Pre- and post-courses

Dr Annina Schmid is a Consultant musculoskeletal Specialist and Associate Professor at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Oxford University in the UK. She obtained her Physiotherapy undergraduate training in Switzerland in 2001, worked full time as a musculoskeletal physiotherapist for several years and completed a Master of Manipulative Therapy at Curtin University of Technology in Perth in 2005. That is where her interest in pain physiology and entrapment neuropathies sparked. In 2008, she returned to Australia to focus on research by doing a PhD in Neuroscience at The University of Queensland. Her project entitled "Implications of mild nerve compression beyond the lesion site-Mechanisms and Interventions" consisted of a unique combination of human studies and experiments using an animal model of mild nerve compression.

Upon completion of the course, participants will have a deep understanding of potential pathomechanisms at play in patients with entrapment neuropathies. They will know how to differentiate the dominant mechanisms in individual patients using methods beyond the commonly used neural integrity and neurodynamic tests. Participants will also be competent in designing a targeted intervention for patients with entrapment neuropathies and can confidently interpret changes associated with the delivered intervention.

Kasper Ussing, specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapy, is working at The Spine Center of Southern Denmark, an outpatient, secondary care setting, specialized in spinal disorders. He holds a master degree in manipulative therapy from Curtin University, Perth, Australia. Since 2009 he has work clinically and conducted clinical research into “Cognitive Functional Therapy”, - an individualized behavioral orientated approach for managing disabling low back pain disorders. His research has focused on clinical management of patients with persistent low back pain, unresponsive to primary care intervention, using Cognitive Functional Therapy. He is collaborating with the Pain-ed team.

This 2-day clinical workshop focuses on management of complex and long lasting low back pain disorders within a bio-psycho-social framework called Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT). The CFT approach has been developed through a of synthesis of contemporary scientific literature as well as ongoing research led by professor Peter O’ Sullivan along with a collaborative international research team. The intervention is a cognitive and behavioral orientated management approach, which aims to identify modifiable and non-modifiable factors contributing to the individual clinical presentation. The participants will be introduced to clinical management of potential pain and disability contributing factors like fear of movement, negative beliefs about the back, emotional distress, pain provocative behaviors and movement strategies and as well as addressing unhelpful life style factors. The learning process will be facilitated through two live demonstrations of patients with long lasting low back pain. The patient demonstrations will be followed by discussions related to the clinical reasoning process.

Jeremy Lewis is a Consultant Physiotherapist and Professor of Musculoskeletal Research (University of Hertfordshire, UK, and University of Limerick, Ireland). Jeremy has taught shoulder workshops internationally in over 35 countries. He has been invited to present keynote and invited lectures at many international conferences. His main areas of research interest are rotator cuff related shoulder pain, frozen shoulder, injection therapy, exercise therapy and lateral elbow tendinopathy. In addition to his own research he supervises PhD and MSc students. Jeremy is an associate editor for the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT). He was a co-editor and author for Grieve’s Modern Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy (4th ed).

His course, The Shoulder: Theory & Practice, has biopsychosocial approach for the assessment and management of musculoskeletal conditions involving the shoulder region. Taught worldwide in over 35 countries, this course is continually updated, integrating the latest research evidence In addition to assessment & management of the shoulder region, this course synthesises the complex relationships between; the shoulder & body biomechanics, pain science, lifestyle, patient psychosocial factors, beliefs & expectations, best practice, & more …and is guaranteed to be fun.

Dr. Sahrmann is Professor Emerita of Physical Therapy at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.  She received her bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy, masters and doctorate degrees in Neurobiology from Washington University.  She is a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association and is a recipient of the Association's Marion Williams Research Award, the Lucy Blair Service Award, and the Kendall Practice award, the Inaugral John H.P. Maley Lecture and Mary McMillan Lecture awards.  Dr. Sahrmann has also received Washington University's Distinguished Faculty Award, the School of Medicine’s Inaugral Distinguished Clinician Award and an honorary doctorate from the University of Indianapolis. She has also received the Bowling-Erhard Orthopedic Clinical Practice Award from the Orthopaedic Section of the APTA.  She has served on the APTA Board of Directors and as president of the Missouri Chapter.

Movement System Impairment Syndromes are based on the kinesiopathologic model that proposes normal tissue adaptations induced by daily activities can result in collections of impairments that combine to cause joint micro-instability and microtrauma that develops into macrotrauma. Key factors are the body taking the path of least resistance, relative flexibility, relative stiffness, and motor learning. Clinical and laboratories studies have demonstrated that patients with low back pain can be classified according to the movement direction that most consistently is associated with increased symptoms and with impaired motions. Furthermore, when the movement is corrected, the symptoms decrease or are eliminated. Studies have also demonstrated that movements of the hip can cause lumbopelvic motion and symptoms. This presentation will describe the classifications of patients with low back pain and the contributing factors. The examination used to classify the patients which is the basis of the diagnosis will be demonstrated. The corrective program which consists of specific exercises and most importantly correction of the alignment and movement patterns used during everyday activities. Several demonstrations of examinations, developing diagnoses and treatment programs will be performed because of their effectiveness in understanding kinesiopathologic syndromes and their treatment.