Virtual ConnectTherapy™, the Pelvis & the Abdominal Wall
Find the Driver and treat the whole person. Assess and treat low back, pelvic girdle, and abdominal wall problems in the context of meaningful, whole-body movement — using ConnectTherapy™ to determine when the pelvis is the Driver of symptoms, and when it is the victim of a Driver elsewhere.
Registration Tuition
Questions? Email the registrar.
Why do two patients with the same “SIJ pain” respond so differently to the same treatment?
Low back and pelvic girdle pain are among the most common — and most stubborn — problems in clinical practice, from postpartum women to elite athletes. These problems are often recurrent and chronic, and the research on the “right” protocol is contradictory. You can have several patients with an identical “SIJ pain” or “SIJ instability” presentation who simply don’t respond to the same interventions.
Local pelvis, local treatment
Treating the pelvis, low back, and hip as the site of the problem — applying the same stability and training protocols to every “SIJ pain” presentation, without asking whether the pelvis is actually the source of the symptoms.
Find the Driver, treat the whole person
A whole-body, evidence-informed diagnostic that determines when the dysfunctional pelvis is the Driver of symptoms — or the victim of a Driver elsewhere. Locating the true Driver gives you the pathway to the most efficient, effective plan for each patient.
When the pelvis isn’t the cause
The pelvis may be symptomatic without being the source. ConnectTherapy™ gives you the reasoning to recognize when the pelvis is the Primary Driver — and the signs that point to a Driver elsewhere in the body.
How the thorax drives the pelvis
Anatomical and neurological connections underpin thoracic-driven pelvic girdle pain — and explain how the thorax drives abdominal wall problems like Diastasis Rectus Abdominis (DRA), pelvic organ prolapse, and other pelvic floor symptoms.
Beyond “core stability”
Understand when it matters to train the deep Transversus Abdominis — and why “core stability” work helps some patients but makes others feel worse. Clinical reasoning replaces one-size-fits-all protocols.
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From reasoning to real patients
The course works through demonstrations, real-time ultrasound, and case study discussion — so you can take the clinical reasoning for pelvis and abdominal wall Drivers straight into your own practice.
What you’ll work through
Over 10 hours of theory, diagnostics, and treatment methodology — lectures, demonstrations, real-time ultrasound, and case study discussion, built for practising physical therapists.
The whole-body view of the pelvis
Why low back and pelvic girdle pain stay recurrent when the pelvis is treated in isolation — and how whole-body reasoning changes outcomes.
- The recurrent-pain problem: why identical “SIJ pain” and “SIJ instability” presentations respond so differently to the same interventions.
- The pelvis in context: how the pelvis, abdominal wall, and low back behave within meaningful, whole-body movements.
- ConnectTherapy™ & the Circles of Influence™: the whole-person reasoning framework connecting past injuries, symptoms, movement strategies, and cognitive-emotional factors.
- Symptom vs. source: why the pelvis may be symptomatic without being the underlying cause of the problem.
Finding the Driver
The diagnostic reasoning to determine whether the pelvis is the Primary Driver of symptoms — or the victim of a Driver elsewhere.
- Driver diagnosis: a robust, evidence-informed assessment to determine when the dysfunctional pelvis is the Driver of symptoms.
- Ruling the pelvis out: the signs that indicate the pelvis is not the Primary Driver, and the reasoning to locate the true Driver.
- The treatment pathway: how locating the Driver points you to the most efficient, effective plan to relieve symptoms and restore function.
- Whole-body connections: how other body regions influence the pelvis, and where to look when the symptoms don’t add up.
The thorax, abdominal wall & pelvic floor
The anatomical and neurological connections that underpin thoracic-driven pelvic and abdominal wall problems.
- Thoracic-driven pelvic pain: innovative proposals from the Thoracic Ring Approach™ that explain thoracic influence on the pelvic girdle.
- Abdominal wall problems: how the thorax drives Diastasis Rectus Abdominis (DRA), pelvic organ prolapse, and pelvic floor symptoms.
- Transversus Abdominis: when it’s relevant to train deep TrA recruitment — and how upper, middle, and lower TrA relate to diastasis.
- The “core stability” question: why these exercises help some patients and make others feel worse.
Treating the pelvis Driver
The patterns of pelvis Drivers, the treatment plan for each, and the reasoning to choose the best pathway for the individual patient.
- Patterns of pelvis Drivers: the different underlying impairments possible in the pelvis, and the treatment plan for each pattern.
- Clinical reasoning in action: working through the process to determine the best treatment pathway for individual patients.
- Pelvic floor & referral: understanding pelvic floor function and when to refer for an internal pelvic health assessment.
- Movement as treatment: when to progressively increase movement training rather than over-complicate the plan.
Dr. Linda-Joy Lee
PhD, BScPT, FCAMPT
Dr. LJ Lee
LJ is a physiotherapy graduate and Wesbrook Scholar (1996) from the University of British Columbia, Canada. Her passion for movement, rooted in a competitive figure skating background, led her to pursue advanced training, becoming a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Manipulative Physiotherapy (FCAMPT) in 1999 and certifying in Intramuscular Stimulation (CGIMS) in 2001. Her clinical interest in how the thorax drives whole-body dysfunction and pain eventually led her to complete a PhD at the University of Queensland in 2013.
Over her career, LJ developed highly influential clinical frameworks based on finding the “primary driver” of a patient’s pain. She created the Thoracic Ring Approach™ to address motor control of the thorax, and her assessment framework, Meaningful Task Analysis (2008), became a core feature of both the Integrated Systems Model for Pain and Disability (2010) and ConnectTherapy™ (2014). These models allow clinicians to determine when a pain-free but dysfunctional region is the actual cause of pain elsewhere in the body.
An active researcher and educator, LJ is an Associate Editor for the British Journal of Sports Medicine and holds academic roles with McMaster University and the University of Melbourne. She mentors a team at her clinic, Synergy Physiotherapy + Pilates in North Vancouver, Canada. Inspired by the body’s capacity to heal, LJ loves creating supportive learning environments where clinicians can challenge their clinical reasoning and see movement in a more connected way.
Secure Your Seat
12 months full access · Direct pathway to the in-person practical certification
How enrollment works
Registration takes only a few minutes, and you get access to the videos and supporting resources for 12 months.
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Hands-on clinical prerequisite
This 10-hour virtual theory & diagnostic module is the required prerequisite for the 2.5-day in-person clinical course, ConnectTherapy™, the Pelvis & the Abdominal Wall. Your virtual completion is verified before you can book practical dates.