Get a Grip on Sciatica: Assessment & Manual Therapy Solutions That Work Fast

Credit

Handouts/Brochure

Speaker

Theresa A. Schmidt, PT, DPT, MS, OCS, LMT, CEAS Related seminars and products

Educise PC

---

Dr. Theresa Schmidt is an orthopedic physical therapy specialist and massage therapist integrating traditional and alternative medicine with emphasis on manual therapy, precision exercise, wellness, Reiki, and mindfulness. She presented for NASA/Inomedic, Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, Vanderbilt Med, Wake Med, and professional associations. She received her doctorate at UNE and served as faculty at Touro PT Programs and CUNY Queens Colleges in NY. She is a published author, Expert Consultant, Reiki Master Instructor, and integrative clinician in private practice at Educise® in New Hampshire. Her website is www.educise.com.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Theresa Schmidt has employment relationships with Educise PC, CEU Connection.com, and United States Department of Veterans Affairs. She receives a speaking honorarium, recording royalties, and a consulting fee from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Theresa Schmidt is a member of American Physical therapy Association, the Academy of Orthopedic Physical Therapy, and the American Massage Therapy Association.

Additional Info

Access never expires for this product.

Visit our FAQ page at www.pesi.com/faq or contact us at www.pesi.com/info

Outline

The ‘Root’ of Sciatica – What You Really Need to Know  

• Start by breaking down what sciatica really is — common characteristics, how it typically presents, and what you may be missing.  
• Look at how it affects each client differently, who’s most at risk, and why that matters to you  
• Fever, chills, weight loss, night sweats… Unmask red flags that require outside referrals and yellow flags that may make your treatment plan more complicated.  

Developing the Best Plan of Care – Intersection of Assessment & Decision Making  

• In this hour, you’ll walk through the typical and not so typical presentations you might see in your clients. 
• How to tell sciatica apart from similar conditions — so you can confidently provide the right treatment.   
• Get familiar with practical and effective sciatica specific assessment tools you can integrate tomorrow!  
• Analgesics, muscle relaxants, steroids, injections – sort through the maze of pain relief options and what safely makes a difference.  
• Step into outcome measures to help track client relief, progress, and guide your treatment decisions. 

Sciatica Management: Hands-On Solutions That Work Fast  

• Dive into evidence-based interventions, including manual therapy techniques, soft tissue work, neurodynamic mobilizations, and positional release techniques.  
• Top massage techniques that help rapidly reduce painful symptoms  
• Learn how to guide clients to better self-care using: preventative patient education, simple take-home strategies, tailored exercise programs, and more!  
• Look at what the latest research has to say — including a review of benchmark studies 

Objectives

1. State factors contributing to the development of sciatica and differentiation between sciatica and: herniated disc, lumbosacral radiculopathy, nerve root impingement, piriformis syndrome, spinal stenosis, muscle spasm, Potts (TB) disease, neoplasm, epidural abscess or hematoma.  

2. Execute an assessment of a person with sciatic pain using sensory and motor tests, SLR, slump tests, sciatic neurodynamics and piriformis tests. 

3. Implement an individualized plan of care for sciatica incorporating manual therapy, targeted exercise, neurodynamics, self-management, and home program interventions to reduce compression and tension impairments, reduce painful symptoms and improve function for people with sciatica. 

Target Audience

• Physical Therapists
• Physical Therapist Assistants
• Massage Therapists
• Athletic Trainers
• Chiropractors