Integration of Evidence Informed Practice and Clinical Practice Guidelines into Physical Therapy Clinical Decision Making

Course Description:
Various approaches such as pain education, manual therapy techniques and motor control have been researched and found to be effective in managing neuromusculoskeletal pain. The challenge for most clinicians is understanding how to prioritize and integrate these approaches to optimize clinical outcomes. This course will propose a clinical reasoning model that provides a framework for clinicians as they determine what are optimal interventions for their patients. This model will highlight the need to consider many variables when developing an integrated, patient-centered plan of care. Some of these variables include pain mechanisms, irritability and chronicity of symptoms and personal contextual factors such as beliefs and emotions about the patient's condition. A case example will be discussed to show how this model is applied.

Paul Reuteman PT, DPT, MHS, OCS, is a board-certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist from the ABPTS and is Clinical Professor in the Program of Physical Therapy at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. His primary teaching responsibilities include musculoskeletal examination and intervention principles, clinical decision making and clinical radiology. He maintains an active clinical practice at a private practice affiliated with Riverside Corporate Wellness in La Crosse. Dr. Reuteman is also the co-founder of Specialized Physical Therapy Education and is the Program Director and Instructor of their Orthopedic Residency Program. He also serves as faculty of Gundersen Healthcare Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program in Onalaska, WI. Dr. Reuteman is a recipient of the College of Health Sciences Professional Achievement Award from Marquette University and is a two-time recipient of the Sports Medicine Teacher of the Year by the Gundersen Medical Foundation.

Direct to Employer Contracting - PPSIG sponsored course

Course Description:
During this 4-hour session Bryan and Jennifer will discuss direct to employer contracting services as a viable non-insurance-based option specifically geared toward private practice owners. Direct to employer contracting will cover Injury prevention, early intervention, and OSHA first Aid, Post Offer Pre-employment testing, Job descriptions, workers compensation and return to work management, both on-site and near site opportunities. The speakers will review the software and training that they use in their practices, marketing, and contract writing.

Jennifer Jeschke PT, DPT, CMPT, MFDc, founded Optimal Physical Therapy in 2005 in Lake Mills, WI. She is currently serving on the board of directors for the APTA Wisconsin Private Practice Special Interest Group. She received her Clinical Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine 2003. Areas of special interest and expertise include orthopedic and sports medicine, Injured Worker rehabilitation, and injury prevention, Direct to Employer Contracting, Trigger Point Dry Needling and Myofascial Decompression Techniques, and is a Certified Golf Performance Specialist through Nike and the Gray Institute. She is certified through the Occupro system for Injured worker management, FCE, Work Conditioning, Post Offer Pre-Employment testing, and Injury Prevention. Her primary role as a PT and private practice owner is developing direct to employer contracting both onsite and in her Lake Mills practice location, and managing workers compensation and workplace injuries, reducing claims and recordables, and helping employees and employers achieve their goals.

Bryan Cummings, PT, DPT, OCS, is a physical therapist and co-owner of New Life Physical Therapy. He is board certified in Orthopedic Physical Therapy through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, and is a Fellow of Applied Functional Science (FAFS) through the Gray Institute. Additionally, Bryan is the President of New Life For Work and serves on the board of directors for the APTA Wisconsin Private Practice Special Interest Group.

Across the Lifespan: Health and Wellness in People with Diabetes

Course Description:
Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants are well positioned to collaboratively manage people living with diabetes. PTs/PTAs are able to provide general guidance regarding nutrition, medications, positive support systems, and managing other negative sequelae of diabetes. An increased focus on primary and tertiary prevention can lead to decreased need for secondary prevention. This three-hour presentation will use evidence-informed content to lead the learner in application of interventions to improve and co-manage the general health of a person living with diabetes. By the end of the session, learners will be able to return to their own work settings and discuss collaborative strategies at the individual and organizational levels regarding support of self-management for people living with diabetes.

Susan Wenker, PT, PhD, GCS-Emeritus, is the Director of UW-Madison DPT program and an Assistant Professor (CHS) in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. She earned her BS at UW-La Crosse and her Masters and PhD degrees at UW-Madison through the School of Education. She is actively involved in the APTA Geriatrics and teaches in the University of Wisconsin-Madison DPT program. Additionally, she teaches the Credentialed Clinical Instructor Course and serves on multiple campus committees for interprofessional teaching, leadership, and programming.

Tracy Schroepfer, PhD, MSW, MA, is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Social Work. She is a recipient of the Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholar Award, and serves on several national boards including the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work and the NQF Geriatric and Palliative Care Standing Committee. Dr. Schroepfer's research focuses on 1) improving the care provided to elders who are seriously or terminally ill by determining the best strategies for meeting their psychosocial, cultural and spiritual needs; and 2) health care disparities experienced by medically underserved communities. Her research is informed by her former practice as a hospice social worker and community work.

Denise Walbrandt Pigarelli, PharmD, R.Ph., BC-ADM, earned her BS and PharmD degrees from UW-Madison and then completed a specialty residency in ambulatory care at the Madison VA in 1994. She practiced as a clinical pharmacist at the Phoenix VA before joining the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy faculty in 1996. Denise currently practices as a mid-level provider at the Madison VA in Diabetes Clinic. Her clinical research interests include clinical and quality of life outcomes of drug therapy and pharmaceutical care; her academic research interests include outcomes related to instructional design and assessment.

Aleksandra Torkelson, SPT, is a third year Doctor of Physical Therapy Student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science with a double minor in psychology and nutrition from the University of Connecticut. As a longtime member of the diabetes community, Aleksandra is deeply passionate about exercise endocrinology and the enhancement of diabetes care as it intertwines with the profession of physical therapy. You can connect with Aleksandra via email at atorkelson@wisc.edu.

Clinic-Based Taping Practice: From New Grad to Seasoned Clinician

Course Description:
Participants in this course will learn a multitude of taping techniques to perform on patients with a range of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular injuries. This clinical hands-on demonstration will emphasize the clinical rationale for taping rehabilitation strategies and demonstrate a variety of taping treatments for the foot, ankle, knee, shoulder, and back. The main purpose of this session is to provide attendees with clinical considerations and practical implementation strategies that they can take back to their patients immediately.

Jack Knudson-Stuhr, PTA, has worked at Gundersen Health System in the Sports Medicine Physical Therapy department for fifteen years. He is a graduate of Western Technical College in La Crosse, WI. His primary practice has been orthopedic, and neuromuscular injury rehabilitation. He has received an Advanced Proficiencies in Musculoskeletal Physical Therapy through the APTA.

Sociohistorical and Psychological Factors Contributing to Diseases of Despair

Course Description:
In 2017, the opioid crisis went from just that, a crisis, to being declared an epidemic. One major reason for this change in terminology was due to sky-rocketing drug overdose deaths. Drug overdose deaths rose steadily from 1999 to 2017 in 3 separate waves related to the opioid crisis. With a short plateau from 2017-2019, drug overdose deaths rose again by 30% in 2020 and increased another 15% in 2021. Overdose deaths can happen to anybody, which is true. But that is not a full truth as certain groups within our society tend to be overrepresented in overdose death statistics. Both history and sociology can give us context to this problem. Understanding "despair" can give deeper meaning for why so many people are not just dying of overdoses but also of alcoholism and suicide, which are all linked as the "diseases of despair." Likely because of differing social organization amongst social groups, many that suffer from health disparities are not highly represented in the statistics of diseases of despair. But likely their despair manifests itself differently. We will also get a better sociohistorical understanding of health disparities to broaden the ethical discussion and make this presentation relevant to all attendees.

Kelly Ashbeck, DPT, OCS, has 14 years of physical therapy experience with a special interest in persistent pain. Dr. Ashbeck received his BS in Sociology in 2005 and his DPT in 2008, both from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He completed an orthopaedic residency from SPTE in 2013 and became a board certified orthopedic specialist in 2014. Before becoming a physical therapist, Dr. Ashbeck had a strong interest in understanding social stratification and hopes that this professional interest makes him uniquely qualified to speak on health disparities. Dr Ashbeck resides in Neenah, WI with his wife and two daughters.

Hot Topics in Private Practice PT - PPSIG sponsored course

Course Description:
Pelvic floor dysfunction is a global health problem that affects millions of women, with 9.7% to 49.7% prevalence in United States women based on age. Currently, most research studies focus on strengthening protocols but there is limited research on manual, down training techniques for nonrelaxing pelvic floor, which contribute to pelvic floor dysfunctions. Unfortunately, nonrelaxing pelvic floor disorder is not widely identified within the healthcare community. This has implications in the pelvic health, orthopedic and sports realm of healthcare, particularly physical therapy. Several case studies of athletes with hip and/or groin injuries have shown complete resolution once the pelvic floor is addressed with myofascial treatment. It is important for all clinicians to be able to identify the signs and symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, recognize nonrelaxing pelvic floor disorder and be able to recommend treatment appropriately in order to provide better evidence-based, patient-centered care. It also provides physical therapists a unique opportunity to collaborate within the healthcare team and be able to make the correct referral. This session provides an overview of the anatomy and function of the pelvic floor, current pelvic floor issues that present orthopedically, and differential diagnosis and treatments based on the most current evidence.

Extraorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) describes the use of acoustic pulses to treat acute and chronic pain conditions of the musculoskeletal system. In this course we will discuss what ESWT is, the science behind why it is used and how it works, advantages of using ESWT. The pezo-electeric principle will be discussed as well

Brenda Heinecke, PT, DPT, CSCS, is the owner and founder of Revitalize Physical Therapy, a private practice in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a clinical focus on female pelvic health through the different stages of a woman's life. She earned her BS in Cell Physiology from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Northwestern University. Over the years, Dr. Brenda has presented numerous research presentations at regional and national conferences. In addition to her interest in research, Dr. Brenda is also passionate about mentoring and educating other physical therapists. In her free time, she enjoys racing motocross, hiking, snowmobiling, boating and spending time outside with her husband, three kids, and black lab.

David Nissenbaum, MPT, MA, LAT, OCS, TPI-3, CIDN, PES, received his Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Athletic Training from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1994. He obtained his Masters in Sports Administration from the University of Northern Colorado in 1995. He then returned to Madison to obtain a Masters in Physical Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1999. David is board certified in Orthopedics by the APTA. David was director of outpatient orthopedic and sports medicine clinic before opening PRO Physical Therapy in 2016.