Physical Therapy Certifications

This month CE For Therapy has partnered with PESI Inc. to offer the online course Orthopedic Myofascial Certificate: Solutions for Pain, Posture & Mobility. Link to Course  Join Theresa Schmidt, PT, DPT, MS, OCS, LMT, CEAS, CHy to build a solid foundation in the leading soft tissue treatment techniques, including: Myofascial Release, Cupping, Trigger Point Release, Positional Release (strain and counterstrain), Foam rollers and Mobilization Tools, AND MORE!

CE For Therapy has an extensive database of Physical Therapy  Certifications, Methods, Techniques, Specialties, and Topics offered by Continuing Education Providers. If you are aware of additional Physical Therapy Certifications, Specialties, Methods, Techniques, or Topics that you think should be added, please contact us.

Physical Therapy Certifications and Techniques

Interstitial Cystitis: Holistic Evaluation and Treatment

Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute ↗

The purpose of this two-day continuing education course is to help therapists understand, evaluate, and treat patients with interstitial cystitis (IC). Material will include background information on the complex condition, the most effective therapy techniques for patients, options for medical management to complement physical therapy, and how to develop a holistic treatment plan and unique self-care regimen for your patients. Link to IC

Nutrition – Pelvic Rehabilitation: Nutrition Perspectives in Pelvic Rehab (NPPR) – Remote Course

Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute ↗

This online course provides the health care professional with a unique and timely opportunity to explore multi-dimensional connections between physical therapy, pelvic rehabilitation, and nutritional sciences. NPPR is a 2.5-day content-laden and cutting-edge experience designed for clinicians ready to access organized and clinically relevant nutrition information accessible to all experience levels and practice settings. Participants will be introduced to the latest research in nutrition through immersive lectures and hands-on labs. The course will cover essential digestion concepts, nourishment strategies and the interconnected nature of physical and emotional health across the lifespan.

Orthopedic – Coccydynia and Painful Sitting: Orthopedic and Pelvic Floor Muscle Implications

Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute ↗

Coccyx pain is a common, frustrating condition for the patient who often has difficulty sitting, one of the most important tasks necessary for daily activity.This two-day continuing education course allows the therapist to focus on this vital, sensitive area to learn and refine skills in assessment and treatment. Anatomy, pathology, and detailed palpation skills of the coccyx region is instructed. Link to Coccydynia

Pelvic Floor Dry Needling – Online Course

United Dry Needling Education ↗

This is an advanced online course designed for pelvic rehabilitation clinicians who have completed basic or intermediate dry needling coursework and wish to expand their pelvic floor treatments to include dry needling. The online option is a blend of recorded lectures and high quality demonstration videos that teach you how to add dry needling to your pelvic floor treatments! Participants will learn safe and practical electrical dry needling techniques to selected muscles of the pelvic floor including treatment examples for coccydynia, sacral pain, urogenita, and anorectal pain in patients with female and male anatomy.

Pelvic Floor Level 1 Satellite Lab Course

Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute ↗

This is a satellite course comprised of 10 hours of prerecorded lectures followed by 14 hours of live, interactive remote learning. A satellite means that participants will be gathering in a given location and watching the instructor present remotely on the same screen. During labs, participants will pair up and be guided by the on-site lab assistants at the satellite course location. This course was designed to provide a thorough introduction to female pelvic floor function, dysfunction and treatment interventions. This course is geared to the therapist who wants to synthesize the information and apply it to individual treatment programs for urinary incontinence or the musculoskeletal components of urogynecologic pain syndromes such as chronic pelvic pain (CPP), vulvar pain, and interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS).

Pelvic Rehabilitation – Athletes & Pelvic Rehabilitation: Transitioning from a Local to a Global Systems Approach

Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute ↗

This two-day online course, developed by an instructor with extensive experience working with professional athletes, will cover an evidence-based, immediately-applicable skills related to pelvic floor rehabilitation for the athlete, covering treatment philosophies for the pelvis and pelvic floor and global considerations of how these structures contribute to human movement. Topics covered will include urinary incontinence, as well as the intricacies of athletic movement and how energy transference throughout the kinetic chain is crucial to rehabilitation approach, injury prevention and high performance.

Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification (PRPC).

Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute ↗

Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute provides continuing education courses for medical professionals seeking to improve their practice skills for the treatment of pelvic floor/girdle dysfunction and numerous other conditions affecting patients' lives. The certification available through the Institute is called the Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification (PRPC). This certification is awarded to those therapists who successfully apply to sit for the exam and receive a passing score on the computer-administered multiple-choice examination. Link to PRPC

Piston Science – Diaphragm/pelvic floor piston for adult populations, online

Juliewiebept ↗

Piston Science is a new approach to adult rehab, recovery and return to fitness. The viewer is introduced to a dynamic team of muscles, inclusive of the relationship between the diaphragm and pelvic floor. That team works together to balance muscular forces and pressures creating an integrative model of dynamic central stability. Total run time for the online course is approximately 15 hours of content.

Post-Prostatectomy Patient Rehabilitation

Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute ↗

As more men seek help from pelvic rehabilitation providers for the recovery from prostate surgery, therapists are seeking more detailed information about the procedure, program development, and rehabilitation approaches that are effective for men with post-prostatectomy dysfunction. This course will cover detailed male pelvic anatomy and pathology, surgical interventions for and recovery from prostatectomy. Also included will be relevant conditions such as TURP (transurethral resection of the prostate).

Pregnancy Rehabilitation – Remote Course

Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute ↗

In this online version of the Pregnancy Rehabilitation course, methods for performing assessment and treatment by both telehealth/online consultation and in-person visits for our pregnant clients will be considered. Knowing how to safely examine and treat the patient who is pregnant is the goal of this beginner-to-intermediate course. Prior to the live online portion of the course, participants will be able to view pre-recorded lectures at their own pace. In these videos, these pregnancy-related topics will be covered: terminology, fertilization, trimesters, medical testing/interventions, imaging, and medications. Differentiating between false labor, progressive labor, and other musculoskeletal pain will be covered. Understanding typical hormonal and systemic changes during pregnancy will be also be provided,

Women’s Health – Certified Women’s Health Specialist (CWHS)

Evergreen Certifications ↗

Training Requirements:
A minimum of 18 hours of continued education, in specific women's health topics. Pre-approved, 3rd party trainings that meet the training requirements for CWHS certification include:
Women’s Health Certification by PESI. Link to PESI course

CE for Therapy presently features multiple providers that offer a wide variety of Physical Therapy Certifications, Methods and Techniques. Here are some brief descriptions of some of our favorites, taken from the Physical Therapy Certifications / Techniques appearing above:

Torticollis: Assessment and Treatment of Infants and Children Online Series, offered by Education Resources, Inc.,  is instructed by Cindy Miles, PT, PhD, PCS, NDT, a leading expert on torticollis and plagiocephaly, who discusses the increased incidence, etiology, and pathophysiology of this disorder. This course is chock-full of case studies and interactive at-home lab practice opportunities to provide the knowledge of effective assessment and treatment of children with torticollis. Evidence-based treatment strategies that can be integrated into routines and functional play will be provided as well as recommendations for follow-up. At-home labs are offered and can be practiced with a baby-doll or partner.

Swim Whisperers – Overcome Roadblocks for Aquatic Therapy offered by Swim Angelfish. This course dives into identification of the 14 most commonly seen roadblocks for swimmers with special needs. Connection between each roadblock to the underlying problem as a therapist along with learning a strategy to overcome the roadblock will be identified for clinical use. 2 Hour Online Course. Link to Course

3D Movement Analysis and Performance System (3DMAPS®) Certification,  offered by the Gray Institute, leverages movements that are authentic to everyday life by utilizing all three planes of motion. This system allows the practitioner to examine, evaluate, and treat patients based on the philosophy that the influence of one part of the body effects another. This 10-hour, 100% online Physical Therapy Certifications course is the perfect complement for physical therapists and other movement professionals.

Advanced Office Ergonomics Assessment Specialist Certification (AOEAS®), offered by The Back School, provides a comprehensive overview of the many causative factors of and solutions for the prevention of office musculoskeletal disorders. Using the OSHA survey tool the D-2, this Physical Therapy Certifications course certifies that you are able to perform an OSHA-compliant ergonomics analysis in multiple types of offices. Participants will learn to identify and resolve the common risk factors in today’s traditional and non-traditional office environments.

Process-Based Specialist in Movement & Pain (PSMP), offered by Dynamic Priniciples LLC, is a 90-credit hour online and live hybrid Physical Therapy Certifications program which can be flexibly completed over the course of 1 to 5 years. This course work is designed to help participants re-conceptualize movement, manual therapy, and pain science clinical understanding and interventions to current standards of science-based evidence, while simultaneously building up communication and behavior modification skills to help clinicians better work with clients and patients who struggle with movement and pain. In this process, clinicians are introduced to a biopsychosocial process-based framework called the Movement with Pain Framework (MWPF) to help them take on uncertainty and complexity with increased comfort. This coursework is combined with a portfolio review to encourage the clinician to incorporate different science-based perspectives from other educators within the domains of Movement, Manual Therapy, Communication, and Behavior. The program finishes with a capstone providing opportunities for both conceptual and experiential integration.

Geriatric Certification, offered by Evidence in Motion, offers PTs and OTs the opportunity to develop expertise in the clinical management of the aging patient population. The evidence‑based curriculum focuses on the development of clinical competencies in the treatment of older adults with functional and cognitive decline with the intention of returning patients to active and healthy lifestyles. Coursework for this Physical Therapy Certifications course consists of a dynamic combination of didactic, collaborative, and clinical education experiences using a blend of distance learning, online courses, and weekend intensive on-site courses.

Applied Functional Science Certification (CAFS®), Link to CAFS offered by the Gray Institute, was developed for movement professionals from all industries and from all levels. The program includes more than 25 hours of video content, testing, and supplemental documents to help you design and implement functional programs based on the needs, wants, and goals of each unique client. CAFS is entirely online and can be completed at your own pace. Once enrolled, the student will have access to the content for a period of three years and can continue to access the content to this Physical Therapy Certifications course even after completion.

Advanced Exercise Therapist Certification (AET) offered by the
Egoscue Institute, Link to EI will further develop your existing skill set. With your 5-year certification, you will be a health professional with a level of proficiency in the Method that very few have achieved. While this Physical Therapy Certifications course hits on a wide variety of topics, the program provides a particular focus on the gross anatomy knowledge needed for many of your therapeutic interactions.Practitioners with the AET Certification are the only students allowed to open an Egoscue Method facility. Link to Egoscue

Functional Manual Therapy Certification (CFMT), offered by the
Institute Of Physical Art, is an intense 4 days of review of 8 required courses, followed by 2 days of written and oral/practical testing. The Following is the required Physical Therapy Certifications course work: Functional Mobilization I, CoreFirst™ Strategies for Back Education and Training, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation I, FMT Foundations, Functional Mobilization II, Functional Mobilization Lower Quadrant, Functional Mobilization Upper Quadrant, and in addition, applicants must Attend Functional Gait.

The Human Movement Specialist (HMS) certification, offered by the Brookbush Institute, acknowledges that you have completed 80 hours (or more) of course work toward a growing expertise in human movement science. All courses are short (1 – 4 hours), you choose the courses you think are important to your current work environment, you get credit for each passed exam, there is no giant final exam at the end, no timelines and it’s all included in membership, with no additional fees. Link to Brookbush

In order to receive the Kinesio Taping® Practitioner Certification (CKTP), offered by Kinesio University, candidates must complete the Kinesio Taping Assessments, Fundamental Concepts and Techniques, and the Advanced Techniques and Clinical Reasoning Approved Seminars, and then must pass the online CKTP Exam with 80% or higher. The letters “CKTP” after a name ensure confidence that the practitioner has undergone the necessary training to integrate Kinesio Taping in to their practice.

More Physical Therapy Certifications and Techniques

Offers Physical Therapy Certifications

WoundEducators.com offers Physical Therapy Certifications. The PT Wound Care Certification Course Online Training Component contains 17 interactive modules that pertain to all areas of wound management and includes digital images, animated activities, and video clips that demonstrate important learning concepts. The Certification Training Kit has a current wound management textbook that reinforces online training, an Interactive CD containing case studies that allow you to apply your wound care knowledge through the diagnosis and treatment of patients, and a Wound Certification Study guide that includes an outline of each module and a note-taking area. The course requires 57 Hours to complete. Link to Cert Course

Constraint-Induced Therapy: Introduction to Modified Constraint-Induced Therapy
Offered by MedBridge. Link to MedBridge Learn the most well-known and intensively studied neurorehabilitative therapy, taught by one of its pioneers! Learn from Dr. Page, who was the first to develop and implement modified, distributed versions of constraint-induced therapy, and to show that this reimbursable outpatient approach changes the brains and movements of patients even decades after brain injury and stroke. In this introductory course, Dr. Page will introduce the rationale, scientific basis, and practical application of modified constraint-induced therapy into your clinic, including applications to the upper and lower extremities and speech.

Introduction to Musculoskeletal Imaging offered by Redefine Health Education

This course is designed for health professionals to enhance their foundational knowledge in diagnostic imaging modalities. The course focuses on a range of modalities including radiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography. The course will convey the inherent statistical properties of each modality and how that impacts interpretations and clinical management. The course will instruct on radiologic verbiage to maximize the students’ ability to garner information from an interpretation and for inter-professional communication with radiologists. Students will also be taught a communication strategy with radiologists to improve the interpretation, improve the clinical correlation, and ultimately improve the management of the patient.

More Physical Therapy Certifications and Techniques

CLINICAL AI CHI©- Certification Course offered by Inertia Therapy Services

The basis of Ai Chi is it’s 19 kata’s: continuous movements that form a sequence with gradual increasing difficulty. There is no need to perform all movements. Different protocols exist, consisting of a choice of the 19 movements and/or a different amount of repetitions.
Clinical Ai Chi® is Ai Chi, which is used to solve a patient-specific problem. This mostly means that it is adapted to the possibilities of a person with a musculoskeletal and/or neurological problem. The elements of Clinical Ai Chi® should fit in a custom-made treatment program and be the result of a clinical reasoning process.

Certified Expert in Applied Geriatric Neurology offered by Great Seminars and Books

This 5-hour course is designed to extend and enrich learning in the area of geriatric neurology. Prerequisites: successful completion of (>80% correct on the post-test) of 5 of the following 7 courses:

• Gait & Balance: Not Falling for You
• Seating and Mobility: Choose the Right Path
• Wiihabilitation: You Never Knew Skilled PT Could Be This Fun
• Vestibular Rehabilitation: Does the Thought Make Your Head Spin?
• A Master Clinician Demystifies MS: Steps to Rehab Success for Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.
• A Master Clinician Confronts Stroke
• Neuro-Oncological Rehab: Head to Toe

Musculoskeletal (MSK) Soft Tissue Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Certificate offered by Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS)

The MSK Soft Tissue Clinical Certificate is appropriate for medical professionals whose scope of practice requires the evaluation of MSK Soft Tissue to identify Abscess, Muscle Tear, and other common pathologies. POCUS for the evaluation of MSK Soft Tissue is portable, allowing for real-time imaging and on-the-spot interpretation. Point-of-Care Ultrasound can be used by physicians, advanced practice providers (e.g., physician assistants, nurse practitioners, physical therapists), and other medical professionals who use POCUS for clinical evaluation or therapeutic decision making.

Frequently Asked Physical Therapy Certifications Questions:

How many years does it take to become a physical therapist?

Professional (entry-level) and Post-Professional (transitional) physical therapist education programs in the United States currently offer the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree to all new students who enroll. The length of professional DPT programs is typically 3 years, and the curriculum that is offered is prescribed by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). The course pre-requisites for admission vary significantly across PT education programs. PT programs may require preprofessional (pre-PT/undergraduate) science courses to be completed in a 4-year university/college within the 7-10 years prior to enrollment.

How do you become a certified physical therapist?

After graduation, Physical Therapists have the opportunity to become Board-certified Clinical Specialists through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS). Specialty certification is voluntary, and Physical Therapists can become board-certified specialists in the following areas: Cardiovascular and Pulmonary, Clinical Electrophysiology, Geriatrics, Neurology, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Sports Physical Therapy, and Women’s Health.  Two avenues that are associated with significant PT Post Graduate Continuing Competency costs, are Clinical Residency and Clinical Fellowships.

A Clinical Residency is a planned program of post-professional clinical and didactic education for physical therapists that is designed to significantly advance a physical therapist resident’s preparation as a provider of patient care services in a defined area of clinical practice. A Clinical Fellowship is a planned program of post-professional clinical and didactic education for a physical therapist who demonstrates clinical expertise in an area of clinical practice related to the practice focus of the fellowship.

NEW ABPTRFE Policies

During the past year there have been several changes in the policies that the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE) has put into place, that has caused some practitioners to be concerned about the basic survival of Residency and Fellowship programs.

ABPTRFE now has the following policies:

• Item 13.4 “Change in Curriculum” – requires a physical site visit for every additional participant practice site after the addition of a second new practice site in one calendar year.
• 4.2.4  Admission Criteria: requiring residency training, or American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) specialist certification– i.e. the elimination of the “Skills Track” as the third path for admission to a fellowship program.

Some practitioners are concerned that these new policies  threaten the future of post-professional residency and fellowship programs because they create divisiveness, disruption, and increased administrative burden in these clinical training programs. CE For Therapy will cover this issue on the “Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Programs Face ABPTRFE Mandated Changes” Post

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