Course Description:

This lab-intensive course applies clinical reasoning and a hands-on musculoskeletal assessment of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand while focusing heavily on biomechanics, introduced by Michael MacConnail, as well as functional anatomy. Based on the recognition of signs and symptoms of upper extremity pathology, the participant will formulate a provisional differential diagnosis while demonstrating how to rule out serious pathology, which may mimic upper extremity musculoskeletal dysfunction. Additionally, the participants will demonstrate appropriate treatment and management skills of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand utilized by the physical therapist in the clinical setting including joint articulation stability and mobility techniques, joint manipulation, as well as neuromuscular reeducation and therapeutic exercises to reinforce all manual therapy techniques.