Bobath: Advanced (Western Cape)

Entry requirements

Basic Bobath certificate (three-week course on the assessment and treatment of adults with neurological conditions: the Bobath concept) obtained more than six months prior to attending the Advanced course.

Topic

Bridging Theory and Life: Leveraging Neuroplasticity and Modern Skill Acquisition principles within the Bobath concept.

Programme

This course focuses on advanced clinical strategies for upper-limb hypertonicity management as well as balance and stability skills to ensure clinical gains translate directly into the patient’s daily environment and community participation.

Objectives

Skill Acquisition and Neuroplasticity

• Analysing how modern skill acquisition principles underpin and drive neuroplasticity in healthy adults and hemiplegic population.
• Determining “optimal dosage” moving beyond arbitrary numbers to evidence-based repetition and intensity for lasting cortical reorganisation.
• Designing the content and structure of a treatment session to maximise motor learning and cognitive engagement.
• Identifying and managing the internal and external barriers that limit a patient’s ability to acquire and retain new motor skills for hand function.

The Clinical Challenge: Beyond the Therapy Gym

• Gaining the ability to prepare patients for real-life functional activities through environmental task analysis.
• Critically evaluating standardised outcome measures: What are we measuring?
• Reconsidering outcome measures.

The Cognitive-Motor Interface: Journey to Automaticity

• Understanding the Cognitive-Autonomous Continuum: Why neural injury results in tasks becoming effortful and requiring conscious thought.
• The Cost of Thinking: Analysing the trade-off between cognitive load, attention and postural stability.
• Clinical application of internal vs external focus of attention during skilful upper-limb function.

Hypertonicity in Upper-Limb and Hand Function

• Understanding how hypertonicity influences the control of arm and hand function.
• Applying clinical applications and the principles that guide treatment.

Practical Intervention and Hands-on Lab

• Learning strategies and techniques for incorporating upper-limb function and hypertonicity management into postural stability and walking.
• Learning strategies and techniques for incorporating balance and stability activities to increase ecological validity.
• Using environmental facilitation to drive neuroplasticity and reduce cognitive effort.
• Looking at patient-centred functional analysis and its application to treatment.

Methodology

An interactive weeklong course that includes theory, practical and clinical sessions as well as patient demonstrations.

CPD points: 37