Participants who register for this course have the option to attend the course live-online and/or watch the recording later. The recording will be available to all registrants for a 6-week period and access is provided on the next business day following the course. This allows participants who may not be able to attend live-online to still benefit from the course content. 

Please note – if you do not attend live, there will be approximately 10 minutes of images shown which will not be recorded for privacy reasons.

Course Description:

Breast cancer is the most prevailing cancer among women and currently the most common diagnosed cancer worldwide. With the incredible advances seen in breast cancer management, survivorship has increased, leading to over 70% of women will be left with an impairment that can be prevented and treated by rehabilitation professionals.

This course is designed to equip healthcare professionals especially physical therapists, with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide comprehensive and evidence-based care for individuals affected by breast cancer, contributing to their overall well-being and recovery. As survivorship is a unique and complex journey, physical therapists play a crucial role in supporting individuals during this phase. Participants will gain a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by breast cancer survivors, the complexities of rehabilitation during cancer treatment and the role of physical therapy in optimizing their functional outcomes and quality of life.

Additionally, the course is designed to provide the groundwork to begin developing skills in breast cancer rehabilitative care. Drawing attention to biopsychosocial and person-centered care, this course will teach evidence-based rehabilitation techniques through all stages of treatment including chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and endocrine therapies. Rehabilitation professionals will learn to focus on all aspects of the person’s life to engage and empower patients in their recovery. Special focus will be on the practical components of assessment, soft tissue manipulation techniques along with a how to provide an appropriate therapeutic home exercise program by working with the patient’s individuals needs and meaningful goals.

By the end of this course, participants will possess the knowledge and practical skills necessary to deliver proficient and empathetic physical therapy care for individuals grappling with breast cancer. The curriculum adopts an evidence-based and patient-centered approach, highlighting the importance of shared decision-making to enhance their holistic well-being and facilitate a successful recovery.

Restoring health during cancer treatment is more than just removing disease. The evidence is overwhelming that cancer rehabilitation is a critical part of the cancer care pathway and rehabilitation professionals are well positioned to provide the personalized care people need and want and deserve. I welcome you to embark on this journey with me by taking a deeper dive at the principles of oncology rehabilitation in individuals affected by breast cancer.

Course Objectives:

• Review the incidence, etiology and risk factors for breast cancer
• Identify the various types of breast cancers, methods of diagnosis and staging
• Recognize the various forms of treatments used for breast cancer including:
  • Understanding the various surgical techniques used in managing breast cancer including reconstruction procedures
  • Identifying the common sequelae related to chemotherapy and radiotherapy (i.e. cardiotoxicity, cancer related fatigue, radiation fibrosis, lymphedema)
  • Review the long-term implications of hormone therapy (i.e. osteoporosis, joint arthralgia, vaginal dryness)
• Overview of current evidence-based knowledge and clinical expertise related to breast cancer rehabilitation and exercise
• Understand the roadmap of rehabilitation before, during and post-cancer treatment
• Identify and treat for common musculoskeletal impairments including postural, shoulder and scapular dysfunction, scarring and soft tissue dysfunctions, axillary web syndrome and radiation fibrosis
• Evidence-based approach to lymphedema management
• Identify the general benefits of exercise for breast cancer patients
• Safely design an appropriate oncology rehab program plan derived from evidence-based guidelines and clinical and screening tools presented in course

Audience: All regulated healthcare professionals including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses and massage therapists.

Prerequisites: None

This course is designed to be attended live during the specific dates and times listed. By attending live, you’ll be able to harness the benefits of live discussions, timely feedback, and a collaborative environment.

Course Description: 

Persistent pelvic and musculoskeletal pain cannot be fully understood—or effectively treated—through a biomechanical lens alone. Although physiotherapists receive extensive training in anatomy, structure and movement, many clinicians find it challenging to translate the biopsychosocial model from theory into everyday practice.

This comprehensive course provides a practical, evidence-informed framework for assessing and treating the whole person. Participants will examine how biological, psychological and social factors interact to influence pain, disability and recovery. The course challenges common assumptions about pain, posture, core strength, imaging findings and tissue damage, while exploring how clinician language and treatment choices can either support recovery or unintentionally reinforce fear, dependency and a sense that the body is broken.

The Fit-for-Purpose Model offers clinicians a structured approach to persistent pain through three interconnected domains:

• Conviction: beliefs, expectations, emotions and psychological flexibility
• Connection: sensory-motor awareness, regulation and nervous-system adaptability
• Condition: physical capacity, mobility, strength and tissue health

Participants will learn to assess these domains using clinical conversations, validated screening tools and physical examination findings. Treatment can then be matched to each patient’s presentation, preferences and readiness for change.

The course explores evidence-informed strategies including pain education, cognitive and behavioural skills, sensory-motor retraining, graded exposure, cardiovascular exercise, meditation, breathing practices, yoga, qi gong, expressive writing and progressive relaxation. Manual therapy and other passive interventions are reframed as potential adjuncts within a broader active rehabilitation plan—not as stand-alone solutions.

Emphasis is placed on patient-centred communication and a collaborative partnership that moves clinicians away from the role of “fixer.” Participants will develop greater confidence in discussing psychosocial contributors without dismissing the patient’s physical experience, recognizing factors that fall within physiotherapy scope, and determining when interdisciplinary referral is appropriate.

Clinical barriers—including limited appointment time, patient and clinician beliefs, uncertainty, and conflicting approaches within healthcare teams—will be addressed throughout the course. Participants will leave with practical strategies for making realistic, incremental changes that bring biopsychosocial care into everyday pelvic and musculoskeletal practice.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Explain why a biopsychosocial approach is necessary for the assessment and treatment of persistent pelvic and musculoskeletal pain.
2. Recognize and challenge common pain myths related to tissue damage, posture, core strength, structural “wear and tear,” and imaging findings.
3. Describe the relationship between pain, sensitization, psychosocial distress, sensory-motor dysregulation, physical conditioning and disability.
4. Apply the Fit-for-Purpose Model to assess the interconnected domains of Conviction, Connection and Condition.
5. Screen for relevant psychosocial and sensory-motor factors in all patients with persistent pelvic or musculoskeletal pain—not only those perceived as complex.
6. Select and use validated questionnaires, including the DASS-21, 3PSQ, Central Sensitization Inventory, Insomnia Severity Index and Fremantle questionnaires, to support clinical reasoning.
7. Interpret screening results within the broader clinical presentation without using questionnaires as stand-alone diagnostic tools.
8. Identify factors within physiotherapy scope and recognize when referral to another healthcare professional is indicated.
9. Match evidence-informed interventions to the individual patient’s pain drivers, goals, preferences, readiness and functional needs.
10. Integrate psychologically informed strategies such as pain education, cognitive and behavioural skills, graded exposure, mindfulness, breathing, relaxation and expressive writing into physiotherapy practice.
11. Use movement-based approaches, including cardiovascular exercise, sensory-motor retraining, yoga and qi gong, to address nervous-system sensitivity, altered body awareness, generalized tension and reduced physical capacity.
12. Position manual therapy and other passive modalities as adjuncts within an active, multimodal treatment plan while minimizing messages that may promote fear, dependency or a “broken body” mindset.
13. Communicate pain science in a validating, patient-centred manner that supports self-efficacy, therapeutic alliance and shared decision-making.
14. Develop an individualized, interdisciplinary treatment plan that integrates biological, psychological and social contributors to persistent pain.
15. Identify barriers to biopsychosocial implementation and create a realistic plan for introducing incremental changes into clinical practice.
16. Reflect on personal clinical assumptions, become more comfortable with uncertainty, and adopt an ongoing approach to professional growth and change.

Audience: This course is open to all healthcare professionals.

Prerequisites: None

Participants who register for this course have the option to attend the course live-online and/or watch the recording later. The recording will be available to all registrants for a 6-week period and access is provided on the next business day following the course. This allows participants who may not be able to attend live-online to still benefit from the course content. 

Course Description

Dancers and other artistic athletes, including circus artists, gymnasts, and figure skaters, have unique demands that include repetitive loading in extreme ranges of motion, intense training and performing schedules, and a requirement for artistic/emotional expression and exploration. They also experience pelvic floor issues such as incontinence at similar rates to other high-level athletes, regardless of pregnancy history.

The purpose of this course is to help pelvic health practitioners address dancers and related artistic athletes and their pelvic health concerns in a comprehensive manner specific to their unique training, movement, and performance demands.

This course will introduce common movement demands, including repetitive impact loading and range of motion requirements, along with typical non-optimal training and movement habits of performers that impact pelvic floor function—as well as how to address them. You will also be introduced to common overall health issues in dancers and other artistic athletes, including hypermobility, nutrient deficiencies/RED-S, inadequate general preparation for sport demands, and psychosocial factors that impact their pelvic health and wellness. You will leave with example exercises and cues that can be implemented to address the specific needs of dancers and related artistic athletes.

This comprehensive course will help you in optimally addressing dancers and related artistic athletes according to their unique needs, using an approach that considers the whole kinetic chain as well as holistic and multidisciplinary considerations. This course is appropriate for pelvic health practitioners who want to expand their skillset in treating dancers and other performing athletes.

Course Objectives:

• Participants will understand the training philosophies and trends for dancers and related artistic athletes that are unique compared to other sports, and how these can impact pelvic health.
• Participants will understand the range of motion and impact demands of dancers and related artistic athletes, and how to approach these demands in relation to their impact on the pelvic floor.
• Participants will be able to assess common breathing, pelvic floor, and intra-abdominal pressure management habits unique to performing arts training, and will be equipped to re-educate artistic athletes in more effective and efficient strategies.
• Participants will be able to identify signs and concerns related to hypermobility in artistic athletes and develop strategies for their management.
• Participants will be able to screen for common health issues in artistic athletes, such as RED-S and psychosocial concerns, that impact pelvic floor health, and know what to do when these concerns are present.
• Participants will learn example exercises and cues from across the kinetic chain to improve overall movement strategies in artistic athletes and offload the pelvic floor.

Audience: This course is appropriate for pelvic health practitioners who want to expand their skill set in treating dancers and other performing athletes.

Prerequisites: A basic understanding of management of pelvic floor dysfunction is recommended.