Session Descriptions

Pre-Conference Sessions (In-Person)

A New Clinical OMT Perspective to Evaluation and Treatment of the Overhead Athlete

This pre session conference will be tailored to advanced clinical reasoning skills for evaluation and treatment of the entire kinetic chain. Clinical skills will be presented and practiced for the hypermobile shoulder, the elbow complex, and the keys components often overlooked in the kinetic chain in the overhead athlete. We will also present more functional exercise progression that will challenge the current gap in evidence that only supports single plane open kinetic based exercise prescription. We will demonstrate how functional closed kinetic chain exercise programs have better carryover to sport activity. And finally, we will address the debate on weighted balls - pro’s con’s and how to properly integrate them into rehab.

Restoring Pain System Homeostasis: Biopsychosocial Manual Therapy Targeting the Peripheral, Central and Autonomic Nervous Systems

Presenter(s): Mark Erickson , Stephanie Mikoliczak , Gil Haight

We begin by presenting an integrated perspective on current pain science as a basis for subsequent clinical methodologies. The first such method is DermoNeuroModulating, a manual therapy system that targets the peripheral nervous system and “opens the door” to the central and autonomic nervous systems. Additionally, we introduce psychology-informed communication strategies to address the cognitive-behavioral aspects of pain and provide patients with simple yet effective pain education. Second, we integrate the human movement system and its relationship to the pain system. Here, the emphasis is on identifying and treating movement system dysfunction patterns that perpetuate persistent pain circuitry by enhancing body awareness and sensorimotor control through whole body movement lessons and innovative manual techniques. Third, we introduce a novel indirect method that uses gentle, manual contact to elicit spontaneous self-correction and steer the pain system toward normal homeostasis. Outcomes following these three strategies include decreased pain perception, autonomic nervous system downregulation and insight into more effective self-management.

Treating the TMJ: It is a Joint Effort - The Oral/Pharyngeal Dilemma

Presenter(s): Gregory Johnson , Brad Gilden , Michael Gelb , Howard Hindin

This presentation will assist the manual physical therapist to develop relationships with appropriate medical personnel to assist in the management of complex TMD and oral pharyngeal problems. The physical therapist presenters will focus on physical therapy evaluation and treatment while the Dental presenters will focus on dental management and mechanisms of collaboration. Included in Dr. Gildan’s presentation will be the downside of bicuspid extractions for Orthodontic treatment on facial morphology and health will be explored. Dr. Gelb will discuss 3D repositioning of the mandible and ultimately the cranium and discuss how that helps reduce trigeminal convergence while stabilizing C1, C2, and C3. There will also be a presentation on the interrelationship of dental and PT practitioners for identification and management of airways problems. In addition, manual evaluation and treatment strategies will be demonstrated.

Manual Therapy Without Causing Pain - 2 Day Pre-Conference Session

Presenter(s): Laurie Hartman

Most people using manual therapy are using what they have been taught, but if they can learn new methods they can treat without trauma and will be able to treat patients much quicker and without damage to the tissues.

Featured Speaker Sessions

The Junk Drawer

Presenter(s): Chad Cook

This keynote will discuss the dangers of meta-analyzing heterogeneous information that does not reflect the clinical practice of orthopaedic manual physical therapy. The speaker will break down a recently well cited meta-analysis and discuss the dangers of eight areas of the paper.

Why Are Physical Therapists the Best Practitioners to Treat Tendinopathy?

Presenter(s): Jill Cook

This lecture discusses tendon pathology, response to treatments and exercise and what the physical therapist needs in their armoury to get the best outcomes for tendinopathy

In Search of the Holy Grail for Low Back Pain. Or Anything that Works at All...

Presenter(s): Christine Goertz

Low Back Pain (LBP) is the number one cause of global disability and, when combined with neck pain, results in direct costs to the United States healthcare system of approximately $134 billion annually. The seriousness of this public health issue is exacerbated by the fact that widespread use of safe and cost-effective treatments remains elusive. This talk will begin with a brief summary of the state of the science and current health policies impacting LBP care delivery. Dr. Goertz will then present her work evaluating non-pharmacological approaches for LBP, including a review of three large federally funded pragmatic clinical trials. This will be followed by a description of potential strategies to implement existing evidence into clinical practice by impacting health systems and national payment policy. Finally, we will discuss future directions for research and health policy aimed at impacting the care of patients with LBP.

Putting the Lab In Collaboration: Uniting the Bench and Bedside to Move Beyond Our Current Understanding of Manipulation

Presenter(s): Greg Kawchuk

This spine is a mechanical structure yet we have few ways to understand how its mechanical function is reflected in patient reported outcomes. In this talk, Dr. Kawchuk will take the audience on a journey that will map out where we've been, and where we might be going, when it comes to using spinal manipulation as a tool to make sense of function, pain and biomechanics in the lumbar spine.

Breakout Sessions: In-Person

Master Clinician Session: The Journey of Blending the Art and Science for the Everyday Practitioner Pursuing Excellence

Presenter(s): Michael Moore, Tim McGonigle

This is an invited interactive session with a Masterclass Clinician, Michael Moore, who has 47 years of experience and has served as a Founding Member and Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists.

The journey of a masterclass clinician who blends the art and science of OMPT is a valuable experience for an audience of all. The duo pair of Michael Moore and his clinical partner Tim McGonigle have adapted their OMPT patient-centered practice to best meet their patients needs while adjusting to the ever-changing medical-economic environment. Combined, they have evolved their OMPT practice, integrating various clinical models into a more Systems Thinking approach to optimize the care they provide. They have adapted to current times, maintaining a successful private practice despite industry challenges by transitioning towards a more cash-based practice. How can clinicians effectively integrate multiple clinical models to maximize a patient's quality of life? What is the true scope of effective patient care? What are the critical lessons from their experience treating patients together for over 40 years? Come to the only Masterclass Clinician session for this 2022 AAOMPT conference.

“Are We Just Paying Lip Service?” - Actively Addressing the Impact of Student Mental Health on Classroom and Clinical Cognitive Performance

Track: Teaching, Mentoring, Education Trends

Presenter(s): Alex Bengtsson , Leanna Blanchard

In recent years, increasing emphasis has been placed on screening patients for mental health concerns such as major depression and anxiety. Similarly in academia, interest in graduate students’ mental health has increased. Knowing that mental health disorders can have an impact on cognitive performance, the question arises as to how we address potential challenges for students during didactic and clinical experiences. The physical therapy profession is built on core values including accountability and compassion. However, actionable strategies to facilitate success while students are facing mental health related challenges are often lacking. Strategies need to be developed and utilized to bridge the gap between compassion and personal responsibilities in outcome based environments. The goal of this session is to discuss the potential impact of mental health disorders on cognitive function and present options for meaningful and actionable strategies to help students achieve their goals. Cases for different settings will be discussed to illustrate examples of these strategies.

Addressing Sleep Beliefs, Attitudes and Behaviors to Maximize the Effectiveness of OMPT

Track: Translational Knowledge Strategies

Presenter(s): Chris Dickerson , Brett Neilson , Mark Shepherd

This session will provide an overview of the relationship between sleep and health, share patient/client's attitudes and beliefs about sleep and how social determinants of health impact sleep. The presenters will also provide practical guidelines for manual therapists to screen for the most common sleep disorders and information that can be integrated into practice to promote sleep health.

Beyond Mill's Manipulation: Clinical Reasoning and Manual Therapy Intervention for the Elbow Complex

Track: Advanced Clinical Skills and Trends

Presenter(s): Tyrees Marcy , Pam Kikillus

This 45-minute Hands-On Clinical Breakout session will include current clinical research on differential diagnosis and treatment of the elbow joint complex relative to the kinetic chain considering influences from the cervical spine, wrist, and hand. Lecture will present current clinical evidence in treating the elbow joint complex including non-specific elbow pain, post-operative joint stiffness, and joint dysfunction secondary to fall on an outstretched hand. Three clinical case studies will be presented with associated practical review of surface anatomy, ligamentous testing, and use of the selective tissue tension test to develop a clinical reasoning process for differential diagnosis of the elbow joint complex. Practical lab will include utilizing an elbow scan with assessment of the elbow ligament stress tests, combined motions, palpation and learning and implementing manual therapy techniques of the humeroulnar, humeroradial and proximal radioulnar joints.

Clinical Conversations in OMPT Occur at the Intersection of Trust and Expectations when Treating the “Invisible”

Track: Advanced Clinical Skills and Trends

Presenter(s): Alicia Emerson , Garrett Naze

In the first break-out session, the intersection of identity and broader social factors will provide context to why the individual and a population would be at risk for developing persistent musculoskeletal pain (PMP). An emphasis will be placed on the concept of vulnerability and how the intersection of patients’ identities increase the risk of encountering clinician bias. We will engage the audience with diverse perspectives to highlight the personal struggle patients have for seeking care for their PMP, the perspectives of clinicians working with patients with PMP, and the ramifications for when discordant visits occur. We will also use descriptive case studies and original mixed method discoveries to bring humanity and hopefully inspire a sense of urgency for clinicians, particularly those working with vulnerable populations. The session will also highlight the cognitive dissonance described by PTs and PTAs who work with patients with PMP. In the second break-out session, learning emphasis will be on communication skills. Using a framework of health coaching, we will foster strategies to mitigate bias and dissonance during patient interactions to promote self-efficacy and personal agency.

Consolidating Science and Clinical Practice in Exercise Prescription for Non-Radicular Low Back Pain

Track: Advanced Clinical Skills and Trends

Presenter(s): Alex Bengtsson , Kyle Denlinger , August Winter

This session will focus on identification of different patients’ contributing factors to the origin and/or persistence of low back pain and subsequent functional impairments. These contributors include pain neurophysiology, load demands and psychosocial factors. Pain neurophysiology, especially the effect of pain on motor output, will be discussed in more detail to illustrate the importance of considering this component when prescribing exercise. Specific emphasis will be placed on clinical reasoning and examination strategies to determine appropriate combinations of movement patterns, intensity, repetitions, periodization and progressions. Additional strategies to match exercises to specific manual therapy interventions will also be discussed.

Deep Gluteal Syndrome, Beyond the Piriformis

Track: Translational Knowledge Strategies

Presenter(s): Katherine Gwyn , Pieter Kroon

The term Piriformis Syndrome has been around for years and is often utilized as a blanket term for posterior hip pain. Over the past decade, the term Deep Gluteal Syndrome has started to appear and replace the misnomer of “piriformis syndrome.” Deep gluteal syndrome itself has become a “hot topic” in outpatient physical therapy with much discussion and disagreement on what the term means and what structures can be involved in the development of gluteal pain. This breakout session will discuss the diagnosis and management mentioned in current evidence and literature from around the world to develop a comprehensive review of what Deep Gluteal Syndrome is and how to assess for it along with what structures need to be considered as possible causes of pain and how to treat them. The intent of this session is to expand clinician understanding of deep gluteal pain and improve communication and education with their patients in order to better manage DGS and limit the unnecessary studies that these patients typically undergo.

Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of Hip Pain in Young and Middle-Aged Adults

Track: Advanced Clinical Skills and Trends

Presenter(s): Pieter Kroon , Katherine Gwyn

The lecture is designed for clinicians with an intermediate knowledge level of orthopedic hip pain in young and middle-aged adults. The presentation is structured to include both oral lecture with associated powerpoint presentation and hands-on clinical assessment including special tests and treatment for each potential source of hip pain. The lecture includes the latest research on commonly seen orthopedic hip diagnoses in order to educate clinicians on what the most current literature recommends from a treatment standpoint, along with how hip pain is being assessed and treated in other regions of the world. We explain how to differentially diagnose complaints of hip pain by identifying structures and impairments that frequently result in hip pain and how to triage specific diagnosis (emergent vs. conservative management) and treat them. The hands-on portion will provide an opportunity to explain and demonstrate appropriate tests and measures and will provide an opportunity for clinicians to practice the skills in a supervised manner in order to support learning and improve transition into clinical use for immediate clinical gains.

Directional Preference, Load Progression, and Role of a Human Performance Optimization Team to Determine Injury Prediction in Special Forces Units

Track: Translational Knowledge Strategies

Presenter(s): Josh Kidd

This session will discuss the role of HPO teams and introduce different models of physical performance metrics including a novel approach in regards to risk stratification for the cervical and lumbar spine, as there are limited assessment tools in this realm. This novel approach will help to fill the current care gap in the effective assessment, diagnosis, and prediction of musculoskeletal disorders, leading practitioners toward better patient care. Preliminary data will be discussed which involves the screening and tracking of 80 special warfare operators over the previous 12 months, highlighting key findings and characteristics to consider when working with elite physical performance athletes. After laying foundational knowledge of performance screening and tracking metrics; participants will be instructed in the use of specific screening tools, progressive loading, and the identification of directional preference for the both cervical spine and lumbar spine to risk assess accordingly. At the conclusion of the session participants will understand the implementation of sport and movement specific screening metrics to risk stratify and properly manage their elite athletes. The course participant will gain insight and tools to include in their current treatment methods that will be clinically applicable.

Do You Trust Your Hands or the Images? The Peripheral Joints

Track: Translational Knowledge Strategies

Presenter(s): Charles Hazle , Robert Boyles

Do you trust your hands or the images? When should you trust one more than the other? When do your hands suggest to you imaging is indicated or not? How do you integrate the imaging results into your understanding of the patient? Referral for imaging is increasingly becoming a component of physical therapist practice. Clinical examination procedures and their relationships to image findings and the significance of those results in our decision-making are evolving to have greater importance as practice evolves. This session is directed at improving our understanding the correlation of manual examination procedures and diagnostic imaging of the peripheral joints. Common examination procedures and clinical presentations are offered for their relationship to the need for diagnostic imaging and for the relationships to imaging results. Substantial evidence exists of these correlates with many patient care circumstances, but requires further consideration for full integration into daily decision-making practices for both medical screening for serious disorders and for routine patient management. Attendees of this session will gain a better understanding the relationship of clinical examination of patients presenting with peripheral joint disorders and diagnostic imaging. This includes imaging and examination correlates for a myriad of upper and lower extremity conditions.

Eat, Move, Improve: Using Nutrition to Lessen Inflammation and Compliment PT Management of CLBP

Track: Translational Knowledge Strategies

Presenter(s): Steve Karas

An interactive review of inflammatory markers in pain and how we might identify and treat them. This session will present evidence on the use of dietary modification and exercise to combat these inflammatory markers and improve overall health when treating CLBP.

Examination and Treatment of Cervical Radiculopathy and Neuropathic Arm Pain

Track: Translational Knowledge Strategies

Presenter(s): Adriaan Louw , Brad Tracy

Neuropathic pain is one of the most challenging clinical conditions encountered by physical therapists. Old, mechanical compression models of nerve injury is now superseded by a neuroscience understanding of neuroinflammation, vascular and immune changes, cytokine signaling, demyelination and ion channel expression. Clinically, advances have been made into the examination of neuropathic pain with advanced sensory testing, neurodynamics and clinical cluster-recognition. This newfound understanding of nerve pain has shown how movement-based professions, such as physical therapy, can effectively treat neuropathic pain. This session, using cervical radiculopathy and arm pain as an example, will update attendee’s knowledge of neuropathic pain including double-crush phenomenon; how to tests and screen for it and build a comprehensive treatment plan. Treatment discussed will include manual therapy, exercise, neurodynamics, pain neuroscience education, graded motor imagery and more.

Go Higher and Be Inspired: Upper Cervical Spine - Learn the Particulars of the Articulars and Apply Non-Thrust Manipulation for Smooth Outcomes

Track: Advanced Clinical Skills and Trends

Presenter(s): Jeffrey Rot , James Viti

This break-out session will provide the clinician with a clear presentation of the upper cervical spine functional anatomy and biomechanics. Passive intervertebral motion techniques will be presented that will provide the clinician with the skill to differentiate between the occipito-atlanto (O/A) and atlanto/axial (A/A) spinal joints. Decision making strategies will be demonstrated through patient case examples and lab application. Non-thrust manipulation techniques will be demonstrated and practiced to target joint specific impairments. Smooth outcomes will be achieved.

Heads up!: Concussion Management for the OMPT

Track: Advanced Clinical Skills and Trends

Presenter(s): Margaux Lojacono , Mickey Shah , Brian McClenahan , Joe Lorenzetti

Attendees will acquire knowledge to recognize the different symptom profile presentations in patients following concussion. The attendee will perform screening techniques to help classify patients into the appropriate profile and integrate OMPT techniques into the examination and management of cervicogenic symptoms following concussion. Key management strategies will be presented in a case based approach, with a hands-on lab allowing for psychomotor skills development and application of clinical reasoning concepts upon return to the clinic.

Inspire Better Inspiration

Track: Teaching, Mentoring, Education Trends

Presenter(s): Mary Beth Geiser , Lesli Bell

This educational session will provide participants with the foundation and essential components needed to understand rib mechanics and the science and art involved with breathing, especially inspiration. Our goal is to change the way OMPTs think about and use inspiratory and expiratory training to enhance function, promote body-mind connections and reduce pain in patients seeking PT services. Through shared-life experiences and clinical case cases, the audience will learn to appreciate the magnitude of how powerful breathing skills are, and how they can enhance OMPT services. This session will share clinical success stories (and failures) of how working on someone’s breathing patterns impacted their quality of life, pain, and ability to do their work. Challenges related to injury, surgery and long Covid will be discussed. Those in attendance hear about what’s new in the literature and receive step-by-step instructions on how to cue, coax, and collaborate with patients to effectively enhance breath support, change unwanted patterns and improve the efficiency of inspiration and expiration. Participants will learn new ways to generate therapeutic alliances and help monitor compliance during the training process to maximize patient potential.

Inspiring Clinicians to Reflect Upon the Role of Gender in Practice

Track: Professional and Advocacy Issues

Presenter(s): Emma Zeligson , Sarah Shaver

This breakout session will occur in a lecture style format with powerpoint presentation. Audience interaction will be encouraged throughout the presentation. The presenters will first review the history of gender norms, women in healthcare, and the progression away from the gender binary construct. This review of history will set the stage for analyzing current gender discrepancies in healthcare. Following the review of history, an in-depth literature review will investigate current evidence on gender discrepancy and provider-patient gender concordance related to both medicine and physical therapy. The goal of this presentation is to inspire clinicians to discuss and assess internal biases and critically analyze their own practice.

Inspiring Our Educators - Best Evidence for Teaching OMPT: Challenging the Past and Evolving Our Future

Track: Teaching, Mentoring, Education Trends

Presenter(s): William Kolb , Michael Bourassa , Mary Beth Geiser

Is your teaching of hands-on procedural skills still following the Halsted pattern of "see one-do one"? You are not alone. Teaching complex procedural skills has followed a shared sequence of similar events across healthcare disciplines for hundreds of years: classroom instruction, instructor demonstration, student peer-to-peer practice, and then supervised practice on patients. However, the teaching strategies related to hands-on skills performance is undergoing an evolution to learner-centered methods thanks in part to experiences from the Covid pandemic, shorter hybrid delivery systems and a shift to competency based education. The goal of this session is to review the best evidence to inspire educators to develop lifelong "Master Adaptive Learners" for OMPT content. Theories and best practices for procedural skill acquisition, assessment & maintenance will be presented and applied to typical teaching scenarios with an emphasis on collective problem solving with audience participation.

Let's not LAG behind in ACL Rehab: How to Effectively Combine Manual Therapy and Exercise in Early Stage ACLR

Track: Advanced Clinical Skills and Trends

Presenter(s): Jeremy Boyd , Brandon Cruz

ACL tears, reconstructions, and revisions are on a consistent rise in U.S and there is no slowing down in sight. Inability to restore symmetrical ROM has been known to be detrimental to outcomes in this population. Current "standard" ACLR manual therapy consists of PROM, patellar, scar and soft tissue mobilization. This session will look to expand the implementation of more advanced local and regional joint manipulation & mobilizations for clinicians who treat patients that recently underwent an ACLR. Exercises designed to enhance MT techniques and maintain previously gained ROM will be shown and demonstrated for participants.

Linking Midtarsal Mobility to Tibialis Posterior Tendinopathy: Utilizing a Clinical Reasoning Model for Decision Making

Track: Advanced Clinical Skills and Trends

Presenter(s): Catherine Patla , Garrett Mandel , Amanda Grant

Mobility impairments are identified as a source of tendinopathies. Tendinopathy can present as a myriad of symptoms and signs with varied treatment approaches. Due to anatomical attachments of the Tibialis Posterior in all three regions of the foot, there is a linkage of midtarsal hypo and hyper mobility to tendon impairments of the Tibialis Posterior. A causative factor to poor outcomes of treating tendinopathy could be overlooking midtarsal mobility. Using a clinical reasoning model, this presentation explores the process of decision making through the use of anatomy and biomechanics as applied in case presentations with varied treatment approaches. Lab presentations and practice will offer the participant hands on experience to facilitate learning to clinical practice.

More than Hot Flashes: How Menopause Affects the Musculoskeletal System

Track: Professional and Advocacy Issues

Presenter(s): Kimberly Durant , Lauren Hogan

As the experts in musculoskeletal practice, it is vital that we look at all factors that may be contributing to pain or altered function as we evaluate and treat our patients. Hormonal changes that occur surrounding menopause is one area that is frequently overlooked, yet may play a role in the development of tendinopathies including gluteal and rotator cuff. Menopause and associated changes may also play a role in the effectiveness of our treatment. During this session we will discuss the changes that occur during perimenopause and postmenopausal periods and how it affects our patients. We will also review further history questions and resources for this stage of aging to help reduce the stigma, it is more than just hot flashes!

Motivational Interviewing in Musculoskeletal Medicine

Track: Teaching, Mentoring, Education Trends

Presenter(s): John Seivert

Physical therapy practice is in a constant state of change. The evidence-based orthopedic manual physical therapist is being asked to become more psychologically-informed to better manage patients with chronic pain. Today’s physical therapists are being challenged with more patients who struggle with behavior change and maladaptive belief systems than ever before. Motivational interviewing (MI) is becoming more popular in musculoskeletal medicine due to superior outcomes it can achieve in comparison to other standard approaches. Other disciplines in healthcare utilize MI to help treat drug addiction, tobacco addiction, alcohol abuse, psychological disorders, and most recently, with chronic pain behaviors associated with opioid addiction. This session on MI will arm the physical therapist with skills to help them navigate through an evaluation using MI-consistent language, improve patient adherence to home exercise programs, and help guide patients to replace maladaptive beliefs with a healthier understanding of their body.

Motor Learning and Manual Therapy in Physical Therapist Education

Track: Teaching, Mentoring, Education Trends

Presenter(s): Cory Manton

This session will begin by discussing the history of thrust joint manipulation and manual therapy in entry level physical therapist education. Data will be reviewed from surveys of physical therapists, clinical instructors, and physical therapist students related to thrust joint manipulation. Principles and models of motor learning will be reviewed and applied to TJM and manual therapy. Literature about instructing manual therapy and TJM will be reviewed. Measurement of motor learning will be discussed. Finally, recommendations will be made for training physical therapists to learn manual therapy and TJM more effectively.

Pain Adaptability as an Indicator of OMT Response: A Step Towards True Patient- Centered Care

Track: Translational Knowledge Strategies

Presenter(s): Damian Keter , Chad Cook , Ken Learman , David Griswold

This learning session will discuss the role of patient specific factors (phenotype) on OMT response. This includes looking into what has already been studied, what areas we are currently investigating (including what our data is displaying), and what areas should be further assessed and how we recommend this be completed.

Revisiting the Evaluation and Treatment of Achilles Tendinopathy Using a Biomechanical and Movement Diagnosis Approach

Track: Advanced Clinical Skills and Trends

Presenter(s): Kristine Pratt , Emma Kellner

This breakout session will include updates on current research on Achilles tendinopathy and an opportunity for discussion about current treatment approaches. We will then propose a process for evaluation and treatment of clients with Achilles tendinopathy that can be specifically tailored to each client by finding and matching treatment to the driver of their tendon breakdown. This will be a heavily lab based session challenging colleagues to practice evaluating their clients with a slightly different approach and then coming up with a very specific treatment strategy that can be immediately implemented.

Safe Treatment of People with Neck Pain and Headache

Track: Professional and Advocacy Issues

Presenter(s): Nathan Hutting

In this session, an introduction on the topic of this session will be provided, including highlighting the importance of the topic. Moreover, a baseline audience polling will be conducted. The polling results will be used throughout the session. After the introduction, the important steps and characteristics of the clinical reasoning process will be discussed and a practical case will be presented, followed by a presentation about the patient history and risk factors. The important signs and symptoms of a vasculogenic cause of the patient’s complaints will be presented and discussed. Moreover, risk factors for vascular events will be discussed. Special attention will be given to identified misbeliefs regarding signs, symptoms and misbeliefs. The last part of the session will focus on the physical examination. Important components of a contemporary physical examination, aimed at excluding a vasculogenic cause of the patient’s complaints, will be presented. Attention will also be given towards the frequent use of inappropriate tests.

Snap-Crackle-Pop: Innovative Ways To Inspire Your Hand Skills Needed for Manipulation

Track: Advanced Clinical Skills and Trends

Presenter(s): Mary Beth Geiser , Michelle Dolphin , Wil Kolb , Kyle Adams

This educational session will provide participants with the foundation and essential components (speed, sense of touch, and body awareness) needed to implement faster hand skills necessary for manipulation interventions in orthopaedic clinical practice and academic settings, from DPT to fellowship programs. This interactive session is designed to share effective and efficient real-life lab experiences to keep students and clinicians engaged while learning fundamental manual therapy skills. This session will share our personal success stories with active learning tools that are easy to administer, inexpensive, and fun! Those in attendance hear about emerging literature, learn exciting new training skills, and leave the session with a free open-access resource to help guide in-person and online training sessions into clinical and educational programs. This session is open to educators, clinicians, and students interested in developing new skills related to OMPT and manipulation.
** Please note, This is a 2-part session at AAOMPT ** Part 1 will include an engaging lecture (overall summary: background information, barriers, successes, and pitfalls) and include key lab demonstrations. Part 2 will be set up as lab session focused on guided interactive experiences using actual learning tools and practice time. Resources will also be shared.

Striving Towards Consistent Feedback: Tying Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) to a Quantitative and Weighted Clinical Mentoring Grading Method for Post-Professional Residency and Fellowship Education

Track: Teaching, Mentoring, Education Trends

Presenter(s): Eric Wilson , Derek Vraa , Brandon Morgan , Adrian Marrero , Kyle East

Didactic and app-based (Kahoot - free) interactive session striving to improve clinical mentoring feedback and grading by showing how to tie EPAs with a quantitative feedback form. Lessons learned from the OMPT Fellowship that developed this form will be addressed.

Teaching Pain to Students - Are You Following the Pain Education Manual?

Track: Teaching, Mentoring, Education Trends

Presenter(s): Mark Shepherd , Carol Courtney , Craig Wassinger

The presence of pain is one of the most common reasons people seek health care services affecting approximately 100 million American adults. In 2021, the American Academy of Orthopaedic PT published the Pain Education Manual which describes 8 domains of pain content based on the IASP guidelines that should be delivered across the DPT didactic and clinical curriculum. This session will empower DPT faculty, clinical instructors and clinicians on how to apply the modern, evidence-based pain content into the DPT curriculum and clinical trenches.

The Frozen Shoulder has a Brain

Track: Translational Knowledge Strategies

Presenter(s): Adriaan Louw

Frozen shoulders are amongst the most challenging musculoskeletal disorders in physical therapy. Traditional teaching has focused on a true adhesive capsulitis, implicating an inflammatory mechanism behind frozen shoulder; treatment targeted the various phases of the debilitating pain and limited range of motion. Emerging pain science research has implicated various other factors in the etiology, clinical presentation, and treatments of the frozen shoulder, including sensitive nervous system, adjacent cervical and thoracic spine, diabetes, genetics, and more. This session will delve into the clinical presentation and treatment of a frozen shoulder, taking into consideration central sensitization and neuroplastic changes in the brain. It is now well established that a percentage of frozen shoulder patients present with a significant contribution in their pain and limited range of motion due to these central processes. The speakers will discuss the clinical components that will help attendees recognize these types of frozen shoulders based on a cluster of symptoms. Tests described in this session will go way beyond traditional Orthopaedics Sectionpedic assessment and include 2-point discrimination, laterality, localization, graphesthesia, and more. Treatment will feature various graded motor and sensory integration strategies to help ease the pain, limited range of motion, and disability associated with frozen shoulder.

The Imposter Within Us: Prevalence, Predictors, Impact, and Strategies to Overcome Imposterism in Physical Therapists

Track: Professional and Advocacy Issues

Presenter(s): Alexandra Anderson , Jamie LaPenna , Alison Chang , Dustin Willis

This presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of imposter phenomenon (IP), its contributing factors, consequences, and mitigation strategies. The speakers will present survey results regarding the prevalence of IP, demographic or professional predictors, and the impact on work outcomes in physical therapists. Attendees will gain a sound understanding of IP, its pernicious effects on job satisfaction, mental health, and career advancement, while learning effective management strategies for imposter tendencies.

The Integration and Application of Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) on Post-Operative Orthopedic Patients During Acute and Subacute Stages of Rehab

Track: Advanced Clinical Skills and Trends

Presenter(s): Thomas Olesko , Rachel Campagna , Amanda Grant , Paige Schreiner

The learner will be introduced to manual techniques utilizing the lymphatic pathways to aide in swelling management providing improvement in outcomes following elective orthopaedic surgeries. The session will outline several clinical cases that incorporate manual lymphatic drainage technique in patients following elective orthopaedic procedures and demonstrate the short-term benefits of its use. This session will also provide an in-depth review of the lymphatic system and its role and connection with the musculoskeletal system. In addition, indications, precautions and contraindications to the manual lymphatic treatment will be reviewed. Lastly, during the session the learners will also have the opportunity to practice manual lymphatic drainage techniques on other class participants.

The Juxtaposition of Treating Both Inside and Out: Where the Pelvic Floor and Low Back Collide

Track: Translational Knowledge Strategies

Presenter(s): Helene Bengtsson , Antigone Vesci

The session will scrutinize the differences in clinical reasoning between an OMPT and a pelvic health PT in regards to a complex patient case. This case based approach will demonstrate how the bias of one’s specialty may change the direction of subjective questioning and thereby may change the evaluation, treatment, and patient experience.

The OMPT Approach to Telehealth: More Than Your Hands-On Skills

Track: Translational Knowledge Strategies

Presenter(s): Christine Kasprisin , Bryan Pickens , Nathan Parsons , Steven Hunter

Orthopaedic and Manual Physical Therapists have the opportunity to once more be leaders in the field by applying refined clinical reasoning and communication skills to virtual physical therapy practice. Physical therapy evaluation and treatment via digital methods has become increasingly common, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The manual therapist’s hands-on approach to evaluation and treatment cannot be performed over a video call. However, a refined approach to clinical reasoning and communication skills allows for improved therapeutic alliance and provision of safe, high-quality telehealth care. This session will 1) introduce telehealth core capabilities for enhanced therapeutic alliance, 2) propose a framework for patient triage and telehealth appropriateness consideration, 3) discuss clinical reasoning and decision-making within a telehealth examination, and 4) provide worked case examples for application of principles.

The Stiff Post-Op Knee: What to Do About It

Track: Translational Knowledge Strategies

Presenter(s): Erica Eannucci , Allison Paul

Stiffness can be a complicated and frustrating consequence after knee surgeries including TKA, ligamentous reconstructions and ORIFs for both patients and providers. The presenters in this session, physical therapists from Hospital for Special Surgery, will highlight post-operative knee stiffness through a series of cases and lecture. Recovery expectations and differential diagnosis will be reviewed so that patients can be categorized into stiffness dominant, pain dominant, and other groupings to help optimize which treatment strategies may be best for the patient. Management options will be discussed from manual treatments, to neuro re-ed, to HEP selection, to acupuncture. This talk will provide the participant practical knowledge and tools to maximize recovery for this patient population. Lecture, video and case studies, will help the provider select best treatment strategies relative to the patient presentation.

Translating Clinical Reasoning Strategies from the Classroom to the Clinic

Track: Teaching, Mentoring, Education Trends

Presenter(s): Josh Halfpap , Chris Allen , Jon Umlauf , Danielle Anderson , Jessica Tapp

This interactive lecture will discuss the background and importance of clinical reasoning concepts and established training strategies from the DPT classroom to the clinical setting. We will provide examples of tools currently being implemented in entry-level programs and in entry-level clinical education that clinical instructors and students can immediately implement to train and measure a junior clinician's clinical reasoning skills. Learners will gain insight from both faculty and student physical therapists in order to develop strategies to implement this process in the classroom and in the clinic.

Who is a Clinical Expert? Moving Beyond Knowledge to Competence

Track: Teaching, Mentoring, Education Trends

Presenter(s): Adam Lutz , Brett Windsor

The physical therapy profession has long held knowledge dissemination as the hallmark of clinical expertise, as evidenced by our reliance on written examinations for advanced certifications and credentials. Recent literature has explored alternative methods for evaluating clinical expertise. In this session, we will discuss clinical “Expertise” & “Excellence” using theoretical and analytical approaches—beginning with the foundational work of Jensen and Resnik, and their respective colleagues, and including recent and emerging evidence. Analytical approaches to assessing clinical excellence have been around for nearly 20 years. The rationale for these algorithms is that there are many factors that influence outcomes in physical therapy that are outside of the direct control of the physical therapist—and we need to consider and account for those before evaluating clinical effectiveness. This leveling of the playing field has become vital with the development of Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) through CMS, as well as other emerging value-based reimbursement programs. We will explore the interaction between these theoretical and analytical approaches, their value in evolving our clinical practice, and the opportunity for self-reflection they offer to physical therapists.