Development of Manual Therapy Skills to Enhance Geriatric Patient Interventions
An Intensive Lab course
This 1 ½ day course is designed to give experienced therapists a practical approach to manual therapy interventions for the geriatric patient. The introductory lecture reviews the aging process highlighting musculoskeletal and soft tissue mechanics. Assessment approaches for tissue flexibility and trunk muscle strength will also be presented. Lab sessions and demonstrations will feature flexible curve kypholordosis measurement, joint mobilization for shoulder, hip, foot and ankle, tender point releases, manual therapy with contract-relax and passive physiological intervertebral mobilization, muscle energy techniques for spinal, rib, and SIJ dysfunctions. Video and slide case presentations, as well as class member examples will be utilized for specific clinical problem solving. The personal mechanical health of the individual participant will be addressed throughout the course. Patient case studies will assist the therapist in developing an overall treatment approach by appropriately combining tissue and postural assessment, manual therapy techniques, and exercise programs. This course has been designed for the therapist to immediately apply the information in the clinical setting to geriatric patients with restrictions that can be addressed through a variety of manual therapy interventions. This is a clinically comprehensive “hands-on” workshop.
