It's a pleasure to have the opportunity to invite you to this 4-days course: Neurocranium & Cervical Spine, where Michael Kuchera, professor, DO, FAAO, will teach the subject
Manual Medicine Clinical Solutions
Neurocranium & Cervical Spine
Michael L. Kuchera, DO, FAAO
May 20-23, 2022
Munkebjerg Hotel, Vejle
COURSE ABSTRACT
Understanding key musculoskeletal, neurologic and vascular interrelationships augments both differential diagnoses and management of a wide range of clinical conditions. For a manual medicine practitioner -- informed by skilled palpation of related musculoskeletal structures, guided by physiologic knowledge, and cognizant of underlying pathophysiology -- this permits rational consideration of the value of including manual medicine approaches (or not) in patient care. Where applicable, integrating a structure/function-informed manual medicine approach often provides additional pragmatic clinical insights to mitigate pain, optimize homeostasis, reduce allostatic load and enhance overall patient health.
This course was carefully designed to enhance a structure/function-informed perspective and its application to select centralized pain syndromes, dysautonomia, and other pain or dysfunction related to head and neck structures. Many of the manual methods introduced are applicable to treatment of somatic dysfunction anywhere in the body and include soft tissue, myofascial release, balanced membranous tension (BMT) and balanced ligamentous tension (BLT), facilitated positional release (FPR), triggerpoint, and counterstrain manual techniques. Adjunctive respiratory assistance strategies will also be discussed and taught.
The course specifically emphasizes anatomical visualization, careful palpatory diagnosis and manual treatment of those musculoskeletal structures affecting the neurocranium (cranial base) and cervical spine. Significant hands-on laboratory time with both living and bony models is scheduled to maximize palpatory diagnostic hand placement and to practice manual medicine techniques. On the final day of the course, hands-on workshops will provide participants with an opportunity to reinforce the techniques taught during the course and to apply them as part of a rational, integrated sequence in mock clinical case presentations.
Goals &/or Learning Objectives
At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Visualize key anatomic inter-relationships in the cervical and neurocranial regions; understand possible pathophysiologic impact that somatic dysfunction there plays in various clinical conditions;
- Practice integration of observational and objective palpatory findings used to diagnose somatic dysfunction in these regions;
- Apply soft tissue, triggerpoint, myofascial release, balanced ligamentous/membranous, counterstrain and other manual medicine techniques to these regions with an emphasis on the neurocranium and cervical tissues;
- Understand the rationale for indications/contraindications of these various manual medicine techniques in the treated regions (and in relation to certain clinical conditions);
- Formulate a structure/function-informed manual medicine prescription to enhance health and address symptoms of the clinical conditions discussed including certain chronic centralization pain syndromes, dysautonomia, sinus and congestive headaches, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, and a variety of common clinical symptoms related to the region.
This program is part of the Danish Society of Musculoskeletal Medicine (DSMM) training for its teachers and others on the Master Course level. It is co-sponsored by the International Federation of Manual/Musculoskeletal Medicine (FIMM) of which DSMM is a societal member.
Program
Day 1
09:00 | Course Introduction & Pre-Test, Terminology/Landmarks. Structure/Function-Informed Models |
11:00 | Overview: Embryology & Developmental Anatomy of Neurocranium & Viscerocranium |
11:45 | Lecture: Observational & Palpatory Diagnosis of Somatic Dysfunction: Asymmetry (Static/Dynamic) |
12:30 | Lunch |
14:00 | Lab: Observational & Palpatory Diagnosis of Somatic Dysfunction: Asymmetry (Static/Dynamic) |
16:00 | Anatomic Visualization Part I (Bone Box – Landmarks & Relationships) |
17:00 | Dinner |
19:30 | Q&A/Craniocervical Somatic Dysfunction Diagnosis: Tenderness, Asymmetry, Restricted Motion, Tissue Texture |
21:00 | End Day 1 |
Day 2
09:00 | Review; Anatomic Landmarks and Hand-Placement for MM Diagnosis & Treatment |
10:00 | Types and Protocols for Delivering Various Types of Manual Medicine Technique including respiratory Assistance Strategies: Inhalation/Exhalation Phase vs Air-Hunger vs Paced Breathing |
11:30 | Palpatory Diagnosis & Balanced Ligamentous Tension of Cervical, Thoracolumbar, Sacral & Extremity, Somatic Dysfunctions |
12:30 | Lunch |
14:00 | Palpatory & Other MM Techniques including Facilitated Positional Release – Exemplars & Course Requests |
16:00 | MM Techniques for Congestive Phenomena of the Head & Neck |
17:00 | Dinner |
19:30 | Q&A/Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction: MM Management of Involved Structures |
21:00 | End Day 2 |
Day 3
09:00 | Anatomic Visualization Part II (Self-Directed; Bone Box – Neurocranium Landmarks & Relationships) Group “Show Me” Practical Exam During Bone Box Studies (Hand-Placement, Patterns, Landmarks) |
10:00 | Overview Cranial Nerve Function and Dysfunction |
10:30 | Cranial Nerve I-II Function & Dysfunction |
12:30 | Lunch |
14:00 | CN III-VIII Function & Dysfunction |
16:00 | CNIX-XII Function & Dysfunction |
17:30 | Integration; Question-Answer-Review |
18:00 | End Day 3 (Festive Dinner!!!) |
Day 4
09:00 | Review; Question-Answer of Days 1-3 |
10:00 | Sinus Headaches: MM Management |
12:00 | Lunch |
13:00 | Application of Integrated MM Prescriptions for Case Simulations (including Posterior, Anterior and Cervical Headaches with additional symptoms) |
15:30 | Final Exam |
16:00 | End Day 4 |
Fee
€2,400 to be paid after you have received acceptance for taking part in the course.
The fee includes full board and lodging - except consumptions at the bar :-)
Registration
Send a mail to Peter Staehr:
The number of participants is 24.
If you're one of the first 24 signed up, you'll receive a mail with instruction for transfer of the course fee to our Danish bank.
In case of fully subscribed course, we'll establish a waiting list. If you want to be on that list just make a note on your registration.
Cancellation
Any cancellation must be made by mail to
If you cancel participation earlier than 30 days from start of the course, we'll refund you €2.100. Later cancellation will not provide a refund.
If DSMM cancel the course, e.g. due to corona, we'll refund €2.400.
Location
The course takes place at Munkebjerg Hotel on the shores of Vejle Fjord, East Jutland. 30 minutes by car from Billund Airport. Address: Munkebjergvej 125, DK-7100 Vejle, Denmark.
Read more here: https://munkebjerg.dk/en/