In-person Archives - Ontario Physiotherapy Association

Introduction to Acupuncture & Dry Needling

2-Day Introduction to Acupuncture & Dry Needling — Ottawa | January 16–17, 2027

Take your first step into acupuncture and dry needling with a practical, clinically focused weekend designed to give you both the knowledge and hands-on experience to begin incorporating needling into your clinical practice. Over two full days, you’ll learn essential needling safety, clean needle technique, precautions and contraindications, surface anatomy, acupuncture point location, meridian pathways and the fundamentals of dry needling. You’ll also receive extensive hands-on practice, including practical needling of acupuncture points and motor points — providing far more than simply a theoretical introduction.

Our approach brings together traditional acupuncture concepts with modern anatomical, neurophysiological and Western research perspectives. You’ll learn not only where and how to needle, but why particular points and techniques may be clinically relevant, and how acupuncture and dry needling can complement your existing assessment and treatment skills. The course is an ideal starting point for clinicians looking to expand their treatment options through a structured, evidence-informed and highly practical introduction to acupuncture and dry needling. No previous acupuncture or dry needling experience is required.

Note: This course is part of our 10 course series which provides International Certification upon successful completion (accredited by World Physiotherapy).

Soft Tissue Release Level 1

Soft Tissue Release (Level 1) by Jim Bilotta

2 workshop options:

Option 1: Live Virtual (consists of 2 Sunday 7 hr sessions) – October 18, and October 25, 2026. 12:00pm -7:00pm (EDT)

Option 2: Soft Tissue Release Level 1 In-person – November 28- 29, 2026 – Toronto, ON.

Cost: $545 (total cost)

Benefits of the technique:
Soft tissue release is a very effective technique that has proven to be successful on treating soft tissue injuries both in sub-acute and chronic injuries/pain. These techniques can be very effectively administered causing little to no stress on both the therapist and the client. In this workshop, I want to ensure that therapists are taught how to adapt the techniques to meet the specific needs of the client and/or situation. I also want the therapists to learn how to effectively administer client self-treatment exercises that will further help in the recovery.

Course Description:
Soft Tissue Release (STR) is the “Foundation” of all the recent “release techniques” and has developed into the fastest acting therapy for all acute and chronic soft tissue pain – providing permanent results. Clients injured in sports, at work, or with injuries incurred over time, can all benefit from STR. The entire body is covered in this one workshop. STR is a combination of Myofascial Release, Therapeutic Massage, and Active Assisted Stretching. The technique involves applying precise pressure during a specific stretch performed in multiple planes of movement. The result: fast and permanent reorganization of scar tissue, the targeted muscle(s) return to the proper resting length, muscle imbalances are corrected, associated pain is decreased or eliminated altogether, and muscle performance is improved.

This hands-on workshop covers the entire body, without the need to recertify every year. After completing the workshop participants will have the confidence and skills to properly apply the techniques to their clients immediately and to educate clients on self-release techniques for home care.

Hundreds of Physiotherapists across Canada have participated in this workshop and have recommended it to their colleagues!

Registration/Information: www.SoftTissueRelease.ca

The Balance Course

Empower Your Practice

Advanced Balance Course for Physiotherapists and health care providers

Course Overview

Using the newly published: World Guidelines for falls prevention and management for older adults: A global initiative: As compass for directional change. Along with guidance from ParticipACTION Canada, Parachute, Ontario Fall Prevention Collaborative, Seniors Division of the CPA and the World Health Organization Global Action Plan on Physical Activity.

This course will embrace a comprehensive understanding of evidence-based practice, blending clinical expertise with client-centred care and the latest research on falls and balance.

We will be Challenging the Norms. Moving beyond the conventional mindset of “zero falls” and explore the nuanced balance between safety and maintaining or improving gait and balance. Our course challenges traditional approaches by emphasizing the importance of daily movement.
Practical Application: Gain practical skills to assess and address balance and agility impairments intentionally. Explore targeted and intense exercises designed to optimize functional ability even in complex health scenarios. Not your regular balance course!!
Are you a dedicated physiotherapist and health care provider seeking to elevate your expertise and contribute to the holistic wellbeing of your clients, particularly those at risk of falls?Enrich your clinical toolkit with our specialized Advanced Balance Course!

Why Focus on Balance

Gait and balance impairments are powerful predictors of falls, and as healthcare professionals, we play a pivotal role in mitigating this risk.
The global shift away from a sedentary lifestyle demands a proactive approach to maintaining mobility and independence well into advanced age.
Being Independent with risk is the new level of function

Research Integration: We bridge the gap between clinical practice and emerging research. Explore the latest findings, understand the implications, and integrate this knowledge into your daily physiotherapy practice.

Redefining “Safe” Together: As physiotherapists, let’s redefine what “safe” means within our discipline. Focus on optimizing physical health, especially in terms of gait and balance, while respecting the safety guidelines of our multidisciplinary colleagues.

Course Benefits for Physiotherapists:

Elevate your skills in falls prevention through intentional, evidence-based exercises.
Collaborate with a community of like-minded physiotherapists seeking positive change in falls management.
Stay at the forefront of the field with insights into the latest research and Practical applications.

Take the Lead in Falls Prevention: Join us in taking the lead in falls prevention. Embrace the challenge of optimizing functional ability, empowering your clients to move confidently and age actively.

Secure Your Spot: Secure your spot! Register for The Balance Course and become a trailblazer in falls prevention within your physiotherapy practice. Elevate your skills, redefine “safe,” and make a lasting impact on the lives of those you serve.

Course objectives:

Understand the principal components of balance in the human body.
Identify key balance deficits in all types of patients
Determine which assessment tool is most appropriate in specific situations
Benefit from evidence based tools
Guide therapist to effective assessment and treatment planning
Understand the principal theories of human movements
Understand the principals of motor learning and neuroplasticity
Understand principals of frequency, intensity and duration of treatment

Hours: This course is two full days (8 hrs) 8:30 am to 4:30 pm/each day

Cost: per participant $650.00 (hard copy binder and goodies provided)

Course Dates:

Kingston: October 3 & 4, 2026 ( Full )

Toronto: November 7 & 8, 2026

Location: Victoria University, 73 Queens Park, Toronto

Laval: January 22 -23, 2027 ( Full )

Waterloo: March 2027

Location: Hilton 30 Fairway Rd S Bldg B, Kitchener, ON

Audience: All health care providers working with persons with balance issues can benefit from the course. All courses have a maximum of 30 participants which will enable the instructor to spend quality time with the participants.

Host:

Offer this course in your work setting. Be a host and have us come to you. We have enjoyed bringing this course to many hospital rehabilitation departments and clinics. The advantage of hosting is you get to pick the people, the place and time/dates. The host person gets to participate at no charge for the work involved in organizing the logistics around the course. Contact Chantal von Schoenberg directly for more information.

Developing Support and Reach in the UE: NDT Workshop in the Management of UE Following Stroke or Brain Injury

Course Description:

Many individuals who suffer from a neurological injury post CVA or brain injury have limitations in using their affected upper extremity in function. Recovery of function in the affected upper extremity is a goal for both patients and therapists. Research demonstrates the need for practice using the affected upper extremity to drive recovery, and that practice needs to occur in and outside of therapy. As therapists we face challenges in how to activate and progress the affected upper extremity to drive these practice opportunities and improve function.

This one-day workshop will present NDT principles related to coordinated movements of the trunk and upper extremity for active support and for developing reach. We will explore the research related to the recovery of the upper extremity post-stroke and brain injury and how we incorporate this research into clinical practice. The workshop will provide an opportunity for analysis of the role of the upper extremity in function and the assessment of movement dysfunction in the upper extremity. Various treatment strategies will be explored to facilitate active support and progress an upper extremity for reach.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will:

Understand the principles of NDTA™ Contemporary Practice Model to the treatment of adults with neurological impairments and particularly as applied to management of the upper extremity in an individual post stroke or brain injury.
Identify major impairments that interfere with developing upper extremity function in an individual post stroke or brain injury.
Demonstrate basic handling skills to improve shoulder mobility, reduce pain and facilitate scapula control in coordination with trunk and upper extremity movements.

Registration Form

Functional Intramuscular Stimulation (FIMS)

The Functional IMS course provides comprehensive training on conducting full body neuropathic functional assessments. It enhances clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills to identify patients who will benefit from IMS techniques. The course covers indications, contraindications, precautions, and emergency measures, ensuring safe and clean needle handling practices. Participants will learn over 150 needling points across two intensive weekends, equipping them with practical skills for effective treatment.

What will you learn upon completion of the course:

How to do a full body neuropathic functional assessment
Improve your clinical reasoning and critical thinking process
Identify patients who will benefit from IMS techniques.
Indications, contraindications, precautions and emergency measures
Safe and clean needle handling practice
Over 150 needling points over 2 weekends in person.

Vestibular Rehabilitation: Introductory & Advanced courses

Introductory Vestibular Rehabilitation

This introductory course is a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to assessing and managing dizziness, vertigo, motion sensitivity, compromised gaze stability and imbalance resulting from peripheral and central vestibular disorders.

The course includes an in-depth section on BPPV incorporating all the proven treatment maneuvers along with ample practical time. Additional assessment and treatment techniques pertinent to chronic vestibular dysfunctions are reviewed with practical time provided.

The role of vestibular rehabilitation in concussion management has been growing rapidly and a section of the course has been devoted to this area of practice.
Course participants receive the assessment forms, treatment programs and much more.

Links to a recorded course are provided for on-demand reviewing.
Course Content also includes patient related videos (nystagmus, oculomotor findings etc.), case studies and a review quiz

Participants will:

Gain an understanding of vestibular system neurophysiology and pathophysiology
Identify, assess and treat all the variants of BPPV
Assess, construct and implement eﬀective exercise-based programming for individuals with chronically impaired vestibular function

Advanced Vestibular Rehab course

This one-day Advanced course is appropriate for therapists who have taken an introductory course and would like to review and enhance their skills.
More recently, visual-vestibular integration strategies have proven to be an eﬀective intervention in many cases of Persistent Post Concussive Symptoms (PPCS)), PPPD, and Visual-Vestibular Mismatch. A component of the course incorporates a review of these interventions.

Course Content includes:

Review and advances in the assessment and treatment of BPPV, UVL and BVL clients.
Advances in the assessment and treatment of selected otological and non-otological pathologies.
Vision assessment and treatment programming
Patient related videos (nystagmus, oculomotor findings etc.)
Case studies and a Review quiz

Participants will:

Learn to assess and implement eﬀective vestibular rehabilitation programming for individuals with PPCS and chronic vestibular hypofunction.
Understand and develop enhanced skills in assessing and treating BPPV
Perform a vision screening evaluation and develop an awareness of the role of Physiotherapy and Neuro-Optometry in managing individuals with these complex dysfunctions

Matrix Repatterning, Module 1 Seminar

Matrix Repatterning is a science-based therapeutic system that uses a unique method of assessment to precisely determine underlying sources of tissue injury that may be contributing to presenting symptoms of pain or dysfunction, along with a gentle form of hands-on treatment, to restore optimal tissue tone, flexibility and stability, along with lasting pain relief. It recognizes that many of the effects of common injuries are absorbed by dense tissues, such as the skeletal framework (bone) and the deep fascia (fibrous tissue) associated with certain fluid-filled visceral structures.

The Module 1 seminar will introduce practitioners to basic assessment and treatment protocols and provide them with the tools to be able to apply Matrix Repatterning to resolve many cases of concussion, headache, low back pain, hip, knee, ankle and foot pain, as well as certain pelvic disorders. Follow up content includes access to an extensive video library (reviewing all of the procedures), a comprehensive assessment/treatment manual, supervised clinical experience and coaching support.

Watch free video course

APTEI: Cervical & Thoracic Spine (in Scarborough)

This course will enable you to gain a practical knowledge of the possible anatomical and psychosocial factors leading to persistent neck, thoracic region and rib cage pain. Once the pain classification is identified, optimal management optins of acute and persistent cervical whiplash associated disorders (WAD) will be clearly reviewed.

So what does the evidence (as of 2026) thus far tell us regarding optimal management of WADs?

Patient re-assurance ++
Pain Education
Maintenance of activity levels, but not too much
General exercise program
Specific exercise programs focusing on neck and shoulders
Encouragement of coping strategies
Simple analgesics

Although the research papers make the management sound so simple, we all know it is not so easy. This course will help you become more confident in your treatment of acute and persistent neck and thoracic spine pain knowing that you’re providing the best treatments based on the best available evidence.

View my video on WAD

View my video on one reason for delayed recovery in WADs

APTEI: Shoulder Complex (in Waterloo)

Upon completion of this course, you will be confident in applying evidence-based clinical assessment skills for the diagnosis and classification of individuals presenting with various common acute, sub-acute or persistent shoulder pain syndromes.

(E.g. persistent subacromial sensitivity, capsultis (frozen shoulder), etc.)

You will also be able to confidently identify several potential contributing factors to persistent pain and dysfunction at the shoulder complex.

Upon determining the diagnosis, classification and the potential contributing factors, you will be able to administer the most effective treatment / management options including specific exercise / movement prescription, manual therapies, neural mobilizations and taping.

Please view these 3 short videos to prepare yourself for the course.

Shoulder pain quick “fix” (1-min.)

Best shoulder exercises (2 min.)

Frozen shoulder diagnosis (1 min.)

Exercise Essentials for Physiotherapists

What really makes an exercise prescription “essential”? Join Bruce Craven for a dynamic, interactive weekend course challenging how we think about exercise.

This interactive weekend course challenges physiotherapists to move beyond default exercise selection and think more deeply about the science, reasoning, and clinical decision-making that should shape every prescription.

Led by Bruce Craven, Exercise Essentials in Physiotherapy brings together principles from physiotherapy, sport science, kinesiology, pathology, performance, and motor learning to help clinicians better understand what matters most when prescribing exercise. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on their own clinical reasoning, identify gaps in their knowledge, and develop a more integrated approach to exercise selection and progression.

The course begins on Friday evening by establishing a shared language around assessment, treatment planning, client goals, and the “why now” behind clinical decision-making. Saturday and Sunday then move into two days of interactive, case-based learning focused on applying exercise principles to real clinical and performance scenarios.

Course topics will include force, velocity, impulse, power, gravity, linear and rotational movement, motor learning, cueing, energy systems, breathing, core function, sympathetic response, stimulus–perception–response, and whole–part–whole learning. These concepts will then be applied to common clinical and performance areas including running, ACL rehabilitation, overhead throwing and hitting, jumping and hopping, speed, quickness, agility, and return-to-performance decision-making.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Identify the key clinical, biomechanical, physiological, and performance factors that influence exercise prescription.
Develop a clearer reasoning framework for selecting, modifying, and progressing exercises based on the client’s goals, presentation, and stage of recovery.
Apply principles of force, power, motor learning, energy systems, breathing, and core function to common rehabilitation and performance scenarios.
Better connect subjective history, objective assessment findings, clinical problems, treatment timelines, and exercise choices.
Explore exercise prescription strategies for running, ACL rehabilitation, overhead sport, jumping, agility, and return-to-performance programming.
Reflect on personal clinical reasoning habits and identify opportunities to strengthen the integration of science into everyday physiotherapy practice.

This course is designed for physiotherapists who want to sharpen their exercise prescription skills, challenge their assumptions, and leave with a more thoughtful, practical, and performance-informed approach to rehabilitation.