working with back pain

A Comprehensive Online Training Programme

with John Wilks MA BTAA

Live Sessions run at 14h to 18h UK Time on the following dates:

Session 1: 21st October 2026
Session 2: 18th November 2026
Session 3: 9th December 2026
Session 4: 13th January 2027

 

This four-day workshop is a hands-on practical course designed to help Bowen practitioners work effectively with clients who present with a wide variety of differing symptoms related to back pain.  The course explores the clinical implications of a range of conditions and explores possible ways to treat from a holistic perspective.

 

The course is designed to greatly enhance the effectiveness of practitioners in clinical practice in relation to treating back pain.  It has been run for over 15 years and has been considerably developed and expanded during this time.

 

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Watch Course Introduction

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Topics Covered

 

  • Looking at pathological possibilities in relation to back pain, ‘red flags’ and the need for referral
  • Postural assessment (including head forward posture, pelvic alignment, pelvic torsion and rotation) using palpation, observation, walking and plumb lines
  • The importance of the sacrum and the sacro-iliac joints including orthopaedic assessment tests and gait assessments
  • The role of the dural membranes in creating a functional relationship between the coccyx, sacrum and neck and how to treat
  • The importance of the psoas in relation to back pain, disc issues and the neck
  • The relationship between the pelvic floor and the jaw
  • Practical session on treating people in acute pain in a side-lying position
  • Examining responses to treatment and the role of the autonomic nervous system particularly in relation to chronic pain
  • A look at the nerve pathways in relation to the sciatic and femoral nerves. Dermatomes relating to the above and their use in assessment
  • The thoracic spine: assessments relating to the arms, shoulders, wrist and hands. Practical work around the brachial plexus and serratus anterior
  • The spinal cord and an introduction to nerve entrapment examining concepts such as ‘dural drag’
  • The ramifications of long-term inflammation on the body and how to work with it
  • The occipital triad in relation to back pain – how to palpate and correct
  • The TMJ in relationship to postural issues, the vagus and whiplash
  • Palpation of the cranium (sphenoid, temporal bones and mandible) in assessing back pain

Course Structure

Every session blends theory with supervised practical work, and includes time for personal process and integration.

 

The live sessions are recorded. If you are unable to attend the live session you can catch up with the recorded content at a time that works for you.

Session Modules - Learning Outcomes

Session 1
21st October 2026
Assessment, Red Flags & the Sacro-iliac Joint

  • Looking at pathological possibilities in relation to back pain, ‘red flags’ and the need for referral

  • Postural assessment (including head forward posture, pelvic alignment, pelvic torsion and rotation) using palpation, observation, walking and plumb lines

  • The importance of the sacrum and the sacro-iliac joints including orthopaedic assessment tests and gait assessments

Session 2
18th November 2026
The Dura, Psoas & Acute Pain

  • The role of the dural membranes in creating a functional relationship between the coccyx, sacrum and neck and how to treat

  • The importance of the psoas in relation to back pain, disc issues and the neck

  • The relationship between the pelvic floor and the jaw

  • Practical session on treating people in acute pain in a side-lying position

Session 3
9th December 2026
Autonomic Nervous System & Thoracic Spine

  • Examining responses to treatment and the role of the autonomic nervous system particularly in relation to chronic pain

  • A look at the nerve pathways in relation to the sciatic and femoral nerves. Dermatomes relating to the above and their use in assessment

  • The thoracic spine: assessments relating to the arms, shoulders, wrist and hands. Practical work around the brachial plexus and serratus anterior

Session 4
13th January 2027
Nerve Entrapment, Inflammation & the Cranium

  • The spinal cord and an introduction to nerve entrapment examining concepts such as ‘dural drag’

  • The ramifications of long-term inflammation on the body and how to work with it

  • The occipital triad in relation to back pain – how to palpate and correct

  • The TMJ in relationship to postural issues, the vagus and whiplash

  • Palpation of the cranium (sphenoid, temporal bones and mandible) in assessing back pain

COURSE PRICE – £160

Life-time access to course videos

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PURCHASE INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS

Life-time access to course videos

Session 1 - £50
Session 2 - £50
Session 3 - £50
Session 4 - £50

John Wilks

John Wilks has been practising the Bowen Technique and Craniosacral Therapy full time since 1995.

 

He is a former chairman of the Bowen Association of the UK, the Craniosacral Therapy Association of the UK and the Cranial Forum, the lead body established to oversee the implementation of national standards of practice for the profession in the UK.

 

He is a former examiner for the University of Oxford examinations board and is advisor on education and training for the Bowen Forum under the Prince of Wales’ Foundation for Integrated Health.

 

John was accredited by the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia to teach the Bowen Technique in 1999 and has since then, taught in many countries throughout the world. 

 

He also lectures complementary practitioners on pregnancy and childbirth all over the world. He is the author of four books on complementary therapies and developed a specialised Craniosacral training course for midwives which was the first of its kind to be accredited by the Royal College of Midwives.

If you have any questions regarding this course, please contact us.

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