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North 49 Introduction to Vestibular Therapy Hybrid Course

Are you looking to improve your understanding of dizziness? If so, you are not alone. Dizziness is a common complaint across the lifespan, but research tells us that it is often poorly understood and treated. The thing is, it does not have to be this way. Come join us at Fairway Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Clinic in Thunder Bay, Ontario on April 10 & 11, 2026, for North 49’s Intro to Vestibular Therapy Hybrid Course. In this 16 hour hybrid course we use live and pre-recorded lectures in combination with hands on lab components and a live patient demonstration to cover:

  • BPPV and how to treat all the canals.
  • Vestibular hypofunction. 
  • Vestibular migraines.
  • PPPD. 
  • Dizziness and concussion. 
  • Dizziness & impaired balance with central vestibular disorders such as a stroke, cerebellar tumour, etc. 
  • Fall risk assessment & management.
  • And more.

This foundational/intermediate level course is intended for health care practitioners who see patients experiencing dizziness and/or unsteadiness. Really, this course was made for you if you:

  • See a need in this area and would like some direction to know where to start.
  • Have dabbled in this area and experienced a mix of success and failures.
  • Deal with athletes with concussion and want to know more than VOMS. 
  • Want to know more than just how to treat BPPV.
  • Have taken vestibular courses in the past and would like a refresher or update. 

If any of these resonate with you, we cannot wait to work with you this coming April in Thunder Bay!  By the end of this course you should be able to:

  • Explain in lay terms the anatomy and physiology of the vestibular system.
  • Perform a vestibular assessment, interpret the findings and identify those who will respond to vestibular therapy and those who need further investigation.
  • Develop and implement a treatment plan for those who will benefit from vestibular therapy.
  • Understand the expectations for treatment, outcome, and timeframes.

Click HERE for more information and to register. For further educational opportunities from North 49 feel free to check out our website at: https://courses.north49therapy.com If your clinic is interested in hosting a course, we have some great incentives for host clinics.

Rheumatology Bootcamp 101: Assessment & Management of Rheumatic Disease

Advance your knowledge base in rheumatic conditions.

This comprehensive 4-day hybrid course (virtual and in-person) delivers approximately 22 hours of live, expert-led training, supported by 6-10 hours of preparatory materials covering optimal evidence-based clinical practices in arthritis management.

This course is curated for allied health care professionals (PT, OT, RN, RPN, SW, PA) practicing in both community and hospital settings. Led by faculty currently practicing in the field, the sessions are designed to minimize impact on your current day-to-day clinical work activity and on clinic operations.

Virtual Content (Online Zoom Sessions): March 5th, March 6th 5.30 – 9.30 pm

  • Overview of commonly encountered rheumatic diseases
  • Medical and pharmacological management of commonly encountered arthritis diagnoses
  • Interdisciplinary pain management
  • Importance of optimal nutrition and weight management
  • Pathophysiology, clinical presentation and treatment principles for rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and osteoarthritis
  • Women’s health and rheumatic disease
  • Physical Activity Guidelines in patients with inflammatory and mechanical arthritis

In-Person Content: March 7th (12pm – 8pm) and March 8th (8.30 pm – 5pm)

  • Introduction to taking a history in inflammatory arthritis, including motivational interviewing techniques
  • Objective assessments including joint count and metrology
  • Management strategies including, but not limited to exercise prescription, self-management and patient education based on patient history and presentation.
  • The use of traditional treatment modalities in patients with inflammatory disease
  • Outcome measures commonly applied on arthritis care
  • OA care pathway and programs
  • Networking and collaboration with other disciplines to optimize arthritis care

Pelvic Health: Advanced Needling Techniques from Acupuncture Canada

Maximize your clinical impact and expand your scope of practice.

This intensive course is designed for dedicated professionals seeking to integrate advanced, evidence-informed techniques into their existing pelvic health practice. Participants will broaden their needling skills for integration into their pelvic health treatment protocols.

The curriculum emphasizes safety, precision, and evidence-informed practice, equipping clinicians with alternative options to support patients experiencing pelvic pain, incontinence, and other pelvic related conditions. Dry needling is a safe and effective treatment used by practitioners to treat the pelvic floor and associated regions. This technique helps to modulate the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as local tissues, by releasing muscle tension, improving blood flow, and reducing pain signals. It is an efficient tool that is often incorporated into a comprehensive treatment approach to address pelvic pain and dysfunction.

This advanced course is designed for regulated health professionals who are rostered with their provincial regulatory college to treat pelvic health conditions and use a needling modality in their practice.

Important Note: Eligibility is contingent upon each individual professional having met their provincial regulator’s specific requirements (such as post-graduate training and a rostered or annotated status) to perform these procedures.

Building on your foundational dry needling skills, Pelvic Health: Advanced Needling Techniques will advance your practice for pelvic conditions such as:

  • Urinary incontinence
  • Urgency/frequency
  • Fecal Incontinence
  • Pelvic organ prolapse
  • Constipation (evacuation difficulties)
  • Perineal pain (Dyspareunia, Vulvodynia, Vaginismus, Vestibulodynia, Testicular pain, Penile pain, Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder)
  • Urologically-based pelvic pain (Bladder Pain Syndrome/Interstitial Cystitis and Non-bacterial Chronic Prostatitis)
  • Gynecologically-based pelvic pain (ie. Endometriosis, Dysmennorhea)
  • Low Back Pain and Pelvic Girdle Pain Pre- and post-partum care

The Pelvic Health: Advanced Needling Techniques course combines a hybrid of online and in-person components. The online component introduces you to the theory of pelvic needling and the application of advanced needling techniques that can assist in the treatment of common pelvic health conditions. This self-paced (~20 hours) online component will be completed over 3 weeks and includes narrated presentations, needling research and resources, videos, and concludes with a brief exam.

The in-person lab will be approximately 20 hours over 2 ½ days and will involve teaching and refining hands-on needling skills. The final day will conclude with a practical exam to provide college accreditation.

Friday 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Saturday: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Sunday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Prerequisites include:

  • Being a rostered practitioner with your provincial college to treat pelvic conditions.
  • Being a rostered practitioner with your provincial college to use needles in practice.
  • Successful completion of Acupuncture Canada’s Dry Needling Level 2 course, or equivalent dry needling certification.
  • Proof of completion is required of the following pre-requisite muscles: multifidi, quadratus lumborum, lumbar paraspinals, glute min/med/max, piriformis, adductors, iliopsoas, tensor fascia latae, hamstrings, quads

Students will be required to supply their own pelvic models at the in-person portion of the course, including an educational model of the male and female pelvis. This is required to aid in your training while learning the needling techniques. No internal digital exam required. No internal needling. All external perineum.

Pelvic Health: Advanced Needling Techniques has been developed by senior, experienced instructors from the Acupuncture Canada faculty team, including pelvic health rostered physiotherapists, a physician and an acupuncturist. This combined background knowledge provides a well-rounded, holistic approach to treating complex pelvic health conditions.

Modern MSK Cervical Thoracic Manipulation and Management Course

In-person 2 day course PLUS on-line pre-course learning.

This two-part course will review the theoretical knowledge and background learning related to manual therapy and manipulation of the cervical and thoracic spine with a 4- week on-line distance-learning program. The focus of the on-line courses are safety and theoretical preparation for the practical component. Then the participant will attend a practical, in-person course that will help them gain psycho-motor skill competency in the practice of manipulation of the cervical and thoracic spine. This course contains content that addresses the requirements (theory, practice and final evaluation)that enable participants to SEEK authorization for the spinal manipulation roster in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The on-line course consists of 9 audio-power point presentations which include:

  1. Vascular Risk in Cervical Manipulation and Treatment
  2. Red Flags for Cervical Manipulation and Treatment
  3. Introduction to Manipulation and Proposed Effects of Manipulation
  4. Manipulation of the Cervical and Thoracic Spine- Efficacy
  5. Cervical and Thoracic Manipulation- The Process
  6. Yellow Flag Screening
  7. Introduction to the Treatment-Based Classification (TBC) System of the Cervical Spine
  8. Legislative Requirements for Manipulation
  9. Anatomy and Pathology in the Cervical and Thoracic Spine

In-person Learning: Will focus on the clinical reasoning and motor learning required to effectively integrate manual physical therapy examination and intervention techniques into the clinical management of these individuals. Safety and screening for appropriate candidates to discuss manipulation as an option are reviewed in detail.

The evidence-based assessment of the cervical/thoracic region will be illustrated and practiced by participants to help classify patients into a treatment based category. The four categories include Mobility, Directional Preference, Exercise/Endurance and Pain Control. The focus of the course will be on effective and safe assessment of patients to identify those patients who would most likely benefit from manipulation. Participants will have the opportunity to practice Cervical/Thoracic area manipulations including supine, side-lying and seated techniques.

The techniques covered include but are not restricted to the manipulations listed above. Once students have been guided in the refinement of the motor strategies for manipulation, they will be asked to demonstrate competency for each manipulation covered in the course prior to having their skills checklist marked as competent. Audio-visual, demonstration, instructor guided application, peer-review feed-back and case studies will be employed to promote learning prior to assessment of competency. This course will provide 14 hours of direct contact teaching related to the skill acquisition of manipulation.

Modern MSK Lumbar Sacral Manipulation and Management

2 day in-person with pre-course online modules

Lumbar Sacral Manipulation and Management

This course contains content that addresses the requirements (theory, practice and final evaluation) that have allowed Physiotherapists to apply to roster in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan-This course will cover the material you need to effectively screen and select patients eligible for manipulation in the Lumbar Sacral region and you will be taught how to effectively deliver manipulation in this area. You will be using the “reversed classroom” to participate in this course. First, you will learn the theory on-line, at home at your own pace. Second, you will come to a weekend intensive course where 80% of your learning will be hands on so that you DO NOT have to listen to theory, you can practice the techniques you will use Monday morning.

You will be given access to 8 on-line units that will cover the theory and background necessary to safely and effectively utilize manipulation. These units will include:

  1. An Introduction to Manipulation
  2. The Risks Associated with Manipulation
  3. Discussion of the Application of Manipulation
  4. Chronic Pain Management in the Lumbar/Pelvic Region
  5. Management of Hypermobility
  6. The SIJ
  7. Over view of Objective Exam Screen Tests
  8. Discussion of the Legislation, Rostering and Informed Consent related to Lumbar/Sacral Manipulation

There will be quizzes to assess your knowledge acquisition following every two or three units.

An additional 2 units on anatomy and pathology are included as well.

Following completion of the on-line module, participants will attend a two-day weekend intensive course. On this course, screening and assessment of the lumbar/sacral region will be reviewed. The evidence-based assessment of the lumbar/sacral region will be illustrated and practiced by participants to help classify patients into a Goal Oriented Category. These categories include Directional Preference, Stabilization (hypermobility), Chronic Pain and Manipulation.

The focus of the course will be on effective and safe assessment of patients to identify those patients who would most likely benefit from manipulation. Participants will have the opportunity to practice lumbar/sacral area manipulations including supine, side-lying and prone techniques. The techniques covered include but are not restricted to the lumbar side-lying gap manipulation, the Chicago technique and Sacral manipulations.

Once students have been guided in the refinement of the motor strategies for manipulation, they will be asked to demonstrate competency for each manipulation covered in the course prior to having their skills checklist marked as competent. Audio-visual, demonstration, instructor guided application, peer-review feed-back and case studies will be employed to promote learning prior to assessment of competency. This course will provide 14 hours of direct contact teaching related to the skill acquisition of manipulation.

Acupuncture Canada’s Dry Needling Level 1

Plan now to add dry needling to your treatment toolbox in 2026. Acupuncture Canada’s Dry Needling program is offered regularly in the Toronto area.

Dry Needling training and certification starts with Acupuncture Canada’s Dry Needling Level 1 (DN1) course. Dry Needling Level 1 presents the concepts and theories regarding myofascial trigger points and the mechanism of action of dry needling from a clinical and evidence-informed approach. A selection of common conditions will be addressed with skills applications of selected muscles. Safety guidelines are emphasized throughout.

Using the trigger point approach, Dry Needling Level 1 addresses treatment of conditions including: strain of hip flexors, rotators, piriformis syndrome, hamstring strain, Achille’s tendinitis, strain from immobilization in casts, posterior rotator cuff, ankle strain/sprain, shin splints, and knee strain.

The DN1 course starts with a 3-week online study component, including videos, narrated PPTs, quizzes and case management plans. Online study is followed by a 3-day intensive in-person component where students work in small groups with experienced instructors, to learn safe, effective needling techniques. You will be able to start simple treatment of pain problems, with an emphasis on musculoskeletal pain, within your scope of practice.

2026 courses will be held in Toronto:

·         February 6-8, 2026 (online start date of January 16th)

·         May 29-31, 2026 (online start date of May 8th)

·         October 23-25, 2026 (online start date of October 2nd)

What do our students say?

“I have taken many physio courses and do not always feel ready to implement the new technique. This course has left me feeling confident.”

“Pace of course facilitated learning very well – not overwhelming.”

“The one on one. Instructor/student ratio was excellent. Lots of time for practice/instruction.”

“I thought the course and instructors were great. Definitely worth it.”

 

Course fee: $1,499 plus tax ($1,399 for Acupuncture Canada members). ON-based physio residents can register.

 

For more details visit www.acupuncturecanada.org  or call 416-752-3988.

DN1 is the first of three courses in the Dry Needling Program. The Acupuncture Canada curriculum has been carefully designed to incorporate on-line learning components along with hands-on skills sessions to provide the best opportunity for students to build their knowledge and their clinical skills. DN1 is followed by Dry Needling Level 2 and Dry Needling Level 3: Advanced Techniques.