Course Description:

Participants will be introduced to the current evidence-based approach to management of low back pain using Clinical Practice Guidelines from the Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Section of the American Physical Therapy Association with clinical reasoning. As payers and medical practitioners increasingly depend on evidence-based Guidelines, clinicians must utilize published recommendations when selecting examination tools and designing therapeutic programs to direct functional outcomes and to optimize documentation for reimbursement.

CPGs are intended to complement the clinical reasoning process of clinicians, not to provide a mandated protocol for making decisions about patient management. Understand the terminology and recommendations used in the CPG for low back pain. Select the proper impairment categories for your patients with low back pain for a more accurate match to their medical diagnosis, and choose recommended interventions to promote functional outcomes. Recognize what intervention types to utilize for specific impairment categories based on current evidence to successfully address low back pain and its related limitations.