Course Description:

Musculoskeletal1 (MSK) pain conditions are highly prevalent and a leading cause of disability globally. When people with MSK pain seek health care, they often receive treatment not aligned with best practices, including initial management options utilizing various forms of medication from NSAIDs to opioids. In recent practice guidelines, nonpharmacological treatments have been emphasized for initial pain management, and physical therapists are providers who routinely deliver nonpharmacological treatments.
According to the Army Surgeon General,2 to optimize pain management physical therapists must be well versed not only in passive treatments or “doing something to the patient” to resolve musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction, but also directing patients in active or self-care therapeutics or “having the patient participating in his or her own care.
In this course rehab specialists will learn two evidence-based self-care strategies, acupressure and therapeutic stretching, that patients can actively engage in to address musculoskeletal pain, non-pharmacologically, using a simple tool to optimize outcomes.