Here is a fantastic opportunity to stimulate your clinical practice and enhance your career. This comprehensive 8-day programme provides clinicians with intensive tuition in an integrated and thoroughly modern, evidence based approach to manual therapy of the spine. This programme is held in many countries including Australia, Bali, England, Scotland, France, Ireland, India, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, & United Arab Emirates. Please check the course calendar for specific dates. Download a brochure here.

Kim Robinson and Toby Hall are the educators on this course. They have over 60 years combined clinical experience and have taught manual therapy at an advanced post-graduate university level for more than 25 years. Toby and Kim are members of the Australian College of Physiotherapists, achieving Specialist Physiotherapist status in 2007. Through their expertise, Toby and Kim have been awarded the positions of Adjunct Associate Professor and Senior Teaching Fellow at Curtin University of Technology, and Senior Teaching Fellowships at The University of Western Australia. For more details of their qualifications, achievements, and publications please follow this link.

The primary aim of the programme is to integrate joint, muscle and neural tissue based manual therapy concepts to provide a comprehensive approach to the management of neuromusculoskeletal pain disorder. The syllabus is a bio-psychosocial approach, which incorporates a range of manual therapy concepts. Of special interest will be clinical practice, emphasizing clinical examination, evaluation, interpretation, differential diagnosis and therefore classification and treatment. Management is based on identification of specific sub-groups amenable to manual therapy including movement impairment and motor control impairments, and neural tissue pain disorders. Screening for negative prognostic factors will also be taught as it is important to screen out patients unsuitable for manual therapy.

Assessment of movement impairment incorporates the Combined Movement approach, as well as segmental manual diagnosis. Treatment for the movement impairment (articular dysfunction) sub-group is eclectic and includes a broad range of mobilisation, manipulation (high velocity thrust) and mobilisation with movement techniques.

Evaluation and management of lumbopelvic motor control impairment is designed around the O’Sullivan Classification based cognitive functional approach. Similarly for the cervical spine, motor control impairment is based on the work undertaken at the University of Queensland. Both approaches have substantial evidence of validity as well as efficacy in management.

Neural pain disorders are also sub-classified according to clinical examination findings into sensory hypersensitivity, compression neuropathy, and peripheral nerve sensitization. This sub-classification system is management driven and is backed up by supporting evidence for its validity and efficacy in management.

This course will be suitable to individuals at all levels of experience including those who are seeking new knowledge and those seeking to expand their knowledge. Whilst the course will be presented at a high level this should not be seen as a barrier to participation for those with little experience in this special area. As a result of attending the course it is anticipated that participants will gain personal satisfaction in a variety of ways that will enhance their individual requirements. There are therefore no pre-requisites for participation.

This syllabus will cover in detail the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine regions. Participants are provided with pre-course reading material and an extensive course manual to cover all aspects of the programme.




Skills and information you will acquire

At the completion of this program the participants will:


    Be conversant in recent developments in anatomy, pathoanatomy and age related changes of the spinal column

    Be aware of the evidence base for manual therapy and the disorders suitable for this approach

    Be proficient in applying spinal articular, neural and motor control examination procedures.

    Be proficient in determining a differential diagnosis based on an integrated, clinical reasoning informed, examination of the articular, neural and motor control systems of the spine.

    Be able to formulate the most appropriate and effective manual therapy management programme suitable for the assessed condition.

    Be proficient in applying an appropriate manual therapy treatment strategy incorporating manual treatment techniques and specific exercises.

    Be able to integrate clinical and theoretical constructs to achieve and reflect on clinical outcomes