Full-Day (7-hour) In-Person Workshop

Working with High Tone

SCI & Neuro Clients

A holistic approach to decreasing tone & spasticity at the root

UPCOMING COURSES & WORKSHOPS

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Click on the EVENT title to learn more about the curriculum & venue location — and to register!

Looking to bring ZN Education to your team?

3-day Course: Washington D.C. - Jan 30-Feb 1, 2026
$1,149.00

PLEASE READ BELOW FOR COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THIS COURSE

Get an extra 5% off when you register with a friend or colleague! Adjust your cart to “Quantity 2” and use code BUDDYSYSTEM at checkout.

3-day (22-hour) In-Person Professional Course

Working with Spinal Cord Injury:

A Framework for Exercise Selection & Execution

Hosted at

MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital

102 Irving St NW, Washington, DC 20010

*This course is hosted at an in/outpatient physical therapy clinic that does not host pilates equipment. If you are looking for a course that specifically highlights the use of Pilates equipment for neuro clients/patients, please refer back to the upcoming course offerings page to find a course hosted at a Pilates studio (I offer these about once/year). If you are unsure if this course venue is best for your learning goals, please email me or book a Discovery Call to discuss.

Course Schedule

Asynchronous Pre-Course Learning: 1-2 hours

Friday Jan 30: 9-5pm

Saturday Jan 31: 9-5pm

Sunday Feb 1: 8-4pm

Course Details

For more information on the course description, learning objectives, daily agenda, student-faculty ratios, Continuing Education information, presenter bio, and to download the Course Syllabus, visit the main course information page here.

*This course will have a Lab Assistant with 16+ participants to keep a student-faculty ratio of 16:1 in compliance with APTA standards.

Pre-Course Learning Details

We will quickly review the core concepts of our ‘Framework for Recovery’, assuming you have already been exposed to the concepts through the pre-course material. ONE hour of continuing education is credited to the pre-course material.

  • Option 1: Chapters 6-10 of From the Ground Up. Use code PREP-SCHOOL for $50 off when you purchase this course + FTGU together.

  • Option 2: FTGU Book Club Blog & Podcasts, Episodes 6-10 - link to access will be sent in a follow-up email after registration.

Travel Recommendations

We’ll send you hotel recommendations in a follow-up email after registration.

High neurological tone is a frustrating side effect of spinal cord injury, both for the individual and for trainers to work with.

Trainers are often stuck on how to “lift” this tone to bring out true motor abilities and progress in function.

Traditional strategies for tone management are “band-aid solutions,” minimizing tone for a short period before it returns in (sometimes larger) full force.

Is there a better way to address neurological tone after SCI at its roots for longer lasting relief?

Workshop Curriculum

  • This workshop explores the neurological impact of trauma and ways to work with High Tone Neuro Clients to restore fluidity and build resiliency.

    Inspired by the developments and positive impacts of spinal cord stimulators, the ZN High Tone protocol aims to replicate these effects through non-pharmaceutical and non-tech nervous system regulation strategies.

    Other topic explored are:

    • Ways to improve fascial health for improved movement efficiency

    • Movement programming to mitigate spasticity

    • Exercise selection to build nervous system and movement resiliency

  • With equal parts lecture and lab, we’ll explore each technique and exercise with traditional presentation slides along with interactive clinician movement experiences.

    Then we’ll see the magic unfold in your arranged demo clients in the afternoon.

    • Review of neurological tone: what it is & how it can manifest in our SCI clients.

    • Discuss the Polyvagal Theory and how it applies to increased neurological tone.

    • Analyze the shortfalls of traditional management of neurological tone.

    • Introduce holistic interventions for tone management (vs. traditional protocols).

    • Experience “central nervous system soothers” to employ on SCI clients.

    • Identify which exercises & movement patterns may be more beneficial for high-tone clients.

  • This workshop is offered as a full-day in-person workshop, privately booked for your team.

  • This workshop comes with:

    • A copy of FGTU for your staff resource library

    • ZN Squish Ball for each participant

    • Printed handouts for each participant

Understanding how the nervous system is impacted by trauma unlocks a whole world of possibilities for those living with high tone after SCI and neurological challenges.

FAQs

Changing the paradigm on SCI rehab:

We’re all in this together.

  • Let’s do it! for all the options and pricing. Check out the hosting information webpage here for all the options and pricing. When you’re ready, submit a formal inquiry on that page.

  • Short answer, no.

    The full-day format allows enough time for concept introduction, theory, personal experience with the material and practical application with REAL demo clients. We definitely need a full day to cover all of this!

    Most often the feedback on this workshop is that people want MORE time…

  • For OPEN Workshops: no - the curriculum is set as advertised on the website so community participants know what to expect.

    For PRIVATE Workshops: Yes, we’ll work off our base curriculum to place an extra emphasis on the areas you are looking to develop. For example, if you are interested in programming specific for cervical level SCI clients, we’ll spend our time discussing this subset of your clientele and select cervical level demo clients for the lab time.

    For more information on the differences between OPEN and PRIVATE events, visit the hosting information webpage here.

  • Typically, no. This presentation is designed for LIVE interaction. Let's coordinate a time when the entire team can attend!

    *For remote presentations (Floor-Based Training Workshop only), team members can zoom in remotely.

  • Unfortunately, no. However we can provide certificates of completion for each of your staff to submit for review directly to their board.

  • Absolutely, in fact, I encourage it!

    Usually we have practical application with demo clients during the second half of the workshop.

    I request that all demo clients submit an intake/application. Learn more about demo clients here.

  • Your team will receive a PDF handout outlining the main concepts of the workshop.

  • For Floor-Based Training Workshop only.

    Over Zoom! Since 2020, I’ve been coaching individuals with SCI and practitioners remotely with surprising success.

    I include A LOT of video of examples of my clients for deeper analysis and practical application.

    I recommend broadcasting the presentation from a large screen with an additional pass-around microphone to ask individual questions.

    Upon booking, I'll send over a guide to help you prepare your space and tech.