This course is available as a standalone CE course or as an elective for our new Advanced Practice Certification.

Neuropathic pain is one of the most challenging clinical conditions encountered by physical therapists. Old, mechanical compression models of nerve injury is now superseded by a neuroscience understanding of neuroinflammation, vascular and immune changes, cytokine signaling, demyelination and ion channel expression. Clinically, advances have been made into the examination of neuropathic pain with advanced sensory testing, neurodynamics and clinical cluster-recognition. This newfound understanding of nerve pain has shown how movement-based professions, such as physical therapy, can effectively treat neuropathic pain. This session, using cervical radiculopathy and arm pain as an example, will update attendee’s knowledge of neuropathic pain including double-crush phenomenon; how to tests and screen for it and build a comprehensive treatment plan. Treatment discussed will include manual therapy, exercise, neurodynamics, pain neuroscience education, graded motor imagery and more.

Course Outcomes