Cervical Ocular Vestibular (COV)

Neuromusculoskeletal Assessment Management in children and adults

In this one-day online and three-day face-to-face course, we explore the powerful interaction between the neck, eyes, and vestibular system, and what it means for posture, balance, dizziness, orofacial dysfunction, and headache presentations in both children and adults.

You will learn a practical, evidence-informed assessment of the craniocervical and oculomotor systems, including differential clinical reasoning (neck vs. TMD, orofacial, or neural drivers) and key clinical patterns such as migraine, tension-type headache (TTH), and cervicogenic headache.

The course also includes an e-learning program and the latest reading materials to support you, which you'll get access to before the course starts.

With extensive hands-on practice, we translate clinical findings into an individualized treatment and rehabilitation plan, combining targeted manual techniques and exercise strategies for cervico-ocular and vestibular dysfunctions in both adults and children.

If you are looking to sharpen your clinical reasoning and gain faster clarity in complex head–neck–eye presentations, we warmly invite you to join us. We look forward to hearing from you.

Workload:

• 1 day online sessions (live or pre-recorded)
• 5 hours of e-learning
• 3 days course face to face

For:

• physical therapist
• speech therapist
• dentist

No previous CRAFTA^® course attendance necessary!

(*The number of course days varies between course centers depending on several factors, e.g. hours taught per day, translation needed, amount of online teaching.)

Course Content / Schedule

Cervico-Ocular-Vestibular (COV) Course

Improve your clinical reasoning in complex head-neck-eye cases. In this hands-on course, we connect the craniocervical, oculomotor, and vestibular systems to clinical presentations of headache, dizziness, and balance problems.

You will learn clear testing and differential strategies (neck vs TMD/ocular/neural drivers) and translate findings into targeted rehabilitation. Practical techniques, case-based learning, and a structured 5 x 5 approach help you build confident, individualized management plans. The course also includes an extra e-learning program with the latest supportive evidence material in reading, which you will get access to.

Craniofacial cervical dominance

• Current headache classifications and practical clinical interpretation
• Functional anatomy and biomechanics of the juvenile and adult craniocervical region
• Neuromusculoskeletal differentiation tests of the craniocervical -cranial neural /facial Region
• Assessment and treatment of the maxillofacial region in children
• Differential testing: craniocervical vs TMD, ocular, and neural drivers
• Neuromusculoskeletal treatment and management strategies

Oculomotor-vestibular dominance

• Cervical-vestibular-ocular reflex systems: mechanisms, dysfunctions, and symptom patterns
• Assessment of cervico-ocular reflex systems
• Main optometric test relevant for rehabilitation
• Neuromusculoskeletal ocular assessment in adults and children
• Rehabilitation and management of ocular, vestibular, and postural control dysfunctions

Course Objectives

Educational objectives

By the end of the module, participants will be able to:

• Explain key facilitation systems influencing postural control, balance, equilibrium, and visual function
• Summarize current evidence on traumatic head/face disorders and related vestibular, visual, and somatosensory dysfunction
• Assess and interpret (dys-)function of vestibular, visual, and somatosensory systems
• Design an individualized treatment plan with context-specific rehabilitation exercises
• Apply specific (manual) assessment and treatment techniques for the head-face-neck region
• Integrate (manual) techniques based on clinical reasoning into physiotherapy management of cranio-cervical-facial and ocular dysfunction

Training course objectives

• Assess postural control in relation to vestibular, visual, and somatosensory systems
• Recognize cervical and oculomotor dysfunction based on sensorimotor deficits
• Integrate cervical, vestibular, visual, and postural assessment findings using a 5 x 5 protocol
• Apply ocular and cervical neuromuscular techniques to support an individually tailored rehabilitation program (adults)
• Strengthen cognitive and clinical-reasoning skills that support neuromusculoskeletal management

Course information

• CRAFTA® Courses
• 20
• Physical Therapists Physicians Dentists Chiropractors Speech-Pathologists Occupational Therapists