Do you feel like the thoracic spine and ribcage are 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 and grounded in clinical reasoning and patient centred?  

This is the online course experience that you have been waiting for! Physiotherapist Dr. LJ Lee is known internationally for her expertise in the thorax, and this online course provides you with the most current and evidence-based approach to assessing and treating this important region of the body. With over 11 hours of content, this online course includes blended content from 2 different live course weekends, along with the class Q&A’s, movement practices and tools to implement the material in the virtual / telehealth context. LJ shares her clinical and research expertise from the past two decades, along with clinical case examples and patient videos.

The thorax forms the largest region of the spine and trunk and is essential for respiration while ensuring effective transfer of loads through the kinetic chain for optimal whole body function and performance. Trunk rotation and rotational control are essential for performance in many functional and sports activities. While much “core stability” has focused around the lumbar spine and pelvis, the thorax is the centre of trunk rotation, and all of the abdominal muscles are innervated from the thorax. A dysfunctional thorax can drive asymmetrical abdominal function, making it difficult to achieve symmetry and balanced rotational control no matter what the cues or training activity. With connections between the abdominal wall, the diaphragm and the pelvic floor, non-optimal thoracic function can be the missing link for successful treatment of pelvic floor problems such as incontinence, prolapse, and pelvic floor pain syndromes.

Whether painful or not, dysfunction in the thorax can be a significant driver of up-regulation in the sympathetic nervous system and perpetuate a “sensitive nervous system” in all persistent pain syndromes – and it is often insufficiently assessed and treated. Treating the thorax in a 3-dimensional, movement based approach, can take away the “fight or flight” and unlock a more efficient pathway to health. 

You’ll learn all the mechanisms how and why a patient with a dysfunctional thorax can present with a wide variety of symptoms and functional problems.

Course Bonus: If you’re currently providing TeleHealth Virtual Physiotherapy services, this course will add invaluable skills to your toolbox in this unique time. Throughout the course, LJ will highlight the visual skills and treatment tools in the ConnectTherapy & Thoracic Ring Approach™ models that will enable you to deliver a value-added virtual physiotherapy experience for your patients and get patient “Wow”s from a distance. 

Registration in this self-paced course gives you access to both the videos and supporting online learning resources for 12 months.

This course is the pre-requisite for the 2.5 day In-Person Practical course: ConnectTherapy™ & the Thorax.

To register, please download and complete the accompanying registration form and send to: jennie@ljlee.ca.

If you have any questions please contact: jennie@ljlee.ca