Decoding Low Back Pain

Elevate your low back pain diagnosis and evidence based management skills

This is a 2 part lecture presented by 2 speakers. 

Part 1: Understanding Low Back Pain: 90 min

Course Objectives:

1. Analyse low back pain using a biopsychosocial framework, integrating epidemiology, pain science principles, and the burden of LBP to explain variations in patient presentation and outcomes.
2. Evaluate the influence of beliefs, behaviours, and psychosocial factors on pain and disability, using validated screening tools (FABQ, BBQ, TSK) to inform clinical decision‑making.
3. Apply evidence‑based risk stratification and screening approaches, including red flag assessment and the STarT Back Screening Tool, to distinguish serious pathology and guide management pathways.
4. Synthesize findings from movement, functional, and psychosocial assessment within a structured clinical reasoning framework to develop proportionate, patient‑centred management strategies.

Speaker:

Dr Kavitha Vishal PT PhD is an Assistant Professor (Selection Grade) in the Department of Physiotherapy at Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE),India. She specialises in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and holds a PhD focused on sensorimotor training in rotator cuff–related shoulder pain. Her research interests include designing optimal management approaches for shoulder disorders, understanding sensorimotor impairments following upper‑quadrant musculoskeletal pain, neuroplasticity, chronic musculoskeletal pain, and developing normative data for upper extremity outcome measures. She has published 22 peer‑reviewed articles and serves as an Editorial Board Member for BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation. She is also a member of the Developing Countries Working Group of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) for the 2024–2026 term.

Part 2 :  Rehabilitation and management strategies: ( 90 min)

Course Objectives

1. Critically appraise the role of education as a treatment in low back pain, explaining how pain science education can address fear, misconceptions, and maladaptive coping in people with persistent pain.
2. Select and justify appropriate exercise‑based interventions (motor control, strengthening, graded activity) based on patient presentation, risk stratification, and functional goals.
3. Identify and address fear‑avoidance behaviours and central sensitisation, integrating behavioural strategies and graded exposure principles to support recovery in individuals with persistent low back pain.
4. Integrate manual therapy as an adjunct within a broader, evidence‑informed multidisciplinary management approach, using clinical reasoning to determine when referral or collaboration with other healthcare professionals is indicated.

Speaker:

Dr. Rina Pandya, PT, DPT, FHEA, PGLTHEis an internationally recognised Doctor of Physical Therapy and Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy at the University of the West of England (UWE),with over 25 years of clinical experience. She obtained her entry‑level physiotherapy degree from the School of Allied Health Sciences, Manipal, India, and her post‑professional Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Michigan‑Flint, USA. Dr. Pandya has worked clinically and in rehabilitation leadership roles across India, Oman, the United Kingdom, and the United States, giving her a strong global perspective on healthcare systems and patient care. A committed educator and advocate for lifelong learning, she holds a Fellowship in Higher Education (FHEA) and a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PGLTHE),and has completed formal training in research methods at the Manchester School of Physiotherapy. Her expertise spans evidence‑based practice, clinical guideline synthesis, workflow automation, and learner‑centred design. Dr. Pandya is a global CPD presenter and has developed internationally aligned modules, over 95 webinars, and clinical assessment tools that empower clinicians with practical approaches to clinical reasoning, documentation, and lifelong learning.

Agenda:

Introduction : 10 min

Lecture 1 : Approx: 90 min ( Presented by Dr. Kavitha Vishal)

Break: 10 min 

Lecture 2 approx: 90 min ( Presented by Dr. Rina Pandya)

QnA : 15 min

Conclusion: 5 min