Manual therapy intervention, PPDPT 1609,
is designed to expose students to the physiological, neurological and psychological aspects of manual therapy.

Students will be expected to:

• Utilize their skills of critical inquiry
• Develop a practical knowledge base
• Demonstrate application of the course material

This course will be completed via reading, online interactions with peers and instructors, review of current research, completion of assignments and demonstration of the proper use of manual therapy interventions.

Manual therapy interventions is the only course in the post-professional doctorate of physical therapy curriculum that includes a face-to-face instructional component. Due to the nature of the course material, demonstration of manual therapy techniques is critical to understanding these methods of physical therapy intervention.

The manual therapy lab was an all-around eye-opening and empowering experience. The instructors were skilled, engaging, helpful and professional. The information was relevant and immediately applicable. My eyes are opened to a broader perspective, and my approach is becoming much more integrative than before. The first week back, I am recognizing new patterns and getting much faster results already. Suffice it to say, I am now “out of the box” and planning to stay there.

Upon reflection, the thing I most enjoyed about the lab was getting to come to campus and meet the staff and other students in person. I now have a greater sense of connection and belonging to the academic experience. I am glad to be part of a group so committed to professional development and personal growth.”

- Margaret “Marnie” Coutts, North Bend, OR, PPDPT’14

Read more about the on-campus manual therapy course from the Dose of DMU blog.

Exemption for on-campus requirement

To provide an optimal and consistent learning experience, the on-campus portion of the course has been designed to give students hands-on exposure to manual therapy interventions studied within this course. Students demonstrating sufficient recent training in manual therapy who are unable to attend the laboratory may request to be excused from the on-campus component of the course.

Students eligible for exemption from the manual therapy intervention on-campus component must meet one of the following stipulations:

Documented certification in manual therapy. Examples include, but are not limited to, certifications in:

Documentation of 16 hours of approved manual therapy continuing education credits with 13 of the hours including a lab experience. The qualifying continuing education credits must be from the past three years from when the Manual Therapy Interventions course is taken. Examples of course topics may include, but are not limited to:

Upon registration for the course, students wishing to be exempt from participation in the on-campus portion of the course, who believe they meet one of the above stated stipulations, must complete a manual therapy exemption form. This form will be due by the end of the first week of the course. The course instructor will review the form and come to a decision on approval for exemption. If exemption is approved, the student will be responsible for completing an alternate assignment to earn points allocated towards laboratory participation. There are three assignment options and one must be completed by the end of the course. Please assure that you will be able to meet these requirements by the end of the course if you will be requesting exemption from the on-campus laboratory. It should be noted that no tuition reduction will be made for those students not attending the on-campus component.