VitalStim Therapy and Beyond: DINES Specialty Certificate Program - Pediatric Focus

Course overview

VitalStim Therapy and Beyond: DINES (Dynamic Integration of NMES and Exercise for Swallowing) This accredited hands-on competency course will focus on the muscle physiology, kinesiology, and pathology of the normal and abnormal swallowing mechanisms as it changes across infancy, through childhood and into adulthood. The principles of NMES will be taught in tandem with active dysphagia exercise therapy. NMES for Dysphagia protocols, using FDA cleared devices, will be covered against the backdrop of neurophysiology of the swallowing mechanism and available research. Adjustments to NMES parameters - frequency, phase duration, duty cycle, and more - will be incorporated in specific treatment protocols and extensively practiced in hands-on lab sessions. Cases will be evaluated using the impairment model (pathology; symptoms; signs; dysfunctions; and impairments) and treatment planning will be practiced. Participants will receive one-on-one attention from two experienced instructors, a dysphagia expert and an electrical stimulation expert. Instructors will deliver relevant information on FDA clearance and clinical options relevant to different equipment options available today to better equip clinicians in the ever-changing world of NMES for the treatment of pediatric and adult dysphagia. Participants who successfully complete this course will leave as a skilled VitalStim Provider and DINES Provider with the confidence and building blocks needed to implement a successful NMES for dysphagia therapy program.