CONCUSSION REHAB AND MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATE FOR CLINICIANS 


Instructors

Zac Mestelle PT, DPT, OCS 

Colleen Sleik PT, DPT, NCS

Jack Cervantes PT, DPT



Part 1: Foundation

Patients with symptoms of concussion lasting longer than 10-14 days benefit from intervention of an interdisciplinary team, including physical and occupational therapists. 

This course will provide the clinician with the foundational knowledge to improve understanding of the complexity of concussions, including the various domains and how to approach the rehabilitation of patients presenting to therapy with post-concussion syndrome. 

Specific emphasis will be placed on recognizing and understanding the domains to be assessed, and how they can affect treatment, including cervical spine, headaches, oculomotor and vestibular involvement, the effects of sleep, anxiety and cognitive fatigue, and autonomic dysfunction. The course will also include clinical pearls shared by clinicians based on years of experience in treating this patient population. Recognizing and assessing symptoms in each of these domains will improve the clinician’s efficiency in examination and translation of exam findings into the development of an effective, evidence-based treatment plan.

Principles of assessment and differential diagnosis will improve the clinician’s efficiency in examination and translation of exam findings into the development of an effective, evidence-based treatment plan. 

Instructional Methods: Demonstration, skills-check, large and small group discussion, video, case studies

Educational Level: Introductory; Delivery method: Online, Self-paced



Part 2: Clinical Application


The goal of continuing education is to enhance the clinician’s knowledge and understanding of a topic in a way that they will be able to incorporate the evidence-based concepts and techniques that were presented to their clinical practice. 

This course is designed to do just that. It will help to solidify the learning that was done in Part 1: Foundations, through hands-on practice, instructor feedback, large and small group discussion, individual work, and applying concepts to case studies.

Some features of this course include instructor feedback on assessment and treatment techniques, large and small group activities to demonstrate application of the principles of diagnosis and clinical application of concepts to real patient cases. 

Psychomotor skill development will occur through labs with instructor feedback. Understanding of concussion management concepts will be enhanced through small and large group discussions and case-based learning. 

Clinicians will walk away from this course series with a deeper understanding of concussion management, the technical skills to perform a thorough examination, and a plan in place for evaluation and progression of treatment for patients presenting to the clinic for post-concussion rehab.

Instructional Methods: Demonstration, skills-check, large and small group discussion, video, case studies

Educational Level: Intermediate; Delivery method: Live



Learning Objectives

1. Describe the role and function of the central structures commonly involved in post-concussion syndrome.

2. Recognize pre- and post-injury risk factors for protracted recovery. 

3. Discuss Understand how initial symptom severity will impact recovery. 

4. Recognize the influence the cervical spine can have on patients with vestibular symptomology following a concussion mechanism of injury.

5. Perform a cervical spine examination to determine involvement in headache, migraine, dizziness, or radicular pain presentation.

6. Recognize nystagmus patterns indicative of anterior, posterior, horizontal, and multiple canal BPPV. 

7. Perform a vestibular exam for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) using proper positional tests for anterior, posterior, and horizontal canals. 

8. Recognize the effects of anxiety, sleep, and cognitive fatigue in post-concussion syndrome.

9. Describe the roles of the autonomic nervous system and how they may be altered in the post-concussive state. 

10. Discuss Appreciate the benefit of aerobic exercise in the post-concussion recovery and understand the underlying physiological mechanisms for this benefit. 

11. Discuss prioritization of examination techniques for the initial evaluation and subsequent follow ups.

12. Understand the importance of patient language, as it relates to conveying findings to highly anxious patients and/or parents.

13. Describe the roles of various health care providers in the multi-disciplinary approach to concussion management.

14. Explain the risk of reinjury and second impact syndrome with premature return to play. 

 

Pending APTA and AOTA CEU approval

Course Instructors

Zac Mestelle PT, DPT, OCS

Physical Therapist

Zac Mestelle, PT, DPT, OCS is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a residency-trained board certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. Dr. Mestelle currently works at Bellin Health Titletown clinic where he treats a high volume of sports medicine patients. A large portion of this caseload includes rehab following ACL-R and other arthroscopic shoulder and knee surgeries. Additionally, he is also a member of Bellin’s throwing team which includes management of the injured thrower as well as performance based assessments. For the past three years Dr. Mestelle has led Bellin Health’s interdisciplinary concussion management team. This team includes physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists and works intimately with the referring providers and school athletic trainers in order to provide optimal care for patients who have suffered a concussion. Dr. Mestelle graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2017. It was on one of his terminal rotations where he initially gained exposure to evaluating and treating post-concussion patients as his clinical instructor was the lead physical therapist for the adolescent mild TBI team at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals. It was the challenge and uniqueness that comes with each post-concussion patient that led to Dr. Mestelle’s passion for treating these patients. Since then, he has worked diligently to gain a mastery in treating this specific patient population, through both formal continuing education courses as well as frequent review of the literature. Dr. Mestelle completed his Orthopedic Residency through Evidence in Motion and Bellin Health in 2020. While only a portion of patients with concussion require traditional orthopedic care, this residency helped Dr. Mestelle master the patient response model which has proven valuable for managing post-concussion patients. Dr. Mestelle’s purpose in teaching is to share the passion he has for this underserved patient population in an effort to improve patient outcomes and lead to a shorter and fuller recovery. He strives to instill the balance between high quality evidence-based information with pragmatic, experience, and application based information in order to provide a well-rounded learning experience.

Colleen Sleik

Physical Therapist

Colleen Sleik, PT, DPT, NCS is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, specializing in the treatment of patients with vestibular disorders. Dr. Sleik graduated from The College of St. Catherine with a Master of Physical Therapy. She earned a transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy degree through The University of St. Augustine, Florida, and completed the Competency-Based Vestibular Rehabilitation course through Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Sleik is a board-certification Neurologic Clinical Specialist. She is a member of the Vestibular Disorders Association (VEDA) and the American Physical Therapy Association, including the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapists and the Vestibular Special Interest Group. Dr. Sleik is a full-time clinician at Bellin Health in Iron Mountain, MI where 75-90% of her caseload consists of patients with vertigo, dizziness, or balance problems. Dr. Sleik's journey into the specialized care of vestibular patients began after evaluating a patient that she was unable to help. She needed to know more. She attended courses in vestibular rehab, accessed research to guide her treatment, and developed her skills in treating dizzy patients through years of practice. As a clinician, Dr. Sleik utilizes evidence-based treatment strategies to provide her patients with the best care available, while also providing them with strategies for long-term management of their condition. Dr. Sleik lives and works in a small, rural community in Michigan where it is not uncommon for patients to drive several hours to access her specialty vestibular rehabilitation services. This need inspired her to begin teaching vestibular rehabilitation continuing education courses, and she has been teaching national-level seminars in vestibular rehabilitation since 2015. Her goal is to increase clinicians’ knowledge and understanding of vestibular rehabilitation, ultimately improving access to knowledgeable clinicians providing quality care for patients with dizziness. Dr. Sleik is pleased to have this opportunity to share her passion for treating this special population and guiding your journey in providing specialty care in vestibular rehabilitation.

Jack Cervantes PT, DPT

Physical Therapist

Jack Cervantes PT, DPT is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, currently working in the University of Wisconsin (UW) Hospital and Clinics Health System. He has recently completed the UW Hospital & Clinics and UnityPoint Health - Meriter Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Clinical Residency Program. Dr. Cervantes graduated from the Carroll University Doctor of Physical Therapy Program in 2022. Throughout his clinical experiences he completed rotations in the Outpatient Orthopedic, Inpatient General, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Emergency Department (ED), and Outpatient Vestibular Setting. Dr. Cervantes has also completed a variety of continuing education courses including M1 Graston Certification, Running Rehabilitation, Cervical Manipulation Safety, and American Sign Language (ASL) for the Physical Therapist. He is also a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), including APTA Wisconsin and the Orthopaedic Special Interest Group. Dr. Cervantes’ interest in vestibular rehabilitation began following an intensive 8-week rotation treating patients with diagnoses varying from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and vestibular hypofunction to post-concussion syndrome and Meniere's disease. He has attended and assisted in the presentation of the continuing education course “Differential Diagnosis in Vestibular Rehabilitation” with Dr. Colleen Sleik PT, DPT, NCS at the 2022 Spring Conference held by APTA Wisconsin. This experience and continuing education opportunity opened the door to a whole new side of physical therapy. As a clinician, Dr. Cervantes utilizes evidence-based treatment approaches to provide his patients with the best care available, while also providing them with strategies for long-term management of their condition.

2024 Schedule Coming Soon!

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