• Please note the pre-requisite for this In-Person course is the Virtual ConnectTherapy™ & the Thorax Course. The Virtual Course  is online and self-paced, but must be completed prior to the In-Person portion. This is an excellent course to take as an introduction to ConnectTherapy™. If you’ve taken courses with LJ in the past, this is also an excellent opportunity to focus on your Thoracic Ring skills. 

Do you see the thoracic spine and ribcage like a “black box”? Are you puzzled by clinical experiences where patients with seemingly similar symptoms respond very differently to techniques like thoracic manipulation and mobilization? Looking for a framework that is functional, patient-centred and grounded in clinical reasoning and research?  Then this is the course for you!

Based on her clinical and research work on the thorax over the past 20+ years, Dr. LJ Lee created and developed the Thoracic Ring Approach™, a comprehensive, whole person, functional framework that explains what optimal function of the thorax is, how dysfunction in the thorax can develop, and the possible consequences of thoracic dysfunction throughout the body. This includes recognizing the significant impact that thoracic dysfunction can have on sensitizing the central nervous system and driving autonomic dys-regulation, that goes far beyond “the T4 Syndrome”. 

The Thoracic Ring Approach is part of LJ’s whole body, whole person model, ConnectTherapy. Early on, LJ recognized that the presence of dysfunction or pain in the thorax does not predict who will respond positively to thoracic treatments – that is, neither pain nor dysfunction are sufficient indicators of where in the body the underlying cause, or “Primary Driver” of the problem is located. This is true of all dysfunction in the body – some dysfunction is a downstream impact of a Driver elsewhere, and some dysfunction is the key to treat to unlock lasting change in pain and function. 

The thoracic spine and ribcage can be sites of pain and other symptoms, but this region is also commonly pain-free and yet dysfunctional, and the “silent” underlying Driver for many recurrent and persistent problems our patients face. 

Did you know that thoracic dysfunction can be the underlying Driver for:

• Inability to progress or train “core stability”, abdominal asymmetry, and Diastasis Recti Abdominis (DRA)
• Poor response to glute training programs
• Recurrent neck, shoulder, hip, low back, and pelvic girdle pain
• Recurrent tendinopathies and other load-related injuries
• Poor balance and agility
• Incontinence, prolapse, and pelvic pain syndromes
• A “sensitive nervous system”
• Breathing dysfunction
• Autonomic dys-regulation and a variety of issues with digestion, sleep, and emotional balance

For the most effective and efficient treatment pathway for these conditions and more, we need a whole body, whole person reasoning framework that provides an algorithm to differentiate true Drivers from symptomatic areas. 

In the Virtual Online “ConnectTherapy & the Thorax” course, you are introduced to the clinical reasoning frameworks of ConnectTherapy & the Thoracic Ring Approach, and the unique aspects of the Thoracic Ring Approach techniques.

This In-Person course teaches you all the hands-on skills to be able to identify when the thoracic rings are the Driver for your patient’s problem, or when the thorax dysfunction is the result of a Driver elsewhere. Furthermore, you’ll learn how to treat the thoracic spine and ribcage in a 3-dimensional functional method that focuses on neurophysiological and neuromuscular balance centred around patient goals and exercise training. 

In addition to learning innovative assessment and treatment techniques created by Dr. Lee, this weekend will open up a whole new framework that will make your current techniques more effective and efficient.