Functional Evaluation and Applied Treatment for Complex Foot and Ankle Dysfunctions (Level 1 course)
Saturday-Sunday, September 20-21, 2025
Description
Have you ever struggled in treating a patient with Plantar Fasciitis? Have you considered that maybe the patient really did not have plantar fasciitis? Ever wonder if your patients poor foot alignment is a factor in their back, knee or hip pain? Don’t know when a patient should have a custom orthotic? Then you owe it to you and your patients to attend this course. Come and learn how to perform an effective differential diagnosis process for foot and ankle problems, learn what your textbook may have failed to explain, and how biomechanics of the foot can create symptoms from the foot to the lumbar spine.
This course is presented over 2 days to provide intermediate to advanced levels of instruction to allow clinicians to gain practical and useful knowledge for evaluation and treatment for dysfunctions related to the foot and ankle.
This course will begin with reviewing bony anatomy and joint function of the foot and ankle complex and using this information to delineate a structured evaluation and specific functional treatment techniques. Through a detailed course manual providing written descriptions, illustrations and selected post/preoperative protocols, emphasis will be placed on understanding biomechanical alignment as well as treatments for isolated weakness and range of motion deficits occurring in various foot and ankle diagnoses. The instruction manual will also provide useful evaluation forms as well as examples of suggested treatments. Clinicians will learn static and functional evaluation and screening techniques to guide differential diagnosis and promote thorough treatment plans for many foot and ankle pathologies including plantar fasciitis, posterior tibial tendon dysfunction.
The evidenced-based approach provides an unusual approach to foot and ankle education as it integrates assessments across several areas of specialization including physical therapy and Pedorthics that include immediately useful joint mobilization, flexibility and strengthening activities, as well as indications for foot orthotic and specific shoe recommendations. Case studies and group discussions will be utilized to ensure that the participant can implement learned techniques in the clinical setting. Lab portions of the course will allow individualized instruction in palpation, motion testing, therapeutic exercises, as well as joint and soft tissue mobilization/manipulation for specific range of motion limitation effecting common clinical entities. These techniques will be used to enhance the treatment techniques that the clinicians are presently using in their own practices.
Objectives
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Utilize a systematic approach to lower extremity biomechanical evaluation.
- Determine normal and pathological lower extremity function.
- Recognize common clinical entities of the foot and ankle through differential diagnostic processes.
- Formulate and implement a comprehensive foot and ankle therapeutic exercise program.
- Identify normal and abnormal accessory motion of the ankle, rearfoot and forefoot.
- Implement appropriate mobilization techniques to enhance joint range of motion.
- Determine when foot orthotic therapy is an indicated treatment.
- Review common surgical techniques of the foot and ankle and their relationship to postsurgical rehabilitation.
- Provide rationale for appropriate differential diagnosis for rearfoot, forefoot, and ankle pathology.
Agenda (16.5 Contact Hours)
Day 1
7:30am Registration
8:00 Introduction/Objectives/Housekeeping
8:20 Review of Gait/Terminology
8:40 Anatomy/Joint function
9:30 BREAK
9:40 Lower Extremity Biomechanical Alignment
11:00 Foot and Ankle Pathomechanics
12:30 LUNCH
1:15 Questions/Review
1:30 Continued Pathomechanics
2:30 Clinical Examination (Lecture/Lab)
3:45 BREAK
3:55 Evaluation Lab
4:45 Case Studies
5:30 Diagnosis and Pathology
6:30pm Dismissal
Day 2
8:00am Questions/Review
8:15 Diagnosis and Pathology
9:30 BREAK
9:40 Continued Diagnosis and Pathology
12:00 LUNCH
12:45 Foot and Ankle Treatments/Protocols
1:30 BREAK
1:40 Ther-ex Lab
2:00 Manual Treatment Lab
3:30 Case Studies/Question and Answers
4:00pm Dismissal
Suggested Audience
PT/PTA
Difficulty Level
Essential - Includes core theory, concepts and applications.
Speaker
Joshua Bailey PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, CPed completed his MPT and DPT degrees at Shenandoah University. He is a Board Certified Pedorthist, Certified strength and conditioning specialist, as well as a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. He is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Rehabilitation Associates of Central Virginia, a 17- site orthopedic physical therapy center, based in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he practices managing foot and ankle cases. Dr. Bailey is also the Director of the Rehabilitation Associates of Central Virginia’s Foot and Ankle Specialty Team. Dr. Bailey works with a wide variety of patients including athletes, officials and referees in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, Major League Baseball, ACC, and the Conference USA. He is an adjunct faculty member with Lynchburg College Doctoral Physical Therapy program, and The Jackson Clinics Orthopedic Residency and Fellowship. In addition, Dr. Bailey is a Principal owner of the Physical Therapy Management Group of Virginia where he provides Physical Therapy management and consulting services. Dr. Bailey has enjoyed lecturing in many forums on foot and ankle since 1997 on topics including pre and post-surgical management, manual therapy of the foot and ankle, differential diagnosis of foot and ankle disorders, as well as foot orthoses fabrication and modification. He teaches a Level 1-Advanced foot and ankle course as well as Level 2-Master level foot and ankle course privately as well as through North American Seminars.
Questions
Elise Egolf, DPT
elise.k.egolf@medstar.net
724-816-5338
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