Universal Health & Rehabilitation

Dr. Jason Mazzarella, Director of the North American Spine Institute is an international lecturer speaking on the topics of Chronic Pain, Whiplash Traumatology, Crash Forensics and Injury Biomechanics.  

Dr. Mazzarella developed a 7 module seminar series on Whiplash Traumatology and Treatment in 2008 that was endorsed by the University of Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences for CME credit, the American Academy of Family Physicians for AAFP credit, National University of Health Sciences for CCE credit and the American Chiropractic Association.  This seminar achieved recognition in seven different countries. 

Dr. Mazzarella has also lectured for the American Chiropractic Association on the topics of Whiplash, Whiplash and related Guidelines, and Chronic Pain.  Most recently, Dr. Mazzarella has lectured at McMasters Medical School for the 1st - 5th year Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residents on the topic of Crash Forensics, Injury Biomechanics, Occupant Kinematics and the Biopsychosocial Model of Pain.  He also lectured in 2013 to the Toronto Police College Accident Reconstruction Level 4 course on the topics of Crash Forensics, Injury Biomechanics, Occupant Kinematics.

Dr. Mazzarella is currently offering the following post graduate continuing education seminars.

Pain is a term that has different meanings for different people.  Pain is defined by the International Association for the study of Pain as, “An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.” - IASP

Biologists have found that the stimulus which causes pain is likely to also cause tissue damage.  Pain can also be caused by behaviorally learned activities, psychological reasons and past experiences.  

Currently, it is estimated that 90% of pain can effectively be treated due to the mechanisms and advancement in pain management field. However, studies show that the majority of these people (3 out of 4) are not receiving care. 

This seminar is designed to provide basic insights into pain pathophysiology including concepts and terminology.  This seminar will provide the attendee with an understanding of specific orthopaedic testing that can be completed in order to determine if a nociceptive pain process is present, neuropathic pain process is present of mixed pain process is present.  The seminar will conclude with fMRI research showing how chronic pain can be treated along with functional treatment options that can be utilized by the attendee.  

The goal of this program is to provide a better understanding of “whiplash”; the history, biomechanics/kinematics, research and guidelines currently utilized in practice today.  In doing so, attendees will be exposed to the tools to complete more accurate evaluations of injury by not only evaluating the patient’s physical presentation but by using crash forensics and injury mechanism knowledge to correlate patient subjective information and physical examination objective information to determine the most likely injured structures and best therapy recommendations for a full and speedy recovery.  This information is used to determine which structures most likely sustained the greatest amount of force and subsequent trauma thereby allowing for a more specific treatment plan.  Secondary sequelae of “whiplash” injury such as Chronic Pain, Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, TOS, Carpal Tunnel, Headaches, SI dysfunction and other related symptoms and injuries will also be presented.  

By using a standardized set of whiplash specific guidelines such as the Minor Injury Guideline, Quebec Task Force on Whiplash Associated Disorders or Bone and Joint Task Force Guideline, IME doctors  are tasked with the responsibility to determine client need based on a generalized ideology of need, not considering specific characteristics and variables to each client.  This can result in under treatment, in-approriate denial of benefits and increased symptomtology of those injured.  

This seminar is designed to give you a solid knowledge base on whiplash, injury biomechanics based on crash forensics variables and epidemiological risk factors so that you have the tools to make sure IME doctors provide a specific rational for their determinations of need instead of a generic ideology of need based on a generalized guideline.