OVERVIEW

VitalStim® Plus - NMES and sEMG Biofeedback is organized by CIAO Seminars and will be held on Dec 13, 2025 in Gulf Breeze, Florida, United States of America.

Description:
Exercise is the key ingredient to rehabilitation and dysphagia rehabilitation is no different. The skilled clinician must have a variety of treatment tools available to facilitate an effective exercise program. Ten years ago, VitalStim Therapy introduced NMES as such a tool and it has proven very effective. This course will take the VitalStim Provider to a new level using NMES for dysphagia therapy. The course will review the core concepts underpinning successful use of NMES in the dysphagic patient. Current research will be reviewed to explore how the NMES parameters such as frequency, phase duration and duty cycle can be changed to maximize impact. Participants will learn about the benefit of using up to 4 channels of stimulation and will learn how to sequence the stimulation between channels to mimic a normal swallowing sequence. In addition, two new modalities will be reviewed and practiced: sEMG Biofeedback and sEMG triggered electrical stimulation. This dynamic course will focus on hands on skills. The participants will work with the latest technology combining VitalStim, NMES, sEMG and sEMG triggered stimulation.

Course Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

Verbalize the key neurophysiological and practical principles relevant to the use of VitalStim Therapy in the treatment of dysphagia
Summarize the key findings of recent publications on the topic of NMES in the treatment of dysphagia
Demonstrate appropriate selection and execution of NMES protocols with parameter settings that differ from the VitalStim protocol and verbalize their rationale
Modifying the pulse frequency
Modifying the phase duration
Modifying the duty cycle (e.g., 4 seconds ON, 12 seconds OFF)
Using up to 4 channels of stimulation
Sequencing the stimulation between channels (for example, start stimulation on the oropharyngeal sling and follow with stimulation of the submandibular muscles)
Describe the mechanism of action of sEMG Biofeedback in the treatment of dysphagia
Demonstrate the correct execution of sEMG Biofeedback used for common neuromuscular impairments present in dysphagia
Describe the mechanism of action of sEMG triggered stimulation in the treatment of dysphagia
Demonstrate the correct execution of sEMG triggered stimulation used for common neuromuscular impairments present in dysphagia
Demonstrate the replication of protocols described in key publications utilizing the VitalStim Plus technology