CEU Review: Orthopedic Excellence: The Spine

Course Title: Orthopedic Excellence: The Spine

Faculty: Chad Cook, PT, PhD, MBA, FAAOMPT and Eric Hegedus,PT, DPT, MHSc, OCS, CSCS

Overview:

Orthopedic Excellence: The Spine is a course series offered through the online continuing education company MedBridge Education. The series is broken into three regions (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar) and two categories (evaluation and treatment). All courses, excluding the short introductory course, are taught by Chad Cook.

Pros:

1. Evidence-based information regarding evaluation and treatment of spinal disorders
2. Thoroughly planned evaluation and treatment scheme
3. Accurate and robust reporting of the statistical properties of common special tests and evaluative procedures
4. Use of a treatment-based classification system
5. Well-organized and instructed lectures, which lay out not only specific manual therapy techniques, but also the epidemiology, risk factors, and literature supporting the interventions or evaluation techniques discussed
6. Excellent and clearly recorded videos of specific manual therapy techniques and exercises
7. Integration of physical performance testing into the evaluation of spinal conditions
8. 30+ hours of online videos
9. Ability to complete course series at home without the need to travel
10. No cost with subscription to MedBridge Education’s online database of courses (~$200)

Cons:

1. Difficult to learn manual therapy techniques via online course due to the inability to practice with the direction of an instructor
2. Some redundancy throughout course series due to the fact that the courses are also offered as stand alone entities. This requires overview of the general philosophy, statistics, and pathologies being discussed within each course
3. No live patient cases included demonstrating the evaluation scheme or treatment philosophy

Overall:

For the busy clinician who cannot make the time/travel commitment of attending a live course, the Orthopedic Excellence: The Spine course series offers a fantastic alternative. Every aspect of the course is centered around evidence-based concepts with no blind claims made without the support of appropriate literature. While a live course will always be the superior choice due to the interaction with instructors and supervised practice, MedBridge offers the best online option for learning evaluation and treatment of spinal conditions.

For more information regarding what MedBridge Education has to offer, check out my review of their excellent Home Exercise Program or browse their Website

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