If it’s been a while since you had the privilege of returning to the anatomy laboratory to learn, then you’ll love this event!
Pelvic pain and organ dysfunction is a common presentation - with 1 in 5 women and 1 in 12 men suffering at some time in their life. This sensitive area of practice requires a sound understanding of functional pelvic anatomy, embryology and how this translates to common symptomatology, and individualised treatment.
This clinical anatomy course - hosted at the University of Melbourne Cadaver Wet Lab - utilises real cases seen by the interdisciplinary team at the Women’s Health & Research Institute of Australia in Sydney to review the clinical anatomy of pre-dissected pelvic cadavers under the guidance of gynaecological surgeon and pain medicine physician Prof Thierry Vancaillie and advanced pain management osteopath Liz Howard.
These cases will highlight the importance of understanding the complex interrelationship of the pelvic anatomy structures and how this helps us understand patient symptoms.
The day will conclude with a tour of Melbourne Uni’s private Harry Brookes Allen Museum of Anatomy and Pathology - one of Australia's largest collections of human tissue specimens, comparative anatomy specimens and historical anatomical models.
At the end of this workshop you will be able to;
Better visualise the anatomical structures of pelvic anatomyThis course is applicable to all medical practitioners and allied health with an interest in pelvic anatomy. It would serve as an excellent addition to Pain & Pregnancy, The Pelvic Pain Puzzle and The Endo Enigma courses.
The course will also feature exclusive access to pelvic anatomy, embryology, physiology pre-learning videos (to maximise time in the lab).
The course will run from 8:45AM to 4:30PM. Places are limited to 24 attendees. It includes morning and afternoon tea and an e-certificate of attendance for your CPD records. The course can be counted as 8 hours CPD.
Professor Thierry Vancaillie is one of Australia’s few accredited Gynaecologist and Pain Medicine Physicians, renowned for his role in developing minimally invasive procedures, including hysteroscopic and laparoscopic surgery. His expertise includes pudendal neuralgia, pelvic pain, post-surgical pain due to mesh implants and the surgical treatment of infertility due to Asherman's Syndrome.
Liz Howard has 25 years experience as an osteopath. She holds the title of Advanced Pain Management Osteopath with a Master of Science in Medicine (Pain Mgt) (USYD), she conducts clinical research and is a clinical specialist in sacral neuromodulation. She has more than 17 years’ experience teaching at multiple Australian universities and as a CPD provider. Liz has been working in collaboration with Prof Vancaillie the team at WHRIA for over 10 years, providing osteopathic manual therapy, pain education, exercise and home care advice to help guide patients on their path to recovery, as a part of a whole team approach.
The Women’s Health & Research Institute of Australia (WHRIA) is a tertiary specialist clinic for pelvic and perineal pain, general gynaecology and hormone issues, with referrals for women and men from all over Australia.
Prof is personable, approachable and shares his knowledge with ease. The course content is set at the right level (not too difficult/easy). Liz is a legend - fun, sincere, knowledgeable and keeps bringing examples back to osteo.
Ashar Salia
Hands-on inspection of the dissected anatomy was a great opportunity for a deeper understanding. The expertise of the presenters was very evident and they were excellent at sharing their knowledge.
Robert Gorman, PhD
Was great to review the anatomy of the pelvis then look at the wet specimens in the lab to visualise the diversity between specimens. The Melb Uni anatomy museum was amazing to have access to. Loved Thierry's individual approach to his patients and how holistic his thinking is encompassing a multi-disciplinary approach. Was great to discuss specific case studies to see the variety of presentations and different treatment approaches.
Natasha Rizzi
Liz Howard is one of Australia’s leading Osteopaths with experience in treating the pelvis. Working closely with Pain Physician and Gynaecologist Prof Thierry Vancaillie at the Women’s Health & Research Institute of Australia Liz sees the consequences of difficult births, pregnancies and prolonged labour every day. With the right approach, great clinical results can be achieved for many complex presentations and Liz is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience in this area.
In Pain & Pregnancy, you’ll learn how to best assist patients prepare for birth as well as post-partum covering topics such as prolapse, diastasis recti, preventing nerve pain, pelvic girdle pain, post-cesarean care, breastfeeding ergonomics, and more.
Treatment models, and direct and indirect techniques demonstrated are based on the latest clinical guidelines for reducing pelvic floor delivery trauma, managing pelvic girdle pain, and the prevention of post-partum complications in the short and long term. You will learn useful self-management tips that patients can utilize during pregnancy, in birth-planning and the post-partum period.
The Pain & Pregnancy course is applicable to all allied health manual therapy practitioners with no prior experience treating pregnancy pain required. It will include practical examination and treatment protocols you will be able to immediately use with confidence in your practice.
The course will run from 8:30 AM to 4 PM. It includes morning and afternoon tea, e-notes and an e-certificate of attendance for your CPD records. The course can be counted as 7 hours CPD.
After completing this course attendees will have the opportunity to attend Liz Howard’s Pelvic Pain Puzzle course which teaches the management of pelvic and perineal pain.
Advanced Pain Management Osteopath Liz Howard practices at the Women's Health & Research Institute of Australia, a specialist pelvic pain clinic in Sydney. She holds a Master of Science in Medicine (Pain Management) from USYD in 2013 and has over 25 years’ of experience as an osteopath, including pain education and as a clinical specialist in sacral neuromodulation.
Liz has more than 16 years’ of experience teaching at Australian universities and as a CPD provider. Her teaching experience ranges from course writing, presenting lectures and practicum in Undergraduate and Master’s Osteopathic programs (University of Western Sydney, Southern Cross University), clinical supervision of Osteopathic students (UWS, SCU, SportsMed Mumbai), to presentations at many professional associations including RANZCOG (Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Obstetrics & Gynaecology), AGES (Australasian Gynaecological Endoscopy & Surgery), NSANZ (Neuromodulation Society of Australia and New Zealand), Osteopathy Australia National Conference presentation, Pregnancy Massage Australia, Pelvic Floor Seminars, GP education evenings and international allied health events, most recently in Ireland, Sweden and New Zealand.
Find out more about Liz Howard's experience here.
Organisation and venue was great which left participants comfortable to concentrate on the excellent delivery of very helpful and relevant information and instruction. Well done everyone involved and a big thank you to Liz for so generously sharing her skill and expertise.
Gopi McLeod
This was hands down one of the best courses I have attended! The balance of updated info, the course structure and the hands on practice was brilliant. I especially enjoyed that you tailored the course to the attendees and the one day course structure so that I don't feel burned out on the weekend and it didn’t impact work as much as a two day course may have. Thank you very much to all of the tutors and Liz for your guidance and support.
Casey Beaumont
Clear instruction, straight to the point, no wasting time.
Leonardo Viola
Shoulder pain can be one of the most complex presentations a therapist will see. It can be difficult to understand, frustratingly slow to improve and limit the patient’s quality of life considerably. If you find shoulder impingement treatment tricky then this is the course for you.
Shoulder complaints are the third most common musculoskeletal cause of visitation to a general practitioner[1] with at least half of these persisting beyond 12 months[2]. Shoulder Impingement Syndrome (SIS) is the most common cause of shoulder pain[3] and a recent systematic review of interventional treatment for Shoulder Impingement Syndrome concluded the effectiveness of surgical or conservative therapies targeting the shoulder joint are limited.[4]
Don Hunter completed his PhD (University of Newcastle) in 2022, providing evidence that a relationship between thoracic posture and shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) exists. Using a randomised control trial he established an evidence-based clinical approach to treating SIS using simple osteopathic techniques. In addition, as part of his PhD, Don provided an anatomical model describing why SIS occurs, which lends itself to the treatment of other limb conditions as well.
Shoulder Impingement: A Postural Model will review the normal anatomy and function of the shoulder complex, the pathophysiology of SIS, the most common differential diagnoses of SIS and their key clinical signs and symptoms, and evidence-based clinical testing for SIS. Don will describe why thoracic posture is so important in addressing SIS and provide an anatomical model, from his PhD, that provides an explanation for the occurrence of SIS. Using this model Don will provide a treatment framework for SIS as well as other wrist, elbow, upper limb and tendonitis conditions (such as tennis elbow).
Shoulder Impingement: A Postural Model is suitable for Osteopathy, Physiotherapy and Chiropractic practitioners. There will be a strong emphasis on practical sessions that you will be able to use with confidence in your practice immediately.
The course will run from 8:30AM to 4:00PM. Places are limited to 20 attendees. It also includes morning and afternoon tea, printed notes and an e-certificate of attendance for your CPD records.
The course can be counted as 6.5 hours CPD.
I have always found shoulders a little bewildering. Treatments have been hit and miss over the years. This course gives me a good evidence based foundation in relation to shoulder pathology, specifically impingement. And we learned how to treat! Most excellent day.
Felicity Marguin
Loved it! One of the best courses I’ve been to. Really useable information and relatable to practice. Good spacing with breaks and amount of theory and prac. Don was great at presenting - engaging and observant of the audience.
Great case studies, good class size, everything was well organised. Wouldn’t change anything.
Heather
Don did a great job in presenting all the information with character, he had some jokes in there and you could tell he had a-lot of passion for shoulders. It made it very easy to follow along with all the information and data/statistics that would otherwise be dry.
I really, really liked all the graphs. They helped give us a visual to accompany all the information that was given to us, the images of the cadavers were also really great and helped us visually see the relationship of fascia with other anatomical structures in the shoulder especially the triceps.
The practical component was really great. It helped that it was a smaller class and we had a good amount of one on one
Don had a lot of great case study examples which helped put the theory into practice. He helped us understand that ideally not everything is textbook and gave us some examples of tricky shoulder presentations.
ANON
[1] Greving K, Dorrestijn O, Winters JC, et al. Incidence, prevalence, and consultation rates of shoulder complaints in general practice. Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology. 2012;41(2):150-155.
[2] Van der Heijden GJMG. Shoulder disorders: a state-of-the-art review. Bailliere's Clinical Rheumatology. 1999;13(2):287-309.
[3] Mayerhoefer ME, Breitenseher MJ, Wurnig C, Roposch A. Shoulder impingement: relationship of clinical symptoms and imaging criteria. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. 2009;19(2):83-89.
[4] Saltychev M, Aarima V, Virolainen P, Laimi K. Conservative treatment or surgery for shoulder impingement: systematic review and meta-analysis. Disability & Rehabilitation. 2015;37(1):1-8.
Endometriosis is a whole body issue, affecting the nervous, immune, endocrine, lymphatic and musculoskeletal systems. A growing body of research is exploring the interconnectedness of all these systems. But how do you apply that knowledge to your patients?
The Endo Enigma takes a cutting edge understanding of endometriosis, inflammation and pain science and combines them with traditional osteopathic principles and philosophy to develop a clinical reasoning framework you can easily apply to people with endometriosis and persistent pelvic pain in your clinical practice.
In this one-day course participants will gain an understanding of what endometriosis REALLY is - debunking many current myths. You will learn an individualised assessment and treatment plan for patients with suspected or diagnosed endo and how it fits within the context of an interdisciplinary team.
Treating endometriosis requires a number of skills; including hands-on manual therapy, pain education and lifestyle management. You will learn a variety of external manual techniques for pelvic pain that can be used together as a model or individually. The course includes a nutrition component, and a variety of tips to assist with whole person management of this complex issue.
The Endo Enigma is full of practical information you can immediately implement to improve how you work treating endometriosis.
The Endo Enigma course is applicable to all allied health manual therapy practitioners. You’ll leave with a framework for developing an assessment and treatment plan for patients with suspected or diagnosed endometriosis. Internal techniques will not be demonstrated.
Includes access to around 3 hours of pre-learning videos will cover anatomy and other background topics. On the day the course will run from 8:30AM to 4PM. Places are limited to 20 attendees. It also includes morning and afternoon tea and an e-certificate of attendance for your CPD records. The course can be counted as 9 hours CPD.
Rebecca Malon is based on the Sunshine Coast and has been practicing as an Osteopath since 2011. Her clinic, Freya Health primarily focuses on pelvic health in particular pelvic pain, pelvic floor care, preconception, pregnancy and postpartum.
She graduated RMIT with a Masters Degree in Osteopathy in 2010 and completed her Bachelor of Health Science (Nutritional and Dietetic Medicine) in 2019.
In addition to her clinical role Rebecca is the Queensland practitioner member for the Osteopathy Board of Australia and was previously a lecturer and Curriculum Facilitator in the Myotherapy Department at Endeavour College of Natural Health.
See Rebecca’s full bio here.
Sarah Dryburgh is based in Brisbane and has been practicing since 2012. Early in her career she began working with patients with pelvic pain and endometriosis and has focused on increasing awareness of the role of allied health in managing endometriosis.
In 2017 she completed her Fellowship in Lifestyle Medicine and joined the Australiasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, which she uses to complement her osteopathic practice.
Sarah has presented on an osteopath’s role in managing endometriosis at various events including the New Zealand Osteopathic Conference and QENDO. Her latest contribution to OsteoLife magazine was in 2024 and focussed on endometriosis. She was the creator of the Women’s Health Symposium in Brisbane and strongly believes in multidisciplinary support for people with endometriosis.
See Sarah’s full bio here.
The presenters’ knowledge was impeccable and all the information was so valuable. The slides were great and contained just the right amount of info. It was well paced and I definitely came out feeling well-armed. Loved it
Well-presented pre-course anatomy review and content as well as great manual skills and nutrition taught on the day. As a physio the group of Osteo's were so welcoming and patient with our holes in clinical osteo knowledge!
Fascia is often the missing link for addressing persistent pain, pain after a fall or injury, immobilisation, recurrent acute back pain, movement restriction after surgery, post-surgical pain, contusion injuries, scar tissue and more.
There is a huge amount of current research to support how osteopaths work with the fascia in a holistic way to improve patient outcomes. This includes anatomical connections derived from embryology, neurovascular supply, connective tissue mechanics and mechanotransduction, interactions of the fascia with inflammation, cellular messengers, hormones and the immune system.
A thorough understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of the fascial systems can help inform patient education, tailored movements and specific rehabilitation that is quite different to how we approach muscular dysfunction. Liz Howard has translated this research into a simple assessment and treatment model for local and global fascial dysfunction, to help select the best treatment techniques and self-management for your individual patient.
Learning Objectives
Related Learning
Attendees also have the opportunity to attend Liz Howard’s Exploring Visceral Fascia course which will look at the deeper chains in more detail, including viscero-fascial contributors to pain or dysfunction.
Course Details
The Myofascial Release course is applicable to all allied health manual therapy practitioners. It will include practical examination and treatment protocols you will be able to use with confidence in your practice.
The course will run from 8:30AM to 4PM. Places are limited to 20 attendees. It also includes morning and afternoon tea, e-notes and an e-certificate of attendance for your CPD records. The course can be counted as 6 hours CPD.
About the Presenter
Advanced Pain Management Osteopath Liz Howard practices at the Women's Health & Research Institute of Australia, a specialist pelvic pain clinic in Sydney. She holds a Master of Science in Medicine (Pain Management) from USYD in 2013 and has over 25 years’ of experience as an osteopath, including pain education and as a clinical specialist in sacral neuromodulation.
Liz has more than 16 years’ of experience teaching at Australian universities and as a CPD provider. Her teaching experience ranges from course writing, presenting lectures and practicum in Undergraduate and Master’s Osteopathic programs (University of Western Sydney, Southern Cross University), clinical supervision of Osteopathic students (UWS, SCU, SportsMed Mumbai), to presentations at many professional associations including RANZCOG (Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Obstetrics & Gynaecology), AGES (Australasian Gynaecological Endoscopy & Surgery), NSANZ (Neuromodulation Society of Australia and New Zealand), Osteopathy Australia National Conference presentation, Pregnancy Massage Australia, Pelvic Floor Seminars, GP education evenings and international allied health events, most recently in Ireland, Sweden and New Zealand.
Find out more about Liz Howard's experience here.
