Jamie Miner – Solve Age Related Degenerative Challenges

Jamie Miner – Solve Age Related Degenerative Challenges

You feel helpless and frustrated as you watch the older patients who come to see you suffering from a loss of muscle mass and subsequent weakness. If you don’t find opportunities to challenge their strength through exercise, the risk for injury and overall loss of vitality is just around the corner. Jamie Miner, PT, DPT, GCS, understands the predicament all too well.  As an expert who has focused her clinical practice treating older adults, she has collected the practice tips you need to re-invigorate the ways in which you challenge patients to achieve the functional goals that they, too, are after.

The frequency, intensity and duration of exercise needs to match the individual’s abilities and goals. Are you confident that you are using the best exercise to address each patient’s unique and individual needs? Are you offering enough challenge to the older patients you see?  Maybe you have just become a little complacent…relying on the exercises that have become all too familiar, rather than thinking outside the box.

In this recording, you will practice new techniques to ultimately design safe, effective and individualized strength programs. You will leave with a multitude of new clinical pearls to help patients achieve the desired goals, despite the challenges that the variety of spine, gait, postural and trunk related changes may be creating. Let’s not forget that your time is tight…Jamie will provide analysis of the key evidence-based findings to guide your future treatment decisions. Increase your confidence and skills before you see the next patient!

1. Evaluate the effects of degenerative spinal conditions associated with aging.
2. Develop a treatment plan to prevent or treat osteoporosis.
3. Maximize strength training for clients with spinal and postural degeneration.
4. Predict reasons for fall risk to support rationale for the exercise program.
5. Individualize modifications to ensure compliance and optimal benefits.
6. Recommend home safety modifications to prevent falls.

DEGENERATIVE SPINE CONDITIONS

• Stenosis
• Spondylosis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Osteoporosis
• Implement measurable evaluation techniques and outcome measures
• Newest surgical and non-surgical options
• Preventative treatments – lab practice… prevention remains the goal!
• Post-surgical treatments – lab practice with evidence-based exercise protocols incorporated
• Aging spine with history of disc surgery

OSTEOPOROSIS

• Bracing – lab practice with prevention exercise
• A creative exercise program
• Pain control

EXERCISE GUIDELINES

• Realistic goals for the aging adult – and expected outcomes
• Prioritizing types of exercises for the aging adult
• Modifications for exercises to meet individual needs

POSTURAL RE-EDUCATION EXERCISE

• Assessment tools – lab component to practice assessment techniques to increase your understanding of the patients’ needs
• Priority of extension exercises
• Modifications

TRUNK AND CORE EXERCISES (ATTENTION TO THE ABDOMEN AND SPINE)

• Assessments
• Neutral spine
• Core stability exercises – lab practice of exercise technique and patient specific options

GAIT, BALANCE AND FALL PREVENTION

• Preventing falls
• Evidence –based assessments of balance and fall risk – lab practice of new assessment strategies
• Flexibility requirements for function and mobility
• Strength and endurance
• Agility and balance
• “I’ve fallen, now what? “
• Cognitive issues and compliance challenges