Traumatic Neck Injury & Concussion
Two-part Online Seminar (2x 7.5 hours of CPD)
Patients frequently seek the help of chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists and other manual therapy specialists after sustaining a head or neck injury. Frequently the main focus is on the biomechanical dysfunction of the neck; the true extent of the injury often remains unexplored, undocumented and frequently untreated. The cervicogenic component is just one potential contributor to post-concussion syndrome. Six other components have been described (Craton et al., 2017*) and will each be discussed in detail over the 2-part seminar. Whether you treat athletes involved in contact sports or mostly the ‘bread and butter patients’, this seminar will help you to better understand the acute and chronic bony, soft tissue and neurological injuries that can occur through a traumatic head and/or neck injury and will provide you with the knowledge and tools to effectively treat these injuries to the best possible extent.
If you are unable to / do not wish to attend both Part 1 & 2, you can of course just attend whichever module you wish to.
The seminar will be interactive, and participants will be able to and encouraged to ask questions throughout.
A comprehensive set of course notes will be emailed to you in advance of the seminar.
Video demonstrations of examination techniques and rehabilitation exercises will help you to learn the practical skills.
These videos will demonstrate normal and abnormal findings, and will be made available to you after the seminar.
Course Content:
Part 1: Cervical, Vestibular, Autonomic, Headache- Soft tissue injury and alteration of spinal biomechanics after whiplash and mild traumatic brain injury.
- Assessment and treatment of neurological manifestations of cervical spine injury.
- Vestibular and cerebellar assessment and rehabilitation.
- Autonomic / cardiovascular manifestations associated with concussion, including exercise intolerance, altered heart rate variability, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), tachycardia and arrhythmia.
- Headache disorders in post-concussion syndrome and how to manage these.
Part 2: Cognitive, Affective (Emotional), Oculomotor
- Cognitive dysfunction after head/neck injuries and the wide range of symptoms associated with this.
- How to assess and rehabilitate cortical dysfunction, focusing especially on the frontal and prefrontal cortex.
- Why emotional / affective disturbances frequently occur in concussion and how these are influenced by altered functional connectivity in other areas of the nervous system, followed by discussion of neuro-rehab and co-management strategies.
- Abnormalities in the near point of convergence, saccadic eye movements, visual pursuit and screen viewing are common after head/neck injury, as is photophobia. We will discuss oculomotor dysfunction, assessment and rehabilitation in detail, and how eye exercises can also be used to stimulate many parts of the nervous system that suffer functional disconnect after concussion.
- Nutritional strategies and supplements that can help to reduce neurogenic inflammation.
- Management of acute concussion.
- Predicting recovery times and long-term outcomes.
Part 1
Date: Sunday, 26th March 2023
Time: 9:00am – 5.30pm (BST) / 10:00am – 6.30pm (CEST)
Online platform: Zoom
Registration fee: £135 (GBP) / €155 (EUR) / kr1700 (NOK)
Part 2
Date: Sunday, 23rd April 2023
Time: 9:00am – 5.30pm (BST) / 10:00am – 6.30pm (CEST)
Online platform: Zoom
Registration fee: £135 (GBP) / €155 (EUR) / kr1700 (NOK)
Please contact nicole@neuroseminars.co.uk if you require any further information.
Seminar Instructor:
Nicole Oliver, DC, MChiro, BSc(Hons), PgDip(MSK Neuroscience)
Nicole graduated from the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic (AECC) in 2005 and began studying functional neurology in 2006. She gained the Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Neurology Board (DACNB) qualification four years later. Alongside clinical practice she lectures for Neuroseminars, teaching functional neurology to chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists and other health care professionals in the UK and Europe. Nicole has presented at several conferences and conventions, including the 2014 & 2016 European Chiropractors Union (ECU) Conventions, the 2019 World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) Congress, and at the annual or biannual conferences/ meetings of the Swiss, German, Norwegian, Belgian, Finnish, Swedish, Irish and Scottish national associations.
* Craton, N., Ali, H., & Lenoski, S. (2017). COACH CV: The Seven Clinical Phenotypes of Concussion. Brain sciences, 7(9), 119. Full text available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5615260/