TARGETING MUSCLE SYNERGIES TO OPTIMISE MOVEMENT RETRAINING FOR THE NECK AND SHOULDER – KINETIC CONTROL (KC)

COURSE INTRODUCTION: 

This course is designed to help clinicians deliver targeted retraining of the muscle synergies of the neck and shoulder to manage their patients’ pain, the impact of pathology, and the detriments to quality of life seen in the presence of compromised function. In the presence of pain, history of pain, fatigue and recurrence we see changes in synergy patterns. This course will the assessment and retraining of these synergies. 

Movements of the neck and shoulder are anatomically and biomechanically linked through the complex interaction of muscle synergies. The assessment and retraining of muscle synergies supplies clinicians with a means of exerting significant change on their patients’ current pain or functional status. This course supplies the skill set, the tools and the systemised clinical reasoning framework to fast track patients towards life after pain, an enhanced state of movement potential at less risk of recurrence. 

COURSE OUTLINE: 

Presentations of the neck and shoulder are complex, multi-factorial and significantly impact patients’ capacity to interact with the world. How are clinicians to decide on the most effective and efficient intervention? If movement retraining is the intervention of choice, which movements or muscles are to be prioritised as requiring attention? 

The main focus of this course is to place targeted retraining of muscle synergies, guided by a clinical reasoning framework and time efficient assessment as the intervention of choice. Targeted muscle synergy management gives clinicians a structured process to deal with the complexity of the neck and shoulder issues. For the patient, the restoration of more optimal muscle synergies can impact recurrence, quality of life and places ownership of the means to ensure they remain pain free in their hands, truly empowering the individual.

KEY FEATURES: 

Enhances ability to assess and retrain muscle synergies associated to pain, pathology and compromised function of the neck and shoulder 

Develops clinicians’ cueing and facilitation skillset to positively impact movement impairments attributable to altered muscle synergies 

Supplies clinical skills to manage issues of extensibility so as to support patients’ long- term outcome 

Supplies clinical skills to give patients strategies to reduce recurrence and maintain function Gives therapists the skills, tools and understanding to choose movement assessment and retraining as the clinical intervention of choice 

LEARNING OUTCOMES: 

At the end of this course the participant should be 

able to:

Relate movement and synergistic recruitment patterns and consider how changes to these patterns influence pain, recurrence and function 

Demonstrate the skills allowing them to change patients’ movement through the assessment and retraining of muscle synergies 

Relate muscle synergy recruitment patterns to pain, recurrence and compromised function 

Demonstrate an ability to assess and retrain muscle synergy efficiency 

Demonstrate the ability to assess for loss of extensibility and aberrant recruitment substitutions 

Display options for movement retraining in addition to acquiring the ability to match the level of retraining to your patient’s abilities and goals 

Operate within a structured clinical reasoning framework to help patients achieve their outcomes 

PROGRAMME OUTLINE: 

Practical workshops to enhance movement assessment and retraining proficiency within clinical environments 

Practically applies principles of muscle synergy management to target mechanisms associated with patients’ movement impairments 

Supply clinical relevance to the functional roles of muscle synergies 

Explores the relationship between muscle synergies and the presence of pain, pathology, and compromised function 

Supplies clinical value to the analysis and management of restriction and movement impairments 

Presents multi-factorial rating criteria to assess efficiency of muscle synergies Presents multi-factorial muscle synergy classification model to support clinical reasoning and intervention 

Retraining options and progressions for global stabiliser retraining at the neck and shoulder Cognitive recruitment efficiency solutions for movement control impairments of the neck and shoulder 

Matching recruitment efficiency retraining to the client’s / patient’s goals and priorities