Movement System Syndromes of the Lumbar Spine
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Let's practice together!
We have gotten many requests to host an onsite class from so many people. Thank you!! Virtual courses are convenient and are here to stay, but nothing beats evaluating people's alignment and movement patterns together. This course will primarily cover lumbar spine syndromes with consideration of the hip joints. A huge part of the weekend will be spent in lab, analyzing classmates' movement patterns and appreciating where to look / how to guide the secondary tests.
- Movement System Syndromes of the Lumbar Spine
- August 9~10, 2025 (Sat & Sun)
- Time: 9am ~ 5pm both days
- Location: San Francisco, CA (Kaiser Permanente San Francisco)
- Instructor: Maiko Morotani, PT, DPT, board certified specialist in orthopaedic physical therapy
Participants are encouraged to study the Lower Quarter Basics course (free) prior to attending the weekend course.
There are NO RECORDINGS of this onsite course. All you have to do is come to class and practice together!
Course Description
The proposed Movement System Syndromes (classification system) has been shown to help clinicians identify the cause of patient’s musculoskeletal pain. By using the systematic examination, physical therapists determine the movement system diagnosis and efficiently guide patients’ return to their prior level of function and optimize their movement. This course will provide the concepts and principles of Movement System Syndromes with focus on the lumbar spine. Interactions with hip will be considered during the examination and development of treatment plan. Participants will be able to practice systematic lower quarter examination to diagnose and identify the contributing factors by participating in lab. Key concepts of movement system syndromes are:
- Body takes the path of least resistance
- Relative flexibility (joint) and relative stiffness (active and passive tension of muscles)
- Micro-instability causes pain
- How we perform everyday activities is crucial (repetitive movements / prolonged postures)
- How you train determines how you move
- Strong muscles do not equate to correct movement (neuromuscular activation influence)
- Regional interdependency
- The need for systematic examination and movement system diagnoses
Learning Objectives
At the end of the class, participants will be able to:
- Appreciate physical therapist’s identity, particularly those who are in the orthopedic setting
- Describe the difference between pathokinesiologic model and kinesiopathologic model
- Understand the key concepts of kinesiopathologic principles
- Learn the systematic lower extremity movement tests (primary tests)
- Learn how to perform the correction of movement tests (secondary tests)
- Learn the lumbar spine movement system diagnoses
- Understand how to treat patients according to their movement system diagnosis
- Develop appropriate handling skills to perform each movement test
- Demonstrate ability to interpret primary test results
- Identify contributing factors to the movement system diagnosis
Schedule: 8/9 ~ 8/10/2025
This course is designed for physical therapists who want to practice the systematic examination and secondary tests / treatments in the classroom. There are no virtual options for the San Francisco course.
Onsite course will be held at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Mission Bay located at:
1600 Owens St, 6th Floor, Filmore Room, San Francisco CA 94158
August 9 ~ 10, 2025, Sat & Sun
9am ~ 5pm both days
Speaker Profile
Dr. Maiko Morotani is from Osaka Japan. As an undergraduate student, she was so inspired by Dr. Susie Deusinger, then director of Program in Physical Therapy at Washington University in St. Louis. This fateful meeting lead her to pursue her DPT degree from WashU Medicine Physical Therapy. It has been Maiko’s mission to continue learning about the movement system, and to share the knowledge with her Japanese physical therapy community. She is one of seven Japanese translators of the textbook Movement System Impairment Syndromes of the Extremities, Cervical and Thoracic Spines. Since 2014, she started Nexus Motion, a continuing education company to primarily help Japanese physical therapists. Her role has evolved more recently, as Nexus Motion collaborates with with WashU Medicine Physical Therapy to organize their flagship movement system continuing education courses. Maiko has taught movement system courses in Japan, US, Thailand, and was a keynote speaker at the 2023 Asian Confederation of Physical Therapy Congress. She treats patients with neuromusculoskeletal dysfunctions in the Los Angeles area and provides mentoring services to clinicians.
2025 San Francisco lumbar course
Onsite course with plenty of lab hours to practice systematic examination and secondary tests / treatments for low back patients, using kinesiopathologic principles. One of the few opportunities this year for studying Movement System Syndromes of the Lumbar Spine in person!
$500.00 USD
Are you an active ALL ACCESS member? We can send you a discount coupon code for the San Francisco course!
You are awesome for being an ALL ACCESS member. So committed and driven. ALL ACCESS provides you automatic registration for virtual webinars and courses (excludes group mentoring sessions, and onsite course like this one in San Francisco). But because ALL ACCESS members are so special, please email us ([email protected]) and we are happy to send you a $50 discount coupon code for the San Francisco onsite course.
Past participants' experiences
Melissa Belcher
MSPT, Capp-OB
"The movement system courses I find valuable in the combination of lecture and patient cases of the various syndromes and potential corrections. This is really the root of what we should be doing as PTs and it's exciting to take part and improve my practice."
Marisa Taylor
PT, DPT
"Maiko has a deep understanding of movement system syndromes and an engaging, down-to-earth teaching style that made the material easy to follow and apply. I felt feeling more confident in my clinical reasoning and better equipped to treat movement dysfunctions. I would absolutely recommend this course to other clinicians looking to deepen their understanding and sharpen their skills."
Joan Vicente
PT, DPT, OCS
"Dr. Maiko Morotani's teaching approach to movement system syndromes is both insightful and engaging. Her ability to break down complex concepts into easily understandable lessons makes learning enjoyable and effective. With extensive expertise in the movement system, she elucidates complex topics with clarity and precision, ensuring that learners gain a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. Her courses are enriched with real-life patient examples, utilizing photos and videos to focus on functional outcomes, which significantly enhances the learning experience."
