Education Sessions

Engage 2023 pre-recorded sessions | Available online Jan. 25  

Chiropractic Care and Fall Prevention in Older Adults: What We Know, What We Can Do, and Steps We Can Take Going Forward (1 CE)

Presenter: Wren Burton, DC

Presentation Summary: This educational lecture will discuss multimodal chiropractic care for fall prevention in older adults, a growing area of research, with three main goals. The first is to provide a rationale for the use of chiropractic care in fall prevention efforts. This rationale will summarize current evidence regarding key modifiable fall risk factors that may be targeted by multimodal chiropractic care. The second goal is to propose the implementation of fall prevention efforts in chiropractic practice. These fall prevention efforts will address fall risk screening in clinical practice and interventions that are both supported by current evidence and fall into the chiropractic scope of practice. The last goal is to offer recommendations for future research directions to begin addressing the evidence gap related to chiropractic care and fall prevention.

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Defending Your Treatment Plan (1 CE)

Presenter: Kristy Carbonelli, DC

Presentation Summary: Clinical prediction rules and guidelines are important for making evidence-based decisions. The guidelines are designed to maximize patient care and inform medical necessity. Not all guidelines are created equal. This presentation will review the development of clinical prediction rules and guidelines and address potential pitfalls. The lecture will cover application of guidelines, determining state default guidelines and defending medical necessity. Examples from both the Official Disability Guidelines and MTUS/ACOEM will be used. Sample files will be presented to instruct clinicians on the audit process, patient retention and reimbursement. Clinicians will also learn how to justify treatment beyond the guidelines. 

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How to Navigate Through Spine and MSK MRI (1 CE)  

Presenter: Cliff Tao, DC

Presentation Summary: Having good systems in place helps a clinician view and opine on MRI, even when you have the report. Learn how to efficiently navigate through these studies and be confident in your proficiency with spine and MSK MRI. 

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Improving Your Notes: Tips from Someone Who’s Reviewing Them (1 CE)  

Presenter: Morgan Price, DC 

Presentation Summary: In this presentation, we will discuss documentation standards from the viewpoint of someone who regularly reviews medical records for motor vehicle accidents. This presentation has the goal of fine-tuning your notes to better articulate your clinical decision making and ultimately get paid for your services. We will also review guidelines and recommended care for acute spine pain. This will include clinical indication for placing referrals to various specialists, as well as for radiographs and/or advanced imaging. We will also review duration of care and considerations for different aspects of chiropractic care, including what the literature says regarding passive modalities versus active care. Most importantly, we will highlight the common pitfalls that chiropractors find themselves in when they have their notes reviewed and how to best avoid these. This course aims to suggest minor improvements that, when implemented, will improve your documentation, better articulate your clinical decision making, and subsequently justify the medical necessity of the care you’re providing to third party reviewers. 

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The Geriatric Patient: The Chiropractor’s Role in Evaluation and Management (1 CE)  

Presenters: Kristy Carbonelli, DC and Camille McClendon, DC 

Presentation Summary: Chiropractors are important in the evaluation and management of geriatric patients. This includes recognizing risk factors and determining which patients need further evaluation and/or trigger a comprehensive geriatric evaluation. Since comprehensive evaluation is time consuming, presenters will review how the examination can be broken down over a number of visits. Most importantly, chiropractors should assess functional status and fall risk. This presentation will review the important components of the examination process, as well as the SPLAT questionnaire. It will also focus specifically on fall assessments. A few of the tests reviewed will be Berg Balance, 30-Second Chair Stand, Timed Up and Go and Reach Test. Finally, we will review common exercises that can be used to improve resistance and balance. 

Thursday, Jan. 26 | 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Healthcare as a Team Sport: The Role of the Modern Chiropractor in Collaboration with Mental Health Professionals (1CE)

Presenters: James Leonard, DC and Carter Comrie, PhD, LP

Presentation Summary: The biopsychosocial model of pain management suggests taking a multifaceted approach to interventions. But the modern patient has seemingly unlimited options and no clear direction on whom to see and when to see them. This presentation aims to connect the physiological and psychological factors of pain management, filling in the gaps on how to collaborate with mental health professionals, what basic guidelines to follow in management, and what to look for when partnering with professionals in your community. 

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Friday, Jan. 27 | 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. 

Using a Health Inventory to Address Non-mechanical Contributors of Chronic Pain (2 CE)  

Presenters: Stephanie Halloran, DC, MS and Kaelyn Mead, DC 

Presentation Summary: Chronic pain is a common and often debilitating condition in the United States, with the most recent National Health Interview Survey reporting that 20.5% of US adults identify having pain on most days or every day. In many cases, these pain complaints can limit one’s ability to work, perform activities of daily living or participate in meaningful social events. Often these conditions are multi-factorial and may not respond to manual therapies in isolation. There is agreement amongst medical professionals that psychosocial factors play a role in outcomes for those with musculoskeletal pain, and a vast body of research has identified the role of other lifestyle habits in the prevalence and continuation of pain.  

This presentation aims to demonstrate how incorporating a short health inventory assessing sleep, movement, stress, dietary habits, and emotional wellbeing can elevate the long-term outcomes of patients with chronic pain and empower patients to implement self-management strategies to decrease health care utilization globally.

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Friday, Jan. 27 | 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. 

McAndrews Leadership Lecture: Switching the Script: Lights, Camera, Action (1 CE)  

Presenter: Nakiesha Pearson, ND, DC

Presentation Summary: The chiropractic profession has evolved over the years to the place that it occupies in health care today. Despite some evolution in clinical practice, there are still areas of the profession that are following an outdated script. This session will give chiropractic physicians insight into how we can change the narrative about chronic pain disparities through leadership, education, research, and community outreach.  

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Friday, Jan. 27 | 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. 

Treatment and Management of Ankle Injuries in Dancers (1 CE)  

Presenter: James Walters, DC  

Presentation Summary: This presentation will focus on providing attendees with multiple tools for diagnosing and treating dancers with ankle injuries. The presentation will include a breakdown of ankle anatomy and biomechanics as related to dancers, common pathologies of the ankle due to dance and the lasting impact of repetitive ankle injuries in dance. The presentation will also provide attendees with treatment considerations, including rehab options. There will also be a discussion on dance culture as it relates to how dancers respond to injuries. This portion of the presentation will look at how we as providers can better communicate with dancers to gain their trust and confidence in our treatments; it will also address dance industry standards as related to injuries and how these can serve as a roadblock to dancers seeking care.

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Friday, Jan. 27 | 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. 

Pain is Multifaceted, Your Treatment Should Be, Too (1 CE)  

Presenters: Vanessa Morales, DC and Kristy Carbonelli, DC  

Presentation Summary: Chiropractic has a wide base of tools that can be applied to patients to help with pain and function. Many of these tools are passive therapies, however, which have their own limitations and have been noted to increase the risk of chronicity. Even with the best treatment options, if a patient is limited in participating in their care because of beliefs, socioeconomic status or other limitations, then expectations and outcomes are blurred and left unmet. In this session, we will discuss current research on the biopsychosocial model and learn about the various social determinants of health, including when and how we can help and when we need to consider co-management or complete referral. We will practice using motivational interviewing techniques to help patients foster self-motivation to reach their goals; review intake forms and language to help provide an inclusive and welcoming environment; and provide you with tools that will allow you to support quality, patient-centered care.

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Friday, Jan. 27 | 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. 

Change in Paradigm: Functional vs. Structural Models for Orthotic Prescription (1 CE)  

Presenter: Ted Forcum, DC  

Presentation Summary: This lecture will discuss and demonstrate the current models for orthotic prescription, focusing on functional and proprioceptive theories and how to integrate them into the chiropractic practice. It is not about how the blocks stack anymore.

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Saturday, Jan. 28 | 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. 

Lower Extremity Tendinopathy Rehab (2 CE)  

Presenter: Michael Braccio, DC 

Presentation Summary: This presentation discusses the current pathology of lower extremity tendinopathy including Achilles, patellar, proximal hamstring, and gluteal. The presentation will also cover evidence-based rehabilitation for the lower extremity, progressing from isometric, isotonic, to plyometric and return to sport.

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Saturday, Jan. 28 | 10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. 

The Role of Chiropractic in the Management of Post-Concussion Syndrome: An Underrecognized Neurological Disorder (2 CE)  

Presenter: Bill Moreau, DC 

Presentation Summary: Concussions are extremely common—about 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur annually in the U.S. Concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Post-concussion syndrome (PCS) represents the lesser known mTBI injury where a concussion did not resolve as expected. Persistent PCS after mTBI is prevalent and vastly underdiagnosed, especially in children. It is important for DCs to recognize both mTBI and PCS. This presentation provides the analysis to determine long-term mTBI symptoms to best predict the development of persistent PCS. Trained DCs can intervene to provide patients care leading to improved quality of life through cervical spine care and exercise. Learners will be able to identify and appropriately manage concussion and PCS in patients when the patient presents with clinical manifestations of cervicogenic or ANS domains of concussive injury through specific evidence-guided evaluations. The learner will also discover novel examination skills and management strategy for neurogenic postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

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Saturday, Jan. 28 | 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. 

Disparities in Pain Care: Vulnerable Groups and Population Health (2 CE)  

Presenters: William Foshee, DC; Mia Ortega, DC; DC; Nakiesha Pearson, ND, DC; Michael Pridham, DC-APC; Maithy Ta, DC; and  Holly Tucker, DC

Presentation Summary: This two-hour interactive session includes intersectional clinicians for a candid conversation following moderator’s presentation related to pain reporting, opioid monitoring practices, management of chronic pain, and sociodemographic factors. Panelists demonstrate diverse lived experiences, professional observations, and patient populations. Attendees will receive a supplemental packet that includes links to full text articles for references and resources.

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Saturday, Jan. 28 | 2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. 

Postural Neurology: An Evidence-Based & Neurologic Approach to Postural Correction for Chiropractic Practice (1 CE)  

Presenter: Krista Burns, DC  

Presentation Summary: Postural neurology is an evidence-based and neurologic approach to postural correction. Recent research from the American Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health (2021) shows that more than 70% of school-aged children present with moderate to severe forward head posture. The purpose of this session is to demonstrate the public health need for postural correction, and to show chiropractors practical solutions for postural correction that are neurologic and evidence based. Participants will learn the neurology of the posture system, including the role of the visual system for head posture and orientation, the role of the vestibular system for postural stability, and the role of the sensory and motor cortex for sensorimotor integration. Participants will discover a comprehensive research review of how postural distortion patterns impact neurologic function. For clinical application, they will learn brain-based posture assessments and correction protocols to detect, analyze, and correct postural distortion patterns.