COURSE DESCRIPTION: This lab intensive course applies clinical reasoning and differential diagnosis through formulating illness scripts based upon a thorough subjective history and a hands-on musculoskeletal assessment of the cervical spine. This course is designed to equip the clinician with the proper subjective and objective evaluation skills to determine the appropriateness of physical therapy, recognize the need for a referral due to signs and symptoms of serious pathology and generate a provisional differential diagnosis of cervical spine dysfunction. Pain science, including acute and chronic nociceptive mechanisms are discussed and applied through clinical scenarios. Furthermore, intervention techniques and management of common spinal pathologies are demonstrated, including soft tissue techniques and joint articulation techniques. Neuromuscular reeducation and therapeutic exercises are introduced to reinforce each manual treatment. Dr. James Cyriax principles are presented, including the application of the selective tissue tensioning examination.