Welcome to the STOPS.physio course on Standard assessment of low back disorders.

An adequate patient assessment is a mandatory skill for health practitioners engaged in primary care of patients with low back disorders. The aim of this course is to assist the practitioner in developing adequate theoretical knowledge to assess and diagnose the barriers to recovery for a typical patient presenting for primary care.

An assumption is made that all practitioners engaged in this course will have at least a Bachelor level understanding of human anatomy, biomechanics, physiology and pathology. This course relies on sound basic science knowledge to allow an application to clinical practice.

It should be noted that the information presented is not discipline specific. The course is based on long established standards of clinical practice^1-3 interpreted within an evidence-based framework. Practitioners should be able to master the assessment procedures within this course and then adapt them in the manner specific for their discipline.

At the end of this course the practitioner should have the capabilities to:

• Demonstrate a standard subjective examination on a patient
• Demonstrate a standard physical examination
• Develop a prioritised list of barriers from a standard assessment

Quizzes throughout the course will assist the practitioner in self assessment of progress.The practitioner will be able to have multiple attempts at these quizzes and their completion is not compulsory. Formal assessment and certification is an optional extra for the practitioner to ensure the above learning outcomes have been achieved.

If you have purchased this course as part of the STOPS "Assessment and treatment of low back disorders four course bundle" you can return to your included courses by following the link at the bottom of the contents page.