Course Outline

This two-day advanced course is designed to provide progressive concepts to the medical professional involved in the rehabilitation management of the spinal cord-injured patient.

The focus of discussion in this course will be on current treatment approaches related to SCI rehabilitation. Special emphasis will be placed on specific evaluation skills using ASIA standards and more specific evaluation procedures for setting long term functional expectations. A review of precautions and secondary injury mechanisms will be discussed with a deeper focus on spasticity management including assessment tools, identifying neural vs. non-neural origins of spasticity, and advances in local and system ic medical intervention. Participants will also be exposed to state of the art information to enhance their understanding of the treatment environment for the spinal cord injured population including the use of static and dynamic standing programs’ augmentative movement therapies; and assistive gait intervention stimulating central generating processors. This course will explore both conventional and high-tech methods of achieving the best possible outcome and will assist the clinician in facilitating critical thinking when assisting their clients in achieving independent living and long term self management.

Clinicians will be able to immediately apply the information from this course in the clinical setting and will be able to significantly impact the care of their patients by understanding the availability of current resources for the spinal cord injured patient.

Course Objectives

• Review the historical trends in SCI therapy, contributions from the model systems and what constitutes a spinal cord therapy program.

• Identify key components to therapy evaluation and indications for treatment planning.

• Differentiate between the ASIA evaluative process and a more specific evaluation based on recognizing specific muscle groups’ strength and compensatory contributions.

• Discuss goal setting and expected outcomes as they relate to various functional levels of injury.

• Discuss key issues related to evaluating spasticity and current trends in its management.

• Review the secondary injury mechanisms and therapy precautions/intervention.

• Discuss and apply the principles of seating, positioning, and functional mobility.

• Explore environmental and computer access options.

• Discuss funding issues as they relate to procurement of assistive technology.

 

Schedule of instruction

	Day One		Day Two
7:30 8:00	Registration	7:00 8:30	Back to basics
8:00 8:30	Introduction		• Utilizing your evaluation findings for goal setting for positive outcomes
	• Demographics		• Review of expected outcomes for basic skill progressions relative to mobility and ADLs
	• Model systems and their contributions	8:30 10:30	Mobility Training
	• What constitutes a spinal cord injury program		• Kinesthetic analysis of movement patterns (mobility lab and demonstration)
8:30 9:15	Review of secondary injury mechanisms and complications	10:30 10:45	Break
	Multisystem involvement	10:45 12:00	Seating and mobility
	• Multisystem involvement		• Assessing for function, for skin protection, for deformity management
	• Therapy precautions and interven tions		• The ergonomics of manual propulsion
9:15 9:45	Evaluation with practical applications		• Rigid vs. folding frames vs. hybrids
	• The detailed ASIA assessment		• Configuration options
	• Specific motor testing: isolating each muscle group		• Manual propulsion enhancement
	• Sensory testing		• Power mobility ad alternative access options
	• Complete vs incomplete injury	12:00 1:00	Lunch (on your own)
9:45 10:00	Break	1:00 2:30	Assistive technology
10:00 12:00	Evaluation Lab		• Electronic aids to daily living
	• Evaluation procedures		• Computer access
	• Zone of preservation assessment		• Augmentative communication
	• Assessing isolated movement vs. substitution patterns		• Driving and transportation
12:00 1:00	Lunch (on your own)		• Funding trends for assistive technology
1:00 2:30	Evaluation of spinal origin spasticity and management		• Credentialing trends for prescriptive mobility and seating systems
	• The physiology of spasticity	2:30 2:45	Break
	• Assessing spasticity	2:45 3:45	Home modifications
	- Observation		• Discharge planning and prioritizing
	- Reliable tools for assessment		• Internal and external analysis of the living and working environment
	• Systemic treatment through medications, (ITB, medications)	3:45 4:15	Wrap up and post test
	• Localized treatment (injection therapy)
	• Management through seating and positioning
	• Therapy interventions
2:30 2:45	Break
2:45 5:00	Weight bearing and other augmentative movement therapies
	• Standing programs: static and dynamic
	• FES computerized cycles
	• Upper extremity splinting for positioning and for dynamic augmentation
	• Bioprosthesis
	• Central Genator process
	- Gait training progressions and orthoses
	- Harnessed gait training (treadmills and robotics)
	- Specificity of timing
5:00 5:30	Review and questions

Downloads

Course Brochures are in Adobe PDF format. Right click and choose "Save Target As" to download brochure. If you would like to open the brochure in your browser windows, select the link.

Course Brochure for Advances in Spinal Cord Injury

Scheduled Dates and Locations

Start Date	End Date	Location - **Click to Map It**	Tuition	Hrs	Hotel
Oct 17, 09	Oct 18, 09	Sunrise Hospital Medical Center, Las Vegas, NV	$399.00	16.00	View Hotels
Nov 21, 09	Nov 22, 09	Baylor All Saints Medical Center Ft. Worth, Fort Worth, TX	$399.00	16.00	View Hotels