NOI – Motor Graded Imagery

For the first time, effective treatment for difficult neuropathic pain states (eg CRPS) is now available. The Graded Motor Imagery (GMI) course provides the most up to date basic sciences, clinical trials, and clinical use of the programme. The course is series of lectures, practical sessions and clinical applications.

The term ‘graded motor imagery’ broadly means that in rehabilitation the focus is placed on synaptic exercise and health and is delivered in a graded fashion. The exercising of synapses assumes that the brain is changeable and easily adaptable and gives hope to people with difficult pain states. It involves the use of computers, flashcards, imagined movements and mirror visual feedback.

Evidence for the use of GMI comes from basic neuroscience and clinical trials. It can offer substantial improvements in pain and disability in complex regional pain syndrome and phantom limb pain and anecdotally, the GMI programme, or parts of it may offer improvements in a range of chronic pain states such as brachial plexus lesions and osteoarthritis.

In order to maximise your learning it is recommended you bring to the course a laptop, iPad or Android device with internet connection (or check your course venue has public internet connection available)

While there are no prerequisites for this course, attendance at an Explain Pain course would certainly assist, as would pre-reading The Graded Motor Imagery Handbook and study of the information and resources provided at gradedmotorimagery.com

In order to participate in practicals you are required to download a RecogniseTM App of your choice – hand, foot, back, neck, shoulder, knee – available for iOS or Android, phone or tablet. The RecogniseTM App is an easy to use, portable toolset for the first two stages of Graded Motor Imagery – perfect for patient treatment with new toolsets and clinician export features. To maximise your learning we advise you familiarise yourself with the App prior to the course.