Course Description

This course focuses on the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy’s clinical practice guidelines on low back pain, acute and chronic low back pain. Topics include low back pain with mobility deficits, movement coordination impairments, related or radiating lower extremity pain, generalized pain and cognitive and affective disorders.

Course Features

• Combination of didactic lectures, guided independent study and skill demonstration videos
• Asynchronous lectures that can be completed at your own pace
• Online assessments for each course
• Integration of the APTA’s Academy of Orthopedic Physical Therapy’s Clinical Practice Guidelines

Program Goals

• Understand relevant pelvic girdle anatomy pertaining to low back pain and related assessment and treatment recommendations.

• Understand relevant lumbar anatomy and arthrokinematics and their contributions to functional and pathologic movement.

• Understand the intent, purpose, levels of evidence and recommendations of the Low Back Pain (LBP) Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) Linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health from the Orthopaedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association.

• Describe the CPG diagnostic criteria for individuals with low back pain with mobility deficits, and perform relevant evaluation and treatment techniques.

• Describe the CPG diagnostic criteria for individuals with low back pain with movement coordination impairments. Understand motor control principles along with impaired motor control patterns in individuals with LBP. Be able to apply concepts of the movement system impairment model using a case-based application, and apply assessment considerations and treatment techniques for this classification.

• Describe the CPG diagnostic criteria and recommended evaluation and treatment techniques for individuals with low back pain with related lower extremity radiating or referred pain. Understand how to perform sciatic neurodynamic testing and treatment. 

• Describe the CPG diagnostic criteria for patients with low back pain with related cognitive and affective tendencies and related generalized pain. Understand concepts of central sensitization, pain neuroscience education, and appropriate interventions such as graded activity, activity pacing, graded exposure, and other impairment-based treatment

• *Supplemental Lecture* - Understand the recommendations from the Clinical Practice Guideline Revision 2021 – “Interventions for the Management of Acute and Chronic Low Back Pain” and how it differs from the 2012 CPGs.

Courses are taught by the Johns Hopkins Hospital Orthopeadic Physical Therapy Residency faculty who have been recognized for their contributions to education, research and practice management. The faculty offer the highest caliber of training and an opportunity for students to become distinguished leaders in evidence-based orthopaedic and manual physical therapy practice.

All instructors are either Fellows of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapist (FAAOMPT), Board-Certified Clinical Specialists in either Orthopaedic (OCS) or Sports Physical Therapy (SCS) or Certified Hand Therapists (CHT) by the Hand Therapy Certification Commission.

Instructors

• Julie Finocchiaro, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
• Ryan Cummings, PT, DPT, OCS
• Kevin McLaughlin, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
• Andrew Kunin, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
• John Dale, PT, DPT, SCS, ATC, CSCS
• Ryerson Stinson, MOT, OTR/L, CHT

All instructors are either Fellows of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapist (FAAOMPT), Board-Certified Clinical Specialists in either Orthopaedic (OCS) or Sports Physical Therapy (SCS) or Certified Hand Therapists (CHT) by the Hand Therapy Certification Commission.

Certificate

After successfully completing the course, learners will receive a certificate of completion from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 

Disclaimer

The Johns Hopkins Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Certificate Program (the “Program”) is NOT specifically designed to serve as a preparatory course for the specialist examination for Board Certification in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, and Johns Hopkins has no responsibility and disclaims all liability related to the success or lack there-of on such examination by Program participants.  Moreover, the Program is available to participants of varying clinical backgrounds, and completion of the Program does not qualify a participant to practice as an orthopaedic physical therapist.  Participants are advised to comply with the scope of practice for their specialty as defined by the licensure authority in their jurisdiction, and/or the applicable regulations set forth by the state or country where participant practices.  Participation in the Program is evidence of the participant’s acknowledgement and agreement with the foregoing statements.

Learning Prerequisites

There are no course prerequisites. You will need to have English language fluency.

Technical Prerequisites

The course will take place on the Canvas LMS (Canvas.jhu.edu). You will need the ability to log on to the platform, preferably using Google Chrome, to complete the content, which will include videos, readings, and assignments. You may also need to take part in other activities on Canvas.jhu.edu.

• Hardware requirements: computer; webcam; microphone and speakers or headset.
• Software requirements: Google Chrome web browser; access to Canvas.jhu.edu; Zoom web conferencing; Microsoft Office or similar; email

Course Lifecycle and Access

After registering, you will receive an email confirming your registration. You will be granted access to the course, which includes complete course information. Please check the course listing for additional information on course access dates. For synchronous courses, learners will have access to the Canvas course for the duration of the course. For asynchronous courses, learners will have access for 180 days after registration. 

Tuition Remission

This course may qualify for tuition remission. Please check https://hr.jhu.edu/benefits-worklife/tuition-assistance/tuition-reimbursement/noncredit-courses-at-jhu/ for guidelines. If you are interested in using tuition remission, please email the OOE support email with your request.

Refund Policy and Timeline

• Synchronous Courses
  • Refunds may be requested up to the start of the live activity, unless otherwise noted. All refund requests will incur a 10% processing fee.
• Asynchronous Courses
  • Refunds are not allowed for active asynchronous courses.

Technical Support Statement

Please direct all technical support requests to the OOE support email. We will respond to requests within 24-48 hours. Requests received on weekends, overnights and holidays will be responded to on the next business day.

Accessibility Statement

JHU SOM is committed to providing all participants with the opportunity to pursue excellence in their learning endeavors. This includes providing disability related accommodations and services in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and our goal of delivering accessible, inclusive experiences. If you require accommodations to complete this course, please reach out to the  OOE support email. Please do not include any personal identifiable information such as social security number in any messages. 

Accreditation

JHU is not approved by Middle States for direct assessment credentials for academic credit. This course results in a certificate of completion. It will not show on any JHU transcripts and does not count toward an academic record.