IPTA

Illinois physical therapists and physical therapist assistants are required to participate in a one-hour course on the laws that affect the practice of physical therapy in Illinois in each license renewal cycle as part of meeting the ethics requirement. This course reviews various legal authorities which impact the practice of physical therapy in Illinois.  This course fulfills the 1 hour jurispru...

Healthcare providers have a professional responsibility to their patients, profession, employers, and the public to provide ethical and high-quality care.  Physical Therapists face multiple pressures/factors that may cause ethical issues to arise in the workplace and their practice.  IPTA's Ethics Committee will introduce basic ethical concepts, assist therapists in recognizing ethical concerns, c...

Breathing is an essential part of life and a major component in our health.  This #THIRDTHURSDAY lecture is designed to be an introduction to how breathing impacts our physiology and various diagnoses.  This course will teach you how to breathe properly, how breathing changes as you're in pain and how you can use breathing to improve outcomes with various diagnoses including headaches, tinnitus, c...

Arthrofibrosis, also known as joint contracture, is a pathological wound healing disease characterized by chronic inflammation and fibrosis of connective tissue in and around a joint, resulting in severe pain, marked loss of joint mobility, and diminished functional independence in daily life. It is most prevalent in the hip, elbow, and knee following exposure to physical trauma such as surgery, p...

Today, more than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, and 220,000 of these live in the state of Illinois. As the Silver Tsunami continues to roar towards our shores, the need for comprehensive and evidence-informed clinical management for our patients with dementia is more vital than ever. Increasingly, individuals with cognitive impairments caused by dementia are coming int...

Women’s Health and Pelvic Health have become more visible in the last 20 years, but many clinicians are still unaware of how common pelvic issues are across all patient populations and feel that even talking about pelvic issues is out of their scope of practice. Many physical therapy programs do not include even the basics of pelvic floor assessment or how to talk about bowel, bladder, and sexual...

This #THIRDTHURSDAY course will start by describing and educating on ACL anatomy.  We will then progress to discussing the function of the ACL and common mechanisms of ACL injury. Attendees will learn  common physical exam findings associated with ACL tears. Indications, treatment options and outcomes following ACL surgery will also be discussed. Dr. Jordan Goldstein MD shares his insight and expe...

The Workplace Transparency Act ( Public Act 101-0221 ), requires anyone who is employed in Illinois complete sexual harassment prevention training annually. For individuals with a professional license issued by the IDPR, with a CE requirement, must complete a 1 CE hour of Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, per renewal cycle. Maintaining a safe and healthy work environment is a vital role for a...

As of January 1, 2023, Illinois licensed physical therapists may certify that a patient has a medical condition that meets the requirements for the state to issue a temporary or permanent disability placard.  IPTA Executive Director, Colleen Flannery will walk through the forms, process, do and don'ts for certifying disability placards in Illinois. Colleen Flannery, IPTA Executive Director shares...

Implicit bias is a form of bias that occurs automatically and unintentionally, that nevertheless affects judgments, decisions, and behaviors.  This educational session will introduce participants to implicit bias, where they come from, how they are formed, and explain how it differs from explicit bias. Participants will understand the impact of implicit bias on healthcare delivery and the harm it...

This #THIRDTHURSDAY course is designed to open a discussion about the interconnectedness of functional impairments and nutrition in the care of persons facing chronic health conditions. Information will be provided to promote a quick assessment of food insecurity among the patient populations we serve and practical ideas to address the deficits. A guided discussion with participants will also occu...

In this course Dr. Jamie Haines, PT, DScPT shares insight and expertise on "Fabulous Friction! Creative Ways to Use Friction-Reducing Sheets to Promote Neuroplastic Principles". Dr. Haines shares how the use of friction-reducing sheets can be creatively used to improve reps, salience, engagement, intensity and specificity. What to expect:  Objectives:  By the end of this lecture participants will...

The pandemic presented an opportunity for health care professions to provide telehealth services with soft rules in place.  This gave both providers and payers time to study the impact and negotiate permanent laws and rules to guide digital health delivery in Illinois for the long term. Two substantial pieces of legislation were passed that provide the pathway for delivering telehealth today.  Thi...

This course will review the new official position of APTA drafted and presented by IPTA which supports that nonpharmacologic blood pressure management is within the scope of physical therapy practice. Future implications of this motion for physical therapy practice will be discussed. Additionally, this course will provide a brief summary of the evidence regarding interventions for blood pressure m...

This #THIRDTHURSDAY lecture focuses on post operative total knee arthroplasty patients. Learn about common concerns patients face in the early rehab period. Participants will be able to identify some early and late complications and when to refer back to the surgeon. Learn of about the early weeks of rehab after total knee arthroplasty, and early warning signs for infection. Examples will be given...

June is recognized as National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month. Headaches are among the most common disorders of the human nervous system and can often wreak havoc on a sufferer’s daily life. Headaches can cause pain in the neck, sinuses, face, and head and can last for hours or days. This #THIRDTHURSDAY lecture will review etiology and classification of headaches along with assessment and t...

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures and reconstructions continue to impose a heavy financial and care burden on orthopedic and sports medicine providers internationally. Returning to sport safely and effectively has become a needed focal point for evidence based strategies to improve return to sport (RTS) from not only primary ACL injury but also following revision surgeries. Currently there...

This course is designed to give physical therapy professionals and students a clinical update on Parkinson's Disease. Whether you are new to the profession or an experienced clinician, you leave this program with an understanding of Parkinson's Disease and how you can be a better clinician to address all the important aspects in the care of patients with Parkinson's Disease. You will leave equippe...

This course will provide attendees with a review of the evidence for the early detection of infants at high risk of cerebral palsy and our role as physical therapists within the Illinois Early Intervention program. We will review core knowledge of early detection principles and assessments and discuss how and why PTs should consider using these assessments in early intervention. This course will a...

Clinical education is an essential component of physical therapy education and it takes place in complex settings where clinical instructors are already under pressure to perform. Physical therapy student stress is often high during the transition from the classroom to the clinic. Clinical instructor stress may be elevated too as they enter these short-term high stakes relationships with students....

Geriatric syndromes are clusters of symptoms commonly seen within the older adult population. While most clinicians are familiar with the basic concepts of polypharmacy, neglect/abuse, malnutrition, and failure to thrive, the extent to which these phenotypes affect our patient care are rarely considered, even by seasoned healthcare professionals. Furthermore, failure to identify, manage, and integ...

The purpose of this course is to provide practicing clinicians with an overview of some practical tips to consider when developing and implementing a research project in the clinic. We will begin with formulation of a focused research question. Examples of alternatives to traditional research studies will be provided as well as suggestions to successfully balance the daily demands faced by clinici...

This session will explore myofascial and neural tension manual techniques to unlock the pain and dysfunction of adhesive capsulitis. Physical Therapists and assistants may use these gentle manual techniques for all people infants through geriatric populations. This course is ideal for both clinic and telehealth instruction by physical therapists and assistants. Suzanne Joseph, PT, DPT to shares he...

The spring of 2020 saw a sharp increase in the utilization of Telehealth by physical therapists. However, as soon as physical therapy clinics were able to reopen the majority of therapists abandoned this novel form of patient care. Join members of the Telehealth committee to review the changes in telehealth legislation that emerged in response to the public health emergency. Together we will discu...

In this session, we’ll explore how physical therapists, and their assistants are in a unique position to help patients who might be experiencing intimate partner abuse (IPA). We’ll discuss the following: Types of IPA Warning signs, including injuries and physical complaints suggesting IPA Key traits of survivors and perpetrators Appropriately responding to survivors and perpetrators Documenting fi...