Early Bird

LIVE Webinar: For the Love of Little Feet: Addressing the Pediatric Ankle to Improve Gait and Balance

$350.00

Instructor: Amanda Hall, PT, MPT, PCS
Dates: Monday, March 10 & Monday, March 17, 2025
Time: 8:00 am – 3:00 pm EST (both days)

Pricing:
Early Bird: $350.00*
Regular: $375.00 USD

*Early registration must be received by February 24, 2025. Group discounts are also available!

Course Overview:

Are you interested in expanding your treatment repertoire for foot and ankle conditions in pediatric patients?

This course presents a developmental movement systems approach to managing the growing individual. Using a kinesiopathologic lens, participants will explore the effects of repeated movements, sustained alignments, cumulative micro-trauma, and altered relative flexibility on ankle function and development.

The course also introduces the Movement System Analysis of the Foot and Ankle (MSA-FA) to guide clinicians in identifying key findings and individual resources to target interventions effectively.

Participants will review evidence-based interventions to enhance the resiliency of the ankle complex during systemic maturation and gain hands-on skills for an integrated approach, including:

  • Mobilizations to promote adaptive relative flexibility
  • Techniques to strengthen intrinsic stability through the “foot core”
  • Interventions that positively impact neuroplasticity

This course addresses patients from Early Intervention through High School, offering actionable strategies to guide individualized and effective care.

Print Brochure
Categories: ,

OBJECTIVES

Learning Objectives
Participants completing this course will be able to:

  1.  Describe the impact of altered foot and ankle function during development on the structural outcome of the movement system.
  2. Perform a detailed foot and ankle examination including gait kinematics, neuromotor function, and musculoskeletal structures.
  3. Develop a targeted, individualized plan of care for the foot and ankle to address task-related goals in the context of supporting best structural outcome of the movement system.
  4. Perform treatment techniques to address relative stiffness and flexibility in foot and ankle mobility and function.
  5. Design a progressive strengthening program to improve intrinsic stability of the foot and ankle.
  6. Progress interventions to positively impact neuroplastic change during movement system development

Target Audience: 

 PT and Assistants 

Course Level 

Intermediate

FACULTY

Amanda Hall, PT, MPT, PCS

Amanda Hall received her MPT from the University of Washington in 2001, and she re-certified as a Pediatric Clinical Specialist in 2020. Her clinical practice is at the HSC Pediatric Center in Washington, DC. Amanda also provides continuing education instruction in therapeutic casting, orthotic design, and treatment of the foot and ankle, with a framework based on PNF principles, therapeutic alliance, developmental movement system analysis, neuroplasticity, manual therapy, patient-centered design, and therapeutic gait. Amanda has presented internationally, with special emphasis on serving patients with complex presentations and “outliers”, including at the Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association, the APTA Pediatrics Annual Conference, and at the National Institutes of Health.

Amanda receives a speaking fee for the presentation. Amanda has no relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.

COURSE SCHEDULE

8:00 am – 3:00 pm EST | Both days

Schedule: Day 1 

March 10, 2025

8:00-8:40am · Introduction and Foot and Ankle Terminology
8:40-9:00am · Group activity: Terminology Worksheet and discussion
9:00-10:00am
· Foot and ankle function

· Review of evidence related impaired foot and ankle function in pediatrics

· Do We Need to Intervene? Review of evidence:

o Impacts of limited dorsiflexion

o Impacts of excessively pronated hindfoot alignment

o Impacts weakness

· Developmental Movement System model

o Influence of repeated movements and sustained alignment on structural outcomes and developmental motor learning in the growing system

o Neuroplasticity in developing brain

o Impact of physiological responses to pain on development

10:00-10:15am Break
10:15-11:10am
· Goal setting in the Developmental Movement System Model

o ICF Model

o Goals of patient and family

o Developmental and functional goals

o Long term movement system lens: supporting development of the movement system to have resilience and options as an adult

11:10-12:00
· Examination: Introduction to the Movement System Analysis of the Foot and Ankle (MSA-FA)

· Musculoskeletal Key Tests

o Dorsiflexion Stress test

o Talocrural Axis Test

12:00-12:45pm Lunch
12:45-1:15pm · Examination: Musculoskeletal
1:15-1:45pm · Demo and Participant Spotlight: Musculoskeletal Exam
1:45-2:15 · Examination: Neuromotor, other systems, and identification of Key Findings and System Resources
2:15-2:45pm · Examination: Gait
2:45-3:00pm · Discussion

Schedule Day 2

March 17, 2025

8:00-8:30am
· Discussion

· Movement System Analysis of the Foot & Ankle (MSA-FA) Case Examples

8:30-9:30am
Interventions (with review of evidence): Maximizing the resiliency of the foot and ankle complex through skeletal maturation
o Intervention: Mobility

§ Techniques to address patient stress, guarding, and tonic muscle contraction

§ Framework for interventions:

· Addressing drivers and contributing limitations

Joint mobilizations
Soft Tissue
“Frozen Ankle” hypothesis:
· Mobility demo, mobility demo-do, mobility spotlight

9:30-10:15am
· Intervention: Improving Motor Control Part 1

o Strategies to improve motor control based on individual patient resources

o Foot intrinsics “foot core”

· “Demo-do” with participant participation

10:15-10:30am Break
10:30-11:45*
· Intervention: Improving Motor Control Part 2: Eccentric Gastrocsoleus Motor Control during each phase of stance

· “Demo-do” with participant participation

11:45-12:00pm · Discussion
12:00-12:45 Lunch
12:45-1:45pm
· Interventions to address neuroplastic changes

o Vision

§ Increased impact of visual stimuli for children and adolescents

§ Use of visual modeling for sensory and motor activities

· Video, adult, peer modeling

· Self-modeling: mirror to use stronger side as model, UE as model for LE

· Visualization

§ Use of variable visual conditions during motor activities

§ Use of vision as a learning tool for other senses

o Tactile

§ Progressive sensory experiences and localization tasks for cortical mapping

o Use of resistance to improve kinesthesia and motor response

o Use of music and auditory cues

o Use of motor learning principles

o Supporting the individual to develop a developmentally-appropriate, personal system for describing discomfort and pain

1:45-2:15 · Breakout rooms: Case Studies for Knowledge Transition
2:15-3:00pm · Presentation of case studies to large group, discussion

CEU'S

Educational Credits

12 contact hours

Approved for 12 contact hours by NYSED’s State Board for PT.

Application has been made to NJBPTE for CE credit approval.

DISCOUNTS

Early Bird Discount

  • Early Registration: $350.00USD
  • Regular Price: $375.00 USD
    Register by February 24, 2025, to qualify for the early rate.

Group Discount (Use code: GROUP3)

  • Early Registration: $331.24 USD per participant
  • Regular Price: $354.90 USD per participant
    To qualify for the group rate, ensure all participants register by February 24, 2025.

Important Instructions for Group Registration:

  • List the names of ALL participants in the Order Notes section during checkout.
  • Group registrations must be completed within 24 hours of the first registration if registering online, or enclosed in the same envelope if registering by mail.
  • Note: Registrations submitted after the group registration has been processed will not be eligible for the group discount.