A Non – Pharmacy Approach to the Neurological Patient’s Pain and Spasticity

This two-day course focuses information critical to clinical reasoning principles for the selection of non-pharmacy pain science patient education and therapeutic exercise interventions for the problems of spasticity and pain involving neurologically impaired patients. Recent literature review for pain and spasticity in neurologically impaired patients suggest a need for new thinking toward interventions with a focus on non-pharmacy interventions. A taped patient testimony, in addition to live patient demonstrations (when available) and video cases promote a more thorough understanding and illustrate the clinical importance of providing non-pharmacy spasticity and pain management interventions. Spasticity is often an expression of peripheral nerve irritation in the neurological impaired patient and found to respond to a Pain Mechanism Classification System (PMCS) for management and cure. Applying the principles of a PMCS to diagnosis of the dominating mechanism for spasticity and pain can help the clinician determine specific patient education and active care exercise interventions. This course provides workshops in Spine Repeated Movement Testing, Neurodynamic Evaluation and Exercise selection, and Developmental Staging to address skills necessary for classification of dominating PNS and CNS mechanisms. This classification allows for greater specificity in pain science patient education and therapeutic exercise for spasticity and pain interventions. Participants will learn clinical reasoning skills using subjective and objective characteristics for classification of trapped, tight, and centrally mediated spasticity and pain. Participants will also learn the specific pain science patient education and active therapeutic exercise associated with each classification. Scientifically tested pain science education group model class structure and scripts outlined along with validated outcome measures. Documentation guidelines will be outlined along with goal setting for the neurological patient.