Structured Biomechanics Basic Course
The Structured Biomechanics Basic Course trains DPMs in restoring function by manipulating and managing structure.
Course Overview
There are seven distinct aspects to the technology of Structured Biomechanics. They comprise every part of a patient’s interaction with a podiatric practice, all from a biomechanical standpoint. Each of these points has a learning module dedicated to it in our Basic Course.
This course, which can be completed through our online training program, enhances practitioner expertise on the assessment, diagnosis, manipulation and management of patient biomechanics. Our system addresses the primary variable inherent in almost all complaints and pathologies that we treat as Podiatrists.
With this new skill set, you may find yourself able to promote to patient groups that you previously may not have thought possible due to limited resources and/or effectiveness.
The course covers such topics as:
- Paperwork & biomechanical assessment forms
- Newly developed 2 minute static & dynamic biomechanical assessment methods
- Examination of walking gait patterns & gait cycle, as well as full gait analysis
- How to determine whether a patient is a good candidate for orthotics
- Creation of patient specific treatment plans
- Effective manipulation of a patient’s mechanics
- Short- and long-term follow up
- How to maintain overall patient results
Each major phase of our technology is covered in its own training module.
Module 1: Initial Interview & Clinical Documentation
Efficient paperwork can save time. It also gives you greater credibility as you are able to pinpoint what is wrong and hone in on your patient’s complaint and its cause.
Having the key questions of a biomechanical assessment incorporated into your current paperwork as a two-page add-on allows you to:
1. Perform a concise consultation that clarifies what are your patient’s needs and wants,
2. Isolate their chief complaints and their relation to their faulty mechanics.
You will have access to download our biomechanical assessment form and other paperwork as part of this course module, and will be able to use them in your practice after course completion.
Module 2: Clinical Biomechanical Evaluation
Why don’t you, as a DPM apply biomechanics to a greater percentage of your patient base?
One of the first places where a practitioner hits a barrier in applying biomechanics lies in the inability to recognize the relative importance of what a patient says, or doesn’t say. Failing to then correlate that information to what one sees clinically will result in a non-optimum outcome.
What are the most important aspects of your patient complaints, verbally or in writing, and what points do you need to recognize to know that you can help this patient?
Ideally, a comprehensive biomechanical assessment would provide you all the data you needed in two to three minutes. It would also clearly indicate the relative degree of severity in terms of instability, and give vital information about the structural involvement, symmetry and flexibility of the presenting patient.
DPM Practice Solutions has devised a 2 minute static and dynamic biomechanical assessment. You, or your staff, can perform a very comprehensive examination that enables you to effectively assess, screen and “classify” your patient as to biomechanical responsiveness.
You will learn to analyze a patient’s walking gait and stance through our assessments. We provide videos of gait patterns, and various abberant gait examples.
Advanced Concept A: The Biomechanical Patient Classification System
We devised a biomechanical patient classification system primarily based on a patient’s symmetry and flexibility. This classification system assists you to predict timeframes for results and helps to set milestones. It also assists in patient screening.
With this chart you have a guide as to who you can easily help with biomechanical treatment, and those who would otherwise not respond well.
Module 3: Biomechanically Classifying Patients
Using our classification system, you will know when a patient is a relative victory in terms of ease of restoration of structural alignment and symmetry. You can then become quite bold in what you say. With this technology you will deliver what you promise and a glowing testimonial and request for additional pairs of orthotics are but a foregone conclusion.
This system was specifically designed to elicit the relevant information from a patient without having to fish for what is important. The assessment forms cover all relevant key information.
Patients sometimes have begun to believe that not much can be done for them as oftentimes, no one had previously been able to improve their condition to any significant degree.
Once you attain experience doing a biomechanical assessment, you will see just how enjoyable it is to be able to increase the surpass a patient’s own goals and expectations of what they can hope to accomplish with their treatment.
This module trains you to analyze your patient’s walking gait, and from your gait analysis, determine their biomechanical classification for treatment.
Module 4: Treatment Protocol & Patient Signup
This module discusses how to formulate a plan to manage your patient’s mechanics, and how to communicate your findings so as to effectively sign up your patient.
We have found that most patients don’t mind paying out of pocket when they know that you can deliver the promised result.
There are various ways to physically demonstrate how faulty and crooked mechanics have led to various aches and pains. Many of these techniques and discussion points with patients are gone over in full during the basic course, and will help to close a patient.
Module 5: Manipulating A Patient’s Mechanics Effectively
The key to attaining great results consistently is to continue to manipulate the patient’s mechanics until you reach “the end point of all biomechanical care.” This is a point in which the patient presents with a stable and even pelvis with minimal and symmetrical rearfoot pronation. Once that is attained, all else evens out and your patients will begin to get well in the immediate short term.
A question to ask here is, “how stable and even can you get any given patient’s pelvis, and how minimally and symmetrical can you get their rear foot to pronate?”
These questions are addressed and gone over in great detail in this module. The next question to ask would be, “which modality would best be used to achieve that end point?”
You will be able to use the knowledge learned in modules 1 to 4 above to gauge your efficacy, and thereby document their relative progress, visit to visit.
Module 6: Initial Dispense & Short Term Follow Up, 6-8 Weeks
In this module we cover protocols for educating the patient on how to properly care for their orthotics, and everything you need to know to perform follow up adjustments.
Advanced Concepts B:
- Adjusting the Orthotics
- When to Adjust
- When not to Adjust
- New Adjustment Techniques
Module 7: Long Term Follow Up – 3 Months & Beyond
There are specific things that you do and document during long-term follow-up visits which we cover in full, including our suggested follow-up schedule. These visits, which most practitioners do not take advantage of, can be very valuable and profitable for both you and your patients.
This is the time period where you have the golden opportunity to perfect your results, and create a relationship with the patient. This is where you attain the end point of biomechanical care.
At this point your patients will gladly give you a glowing testimonial, patient referrals and will become prime candidates for additional pairs of orthotics and other services.
Summary
The Structured Biomechanics Basic Course trains you to do a biomechanical assessment quickly and accurately, and treat a patient with zero guess work, no wasted time and consistent, great results. The actions and process of manipulating and managing your patients’ mechanics must also be practical in terms of time and effort for both you and your staff–this is why we put this course together.
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