This module will enable learners to understand disability from a biopsychosocial perspective and to develop skills in measuring disability in patients with spinal conditions. Learners will be supported in planning effective interventions aimed at preventing disability, including strategies for the prevention and management of sick leave. The module will also enable learners to plan structured rehabilitation approaches for patients with spinal disability, with a particular focus on functional recovery and return to work.

Chairs and Faculty

Chairs: Marco Campello, Physiotherapist, USA; Berit Schiøttz-Christensen, Rheumatologist, DK

Faculty: Nick Carleton-Bland, Neurosurgeon, UK; Erik Werner, Primary Care Physician, NO
 

Date

06 November 2026 I 13:00–16:30 CET
07 November 2026 I 13:00–17:00 CET
08 November 2026 I 13:00–14:30 CET

Module Fee

Member Fee €100,
Non-Member Fee €150

Format

Virtual classroom with real-time interaction and discussion

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Module 7: Disability in Spinal Disorders takes a biopsychosocial approach to one of the most complex challenges in spine care: understanding, measuring, and managing disability.

Grounded in the WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), this module helps learners move beyond the medical model to see disability as the result of personal, clinical, and environmental factors working together. Through e-learning, case-based workshops, and live interactive sessions with expert faculty, participants will learn to distinguish disability from pain, identify patients at risk of chronic disability, conduct meaningful clinical evaluations, and design multidisciplinary management plans — including approaches to sick leave and return to work.

Across five live sessions, learners will work in multidisciplinary teams, apply their knowledge to realistic case scenarios, and explore how to communicate effectively with patients, employers, insurers, and other healthcare providers.

By the end of this module, learners will be able to define and evaluate disability from a biopsychosocial perspective, recognise risk factors for chronic disability, conduct clinical evaluations, and plan and communicate an effective, collaborative rehabilitation strategy.