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APTA Combined Sections 2023: San Diego, CA

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Ambulation, Activity, and AFOs: Addressing the Ankle to Improve Gait and Function-live Online

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Ambulation, Activity, and AFOs 2: Advanced Hands-On Course (In Person!)

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Recorded Webinars 

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COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

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Ambulation, Activity, and AFOs: An Integrated Movement Systems Approach for Foot and Ankle Intervention

2 days, 12.5 contact hours

*This course is a recommended prerequisite for Therapeutic Casting for the Lower Extremity I.* 

Would you like to increase your skill with orthotic recommendations? Are you interested in advanced treatment of the foot and ankle for patients with pediatric and neurologic diagnoses? This course presents a movement systems approach to management of the foot and ankle. Using a kinesiopathological lens, participants examine the effect of repeated movements, sustained alignments, cumulative micro-trauma, and altered relative flexibility on the function of the foot and ankle. This course presents a comprehensive approach to care based on individual movement systems diagnoses, while examining the evidence for interventions which maximize the resiliency of the foot and ankle complex through skeletal maturation and into adulthood.  Participants learn hands-on skills for an integrated approach including: joint and soft tissue mobilizations to promote adaptive relative flexibility; improving intrinsic stability through progressive strengthening of the “foot core”; and interventions to positively impact neuroplastic changes. Participants also actively use the ICF model to guide recommendations for targeted use of the external support of orthoses and casts to guide adaptive tissue-specific stresses.

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Ambulation, Activity, and AFOs 2: Advanced Hands-On Course

2 days, 12.5 contact hours

For those who have taken Ambulation, Activity, and AFOs: Addressing the Ankle to Improve Gait and Function, online or in-person. This in-person focuses on hands-on advanced evaluation and treatment of the foot and ankle to improve gait and function for patients with pediatric, neurologic, and orthopedic health conditions. Though multiple labs, participants will learn advanced manual assessment and mobilizations of the joints and soft tissue of the hindfoot, midfoot, and forefoot to improve mobility as well as progressive exercises to strengthen the “foot core” for patients of all levels. Participants will advance functional gait analysis skills, then apply exam findings to prescribe and design orthotics to improve gait and function.

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Therapeutic Casting and Splinting for the Upper Extremity I

1 day, 7.5 Hours.

This course will provide the practitioner with the knowledge base and practical skills for use of casting materials to manage common upper extremity impairments in patients with pediatric and neurologic diagnoses through therapeutic casts and splints.  Participants will learn to identify appropriate candidates for casting, problem solve which materials and techniques are appropriate for various clinical presentations, and evaluate progress.  The course will emphasize the importance of the use of the therapist’s manual intervention before and during casting to maximize therapeutic effects.  Therapeutic (serial) casts, wrist-hand orthoses (WHOs), and splints for constraint-based therapies will be covered. The course will include multiple opportunities to learn and apply hands-on practical skills which will can be carried over to the clinical setting after course completion.  

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Therapeutic Casting for the Lower Extremity I

*Recommended prerequisite: Ambulation, Activity, and AFOs*

3 days, 22 contact hours. 

This course will provide the knowledge base and practical skills for use of casting materials to manage common impairments in pediatric and neurologic patient populations.  Participants will learn to identify appropriate candidates for casting, problem solve which materials and techniques are appropriate for various clinical presentations, and evaluate progress.  The course will emphasize the current evidence related to casting and foot/ankle intervention, the importance of differential diagnosis, and the use of the therapist’s manual intervention before and during casting to maximize therapeutic effects of casts.  Attendees will learn to align casts for optimally for therapeutic gait and standing, and to problem-solve orthotic selection after casting is complete.  This is a hands-on lab course, and participants receive a detailed casting manual as a reference tool.

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Therapeutic Casting and Splinting for the Lower Extremity II

Building on the framework and skills introduced in Therapeutic Casting for the Lower Extremity Level I, this course will focus advancing both hands-on skills and problem-solving for clinical cases. Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of kinesiopathology in the context of limited ankle motion. Participants will then fine-tune their skills in differential diagnosis for the structures limiting talocrural dorsiflexion and in identifying compromised tissues allowing compensatory accessory motion. Through lab activities, participants will improve their ability to assess and improve arthrokinematics of the ankle through manual assessment and intervention. Therapists will then advance skills in designing casts and treatment programs to maximize motor learning throughout the kinetic chain. Participants will work in teams to evaluate clinical cases, then design a full treatment plan, including preparatory treatment, specifics of cast design, and aligning casts for therapeutic gait. Therapists will apply casts in labs, with direct mentorship to select and perform casting techniques according to patient presentation to direct multidirectional forces toward target structures. Groups will review casts after application and apply clinical fixes to cast issues as needed. Clinicians will also increase their proficiency in fabrication of removable splints using casting material, including advanced modifications for a wide range of clinical presentations. Participants will be encouraged to contribute case studies for group problem solving. 

Contact for information

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Adapted Orthotic Interventions for Global Health Ambassadors

A special course developed for PTs, OTs, Orthotists, MDs, and other health care providers who wish to increase their orthotic intervention skills for international health care development trips. Curriculum will include capacity building for local practitioners, quick fabrication of orthoses using casting materials, and adapting donated orthoses. Presented with Jonas Ljung CPO, MSPO, Prosthetist Orthotist.

Contact for information

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Interested in organizing a course in your area? ​​Please contact us to discuss structuring a course to meet your program development needs.

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