Gastrointestinal Disorders and The Pelvic Floor

Overview

Learn a comprehensive approach to gastrointestinal disorders including bowel and digestion dysfunction through didactic lectures, hands-on labs, and case study presentations.

This approach allows for the consideration of the management of multiple factors including nutritional, behavioral, medical-surgical decisions, and advanced physical therapy examination and treatment.

A comprehensive approach will lead to improved management of this complex patient, as a varied intervention approach is required to be successful.

Short Video Introduction

Learning Objectives

Through completion of this course, participants will:

• Understand and define functional bowel disorders and bowel disease
• Recognize the latest evidence on the CNS and endocrine relationship to the GI system in adults
• Understand medical testing/imaging and interpretation of the result
• Implement a physiotherapy assessment for differential diagnosis of individuals with gastrointestinal disorders
• Identify medical “red flags” that warrant referral to the appropriate physician
• Recognize the behavioral components and the role of physical therapy interventions
• Apply assessment and treatment techniques to the patients with complex bowel disorders including dyssenergia
• Implement the balloon catheter to treat increased and decreased colorectal sensitivity

Audience

This online physiotherapy course is open to physical therapists, nurses, nurse practitioners, occupational therapists, naturopaths, chiropractors, medical doctors, and any other licensed health care provider. 

Completion of this course will improve the practitioners' performance of an evaluation of the musculoskeletal aspect of the GI system (including a focus on the lower GI region), establish and create a treatment plan and it’s progression for GI dysfunction and movement impairments of the abdomen and pelvic region.  The interventions will include manual therapy, movement/exercise, respiration and balloon catheter techniques to reduce dysfunction. They will also gain a foundational knowledge of the GI system including digestive disorders, basic nutritional contributions, abdominal and pelvic floor dysfunction, and psychosocial/behavioral contributions.