Physicourses Neurology

Differential Diagnosis of Headaches Post Concussion

Cristin Beazley, PT, DPT, CBIS

Concussion is a common injury that is often poorly identified and poorly managed. It can occur with a variety of mechanisms and affects all ages. These injuries can recover on their own but often (10-30%) of individuals will have persistent symptoms. There are a variety of symptoms that can be present after a concussive injury and often headache is one of the most common. Research has shown that individualized treatment results in the best outcomes secondary to the multiple systems that are impacted after these injuries.1 A challenge to concussion management is that none of the symptoms that are often reported are unique to the injury itself. It is essential that clinicians who work with client's post-concussion have a clear understanding of the variety of possible contributing factors to the symptom presentation so that they can create a targeted plan of intervention. This individualized plan and understanding will ensure optimal patient outcomes.This course will highlight the variety of physiological impairments and systems that can contribute to headache presentation. We will review differential diagnosis as well as targeted interventions to achieve optimal outcomes and patient recovery. The course will present a variety of strategies as well as case studies to help support differential diagnosis strategy. There will also be objective measures including questionnaires, assessments of the cervical spine, vestibular/oculomotor systems, and evaluation of the autonomic nervous...

Peripheral Nerve Entrapments

Paul Frizelle PT DPT, MS, OCS, MTC, AIB-VR, CSCS, PES, CES

The rehabilitation professional is the best positioned individual in the healthcare system to conservatively manage patients with entrapment neuropathies. This course will examine the potential for peripheral nerve entrapments to present in the rehabilitation setting. It will review the anatomy behind the peripheral nerve entrapment, how to identify them in the evaluation process, and how to effectively treat them for full return of function. Entrapment neuropathies are commonly encountered by rehabilitation professionals and are often overlooked as sources of pain and functional limitations. This course will improve your understanding of how to evaluate and identify common patterns for the clinical presentation of an entrapment neuropathy. Participants will learn how to immediately apply these strategies to improve their diagnostic and treatment skills for peripheral entrapment neuropathies. Attendees will be able to immediately take this information and apply it in their existing rehabilitation programs to improve the outcomes for their patients.Highlights Improve your ability to identify common peripheral nerve entrapments in the upper and lower extremity Entrapment neuropathies, manual therapy, and neural mobilization treatment strategies

Stroke Rehab in the Home and Outpatient Settings

Mary Vanesko MOT, OTR/L, CIMI, CPY and Katie O'Shea, PT, DPT, MBA, GCS, CDP

According to the CDC, stroke causes 1 of every 20 deaths in the United States, killing nearly 130,000 Americans each year. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in theUnited States. Despite the increase in technology, physical and occupational therapists are frequently called upon to collaboratively plan for post-acute care services. This course will focus on discipline-specific interventions in the inpatient home and outpatient setting as well as collaborative interdisciplinary approach to care, while minimizing duplication services. This course is aimed to provide a systematic approach to understanding the home and outpatient examination and implementation of plan of care for the patient who has suffered from a stroke. The attendees will take home specific strategies to provide comprehensive evaluations and focus on functional outcomes. Through interdisciplinary discussion and real-life case studies, attendees will make insightful and accurate recommendations for the next level of care.Highlights Implement an effective evaluation and treatment for the stroke patient in the home or out-patient setting Safely apply individualized interdisciplinary assessment and intervention in the home and outpatient setting with patients who have suffered from a strokeEffective recommendations for discharge plans from the home and outpatient settings, and referral to community services

Stroke Rehab in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting

Mary Vanesko, MOT, OTR/L, CIMI, CPY`s Katie O'Shea, PT, DPT, MBA, GCS, CDP

According to the CDC, stroke causes 1 of every 20 deaths in the United States, killing nearly 130,000 Americans each year. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in theUnited States. Despite the in-crease in technology, physical and occupational therapists are frequently called upon to collaboratively plan for post-acute care services. This course will focus on discipline-specific interventions in the inpatient rehab setting as well as collaborative interdisciplinary approaches to care, while minimizing duplication services. The goal for this course is to provide a systematic approach to understanding the inpatient rehab examination and implementation of POC for the patient who has suffered from a stroke. Attendees will take home specific strategies to provide comprehensive evaluations and focus on functional outcomes. Through interdisciplinary discussion and real-life case studies, attendees will make insightful and accurate recommendations for the next level of care.Highlights Implementing an effective evaluation and treatment for the patient by fully understanding the impact of stroke pathology in the rehab setting Safely apply individualized interdisciplinary assessment and intervention in the rehab setting with patients who have suffered from a stroke Promote safe and effective disposition recommendations and discharge plans from the post-acute setting in complicated cases

Stroke Rehab in the Acute Care Setting

According to the CDC, stroke causes 1 of every 20 deaths in the United States, killing nearly 130,000 Americans each year. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in theUnited States. Despite the increase in technology, physical and occupational therapists are frequently called upon to collaboratively plan for post-acute care services. This course will focus on discipline-specific interventions in the acute caresetting as well as collaborative interdisciplinary approach to care, while minimizing duplication of services. This course is aimed to provide a systematic approach to understanding the acute care examination and implementation of POC for the patient who has suffered from a stroke. The attendees will take home specific strategies to provide comprehensive evaluations and focus on functional outcomes. Through interdisciplinary discussion and real-life case studies, attendees will make insightful and accurate recommendations for the next level of care.Highlights Pathology of different types of strokes to implement an effective evaluation and treatment for the patientSafely apply individualized interdisciplinary assessment and intervention in the acute care setting with patients who have suffered from a stroke Promote safe and effective disposition recommendations and discharge plans from the acute care setting in complicated cases

Effective Rehabilitation Approaches for Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Naseem Chatiwala, PT, DPT, MS, NCS

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world with approximately 930,000 people living with it in the United States. Patients with Parkinson's present with a wide range of complexities that originate from direct consequences of the disease, but also from medicinal side effects and lack of activity. In addition to having motor impairments of dyskinesia, postural instability, imbalance, rigidity, tremors, gait impairments, patients with PD also have difficulty in other areas of personal and contextual factors like coping strategies, attitudes, as well as social and societal interactions. One of the most serious disability symptoms of patients with Parkinson's is freezing of gait (FOG) with almost 80% of patients experiencing it. Medication has been the traditional go to for management of Parkinson's. However, the patient still poses risk of deterioration on physical function, activities of daily living, and participation in social interactions. This can lead to inactivity, social isolation and reduced quality of life. Therefore a wide variety of health professionals need to work collaboratively and be educated on the latest rehabilitation strategies to effectively and efficiently address patient goals and function in this unique population.Highlights Physiology of typical and atypical presentation of Parkinson's disease Review assessment tools validated to assess function in patients with Parkinson's disease Effective techniques to he...

Parkinson's Disease: Causes, Symptoms, Assessment, and Treatment

Anysia Ensslen-Boggs, Ed.D., M.S., CCC-SLP

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects neurons in a specific area of the brain called the substantia nigra. Symptoms generally develop slowly over several years. The progression of symptoms is often quite different from one person to another due to the diversity of the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rated complications from PD as the 14th cause of death in the United States. Although there is no cure, treatment options can include medications, surgeries, physical, occupational, and/or speech therapy. While Parkinson's itself is not fatal, disease complications can be serious. It is possible to have a good to great quality of life while living with PD. The first step to living well with Parkinson's disease is to understand the nature of the disease and its progression. As rehabilitation professionals, it is important for us to understand the causes of PD, early signs of PD, movement and non-movement symptoms, and the various diagnosis and treatment options for those living with PD.Highlights Causes and symptoms of Parkinson's disease and how they can affect aspects of diagnosis and treatment within your specific discipline Diagnostic and therapeutic options when designing functional treatment plans for patients with Parkinson's disease

Vestibular Rehab

Anysia Ensslen-Boggs, Ed.D., M.S., CCC-SLP

Dizziness accounts for up to 11% of Emergency Department visits each year in the United States, approximately 40% of these patients have peripheral vestibular dysfunction. The key to recognizing dizziness caused by peripheral vestibular dysfunction is recognizing nystagmus, involuntary jumping of the eyes. Physical and occupational therapists can play an important role in helping to identify the presence of a peripheral vestibular disorder, thus potentially saving money on unnecessary testing and lengthy hospital stays. This presentation will provide an overview of the anatomy of the vestibular system as well as the pathophysiology of common etiologies that can cause dizziness. Participants will learn evidence-based oculomotor examinations aimed at identifying abnormal eye movements and nystagmus patterns to help identify potential causes of dizziness and lead to an appropriate differential diagnosis.Highlights Practice and review evidence-based bedside oculomotor assessments to help identify central and peripheral sources of vertigo Integrate learning to immediately apply to your PT/OT practice through video and case study-based examples

Implementing an Exercise-Based Approach to Treat Progressive Neurological Diagnoses

Meredith Roberts Lo, PT, DPT

Over 1.2 million people in the US are diagnosed withParkinson's and this is expected to double by 2030. There is no cure for Parkinson's and other chronic progressive neurological diseases currently. However, our research has been demonstrating the effectiveness of exercise on slowing down disease progression and improving motor control recovery for our neurological population. As physical and occupational therapists, our expertise is in applying exercise physiology to pathology. We are the experts in pairing these two components and teaching our patients how to utilize them for their highest possible quality of life and functional status. If you want to do more than just help your patient compensate and give them the tools to target the disease itself, this class is for you. Learn how to take our exciting growing body of research and impact not only your client's quality of life, but your own. This workshop will bring you up to date on current research that demonstrates the effectiveness of exercise as a tool for modifying disease progression in neurological diagnoses. Participants will leave with a variety of treatment ideas and the tools to modify or progress these for any setting or impairment level. Didactic lab-based activities using case studies will allow the participants to enhance their skill in designing interventions that utilize the research presented. On returning to your patients you will be able to immediately put into place the treatment ideas and progression...

Dyskinesia and Dystonia

Meredith Roberts Lo, PT, DPT

Dyskinesia and dystonia are two motor control impairments that are challenging to identify and treat effectively. They both can play a large role in the risk for falls in our neurological patient population. In this course,interventions will be covered that restore the patient to their prior level of function and reduce their risk for falls. Participants will review medication management to provide the patient with specific and intense interventions that will restore the patient to their prior level of function and allow them to perform their ADLs, IADLs and leisure activities safely. This course aims to clarify the difference between the two and provide you with effective treatment strategies you can use immediately.HighlightsImmediately improve your clients' fall risk by appropriately addressing dystonia and dyskinesia and their impact on balance using practical treatment techniquesReview medication management to provide the patient with specific and intense interventions that will restore the patient to their prior level of functionVideo case examples to enhance understanding of key concepts and to spark intervention creativity