Course Description:

Pain and dysfunction of the upper quarter is a common presentation in the outpatient setting. Conventional management often attempts to identify the painful structure and treat it directly. A more in-depth understanding of the drivers and mechanisms involved often reveal problems in other areas.
The course is designed to equip the therapist with the ability to differentially assess and treat the numerous causes of pain and dysfunction stemming from the cervical/thoracic spine, ribs, scapula-thoracic region and upper extremity. This involves looking for the ‘drivers’ not just the painful structure.
Participants will learn assess the influences of the thoracic spine, categorize the scapular into three syndromes to improve outcomes, assess and treat rib dysfunction and observe the affect these have on the function of the upper extremity, assess and treat the 5 shoulder syndromes, assess and treat dysfunctions in the elbow and hand
The assessment and treatment system taught will allow the participant to apply sound clinical skills to be more effective in this region.
The participant will be taught effective manual therapy approaches, including, Area of Greatest Restriction assessment (AGR), disc centralization rationale, mobilization, physiological overpressure mobilizations (POMs), muscle energy and manual traction, along with strain and counter-strain and motor pattern retraining reinforced with exercise.
This is a practical course for a clinician in the outpatient setting.