Pre-requisites:  

  • Back Pain 300: Introduction to Advanced Diagnosis and Management 
  • Back Pain 301: Mechanical Discogenic Pain


Who is this course suitable for?

This course is suitable for clinicians with some postgraduate experience and an interest in diagnosing and treating subcategories of radicular pain and radiculopathy. It is especially valuable for physiotherapists working with or triaging for spinal surgeons.

Why is this course important?

The most common cause of lower limb radicular pain with or without radiculopathy is lumbar disc protrusion, herniation, extrusion or sequestration. 

What you will learn in this course.

This course uses a thorough and comprehensive reasoning process to guide clinicians from initial presentation to discharge regardless of pain severity or stage of presentation. 

The course covers:

  • Natural history of disc hernation from epidemiology to spontaneous remission.
  • Diagnosis of radicular pain and radiculopathy using clinical findings from the history and physical examination, and magnetic resonance imaging. 
  • Patient selection for surgical vs non-surgical treatment, and orthopaedic referral criteria (lumbar discectomy). 
  • Peri and post-operative management and rehabilitation management using exercise, posture correction and loading progressions are covered in some detail, but is not prescriptive.
  • The adherent nerve root and its association with epidural scarring is explored. Diagnosis and management is covered in some detail.


You will learn:

  • Differential diagnosis of somatic referred vs radicular pain and radiculopathy
  • Imaging indications and guidelines
  • The role of injections and interventional procedures
  • Non-surgical treatment pathways
  • Surgical indications for lumbar discectomy
  • Post-operative rehabilitation following discectomy
  • Complications and confounders to diagnosis & treatment


Includes: 

  • Pre-reading
  • Quizzes
  • CPD Certificate


Study Time: Approx. 15 hours (plus reading time)

Lesson curriculum

    1. Welcome

    2. Where did you hear about this course?

    1. Welcome and Introduction

    2. Manual

    3. References

    4. Lesson 1: Introductory Concepts in Radicular Syndrome

    5. Lesson 2: Radicular Syndrome and Disc Herniation

    6. Chapter 1 Quiz 1

    7. Case Study: Chris. Resolution following Epidural Steroid Injection

    8. Chapter 1 Quiz 2 Case Study: Chris

    1. References

    2. Lesson 3: Lumbar Disc Herniation & Surgery

    3. Lesson 4: Post-Discectomy Complications

    4. Lesson 5: Post Discectomy Rehabilitation Principles

    5. Chapter 2 Quiz 1

    6. Case notes for Sydney

    7. Case Study: Sydney. Acute Radicular Syndrome

    8. Chapter 2 Quiz 2 Case Study: Sydney

    1. Reference for Adherent Nerve Root/Epidural Fibrosis

    2. Lesson 6: Adherent Nerve Root & Epidural Scarring

    3. Radiopedia Link for case presentation of epidural scarring post hemi laminectomy

    4. Case Notes for James

    5. Adherent Nerve Root exercises from Rob PT via YouTube

    6. Chapter 3 Quiz: the adherent nerve root

    1. Lesson 7: Complex Cases of Radicular Syndrome

    2. Case Study: Ros. Persistent Radicular & Neuropathic pain

    3. Depersonalised case notes for Ros

    4. Chapter 4 Quiz

    1. Conclusion

    2. Before you go...

    3. Record of Reading

About this course

  • $200.00
  • 31 lessons
  • 3 hours of video content

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Instructor

Instructor Dr Mark Laslett

PhD, NZRPS, FNZCP, Dip.MT, Dip.MOT

Physiotherapy Specialist Musculoskeletal

Mark has over 50 years of clinical experience in musculoskeletal practice. He completed his PhD in “Diagnostic accuracy of the clinical examination compared to available reference standards in chronic low back pain patients” at the University of Linköping, Sweden in 2001 and in 2014 he became the first Specialist Physiotherapist registered in New Zealand.

His academic and research interest is in the theory and practice of diagnostics, has over 40 publications, contributed chapters to two multi-author books and published his own text Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy: The Upper Limb in 1996.

He became a Fellow of the New Zealand College of Physiotherapy in 2007, was made an honorary Life Member of Physiotherapy New Zealand in September 2014, and of the New Zealand Manipulative Physiotherapists Association in 2015.

He continues to practice as a consultant clinician in Christchurch, NZ and remains active in clinical research.

More info about Mark Laslett: https://www.marklaslett.nz/

Mark’s publications: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mark-Laslett