Extremity manipulation and lumbopelvic manipulation seminars are coming to Roswell, Georgia this August. In one weekend (August 19-21) we have a special opportunity to take both courses back to back for a discounted price!

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Spinal manipulation is one of the two most powerful tools we have at our disposal to make significant, rapid and lasting improvements in our patients. If spinal manipulation is used in conjunction with dry needling, The synergistic effects of both treatments make the overall treatment outcome far more effective than if either technique is used independently.

Manipulation is a challenging skill to learn, far more difficult than needling. The primary reason for this is needling is more of a mental skill, the physical aspect of needling is super simple. Learning how to skillfully manipulation the spine and extremities is like learning how to play a new sport. It takes a lot of physical skill that can only be achieved with lots and lots of practice. I have chiropractor friends who say that it takes about 5 years after school to get really awesome at HVLA manipulation. Unfortunately, the vast majority of PT schools teach little to no manipulative techniques, making the learning curve steeper. The primary reason I went to the University of Saint Augustine, FL, is because St. Augustine is (or at least was during my time) heavily focused on learning manipulative and other manual techniques right from the get go.

I obtained my manual therapy certification (MTC) through St. Augustine, which focuses heavily on all sorts of manipulative techniques all over the body. However, I did not feel really competent with HVLA until a handful of years after school, during which time I manipulated just about every patient I treated and learned from as many different people / professions as possible. I continue to learn and get better each manipulation I perform. The turning point for me was visiting some chiro friends of mine at their clinics, watching them work, and annoying the crap out of them with questions for a few days. Then continuing to practice, practice, practice. Chiros simply learn a lot more manipulative techniques and methodologies than PT’s do. It’s not even close. There are so many different ways to go about moving joints around, it is important to learn as many of them as possible. This allows you to pick and choose different aspects of various techniques that you feel most comfortable with, then implementing them into daily practice. A few years after school I felt I had plateaued learning from PT’s, and learning from chiros significantly improved my mental and physical manipulative abilities. The more you know the better off you will be. This holds true for manipulation and for life in general.

We cover all grades of manipulation in our courses, although, we mainly focus on HVLA techniques. There are a few major obstacles hindering many practitioners from learning HVLA maneuvers. The most common hesitancy, at least for PT’s, AT’s and OT’s, is a general lack of knowledge about this stuff. A lack of knowledge about stuff, in general, leads to fear. Few people perform well when they are afraid. Unfortunately, most medical practitioners are severely misinformed about the safety and efficacy of manipulative techniques. If trained properly, with the proper background information and knowledge, HVLA manipulation is astoundingly safe and effective. I have been needling and manipulating every patient I see, if applicable, since I finished school almost 10 years ago, and I have never had a negative experience with either technique.

Since HVLA manipulation requires such extensive physical ability, like muscle memory, coordination, feel, and speed, to name a few, practitioners get frustrated with their ability and treatment outcomes, especially when first learning. This is totally normal, don’t get too frustrated. This stuff is challenging to master, to say the least. I went through the same learning process, and I have a pretty high opinion of my athletic abilities, having played D1 ice hockey in college and working as a fly fishing guide in South America for 10 years. Fly fishing is an awesome way to hone your manipulation skills, it requires a lot of the same physical attributes. Finesse, soft hands, fast hands, spacial / temporal awareness, precision, accuracy, etc. Yet another reason everyone should fly fish, it basically solves all life’s problems… At least that’s what I say when I intermittently disappear into the mountains for a few days, or 10 years, like I did after college. Who’s counting anyway?

The number one most important part of learning to safely and effectively manipulate, is the instruction you receive while learning and continuing to improve. A mistake that many make when teaching manipulation is to teach students that if they do not perform the treatment exactly as shown, they are wrong and will hurt someone. This is total BS. Our classes teach you how to be safe performing many different techniques. A good practitioner should always mix and match styles, to find what works best for you and your patients. There are very few absolutes in needling and manipulation. As long as you are safe, we encourage students to play around with what they learn and figure out how they personally like to practice. Although I am a PT, our classes incorporate techniques and theory from numerous medical fields and individual practitioners. During our courses, we cover all the necessary safety information relating to manipulation, including how to take a proper history, absolute and relative contraindications, red-flags, etc.

You may take 1 or both of the classes offered Friday to Sunday. Extremity manipulation is Friday and half of Sat. Lumbopelvic Manipulation is the second half of Saturday and Sunday. An awesome discount is available for those who sign up for both. Our seminars are built on years of experience with DO’s, DC’s and PT’s. Again, various aspects from these different professions are incorporated into the courses. A wide variety of techniques are discussed in-depth throughout this course, with focus on providing safe and effective clinical manipulative treatment for a wide variety of patients.

How to treat high-level athletic impairments, SIJ dysfunction, incontinence, lower extremity neuropathy, LBP, CTS, and other impairments with manipulative techniques is covered throughout the course.

Often-times, in order to provide effective, pain-free HVLA treatment, other manipulative techniques, such as soft tissue manipulation and grades 1-4, must be employed prior. These techniques are also covered throughout this course as an aid and adjunct to the grade 5 techniques you will learn.

How to utilize Dry Needling in conjunction with manipulative therapy is also covered in-depth.

Significant time will be spent on safety, biomechanics, and neurovascular anatomy & physiology. This course centers on hands-on, practical experience with partners.

Additionally, this course will include history taking, informed consent, set up procedures, relative and absolute contraindications, efficacy, physiology, global and local forces generated during manipulation, controversy regarding the utilization of manipulation, arterial dissection, and more.

Following the course, each student receives lifetime access to instructional videos and access to me via cell phone or email.

These are 2 of the 7 courses necessary to attain for your Intricate Art Manual Therapy Certification (IAMTC).

• Spinal Manipulation class in Georgia.

• Extremity Manipulation class in Georgia.

• Manual therapy courses in Georgia.

• Best manipulation courses.

• Best manual therapy course in Georgia.

• Manual therapy certification in Georgia.