Learning path · Final year, interns & graduates
Manual Therapy Starter
From joint mechanics to choosing the right grade — the thinking behind your hands.
8 steps · about 85 minutes in total
By the end you'll be able to:
- Choose glide direction with the convex–concave rule (and know its limits)
- Pick Maitland grades by irritability
- Explain how manual therapy can ease pain
- Apply it all to a stiff shoulder
Step 1 · Lesson with PNA Teacher · 10 minNext up
The Convex–Concave Rule
Stop memorising roll and glide. See it once and you'll never forget it.
Step 2 · Lesson with PNA Teacher · 9 min
Maitland Grades I–V, Made Visual
Five grades, two questions: where in the range, and how big?
Step 3 · Lesson with PNA Teacher · 12 min
Maitland Joint Mobilization
Gentle, rhythmic rocking of a joint, graded I to IV by how far into the range you go, chosen by how irritable the patient's pain is.
Step 4 · Lesson with PNA Teacher · 12 min
Kaltenborn–Evjenth Mobilization
Mobilization that uses joint shape (the convex-concave rule) to pick the glide direction, and traction grades to loosen, take up slack, or stretch.
Step 5 · Lesson with PNA Teacher · 11 min
Mulligan Mobilization With Movement (MWM)
A sustained joint glide applied by the therapist while the patient performs the movement that normally hurts, aiming for an instant pain-free result.
Step 6 · Lesson with PNA Teacher · 11 min
Red Flags — When NOT to Treat (and What to Do Instead)
Most back and neck pain is harmless. Learn to spot the few cases that aren't — and refer at the right speed.
Step 7 · Lesson with PNA Teacher · 10 min
Pain Science Basics — Why Hurt ≠ Harm
Pain is always real — but it isn't a damage meter. Learn to explain this to any patient.
Step 8 · Mission · 10 min
Adhesive Capsulitis
Apply it: for a painful early-stage frozen shoulder and for a stiff later stage, which grades would you choose — and how would you reassess?