Patellofemoral pain (one type of anterior knee pain), is one of the most common knee complaints and affects one in every 14 adolescents with similar rates among adults. Patients often pose the question: “Why does my knee hurt?” and “what is the long-term impact of my pain” and “what should I do recover”? There are many different evidence-based treatment for patellofemoral pain. These treatments include, education, exercise therapy, foot orthoses, taping, activity modification and more. But when to use which treatment? And how do we tailor treatments to the sports active youth suffering from patellofemoral pain versus the older sedentary females? This workshop will be a mix between lecture and practical sessions on evidence-based management of patellofemoral pain. The focus will be on application of recent evidence to guide your clinical practice.

Michael is a senior researcher and associate professor. He works at the Center for General Practice at Aalborg University and at Aalborg University within the Centre for Sensory-Motor interaction (SMI). Michael is head of the Research Group for optimizing physical health in youth (the OptiYouth research group) at the Center for General Practice in Aalborg.
One day per week he works at Aalborg University hospital where he continues to be closely involved in clinical research and knowledge translation. Michael has published more than 130 peer-reviewed papers within the field of primary care research, physiotherapy and sports medicine.
His primary research area is adolescent musculoskeletal pain. His group aims to understand 1) why some adolescents develop long-lasting musculoskeletal pain, 2) identify risk factors for long-lasting severe musculoskeletal pain, 3) how to best treat adolescent musculoskeletal pain. A special interest is patellofemoral pain which is one of the most common knee conditions among adolescents.
His overall research focus is on how we, as health-care practitioners, can best support individuals to manage their pain, to improve their health and help them stay active.

Title: Comprehensive Physical Therapy Evaluation and Treatment of patients with concussion

Background: Concussion is an injury that is increasingly recognized as a public health concern. Concussions can result from sport-related injuries, work-related injuries, combat-related injuries, or can result from car accidents or falls. Despite advancing in imaging and biomarkers research, the diagnosis of concussion remains a clinical diagnosis based on multifaceted assessment approach. A considerable percentage of patients with concussion develop persistent symptoms and persistent impairments that warrant proper identification and treatments. However, persistent post-concussion impairments are heterogeneous and can fall under various clinical pathways, making it challenging to manage in a clinical setting. This workshop is designed to educate rehabilitation providers on proper identification and management of patients with concussion including management of patients with persistent impairments. This workshop will also address various strategies to ensure successful return to sport, military duty, work, or return to school.

Learning objectives: By the end of the workshop, attendees will be able to:

• Understand the role of various providers in the interdisciplinary management of concussion.
• Recognize patients who have developed or at risk of developing persistent symptoms after concussion.
• Understand the evidence surrounding the utility of different tests in the diagnosis and prognosis of concussion.
• Recognize the appropriate recommendations for acute management of concussion based on the most recent international guidelines and consensus statements.
• Recognize the various post-concussion clinical pathways including vestibular system dysfunction, ocular alignment and ocular control dysfunction, cervical spine impairments, cognitive impairments, migraine, and anxiety.
• Master screening tools utilized to identify impairments in each of the above six mentioned categories.
• Master and implement treatment options for each of the above-mentioned impairments; with special emphasis and hands-on practice of interventions to target cervicogenic, vestibular and ocular motor impairments, and patients with overlapping impairments.
• Recognize the step-wise approach needed in treatment of concussion prior to work, sport, military duty, or return to school.

Dr. Alsalaheen is an Associate Professor and a clinician-scientist at University of Michigan, USA. Dr. Alsalaheen has extensive research and clinical experience in management of sport-related concussion. His research focuses on developing comprehensive approaches to understand variations in concussion risks, recovery times, and rehabilitation outcomes. To date, his research has resulted in more than 25 peer-reviewed publications employing a variety of laboratory, translational and clinical designs with emphasis on knowledge translation and implementation science.

In addition to his research experience, Dr. Alsalaheen has over 10 years of clinical experience treating thousands of patients with concussion. His approach to physical therapy treatment of patients and athletes with concussion is multidimensional including interventions to target vestibular, cervical musculoskeletal, ocular-motor, and exertional impairments.

Dr. Alsalaheen is member of a small group of concussion experts currently in the final stages of development of the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) for management of patients with concussion. Dr. Alsalaheen’ s educational background include a PhD in rehabilitation Sciences (University of Pittsburgh, US, 2013), Masters of Science in Physical Therapy (2008), and a Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy (2006)

Course Description
One of the most popular paradigms of passive movement treatment in spinal dysfunction is the Maitland Concept and the corollary of this, Combined Movement Theory (CMT). The aims of this course are to introduce the fundamental similarities in approach between SMTT and CMT and introduce a process of SMTT selection based upon CMT. It is envisaged that adopting this rational of SMTT selection will provide the participant with a method of applying SMTT that integrates the two concepts.

Aims of the Course

• An Exploration of the Combined Movement Approach:
This course aims to provide participants with an opportunity to explore the treatment of spinal dysfunction using the Combined movement concept of treatment advocated by Dr Brian Edwards. This concept offers participants a rational way to select patient presentations suited to this method of treatment and a clinically reasonable way of incorporating manipulative thrust and end of range mobilization techniques into a passive movement treatment approach. The philosophy of the course is to facilitate the learning of participants by encouraging self directed exploration of the issues and avoidance of a didactic teaching style.
• Selection of Type and Position of Treatment:
This course does not set out to provide participants with a handful of manipulative thrust techniques rather encourages participants to develop skills in the selection of mobilisation and manipulation techniques in the appropriate clinical scenarios. An important tenant of this course is the emphasis on CMT being a component of a holistic approach to spinal dysfunction and not that this approach is the panacea to all spinal pain.
• The Development of Practical Handling Ability:
The course contains a large component of practical skill development however this element is grounded in the theoretical background of analytical assessment, validity of technique and risk /benefit. Before participants begin palpating the rational behind techniques are discussed.
• Development of Clinical Reasoning Skills:
Participants will know when, where and how to achieve the benefits of effective mobilisation and manipulation. More importantly they will know why they would consider this approach and what they should expect from it.

Learning Outcomes of the Course
On completion of the courses participants will be able to;

• Clinically reason what patient presentation type should be suited to the CMT approach.
• Have developed the skills to determine primary movement patterns suggesting source structures and corresponding starting positions for treatment.
• Developed skill in palpating the cervical spine anteriorly, and the thoracic spine posteriorly. The participant will be able to palpate muscle spasm and passive joint restriction.
• Clinically reason the decision of when to mobilise and when to manipulate a spinal joint. Appreciate the complexities of the issues surrounding pre-manipulative screening and the risk/benefits of end of range mobilisation and SMTT’s.
• Appreciate the evidence base behind mobilisation and manipulation in the treatment of spinal dysfunction.
• Clinically reason progression and regression of treatment and be conversant with the notation of treatment.

Thus, the courses strategies for learning include:

• Interactive lectures / group discussion
• Case scenarios – discussed in small groups
• Problem solving in small groups – debate on clinical decision making
• Practical sessions emphasizing continual feedback from participants and tutor.

Dr Christopher McCarthy is a Chartered Physiotherapist with an interest in Manual Therapy. He teaches combined movement theory and manipulation across the world for over 20 years. He is the former Chair of the MACP. His current research work involves an investigation into the clinical sub-classification of non-specific low back pain. He is one of the Editors of Grieve's Modern Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and has a published textbook on this topic. Combined Movement Theory: A Rational Approach to Spinal Manipulation. (Elsevier 2010).

Ankle sprains are one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries occurring in active individuals. Although ankle sprains are often considered innocuous, 1 in 4 people will develop Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI), which is characterised by recurrent pain, instability and re-injury. There is also increasing evidence that CAI is a risk factor for post traumatic ankle osteoarthritis.
This workshop consists of both lecture and practical sessions focusing on: anatomy, biomechanics, assessment, and rehabilitation of ankle sprains. The workshop will help clinicians advance their management of ankle sprains through the following learning objectives:

• Understand the anatomy and biomechanics of the talocrural, subtalar and midtarsal joints
• Understand the evidence surrounding the risk factors for ankle sprain and common inciting events
• Recognize patients who have developed or at risk of developing chronic ankle instability
• Apply appropriate assessment techniques and acute management strategies for ankle sprain, based on international consensus statements
• Implement appropriate treatment options for common impairments associated with ankle sprain eg. altered ROM, sensori-motor and strength deficits
• Select and implement key clinical outcomes (patient reported outcomes; physical performance tests) informing ankle sprain prognosis, recovery and return to play decisions

Dr Chris Bleakley qualified as a Physiotherapist in 2000 before completing his PhD at Ulster University. He has subsequently held clinical and academic positions at: the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland; High Point University (North Carolina); and Ulster University. Dr Bleakley has participated in 63 academic conference presentations and has published over 100 original research publications (h index 37). He has also published 6 book chapters, 3 international consensus statements on diagnosis and management of acute ankle sprain, and in 2011, was the lead author developing clinical guidelines on acute soft tissue injury management in collaboration with the Physios in Sport UK. He is a Fellow of the Higher Educational Academy, UK and enjoys teaching Research Methods and Musculoskeletal Injury Assessment/Rehabilitation to undergraduate and post graduate students. Dr Bleakley now works in the School of Health Sciences at Ulster University, and his current research projects include: safety in youth Rugby Union; rehabilitation of acute soft tissue injuries; and meta-research involving the Physiotherapy and Sports Science literature.

Course Synopsis

Evidence based research shows that pregnant women have an overall point prevalence of up to 20-25% for Pelvic girdle pain (PGP).
Two % of these women become chronic patients.
Besides pregnant women, females in general have a much higher prevalence for PGP compared to LBP. The latest data show that generally 60-65% of women actually have PGP and a much smaller percentage for LBP. This is contrasting with males who suffer approximately more from LBP compared to PGP.
A team of experts wrote the European guidelines on PGP (Vleeming A, Stuge, Albert HA, Ostgaard HC, Sturesson B) and came to the conclusion that PGP is a specific form of “lowest” back pain.
Over this course, research data will be presented on PGP and distil a 30 year career into a digestible 2 day workshop. This course will be especially related to better diagnostics and treatment of PGP.
Prof Vleeming and colleagues have studied stability and movement of the pelvis and spine for more than 25 years. This has led to many publications in Spine Journals concerning the function, diagnosis and treatment of the pelvis and spine.
The course has both theoretical clinical content as well as hands on demonstrations.
Prof. Vleeming has adapted the scientific research of team members into an evidence based clinical model for assessment and treatment of lumbopelvic dysfunction. The protocol for diagnosis and rehabilitation follows sound scientific principles.
This course is especially based on the clinical experience of diagnosing and treating more then 4000 severe lumbar and pelvic girdle patients in a rehabilitation setting. The results of this approach have shown a remarkable recovery of failed patients, which has been replicated in other rehabilitation centers. This course will be especially related to better diagnostics and treatment of chronic pelvic girdle and low back pain patients.

Main objectives:

• Provide a critical insight into the complex anatomy and function of the pelvic area.
• Present a clinical reasoning model that analyses the mechanism behind pelvic girdle dysfunctions.
• Disseminate new data about rehabilitation strategies in regards to pelvic girdle pain.

Dr. Andry Vleeming co-founded the research group locomotor system at the Medical Faculty, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands in 1981. He started the Spine & Joint Rehabilitation hospital in Rotterdam in 1996 and is the Chairman of the World Congress of Low Back and Pelvic Pain, organised every three years over a period of 27 years.
Presently Dr Vleeming is a Professor at Ghent Medical University, Belgium and The New England Medical School, Maine, USA. He has authored and collaborated on many publications, especially on the clinical anatomy of the lumbar spine and the pelvic region in international peer reviewed journals. In recent years he participated in the development of the European Guidelines on Lumbopelvic Pain. He is author of many clinical books on non-operative orthopaedic medicine, including the book, 'Movement, stability and low back pain' in cooperation with national and international experts.
Dr. Vleeming has been teaching clinical anatomy in many countries and Universities, especially emphasizing the role of clinical anatomical knowledge to influence a better outcome of treating spinal and pelvic patients.
Dr. Vleeming has adapted the scientific research of this team into an evidence based clinical model for assessment and treatment of lumbopelvic dysfunction. The protocol for diagnosis and rehabilitation follows sound scientific principles. Dr Vleeming and colleagues have studied stability and movement of the pelvis and spine for more than 25 years. This has led to many publications in Spine Journals concerning the function, diagnosis and treatment of the pelvis and spine.