Course Description:

Patients with symptoms of concussion lasting longer than 10-14 days benefit from intervention of an interdisciplinary team, including physical and occupational therapy, and the less commonly identified vision therapy. This hybrid course will provide the clinician with the foundational knowledge to improve understanding of the complexity of concussions, including the various domains and how to approach the rehabilitation of patients presenting to therapy following concussion. Specific emphasis will be placed on recognizing and understanding the domains to be assessed, and how they can affect treatment, including cervical spine, headaches, oculomotor and vestibular involvement, the effects of sleep, anxiety and cognitive fatigue, and autonomic dysfunction. The course will also include clinical pearls shared based on years of experience in treating this patient population. Recognizing and assessing symptoms in each of these domains will improve the clinician’s efficiency in examination and translation of exam findings into the development of an effective, evidence-based treatment plan. Principles of assessment and differential diagnosis will improve the clinician’s efficiency in examination and translation of exam findings into the development of an effective, evidence-based treatment plan. This course will also feature a module completed by a Neuro-Optometrist who will provide insight into the management of these patients and considerations for referral along the plan of care. Lastly, there will be a module focusing on psychological and neurocognitive changes after concussion and how health care providers should screen for these findings.
The goal of continuing education is to enhance the clinician’s knowledge and understanding of a topic in a way that they will be able to incorporate the evidence-based concepts and techniques that were presented to their clinical practice. This course is designed to do just that. Some features of this course include instructor feedback on assessment and treatment techniques, large and small group activities to demonstrate application of the principles of diagnosis and clinical application of concepts to real patient cases. Psychomotor skill development will occur through labs with instructor feedback. Understanding of concussion management concepts will be enhanced through small and large group discussions and case-based learning. Clinicians will walk away from this course series with a deeper understanding of the multi-disciplinary approach to concussion management, the technical skills to perform a thorough examination, and a plan in place for evaluation and progression of treatment for patients presenting to the clinic post-concussion.