
WELCOME TO THE IPNFA® 6th ONLINE CONGRESS.
SEPTEMBER 22th-27th
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) is a therapeutic approach designed to enhance the rehabilitation process by improving patients’ functionality and quality of life. Rehabilitation professionals widely use it to treat neurological and musculoskeletal conditions by promoting better movement patterns and muscle control.
This year, the International PNF Association is proud to present the 6th Online Congress, offering an immersive learning experience to professionals worldwide. Over six days, you will have access to exclusive pre-recorded lectures from experienced IPNFA instructors and PNF therapists, representing different continents, followed by a live Q&A session with the speakers on the final day.
This congress presents a unique opportunity to deepen your understanding of the PNF concept and its clinical applications in various contexts, ranging from neurological rehabilitation to acute care and sports performance.
Join us and be part of this international exchange of expertise, growth, and collaboration.

LECTURES ON THE CONGRESS
SEPTEMBER 22th
The One-Foot Challenge – Facilitation of Single Limb Support
Marcel Grzebellus
IPNFA® Senior Instructor
📍Germany
SEPTEMBER 23th
Movement is Medicine: Integrating PNF into Exercise-Based Pain Management
Stephen Schmidt
IPT Supervisor at Kaiser Foundation Rehabilitation Center
📍United States
SEPTEMBER 24th
Treatment of the Complex Regional Pain Syndrome CRPS integrating the PNF Concept
Barbara Dopfer
IPNFA® Advanced Instructor
📍Germany
SEPTEMBER 25th
PNF for Athletes - Challenge
Gen Matsuda
IPNFA® Advanced Instructor
📍Japan
SEPTEMBER 26th
PNF in Intensive Care Units and general hospitals
Sergio Nemer
PT & PhD in Pneumology,
📍Brazil
SEPTEMBER 27th
6th IPNFA®Online Congress' LIVE
15h - GMT +1
All the Speakers
IPNFA® Instructors
📍Planet Earth

THE PNF CONCEPT
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) is a treatment approach to get people back to activity and participation. The assessment-process leads to individual tailored treatment strategies, in order to optimize patient’s functionality.
What we know today as PNF began as “proprioceptive facilitation”, a term developed by Dr. Herman Kabat in the early 1940’s. The conceptual framework for PNF came from his experience as a neurophysiologist and physician. The works of Sister Elizabeth Kenny, who treated polio patients with specific stretching and strengthening activities, was an early influence on Kabat. He integrated these manual techniques with Sherrington’s discovery of successive induction, reciprocal innervation and inhibition, and the phenomenon of irradiation.
His goal was to develop a hands-on treatment approach, that enabled clinicians to analyze and assess a patient’s movement, while at the same time facilitating more efficient strategies of functional movement. So, it is important to recognize that PNF is not just a treatment approach, rather, it is a tool that allows for simultaneous assessment and treatment of neuromuscular dysfunction.

