Elevating Practice in Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the participant will be able to:

1. Apply knowledge of relevant region-specific anatomy and biomechanics to the evaluation and treatment of musculoskeletal dysfunction from a movement science and manual therapy perspective.
2. Recognize and distinguish musculoskeletal disorders commonly encountered by physical therapists by appropriately categorizing clusters of signs of symptoms.
3. Appraise the various classification systems, including treatment-based and impairment-based, that have been described and studied in the scientific literature in order to determine their validity and clinical value.
4. Distinguish typical or critical medical conditions that might be present in the orthopedic/sports physical therapy patient population and determine the appropriate referral to another medical practitioner or further diagnostic testing.
5. Implement and interpret commonly used functional and/or disability scales relevant to the orthopedic/sports physical therapy patient population.
6. Apply critical thinking in order to synthesize orthopedic/sports physical therapy examination information, determine an appropriate classification of common musculoskeletal disorders and select the most appropriate intervention based on the principles of evidenced-based medicine.
7. Demonstrate proficiency with performing a region-specific comprehensive patient examination integrating manual therapy and movement-based assessment tools that have been validated by the literature or supported by clinical experts.
8. Demonstrate proficiency with region-specific manual therapy, movement, and exercise-based interventions established to be effective based on the best available evidence.
    

Taken together, modules run from September 20, 2025 through June 21, 2026:

Lumbopelvic Spine: Sept – Oct 2025 [Weekend lab October 18-19]

Cervicothoracic Spine: Nov – Dec 2025 [Weekend lab December 6-7]

Hip & Knee: Jan – Feb 2026 [Weekend lab February 7-8]

Ankle/Foot & Running Gait: Feb – Mar 2026 [Weekend lab March 21-22]

Shoulder: April – May 2026 [Weekend lab May 2-3]

Elbow & Wrist/Hand: May – Jun 2026 [Weekend lab June 13-14]

Course Fees

• $500 per module or $2500 for the entire course series

Clinical partners of the MGH Institute Physical Therapy Department are eligible for a 40% registration cost discount. Please contact pt [at] mghihp.edu (pt[at]mghihp[dot]edu) for details before registering. You will be provided with an access code to receive the discounted ticket price of $300 per module, or $1500 for the entire course series.