Over a quarter of the United States struggles with frequent pain and movement difficulty. Despite advances in diagnostics, surgery, regenerative medicine, pharmacology, and rehabilitative interventions, chronic pain continues to grow in prevalence exceeding heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined. Research on the science of pain spanning the past three decades has changed the way we understand, educate, and treat pain. Concurrent to these developments in pain science, movement science has increasingly recognized the interplay of biopsychosocial factors in human movement. Advancements in research on biomechanics, motor control, and manual therapy have also revealed an increased need for clinicians to recognize and understand the complex layers of the lived human experience as playing important roles in assessment and prescription of movement. This evolution in understanding of pain and movement is built on a biopsychosocial model.This course provides an introduction to concepts within contemporary pain science, movement science, and behavior change utilizing a biopsychosocial process-based framework called the Movement with Pain Framework (MWPF). Coursework includes bonus material covering 8 persistent movement misconceptions.This course is an online lecture format for rehabilitation providers to improve their ability to help people struggling with movement and pain.
Your Instructor
Leonard Van Gelder is a physical therapist, athletic trainer, therapeutic pain specialist, spinal manual therapist, and strength and conditioning specialist. He has been involved in the movement and rehabilitation field for over 15 years. During this time, he has studied, published research, and presented at regional and international conferences on the science of stretching, strength and conditioning, and therapeutic pain science interventions. He has explored a diverse spectrum of manual therapy and movement approaches, and emphasizes a biopsychosocial approach to manual therapy, movement, and education in his practice. He owns and practices clinically at Dynamic Movement and Recovery (DMR) in Grand Rapids, MI.