through North American Seminars is designed to help clinicians manage neck disorders with greater confidence and proficiency. According to a news release issued by North American Seminars, the course blends home study training from a professionally filmed DVD with online PT continuing education course access, face-to-face instruction, and hands-on lab sessions.

During the “Making Sense of Neck Pain” course, treatment-based classification and a novel algorithm are used as its framework in order to streamline clinical decision-making and care planning. The release notes that examination techniques and strategies that are introduced straightforward and supported by research and clinical experience.

The release states that a variety of intervention strategies are addressed, including mobilization and manipulation, therapeutic exercise, and directionally specific exercise to offer clinicians a range of options to assist in enhancing functional ability. Additionally, recent advances in cervico-thoracic spine research are integrated throughout the course to provide clinicians with new insights and rationale for decision-making. Many special rehabilitation topics linked to the cervical spine will also be addressed, such as cervicogenic headaches and whiplash-associated disorders.

According to the release, the course is intended for physical therapists, but may also be suitable for occupational therapists, physical therapist assistants, or occupational therapist assistants with strong orthopedic backgrounds.

Objectives for the hybrid course include performing select orthopedic special tests of the cervical-thoracic region to rule out specific disorders and to formulate differential diagnoses; identifying signs and symptoms of vertebral artery dysfunction, upper cervical spine instability, or cervical myelopathy that warrant referral to another healthcare provider; and recognize patients at risk for long-term disability.

Additional objectives include classifying neck disorders, based on examination findings, for purposes of care planning and intervention decision-making; performing thrust and non-thrust manual therapy techniques to the thoracic spine, first rib, or cervical spine; and selecting and implement appropriate intervention techniques for patients with arm symptoms in association with neck pain.

Read the course brochure for additional information about the course and its speaker.

[Source: North American Seminars]