Course Summary
Evaluation and Manual Therapy of the Lumbar Spine provides physical therapists with a structured approach to examining and managing low back pain and related lower extremity symptoms. The course connects functional anatomy and clinical practice guidelines with the clinical reasoning needed to develop a working diagnosis and an individualized treatment plan.
Participants will explore focused history taking, screening for red and yellow flags, movement assessment, neurological and neurodynamic testing, segmental mobility testing, and muscle performance assessment. Emphasis is placed on interpreting examination findings and diagnostic test accuracy to distinguish common presentations, including disc-related pain, lumbar radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, and movement coordination impairments.
The course examines how to select and integrate joint mobilization and manipulation, soft tissue techniques, and neural mobilization with therapeutic exercise and patient education. Additional topics include prognosis, appropriate use of imaging, surgical considerations, and principles of postoperative management. Throughout the course, participants will connect examination findings to treatment decisions, with attention to safety, patient goals, and active self-management.