Low Back Pain: A Core-First Assessment & Treatment Approach

Overview

Your back pain patients aren't getting better. And it's not because you're prescribing the wrong exercises.

It's because they're doing them in a way that reinforces the exact movement patterns that got them hurt in the first place. But these compensations are subtle enough, that they're easy to miss entirely. 

This course teaches you how to see them.

The DEEP CORE FRAMEWORK is your system for assessing and treating low back pain at the source: the core. 

Not generic "core strengthening," but a way to actually see how the deep core influences everything: rib cage positioning, pelvic compensation, and the subtle cheats that keep your patients stuck.

And once you understand this framework, you'll start seeing it everywhere: the shoulder that won't stabilize, the hip that keeps flaring up, the post-op patient who can't progress. 

Low back pain is the entry point, but the core is the common thread across all of it.

Learning Objectives

Within the DEEP CORE FRAMEWORK, you will learn:

• How to train your eye to catch what's easily overlooked: the subtle rib cage shifts, pelvic compensations, and movement cheats

• The difference between the inner and outer core unit, and how they work together in your patients (or fail to)

• How the diaphragm and pelvic floor influence movement, and why so many "core exercises" fail without this piece

• How to turn what you're seeing into a clear treatment direction

• How to prescribe and cue exercises based on what happening in front of you, not just what's "good for the core"

• How the core influences the entire chain, from shoulder to ankle, and what to do when dysfunction isn't where the pain is

Audience

This course is for physiotherapists and allied healthcare practitioners who treat back pain, post-surgical, postnatal, and orthopedic patients and want a practical framework they can use in everyday clinical practice. It's designed for both new graduates looking to fill the gap between school and clinic, and experienced practitioners who want more clarity and confidence in their core assessment.

The Instructors

Julia Cetnar & Joelle Karam — Physiotherapists, educators, and co-founders of Physio Mentors.

Julia and Joelle each have over 15 years of clinical experience, and they've spent those years doing more than just treating patients. They've pursued extensive continuing education across neurofunctional assessment, contemporary acupuncture, Clinical Pilates, pelvic health, and strength and conditioning — while simultaneously teaching at the McMaster University Contemporary Medical Acupuncture Program, the University of Toronto, and Global Health Works in the US.

That combination matters. They've learned from the best, tested it in their own practices, and then turned around and taught it to others. Over and over, for 15 years. It's made them exceptionally good at taking complex clinical concepts and making them practical, clear, and easy to apply.

They founded Physio Mentors in 2017 to bridge the gap between what's taught in school and what's actually needed in practice. This course is the product of everything they've learned, applied, and refined along the way.

Material Included In This Course

• Anatomy & Neuroanatomy of the Core

• Inner vs. Outer Core Unit

• Diaphragm & Pelvic Floor Function

• Identifying Compensation Patterns

• Assessment Walkthrough

• Exercise Selection & Cueing

• Practical Movement Demonstrations

Course Access & Completion Policy

Upon purchase of this course, you will have 1 year (365 days) from your date of purchase to complete all course materials and meet the completion requirements.

If you successfully complete the course within the 1-year timeframe, you will be granted lifetime access to the course content at no additional cost.

This means you can revisit the lessons, resources, and materials whenever you need them—long after your initial completion date.