Dry Needling and Pelvic Health: Foundational Concepts and Techniques is a lab intensive, hybrid course designed with the pelvic health practitioner in mind.  This course is an innovative approach to treating clients with pelvic floor dysfunction commonly associated with pelvic pain, incontinence, voiding dysfunction and/or sexual pain or dysfunction.  This foundational dry needling course will instruct participants in the application of dry needling to female pelvic floor musculature and associated neuroanatomical structures including the anterior/posterior thigh, lumbosacral spine, trunk, pelvis and hip joint complex.  This course will provide a comprehensive review of anatomy, a strong emphasis on safety and precautions, ample lab time to optimize dry needling techniques, as well as dialogue surrounding clinical integration and relevant evidence.

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Course Level: Foundational

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Previous Dry Needling Experience Required: No

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Course Objectives

1. Course participants will demonstrate competency with anatomy, palpation and the application of safe and effective dry needling to the muscles covered and will understand indications, contraindications, precautions and possible complications associated with dry needling.

2. Participants will understand the rationale for selecting dry needling to achieve optimal clinical outcomes using clinical reasoning and evidence-based practice.

3. Participants will gain a strong appreciation of neuroanatomy and dysfunction in the central and peripheral nervous system as it relates to pelvic health dysfunction.

4. Participants will practice the application of electrical stimulation with dry needling to the muscles covered and associated neuroanatomical structures to improve identified neuromuscular dysfunction.

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Course Eligibility Requirement

This course will be a hybrid course, one day online and two days live.  Students will have access to the online course content for one month prior to their course date.

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The course will only be offered to licensed clinicians and qualified students enrolled in graduate programs in states where dry needling is within the practice act for state licensure.

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Online Course Content

The online course content includes recorded lectures on dry needling foundations, neurophysiological mechanisms associated with dry needling interventions, safety + protection, common pathologies associated with pelvic health rehabilitation in the lumbopelvic region with a heavy emphasis on neuroanatomy alongside exposure to the techniques you will learn on the weekend intensive.

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Live Weekend Intensive Lab Content

There will be 4-5 labs during the live weekend intensive:

1. anterior hip + thigh

- TFL

- sartorius

- rectus femoris

- vastus lateralis

- vastus intermedius

- vastus medialis

- adductor longus/brevis

- gracilis

2. trunk

- rectus abdominis

- external oblique

- internal oblique

- transverse abdominis

- erector spinae

- lumbar multifidus

- sacral multifidus

- quadratus lumborum

3. female pelvic floor

- bulbospongiosus

- ischiocavernosus

- transverse perinei

- obturator internus

- puborectalis

- pubococcygeus

- iliococcygeus

- coccygeus

4. posterior hip + thigh

- gluteus maximus

- gluteus medius

- gluteus minimus

- semitendinosus

- semimembranosus

- biceps femoris (long head)

- biceps femoris (short head)

5. lower extremity (this lab is ONLY on 3 day model)

- tibialis anterior

- extensor digitorum longus

- extensor hallucis longus

- fibularis longus

- fibularis brevis

- gastrocnemius 

- soleus