Academic Programme

Our general title, ‘Practice Makes Perfect’, is targeting again at another core issue in chiropractic: the art of practicing! It may take five years undergraduate training to be a chiropractor, but it is after many years of clinical practice and experience, that you actually become one. Learning never ends, but it is putting knowledge into clinical and practical perspective that makes any difference in what you do. Our title serves as a great opportunity to aim presentations at more practical and clinically relevant topics.

The academic programme in Amsterdam was created as a reflection from some of the discussions and presentations made in recent conventions, but at the same time will aim at incorporating new trends in Chiropractic. One of the topics that were opened during the last convention was technique selection criteria for patients suffering from low back pain and sciatica. This has formed the driving idea behind the opening session: Optimal Care for Patients with Low Back Pain and Sciatica. The topic will be discussed in great depth and all parameters of LBP will be presented, both in plenary sessions, as well as in follow-up workshops. A similar to the low back session on the Cervical Spine, with its relevant workshops, will be organized for the second day. At the same time, we are hoping again to be in a position to present some very interesting original research papers, but the discussion on the relevance of research and clinical practice will also continue, in the form of a well structured plenary lecture series session entitled: Is Field Experience at Odds with the Evidence?

On top of those, we have also tried to include many topics that will be presented for the first time, including:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Mobilization of the Nervous System
• McKenzie Treatment for Lumbar Disc Herniations
• Postural Movement Patterns 
• Functional Neurology 

We have made a point in making this event as interdisciplinary as possible, by inviting researchers and clinicians from other medical territories, like Neurosurgeons, Orthopedists, Physiotherapists, Acupuncturists and Epidemiologists.

Some important figures in Chiropractic and Musculoskeletal Medicine will be there. New for the ECU Conventions speakers have been invited, like: Maurits Van Tulder, Pierre Côté , Bart Koes, Gary Jacob, Yiannick Audo. Together with some well known to us, like Sidney Rubinstein, Tammy DeKoekkoek, David Byfield, Brandon Brock, Mark Charette and many more, will make an excellent speakers panel to cover the extensive needs of our programme.

Finally, we are hoping to end the convention with another interesting round table discussion/debate, chaired by the secretary of WFC, David Chapman-Smith, between the presidents of the ECU and WFC, Oystein Orge and Michael Flynn on Current Debates Relating to the Future of Chiropractic, followed by questions from the audience.

Hope to see you all there.

Vassilis Maltezopoulos DC, MD(PMR), FFEAC
ECU Convention Academic Organiser

Download a printable copy of the Academic Programme