Pre-Conference Institutes (4-Hour)
Hands On Orthotics: Fabricating Functional Orthosis to Maximize Function
Description:
The focus of this course is to learn how to fabricate orthosis for those patients that may have sustained injury that restricts or limits the use of the upper extremity. The purpose of these orthoses is to enhance their ability to function in everyday life while healing from their injury. Injury overview will include traumatic median, ulnar, radial nerve injury regarding loss of motor function and degenerative arthritis. Learning how to fabricate these types of orthoses is essential to assist in the continuum of care and or efforts to provide equitable care to the population. The course will focus on education of injury background, instruction of four types of functional orthoses including ulnar nerve orthosis, radial nerve orthosis, median nerve orthosis and ulnar drift orthosis to when these orthoses are indicated in continuum of care while being mindful of budgeted costs.
Objective(s):
- The learner will identify the indications and benefits for the use of 4 specific functional positioning orthoses for different clinical conditions.
- The learner will observe demonstration of the specific orthoses from start to finish and then have the opportunity to independently fabricate each orthosis from start to finish.
- The learner will be able to discuss three methods in which to improve client compliance with orthosis use to ensure equitable care across all populations and maximizing functional use of the involved upper extremity.
- The learner will be educated in current evidence-based research to support the use of the fabricated functional orthosis for clinical conditions identified in objective 1.
Manual Therapy for the Elbow: Distracting, Gapping, and Gliding to Improve Patient Outcomes
Description:
This pre-conference is for therapists of all levels to refine their manual therapy skills. The session will focus on hands on techniques to evaluate elbow joint mobility and offer treatment suggestions that will decrease elbow pain and improve range of motion. Background information will be offered prior to the course to review elbow joint anatomy, the mechanisms of manual therapy, and evidence informed decision making for when to use manual therapy in practice. Cases will also be presented to demonstrate how manual therapy can be used with other treatments to improve patient outcomes.
Objective(s):
- Evaluate ulnohumeral and radiohumeral joint mobility.
- Demonstrate 3 manual therapy techniques to improve ulnohumeral range of motion.
- Demonstrate 2 manual therapy techniques used to decrease pain with lateral elbow tendinopathy.
- Describe the mechanisms for how manual therapy can improve patient outcomes.