We are so happy you are looking to learn more about our Integrative Concussion Management Program.

Initial course offerings will include pre-recorded, on-demand content approved for a total of 5.5 CEUs in Arizona.

  • Part 1: Overview of Concussive Injury and Coordination of Care
    • 2.5 hours
  • Part 2: Primitive Reflex Integration for Concussion – A New Use for an Old Technique
    • 3 hours

See below to learn more!

In order to initiate course onboarding, please email PhoenixConcussion@gmail.com for a password to access site content. This is a requirement due to current restrictions for Lauren that are outside of her control.

Lauren co-founded the Primitive Reflex Integration protocol you will learn in this course and this is a fundamental area of her practice for patients with concussions but also those with ADD/ADHD, developmental delay, and even in conjunction with dysautonomia interventions for individuals with long-COVID.

Courses provided will be first based in the current research and will include the research she is conducting tirelessly to validate her protocols which have seen incredible clinical success.  When the world of established research and clinical practice diverge, this will be clearly stated during all courses.

Concussion is an evolving field and if you are practicing today the way you did 5 years ago, you likely aren’t doing it “right” – a bold statement but those of us in the field know it to be true!

By taking the initial 6 hour course offering, you can have a functional start to your clinical practice from your computer to the clinic straight away.  You should anticipate it will take time to become proficient in these new skills!

This initial program is crafted to onboard new and evolving clinicians into the world of concussion management and prepare them for the patients they will see on Monday.

Once you build competency, success, and confidence in these initial treatment areas – then you should evoke your clinical reasoning skills to deviate from these proven protocols and build on your skillsets to include more advanced practice such as dysautonomia, vision and vestibular rehabilitation (future coursework is coming soon!).

If you become frustrated with the time it takes to become proficient, remember that if you are treating concussions correctly, you are learning an entire new field of practice.  A simple 1 or 2 hour course just can’t get you there.  Concussions are challenging AND rewarding.  Learning to master interventions will take time but you will get there and hopefully you will find it just as rewarding as Lauren has!

Participants of this course will receive an additional certification that they have completed the “Phoenix Concussion Primitive Reflex Integration Therapy Program”.

This course is currently not available independently but will be in the near future.

At this time, you will receive CEUs for the entire course with an additional certificate for the PRI program!

Meet Your Instructor:

Lauren Ziaks, PT, DPT, ATC has over 7 years of experience treating individuals with concussion and has helped >1200 patients improve their quality of life. Through this growing and evolving practice, she has developed new treatment protocols to help close the intervention gap in knowledge that exists in concussion management today.

She is a graduate of Northeastern University with both a Bachelor of Athletic Training and a Doctor of Physical Therapy.

She was previously certified in vestibular rehabilitation therapy with the American Institute of Balance but earned her vestibular competency through Duke University in 2021. She has advanced training in vision therapy and operates her practice under the direction of a FCOVD neuro-optometrist. These two advanced trainings have allowed her to develop integrated vision and vestibular therapy protocols – treating the brain the way the brain is used in real life vs in specialty silos.

Following her own traumatic brain injury, Lauren has dedicated her practice to helping others Return to Life and Sport. She created Phoenix Concussion Recovery to provide an educational resource to patients and providers alike.

Lauren has published her novel evaluation and treatment protocols in peer-reviewed journals and is expanding her work into the management of dysautonomia.

She presents at local and distant institutions, local, state, and national conferences and her aim is to train as many providers as possible in her novel techniques to improve patient outcomes across the United States.

Overview of Concussive Injury and Coordination of Care

For the clinician looking to expand into the complicated world of concussion or a clinician who is starting to see concussions in their practice and is looking for a more streamlined approach and ways to answer the more complicated questions.

  • This course will briefly review the introductory “what is a concussion” and dive right into an overview of current concepts in concussion recovery and how to integrate the APTA CPG Domains published in 2020.
  • Within this framework we will explore exactly how to educate a patient on their concussion – what should they do? What does the research say? This supplement or that? How exactly do you help a patient get back into Work / Exercise?
  • A skillful provider will know where their talents and knowledge end and another’s begins. Concussions are deep and involved, you need to build a team of professionals around you to provide the very best care possible.
  • Screening tools will be provided for including VOMS for vision and vestibular screening, mCTSIB vs FGA or HiMAT, and review of cognitive assessments available.
  • Finishing with current updates for the cervical spine related to concussion including interventions for cervicogenic dizziness and the nuances of deep neck flexor training for whiplash associated disorder.
    • This is not an in-depth how to on the cervical spine – advanced content

Course Objectives:

  • Identify concussive injuries in their clinical practice who arrive with or without a previous diagnosis of concussion.
  • Classify patients by concussion domain – identify appropriate understanding of primary and secondary drivers of injury.
  • Provide patient education on early management techniques and importance of “active recovery”.
  • Implement cervicogenic exercises within treatment context of whiplash associated disorders and other cervical pathology related to concussive injury.
  • Demonstrate understanding and implementation of VOMS
  • Determine when advanced referrals are appropriate to manage domains outside of clinicians’ area of specialty
    • i.e., vision or vestibular rehabilitation, speech language pathology / neuropsychology, mental health providers

Primitive Reflex Integration for Concussion - A New Use for an Old Technique

For any clinicians currently treating concussions, ADD/ADHD, and other learning delays as well as vision therapists who aren’t currently using primitive reflex integration OR those who have dabbled with reflex therapy but need a concrete approach that has been published in a peer-reviewed journal to build evidence-based practice.

  • Part 1 will introduce the WHY of primitive reflexes. The established science and the questions we still have.  You will learn about the anatomy and physiology of primitive reflexes, how they integrate in development and why, what happens if this process goes wrong, and what happens if this neurological pathway is disrupted later in life from a concussion.
  • Part 1
    • Review the PR relevant to concussion – some reflexes are used in that acute setting to establish brainstem level activity and will not be relevant to this discussion. We are working with patients who are walking and talking and trying to integrate back into life and the challenges this presents.
  • Part 2
    • This is where it will get exciting! You will learn the HOW.
    • How to complete a Primitive Reflex Screen and will receive a Screening Tool which has been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
    • You will learn the nuances of the evaluation and exercise protocol, how to pick up on the mild deficits, and how to progress a patient through the established protocol.

Attendees will receive a copyrighted patient education handout and exercise progression handouts which they are welcome to use following the course with the inclusion of Phoenix’s copyright.

 

Course Objectives:

  • Demonstrate intermediate-level knowledge of primitive reflexes and their role in the concussed population
  • Demonstrate a functional understanding of vertical integration and the impact disruption can cause
  • Provide accurate and effective patient education for rehab purpose and home exercise program instruction
  • Effectively perform and interpret results from the Primitive Reflex Screening Tool
  • Effectively implement the Primitive Reflex Integration treatment protocol

Primitive Reflex Integration Certification Program

Participants will also receive certification that they have completed the “Phoenix Concussion Primitive Reflex Integration Therapy Program” stating that you have completed this program in its entirety and are able to implement this protocol based on our published research!  Congratulations!  Our goal is to be able to offer this course separately in the future but for now, it will be bundled with the Concussion Intro and Overview Course.

Early Bird Pricing Structure & Admin

Approved for 5.5 CEUS, Phoenix is happy to provide early access to course content for the discounted rate of $300 per attendee.

This pricing structure allows you access to content for 90 days, branded downloadable documents to use with your patients immediately, and 30 days to return your post-course materials to receive your CEU certificate.

In the Fall of 2022 the site will be able to automatically generate your certificate but currently you will be required to download your forms from the home site and email to PhoenixConcussion@gmail.com

For organizations with >10 attendees, please contact Lauren for bulk pricing structures. 

Courses are also available for LIVE virtual or LIVE in-person presentations and can be discussed via email.