Carrick Institute

10/16/2026

🧠 Clinical Pearl | Cerebral palsy is non-progressive. The person isn’t static.

That distinction matters.

Cerebral palsy involves a non-progressive disturbance of the developing brain. But growth and development don't stop at diagnosis.

As an individual grows, motor strategies, sensory experiences, musculoskeletal development, activity demands, adaptation, and secondary complications can influence how function is expressed.

For clinicians, that means an examination shouldn't simply confirm what we already know.

Ask:

What has changed?
How has the patient adapted?
What new demands are they facing?
What opportunities for function exist now?

Non-progressive doesn't mean unchanging.

Growth, adaptation, and experience continue to shape function.

💬 What changes do you consider most important to reassess across development?

10/16/2026

💜💛 A Seamless Learning Experience Starts with an Exceptional Team!

At the Carrick Institute, we believe the scholar experience should be just as exceptional as the education we provide.

We love receiving feedback like this from our scholars! A special thank you to Gabrielle Schubert for sharing her experience with our NEW CNS Curriculum orientation.

✨ “One of the smoothest orientations! Thank you Rebecca for creating such an easy platform and simple video for our orientation!”

👏 A huge shoutout to Rebecca Robillard, our Director of Continuing Education, whose dedication, attention to detail, and commitment to scholar success help make the learning experience seamless from day one.

From navigating Carrick Learning HQ to accessing courses, orientation resources, and our extensive educational library, our goal is simple: make learning accessible, organized, and enjoyable so our scholars can focus on what matters most, their education.

Thank you, Rebecca, for everything you do behind the scenes, and thank you to our scholars for reminding us why we do what we do! 💜

We Lead Through Service. 🐝

10/16/2026

10/16/2026

🧠 What if understanding the nervous system could change the way you approach complex neurological cases?

Meet Dr. Matthew E. Worth, DC, DACNB, FACFN, a Carrick Institute faculty member with more than 28 years of clinical experience.

Dr. Worth specializes in the evaluation and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders, serving as Director of Clinical Services at Missouri Brain & Spine and the Midwest Institute for Neurological Development.

His path into Functional Neurology began with a simple question: Why do we do what we do?

Although he initially intended to become a chiropractor, Dr. Worth wanted more complete explanations for the clinical decisions behind patient care. Functional Neurology helped provide the framework he was looking for connecting neurological function with a more rational approach to clinical care.

Today, he brings that perspective into both his clinical work and his teaching.

For clinicians working with complex neurological and neurodevelopmental cases, understanding the “why” behind clinical care can be just as important as knowing the “how.”

We're proud to highlight Dr. Worth and the experience he brings to the Carrick Institute faculty.

10/16/2026

Where do you start with Functional Neurology?

You don’t have to know exactly where you want to end up. You just need to know your next step.

🧠 EXPLORE — Intro to Functional Neurology
Start with the concepts. Explore neuroplasticity, localization, and a systems-based approach to understanding neurological function.

🔎 BUILD — Functional Neurology Essentials®
Develop a stronger foundation in neurological examination, pattern recognition, and how findings across different systems may connect.

⚕️ ADVANCE — The CNS Curriculum™
Go deeper into neurological examination and clinical reasoning. Learn to localize findings, recognize patterns, work through complex presentations, integrate findings across systems, and develop targeted rehabilitation strategies.

Whether you're simply curious about Functional Neurology or ready for comprehensive postgraduate education, there’s a place to begin.

Same nervous system. A deeper perspective.

Learn more about each pathway through the link in the comments.

10/15/2026

When neurological symptoms appear, should we always start by looking at the brain? 🧠

Neil Gardner’s experience with Synapse Sessions 2025 | Thyroid Dysfunction: The Hidden Driver of Neurological and Metabolic Collapse, with Dr. Trevor Eason, highlights the importance of looking beyond the brain itself.

“Helps us understand that not all brain issues require a brain intervention first. The brain needs fuel delivery, oxygen, etc. We have to check things like the thyroid, gut and oxygen saturation…”

The nervous system doesn’t operate in isolation. Looking at the systems that support brain function can give clinicians a broader perspective when evaluating neurological and metabolic presentations.

For Neil, the session offered a valuable reminder: sometimes better neurological care starts by asking what the brain needs to function well.

Continue exploring these connections at:

🧠 Synapse Sessions 2026
📅 Launching October 30, 2026
💻 On-Demand

Expand your clinical perspective. Explore the connections shaping modern clinical neuroscience.

10/15/2026

🧠 Nociception is not pain. So what’s the difference?

Pain is often assumed to be a direct reflection of tissue damage. But the nervous system’s detection of actual or potential threat—nociception—and the conscious experience of pain are not the same thing.

This distinction becomes especially important when working with patients whose pain persists long after tissues have healed or whose symptoms seem disproportionate to the available structural findings.

At Synapse Sessions VII, Norman Hoffman, DC, CCSP, DACNB, MScClinNeuroSci, will explore the neuroscience behind chronic pain in:

Nociception Is Not Pain: A Clinical Introduction to Chronic Pain Neuroscience

This 60-minute introductory session will examine:

🔹 Nociception vs. the conscious experience of pain
🔹 Peripheral and central sensitization
🔹 Descending pain modulation
🔹 Neuroplasticity and chronic pain
🔹 Threat appraisal and contextual influences
🔹 Cognitive and emotional factors in pain perception
🔹 How to interpret clinical findings when structure doesn't fully explain symptom severity

The focus is clinical: How do we explain chronic pain more effectively to patients, and how can our assessment and treatment approach account for both peripheral contributors and changes in nervous system processing?

Understanding the difference between nociception and pain can provide clinicians with a broader framework for patient education and clinical decision-making.

📅 Synapse Sessions VII | Releasing October 30, 2026
💻 Virtual Conference

Explore the clinical perspectives coming to Synapse Sessions VII.

10/15/2026

🧠 What if your next clinical insight comes from outside your specialty?

Some of the most interesting questions emerge when we explore how different neurological systems interact.

Discover new perspectives with Carrick Institute's 6 FREE discipline-specific training videos.

🎓 Six opportunities to expand your thinking. Zero cost to explore.

👇 Training links in the comments.

10/14/2026

🔬 The right clinical tool should have a reason for being in your practice.

With new technologies constantly entering healthcare, knowing what’s worth exploring can be challenging.

That’s why Carrick Institute created Clinical Tools—a curated collection of products and technologies used and recommended by Carrick Institute faculty, selected for their clinical value, functional relevance, and usefulness in applied neuroscience care.

Explore tools across:

🧠 Neuro-visual & sensorimotor training
⚡ PEMF
💧 Hydrogen wellness
🔴 Laser & photobiomodulation
💨 Hyperbaric oxygen
➕ And more

Some participating vendors also provide exclusive pricing opportunities for Carrick Institute-trained doctors.

See what our faculty are using and discover what may complement your clinical practice.

🔗 Explore Clinical Tools — link in the comments.

10/13/2026

Complex clinical cases rarely arrive with one clear answer.

Symptoms may overlap. Examination findings may appear unrelated. Evidence may support more than one possible explanation.

For experienced clinicians, the challenge is not simply collecting more information. It is determining what matters, testing competing hypotheses, and recognizing when new findings should change the clinical plan.

The Carrick Institute Master’s Program is designed to strengthen how healthcare professionals approach complex questions, critically evaluate information, and communicate the reasoning behind their decisions.

Because clinical expertise is not about always having an immediate answer.

It is about knowing how to investigate the question.

Ready to advance the way you approach complex clinical cases?

🔗 Explore the Master’s Program through the link in the comments.