Dry Needling Symposium Agenda

Agenda

General Session (8:30 am - 12 pm) 

• 8:30 – 9 am: Welcome and Regulatory/Legislative Overview; Eliza Schultz, APTA CO Lobbyist
• 9 – 9:45 am: History and Development of Dry Needling; Jan Dommerholt, PT, DPT, MPS, DAAPM
• 9:45 – 10:30 am: Integration of Dry Needling Into Patient Management in Colorado; Patty Pennell, PT

• Course Description:This talk will review certain aspects of Colorado’s Practice Act and how it pertains to dry needling. The advantages and disadvantages of the current Practice act and how that impacts patient care in Colorado. A treatment paradigm will be introduced on how to integrate this powerful intervention in management of musculoskeletal problems.
  
  Learning Objectives:
  1. Review the Colorado Practice act and the language regarding Dry Needling
  2. Develop a better understanding of current practice patterns in the state of Colorado
  3. Gain an appreciation that the impact dry needling can have on the musculoskeletal system

• 10:30 – 11:15 am: Dry Needling: Considering a Neuroplastic Pain Science Model; Edo Zylstra, PT, DPT, OCS

• Course Description: This presentation is designed to pose the question of whether Dry Needling should be considered an important input to affect a neuroplastic change for patients suffering from both chronic persistent pain and chronic re-injury.

  Learning Objectives: 
  1. Understand the impact that DN can have locally, segmentally and centrally.
  2. Recognize the importance of progressing our understanding of this clinical technique by outcome evaluation and research.
  3. Appreciate the impact that dry needling can have as a clinical intervention.

• 11:15 am - 12 pm: Impact of Dry Needling on Patient Care in Colorado; Cameron MacDonald, PT, DPT, OCS, GCS, FAAOMPT

Lunch 12 pm - 1 pm

Afternoon Breakout Sessions (sessions are repeated)

• Session 1: 1 pm - 1:50 pm
  

• Room A: Incorporation Neurodynamic Interventions with Function Dry Needling; Jeremy Snyder, PT, DPT, CSCS, OCS

• Course Description: Demonstrate testing for Neurodynamics and the use of Functional Dry Needling to address pathodynamics in the Upper Extremity.

  Learning Objectives:
  1. Review anatomy and biomechanics of the nervous system and surrounding musculoskeletal system.
  2. Demonstrate methods to improve adverse neurodynamics in the upper extremity using Functional Dry Needling.

• Room B: Dry Needling in the Athletic Population Across the Lifespan; Freeborn Mondello, PT, DPT, CAFS

• Course Description: This presentation will discuss how to effectively integrate dry needling into your treatment of athletes. We will address special considerations that need to be taken into account with the athletic population, key needling areas that will result in your greatest impact, and when to bring needling into the treatment session. We will also discuss the best time to use needling with your athletes and how correct dosing and timing can result in both decreased pain and injuries as well as improved performance.
  
  Learning Objectives:
  1. Determine if needling is appropriate for the athlete standing in front of them
  2. Accurately determine the correct time to use needling with athletes
  3. Accurately describe the unique considerations that need to be taken into account when working with athletes
  4. Understand appropriate follow up to needling the athletic population
  5. Describe the thought process in determining which areas to needle

• Room C: Dry Needling and the Tactical Athlete; Derek Vraa, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT & Eric Wilson, PT, DSC
• Course Description: Tactical Athletes (TA)m Every city/county has police/fire/EMS services and they are a poorly understood subset of our population. They are unlike any other athlete in that they have no “off-season” and their typical “season” goes all year long. This breakout session will familiarize the participant what the basic occupational demands for the TA and examine potential causes of injury. Additionally, this session will look at different styles of dry needling and discuss relevant considerations when using dry needling as an intervention with TA’s.
  
  Learning Objectives:
  1. Recall the basic occupational demands of the Tactical Athlete
  2. Identify risk factors for injury of the Tactical Athlete
  3. Understand how dry needling can be used in the treatment of acute injuries in the Tactical Athlete
  4. Describe treatment considerations used in dry needling for the Tactical Athlete

• Session 2: 2 pm - 2:50 pm
  
• Room A: Incorporation Neurodynamic Interventions with Function Dry Needling; Jeremy Snyder, PT, DPT, CSCS, OCS 
  
• Room B: Dry Needling for Tendinopathy, Paul Mintken, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT 

• Course Description: Tendinopathy is a painful condition affecting individuals across the lifespan. Dry needling has been demonstrated to be an effective, minimally-invasive intervention for improving pain and disability in individuals with musculoskeletal pain. Evidence from the medical literature suggest that tendon needling/fenestration may improve patient outcomes in individuals with tendinopathy. The overarching purpose of tendon fenestration, may be to induce a “healing response” which includes bleeding, inflammation and release of local tissue factors resulting in the remodeling of chronic pathologic tendon changes. The goal of this session is to summarize the best available evidence supporting tendon needling, describe current techniques used in both medicine and physical therapy, and present strategies to integrate this treatment into a comprehensive plan of care. The session will include a review of the literature, case descriptions, videos of dry needling and ultrasound imaging, and brief demonstrations.
  
  Learning Objectives:
  1. Explain the continuum model of tendinopathy.
  2. Summarize the best available evidence supporting tendon needling as a potentially effective treatment for tendinopathy.

• Room C: Dry Needling and the Tactical Athlete; Derek Vraa, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT & Eric Wilson, PT, DSC 
  
• Room D: Beyond the Triggerpoint – Dry Needling Application Lower Extremity; Paul Killoren, PT, DPT
  

• Course Description: Expand beyond trigger point model of pain and treatment with emphasis on myotomal assessment, use of e-stim, dry needling application considerations, and exposure to research.
  
  

  Learning Objectives:
  1. Challenge participants to consider segmental influence on pathology to drive clinical decision with dry needling
  2. Expose participants to background information for consideration of e- stim use during dry needling treatments 
  3. Provide potential e-stim and dry needling applications for lower quarter pathology 
  4. Demonstrate how needling treatment may be utilized with test/res-test assessment
  5. Reinforce importance of utilizing other clinical tools and modalities along with dry needling as well and emphasis on
      correctives following treatment

• Session 3: 3 pm - 3:50 pm
  
• Room A: Innovative Approaches to Scar Management Using Dry Needling; Jan Dammerholt, PT, DPT, MPS, DAAPM
• Room B: Dry Needling for Tendinopathy, Paul Mintken, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT 
  
• Room C: Dry Needling in the Athletic Population Across the Lifespan; Freeborn Mondello, PT, DPT, CAFS
• Room D: Beyond the Triggerpoint – Dry Needling Application Lower Extremity; Paul Killoren, PT, DPT 
  
  
• Panel Discussion 4 pm - 5 pm

• The Balancing Act – Developing Dry Needling in PT Practice Whilst Defending Our Ability to do it. Stories, ideas and innovations across the USA and the world; 
  Panelists: Cameron MacDonald, PT, DPT, OCS, GCS, FAAOMPT, Jan Dommerholt, PT, DPT, MPS, DAAPM, Edo Zylstra, PT, DPT, OCS, Patty Pennell, PT and Eliza Schultz

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Thank you to our sponsors for supporting this event!