• Date & Time

    April 20-21, 2024 Saturday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (Registration/Sign-in 7:30 am - 8:00 am) Sunday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

  • Location

    Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center - Lubbock, TX

  • Registration $599

    2nd & 3rd Yr PT Students: $349.00

NAIOMT COMT-2: Cervical Spine

This is the second course in a series of 5 courses in the COMT certification.

This case-based, lab-focused course features human movement and high performing PT management of the cervicothoracic spine. Participants will refine an efficient cervicothoracic screening examination and analyze total upper quadrant movement, incorporating the patient's health conditions, pain presentations, and relevant biopsychosocial factors. Mobility patterns of the upper quadrant system are studied, and the central and spinal neurophysiological factors determining normal and abnormal movement patterns. Management strategies include education, activity modification, manual therapy techniques, and individualized neuromuscular rehabilitation prescription, with the goal of restoring optimal function and preventing future health conditions and impairments. Participants will incorporate techniques into evidence-informed clinical practice guidelines for specific upper quadrant movement impairments and interpret relevant outcomes measures to guide treatment progression.
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  • Course Details

    This course is 2 days on-site and 7 hours online. Participants will receive an e-link to online coursework 2 weeks prior to the course and to the onsite course materials 1 week prior to the course. Please watch for these links in your email inboxcaled

  • CEUs

    This course awards 21 CEUs in eligible states. See www.naiomt.com/ceus for details.

  • Refund Policy

    Refunds up to 30 days before event.

Instructor(s)

PT, ScD, OCS, FAAOMPT

Gary Kearns

Gary is a 2002 graduate from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) where he earned his Masters in Physical Therapy. He began his manual therapy training with the North American Institute for Orthopaedic Manual Therapy (NAIOMT) in 2005, becoming a Certified Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapists (COMT) in 2010. Graduating from the NAIOMT Fellowship Program, he was recognized as a Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT) in 2010. Additionally, he is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Specialist (OCS). He graduated with his Doctor of Science (ScD) in Physical Therapy through TTUHSC in 2015 and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at TTUHSC where he teaches Musculoskeletal PT Practice, History & Systems Screening and Differential Diagnosis. Additionally he is the faculty liaison for the Student Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy Association (SOMPTA), the AAOMPT Local sSIG. His research interests revolve around accuracy and safety of dry needling, clinical reasoning and manual therapy mechanism.

Course Partners

Some of NAIOMT's Partners Across the US

Messiah University

Course Organizer

The North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy, Inc. (NAIOMT) is a private physical therapist-owned organization dedicated to achieving the highest standards of clinical practice for manual physical therapists. NAIOMT specializes in a flexible teaching program, which seeks to promote the utilization of safe, effective and efficient manual physical therapy management of musculoskeletal dysfunction. It further seeks an environment that is conducive to the application of a reasoned approach to manual physical therapy through critical inquiry and the creation of new knowledge and skills based on scientific study and dissemination of that knowledge. NAIOMT strongly supports the union of the clinician, academician and researcher to further facilitate the development of quality patient care, physical therapy education and the development of master clinicians.