PT 976 - Neurorehabilitation

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The primary objective of this course is to prepare you to provide client-centered, holistic care to individuals with neurologic disorders. We will continue to build upon the principles introduced in Neuroscience and your previous clinical courses, including current clinical models, neuroplasticity and its characteristics in the face of injury and recovery, evidence-based approaches, and clinical decision-making. The cornerstone of this course is a clinical problem-solving approach that will enable you as a physical therapist to effectively examine, evaluate, analyze, draw conclusions, and make decisions regarding prognosis and interventions with your clients. Medical information will include disease description, etiology, pathology, clinical signs and symptoms, diagnostic procedures, medical management, and precautions or special considerations pertinent to physical therapists. From a physical therapy perspective, specific standardized assessments, evaluation and treatment strategies, and rehabilitation practices will be addressed pertinent to the movement problems associated with a neurologic injury/disease while identifying and using appropriate guidelines in clinical decision-making. Specific neuropathologies will be explored including: spinal cord injuries, stroke, brain injuries, movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, basal ganglia disorders, cerebellar disorders, and vestibular disorders. Particular importance is placed upon the promotion of quality of life as one faces neurologic injury, and the critical role that a physical therapist can play in providing prevention and intervention strategies that enable people to live well as they move throughout their lifespan. This course challenges you to draw from knowledge gained in previous courses while applying problem solving and critical thinking techniques to various clinical and simulated patient scenarios.