PNMT Form and Function

16 Continuing Education Hours Cost:$295 Review Rate: $195

Watch a video introduction of Form and Function from Doug Nelson

Form and Function is very different than the other PNMT seminars and quite different than other seminars offered by other institutions. While most other seminars focus on how to treat specific muscles or conditions, this seminar is dedicated to clinical reasoning ; the decisions the therapist makes and why they make them. It is a seminar on the 'why' of treatment decisions, not the 'how to treat'.

As I review a few principles of treatment during other seminars, I often see people thumbing through the manual to see how we treat such and such muscle. While I understand this, a focus on technique over process can be a limitation to truly effective treatment. What good is excellent treatment of the supraspinatus if the supraspinatus is not the problem?

PNMT Form and Function is about the decisions a therapist makes and what strategies are behind those decisions. In the beginning, Form and Function was mostly about structural analysis. While structure is a component of pain, it is not the answer to every question. What about weakness, neural issues, neurologic inhibition, microtrauma, etc.? All experienced therapists have a large toolbox filled with treatment options. The real question is how to decide which ones to use and by what process those decisions are made.

Form and Function does devote the majority of the seminar to analysis of the effects of structural asymmetry on the musculoskeletal system. The form of the human frame has a great deal of influence on function. At the same time, structure is not the answer to every question. How does the practitioner decide when to pursue a structural approach? In addition, how do you do this in a way that is practical and satisfying for the client? Not many people will pay for the therapist to endlessly stare and analyze them. They want work done. The therapist has to be able to make fast, educated decisions about what muscles to treat and why. Results must be evident to you and the client. The seminar is organized into three tasks:

* Task number one is to sharpen our assessment skills of the human frame. Beginning with the multitude of possible distortions at the pelvis, we will explore the possible distortion potential of each segment from head to toe.

* Task number two is to assess which muscles have the potential to produce these distortions. Since most muscles move in more than one plane, clear anatomy skills are challenged and developed as we list the possible muscles involved in any distortion.

* Task number three is to specifically assess each of these muscles for shortness using precise length testing. Just because a muscle has the potential to create distortion does not mean it is automatically involved.

Like any good investigator, we will learn to examine the "crime scene" with sharp eyes for clues, develop a list of possible suspects, and then use definitive criteria to reveal who the real culprits are. The work is fun yet challenging and meant to give the participant a framework to put the individual muscle protocols into an effective treatment that can get at the root cause of muscular pain. It is common for the cause of pain to be far distant from where the pain is felt.

It is preferable for the participant to have previous training in specific muscular treatment and some clinical experience before taking the Form and Function seminar. It is not necessary to take the seminar last in the PNMT series, although that is preferable if the therapist is relatively new to specific treatment. This seminar is a review of many of the orthopedic tests done in previous PNMT seminars plus additional verification testing. Participants will also spend time solving real-world clinical presentations, both individually and in small groups. This seminar is meant to assist the therapist in putting all the pieces together, advancing the therapist from mere technician to the level of true clinical artistry!