Webinar: Capable and confident: Helping clients achieve freedom from fear of falling

Presenter: Mike Studer, PT, DPT, MHS, NCS, CEEAA, CWT, CSST, FAPTA

Date: Thursday, January 18, 2024

Time: 1:00 p.m.—2:00 p.m. EST

Register now

Fear can be one of the most pervasive barriers to full functioning across the lifespan. Fear can discourage older adults from moving and affect how they move (symmetry, speed, compensations). Changes in mobility related to fear include reduced step length, foot clearance and gait speed. In addition, fear can accentuate difficulties related to other conditions such as stroke, neuropathy and Parkinson’s disease, including changes in posture and gait. We need to directly address fear itself instead of always viewing it as a consequence of physical impairments, such as imbalance, weakness, pain or dizziness. Learn the origins of fear and practical techniques to reduce fear for your patients, clients, customers and family members.

Led by international speaker and master clinician, Dr. Mike Studer, the webinar will address foundations of fear, such as maladaptive neuroplasticity, altered motor control, elevated sensory receptors and the autonomic nervous system. It will also explore how fear affects functional mobility and evidence-based interventions to prevent fear-avoidant behavior. Video examples and Q&A will be included.

Learning objectives

Webinar participants will be able to

• Explain the relationship of fear on four distinct expressions in movement;
• Describe the application of three evidence-based applications proven to reduce fear of movement; and
• Describe the differences between anxiety and fear for the optimal care of older adults.

This webinar will be recorded. When registering you will receive a link to the recording, which will be active for seven days. Following seven days, webinar recordings are archived to the ICAA website for ICAA organization and ICAA 100 members.

Presenter biography

Mike Studer, PT, DPT, MHS, NCS, CEEAA, CWT, CSST, FAPTA has been a physical therapist (PT) since 1991, a board-certified neurologic PT since 1995 and a private practice owner since 2005. Studer has been an invited speaker in 50 states, 10 countries and four continents, addressing such topics as cognition and psychology in rehabilitation, aging, stroke, motor learning, motivation in rehabilitation, balance, dizziness, neuropathy and Parkinson’s disease. A co-founder and co-owner of Spark Rehabilitation and Wellness in Bend, Oregon, he is also an adjunct professor at Touro University in Las Vegas and has contributed content for many physical therapy programs across the US. In 2011, Studer was recognized as Clinician of the Year in the Neurologic and (in 2014) the Geriatric Academies of the APTA and as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the APTA in 2020. He has authored over 35 articles and six book chapters, and he routinely conducts clinical research projects in affiliation with many universities. He is a consultant to Major League Baseball on the motor control of pitching and hitting and the four-time and current world record holder for the fastest underwater treadmill marathon, a mark set most recently in January 2022.