PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION
Continuing Education Courses

See also Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Homepage Continuing Education Courses

Postural Alignment Strategies: Infancy through Adolescence.
September 27 & 28, 2008

Course Description
Throughout each child’s development, alignment issues impact movement and muscle balance. Alignment and postural control must be optimized through adulthood. Therapist must have an understanding of motor milestones, developmental biomechanics, and postural control. The balanced state of the muscles, joints, and skeletal structure is essential for mobility and alignment. Children with CNS dysfunction, brachial plexus injury, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, torticollis, to name a few, often move less efficiently and with poor grading of movement. This may eventually lead to increased strain on the musculoskeletal system and will lead to less efficient balance and movement of their body and base of support. This course will focus on the importance of alignment, assist therapists with recognizing clinical signs of postural problems, and discuss treatment strategies for the development of optimal posture alignment, control and movement. Therapeutic intervention to optimize alignment, including tapes, garments, straps, splints, and cast will be presented with specifics techniques demonstrated. Lab sessions will include the use of these intervention with fabrication of a Birkenstock insoles and night splints (for PT), and semi-rigid wrist and long arm cast, and thumb spica (for OT).

Course Objectives

• Participants will be able to
• Identify specific developmental features in trunk, upper and lower extremities and how these affect postural alignment through adolescence
• Explain the basic assessments for biomechanical alignment and range of motion
• Describe the importance of alignment and recognize their influence on movement patterns and motor control
• Identify strategies for treatment using a variety of materials
• Explain the use of taping/strapping/wrapping/garments to improve neuromuscular reeducation through alignment in functional activities
• Fabricate lower extremity Birkenstock insoles and rigid night splints (PT) and upper extremity soft wrist and long arm cast and thumb spica splint (OT)

About the Instructors
Patricia (Trish) Martin, P.T. Certified Kinesio Tape® Instructor, is a physical therapist specializing in lower extremity biomechanics, casting, splint fabrication, and taping in the treatment of children with orthopedic and neurological involvement. She is a Certified Kinesio Tape® instructor and has been using Kinesio Tape for seven years and taping for twelve years. Trish has over twenty years of experience in private practice, hospital, and clinic settings. She has experience in treatment of adults and children with neurological and orthopedic issues, as well as athletes. She has written articles on the use of Kinesio Tape in the pediatric population. She is pediatric NDT trained. Trish is currently employed as a Satellite Manager at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation. Trish has presented courses on Therapeutic Taping for Alignment and Muscle Re-education, Adult Kinesio Taping Fundamentals and Whole Body Techniques, and Kinesio Taping in Pediatrics.

Audrey Yasukawa, MOT, OTR, Certified Kinesio Tape® Instructor, is currently Chief of Occupation Therapy at La Rabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago. Audrey was a pediatric resource clinician at The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago for eight years and assisted in the coordination of the upper extremity Botox Clinic, as well as several research studies. She is pediatric and adult NDT trained. She has over 20 years experience with upper extremity casting. Audrey also has experience in treatment of adults and children with neurological and orthopedic issues. She has written research articles on the use of Kinesio Tape® in the pediatric population. She is pediatric NDT trained. Audrey has presented courses on Upper Extremity Casting, Spasticity Management, Adult Kinesio Taping Fundamentals and Whole Body Techniques, and Kinesio Taping in Pediatrics.

Course Schedule
DAY 1
8:00 Registration
8:30 Introduction
8:45 Developmental features and principles of alignment- upper extremities, lower extremities, and trunk
10:00 Break
10:15 Postural assessment/exams: typical and atypical
12:00 Lunch
1:00 LAB
OT: Discuss rationale for use of splints/casts to be fabricated, semi-rigid soft cast wrist and long arm, Delta cast conformable thumb spica
PT: Review basic ankle/foot assessment, Birkenstock insoles , Delta cast conformable night splint
4:30 End

DAY 2
8:00 Review and Questions
8:15 Principles and intervention strategies for alignment, including tapes, straps, garments
9:30 Trunk lab
10:15 Break
10:30 Upper extremity lab
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Lower extremity lab
2:15 Break
2:30 Diagnosis specific considerations and intervention strategies: low tone, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, brachial plexus injury, cerebral palsy, and torticollis
4:30 Wrap up and conclusion

Course Fee
$400.00 before September 1, 2008
$475.00 after September 1, 2008

Registration
Online registration

A written request for a full refund must be received by Texas Children's Hospital no later than 21 days prior to the start of the course.  Written requests later than 21 days will result in a 50% refund; 72 hours or less no refund.  Tuition may only be applied toward another Texas Children's Hospital sponsored course (courses hosted by TCH do not apply within 6 months of cancellation. Texas Children's Hospital reserves the right to cancel the event 10 days prior to the course date and assumes no responsibility for pre-purchased travel tickets.

Location
Feigin Center 1st Floor Large Conference Room
1102 Bates
Houston, Texas 77030

Hotel Accommodations
Residence Inn Marriott
7710 Main St.
Houston, TX 77030
713-351-1399

Airport Shuttle Information
Super Shuttle
713-523-8888
*Call for rates

For More Information
Mitzi Wiggin, MS, PT
832-826-6107
mmwiggin@texaschildrenshospital.org