2023 APTA Alaska Fall Conference

Spinning beyond basics: Balance Training and Current Concepts in Vestibular Rehabilitation

SpeakerS

Lee Dibble, PT, PhD, ATC, FAPTA

Michael C Schubert, PT, PhD, FAPTA

A TOTAL OF 14 CONTACT HOURS

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will integrate anatomical and physiologic principles with clinical examination and treatment ideas. The content is broad and includes topics related to diagnosing and treating the most common vestibular disorders, including, peripheral and central vestibular pathophysiology.

1. We will ask the participants to pair up for lab skills. If we have uneven numbers of people or equipment, then a few can form a group.
2. We will have two tables available for the instructors to demonstrate and the participants to practice the BPPV diagnosis and treatment portions of the lab.
3. We enjoy teaching in an interactive environment, so participants are encouraged to ask questions.

OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this course, particpants will:

1. Understand the role of the vestibular system in gaze and gait stability.
2. Perform an oculomotor examination.
3. Identify pathological eye movement implicating the oculomotor and vestibular systems.
4. Perform clinical skills to treat positional vertigo.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Lee Dibble, PT, PhD, ATC, FAPTA, is a member of the residency program leadership committee. He is currently Associate Department Chair and a Professor within the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training at the University of Utah. After receiving an undergraduate degree in Animal Physiology from UC Davis, he attended Duke University for his MS in Physical Therapy. He earned a PhD from the University of Utah with a focus on Motor Learning and Motor Control. For the past 20 years, Dr. Dibble has co-directed the Balance and Mobility Clinic and the Motion Capture Core Facility. His research has examined skeletal muscle and functional responses to eccentric muscle training, as well and postural and gaze stability in persons with neurologic conditions such as Parkinson Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, vestibular hypofunction, and concussion. Current funding for this research comes from the NIH, the Department of Defense, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the PAC-12, the Michael J Fox Foundation, the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research, and the University of Utah.

Michael C. Schubert, PT, PhD, FAPTA, completed his PhD at the University of Miami in 2001. He then completed a post-doctoral fellowship in vestibular neurophysiology at Johns Hopkins University in 2004. Currently, he holds an appointment as Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Johns Hopkins University. His research is focused on examining the oculomotor mechanisms responsible for both behavioral outcomes and physiologic changes associated with vestibular rehabilitation. His research has been funded by NASA, NIH, the US Department of Defense, and the Foundation for Physical Therapy.