NAIOMT Course

So many continuing education opportunities the last few weeks!  I'm starting to realize that the summer time is for kayaking and WNBA basketball and the rainy winter season of Seattle is for reading and continuing education.

About 3 weeks ago I took the North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy Cervical I course taught by Steve Allen. Prior to this, I've taken their Lumbar I and Thoracic Courses.  NAIOMT offers courses in manual therapy so you can work towards different levels of certifications. The first certification, CMPT- Certified Manual Physical Therapist- requires completion of seven courses: cervical I and II, lumbar I and II, thoracic, upper extremity, lower extremity and then a practical exam. They focus on safety first, differential diagnosis considerations, identifying pathology broken down between contractile and noncontractile tissues, and courses loaded with hands-on learning along with online didactic portions that are evidence-based and actually quite entertaining.  For example, they used videos of an owl's excessive cervical range of motion to compare to the human.  

What I like about these classes:

1) Anatomy reviews are so beneficial as I move through my career. I notice a lot more of the smaller details and am reminded of smaller accessory muscles that contribute to the idiosyncrasies of the human body. When I read articles and watch social media posts for continued learning, it is rarely a review of anatomy except, for example, the occasional Eric Cressey reminder about the importance of the latissimus dorsi. I often feel I should go attend a cadaver examination now to see how much more I would get out of it than I did in 2011.  

2) I have a spine manipulation certification- and these courses are an easy way for me to maintain that status. Washington State allows physical therapists to manipulate the spine (think chiropractics) as well as the rest of the body with a specific protocol outlined to get that certification. As a manual therapy course, these give attention to precautions and contraindications for spine manipulation which are important reminders. I personally don't manipulate the neck almost ever- but the cervical/thoracic junction down to the lumbar and sacro-iliac joints along with the extremities I mobilize all the time and manipulate as needed.  These classes teach me techniques to use that I like and they prioritize safety. 

3) The courses focus on examination and assessment heavily with the notion that if you take a detailed enough history and listen to your patients, they'll tell you everything you need to know to identify the likely pathology pattern they fit into.  And they use a movement screen that is consistent throughout the spine so if you take a neck class and then a low back class- you get the repetition of process and ideas. It's different than the exam I learned in school- which for the most part is what I continue to use with pieces of their exam included. 

What I don't like about them?  Well like all continuing education they're a bit expensive- this one was about $600. They are not frequently offered nearby so I've had to travel pretty far for two of the three I've taken.  Additionally, a lot of the techniques in the level I courses I had learned at school, but many I had not used enough so they were a review and I definitely integrate at least a few of them into my practice each time.

Overall- if you're looking for a class to take (especially if you need all 20 of your annual hours in a crunch- these are 21 hour courses) and are interested in manual therapy- I would definitely recommend NAIOMT. There are lots of other companies who also focus on manual therapy- they're probably also great, just not where my path has taken me.

Let's not debate the research on whether or not manual therapy is a useful tool... I use it in the adult population and primarily the post-op kids I treat and think it's a useful component to my sessions.  That's not what this is about.  This is about what NAIOMT offers and my opinions on their courses.

Any recommendations of courses I should take next year?