The way a cast is assessed, constructed and aligned can influence how a person experiences standing, walking and movement throughout the casting process.
This practical course is designed to help physiotherapists develop the clinical reasoning and hands-on skills needed to plan and deliver below knee serial casting safely and effectively.
You will learn how to move from assessment and decision-making through to cast construction, wedging, modification and post-casting management with repeated opportunities to practise and receive individual feedback.
Course details
Dates: Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November 2026
Time: 8:30 am–4:30 pm AEST each day
Location: Lifespan Therapies – Unit 15/27 South Pine Rd, Brendale QLD 4500
Investment: $1,395 including GST
Places: Strictly limited to nine participants
Your registration includes pre-course pre-recorded lectures, two full days of practical training, casting materials, course resources and two post-course group coaching sessions.
This is not a course where you spend two days watching someone else cast. You will repeatedly practise assessment, cast application, alignment, wedging and cast modification with individual feedback throughout the course.
Is this course for you?
This course has been designed primarily for physiotherapists working with children or adults with cerebral palsy, neurological conditions or other physical disabilities.
It may be particularly valuable if you:
- See clients who may benefit from serial casting but do not feel confident delivering it independently
- Want a clearer framework for deciding when serial casting is and is not appropriate
- Find ankle and foot assessment challenging
- Want to improve your understanding of R1, R2, foot alignment and shank-to-vertical angle
- Have previously observed or assisted with casting but need more hands-on experience
- Want to construct stable walking casts that support functional alignment
- Want to understand how casting can be integrated with motor learning, therapy and orthotic management
- Are looking for more than a step-by-step casting recipe and want to strengthen your clinical reasoning
Previous serial casting experience is not required. However, participants should have relevant clinical experience and an understanding of basic lower-limb anatomy and assessment.
If you are not a physiotherapist but are interested in attending, please contact Rex before registering to discuss whether the course is suitable for your role and experience.
What makes this course different?
Serial casting is often taught as a technique for gaining range of motion. While improving passive range may be one outcome, effective casting requires much more than placing the ankle into dorsiflexion and waiting for a stretch.
During casting, we change how the person experiences their base of support, lower-limb alignment, standing and walking. The construction of the cast therefore matters.
This course approaches serial casting as both:
- A method of managing muscle length and joint range
- A biomechanical and motor-learning intervention that can influence posture, loading and movement
You will learn to consider not only how much range you can achieve, but also the position in which that range is gained and how the person will function within the cast.
What will you learn?
By the end of the course, you will be better equipped to:
- Complete a structured ankle and foot assessment
- Measure and interpret R1, R2 and passive ankle range
- Assess shank-to-vertical angle and its relevance to standing and gait
- Identify factors contributing to apparent loss of ankle range
- Differentiate muscle-related restrictions from limitations associated with joint or foot alignment
- Determine whether serial casting is appropriate for an individual client
- Recognise relevant precautions, contraindications and clinical risks
- Develop an individualised casting plan
- Select appropriate casting positions and materials
- Apply below-knee casts for equinus management
- Construct a stable plantar surface for standing and walking
- Use wedges and posting to optimise alignment and the base of support
- Modify and remove casts safely
- Convert a cast into a bivalve positioning option
- Consider how casting fits with orthoses, therapy, strengthening and motor learning
- Provide appropriate monitoring, skin-care and follow-up recommendations
- Document your clinical reasoning and casting plan
Completion of the course does not replace workplace governance, local credentialling requirements or appropriate clinical support. Participants should implement new skills within their professional scope and organisational procedures.
What is included?
Your registration includes:
- Pre-course pre-recorded lectures (up to 5 hours worth)
- Two full days of face-to-face practical training
- Approximately 20 hours of professional development in total
- All casting materials used during the course
- Repeated hands-on casting practice
- A small group capped at nine participants
- Individual feedback throughout the 2 face to face training days
- Clinical assessment and decision-making frameworks
- Practical templates and course resources
- Two post-course group coaching sessions
The post-course coaching sessions will provide an opportunity to consolidate your learning, discuss implementation and work through questions that arise when you begin applying the course principles in practice.
Course structure
Before the course: Pre-recorded lecture
You will complete pre-recorded lectures before attending the face-to-face component. This allows us to spend more of our time together practising assessment and casting rather than sitting through theory.
Pre-course learning will introduce:
- Muscle anatomy and CP muscle pathophysiology
- Evidence for Serial Casting and Mechanism of Action
- Approaches in Serial Casting
- Assessment and Outcome Measures for Serial Casting
- Serial Casting Planning and Logistics
- Post Serial Casting Intervention and Maintenance
- Setup of Casting Services
Pre-course learning is compulsory and must be completed before attending the practical course. You will be provided access to pre-recorded lectures 1 month prior to the practical course days. It will take up to 5 hours to complete.
Day 1
- Introduction and Recap of pre-recorded lectures
- Assessment Pre-Casting
- Ankle Range of Motion Assessment
- Discussion of Materials used in Casting
- Demonstration and practice of simple below knee cast
- Demonstration and practice of plantarflexed below knee cast
- Removal of Casts and fabrication of bivalve splint
Day 2
- Considerations for pronated and supinated foot
- Demonstration and practice of plaster of paris combination below knee cast
- Demonstration and practice of resting below knee soft splint
- Demonstration and practice of turtle brace ankle
- Demonstration Clients (TBC) to work through under my guidance
- Additional practice
Where appropriate and available, the course may also include a supervised demonstration involving a child. Participation by demonstration clients cannot be guaranteed.
Meet your educator
Rex — The Disability Physio
Rex is a physiotherapist and clinical educator with more than 10 years of experience supporting children and adults with cerebral palsy and complex physical disabilities.
His clinical and teaching interests include serial casting, 24-hour postural care, musculoskeletal assessment, orthotic management and the management of complex physical disability.
Rex has spent years developing his own serial casting practice, learning from different supervisors, challenging outdated assumptions and refining how assessment, biomechanics and motor learning are integrated into casting.
He developed this course to bridge the gap between understanding serial casting in theory and having the clinical reasoning and practical skills needed to begin applying it safely and purposefully.
His goal is not simply to teach you how to apply casting tape. It is to help you understand why you are casting, how each clinical decision affects the finished cast and how to maximise the functional value of the intervention.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need previous serial casting experience?
No. The course is suitable for physiotherapists who are new to casting, as well as those who have observed, assisted with or previously applied casts but want to improve their confidence, consistency and clinical reasoning.
Will I actually practise casting?
Yes. This is a highly practical course. You will repeatedly practise assessment, cast application, construction, wedging and modification rather than only observing demonstrations.
Will participants practise on each other?
Yes. A significant component of the course involves practising assessment and casting with other participants.
You will be asked during registration about any injuries, skin conditions, sensitivities or other circumstances that may affect your ability to participate as a practice model. Reasonable adjustments will be considered wherever possible.
Are casting materials included?
Yes. Casting materials used during the course are included in the registration fee.
Is the pre-course lectures compulsory?
Yes. The pre-recorded lectures provides the theoretical foundation for the practical component. It must be completed before attending so that face-to-face time can focus on clinical application and hands-on practice.
What should I wear?
Wear comfortable clothing that allows easy access to the lower leg, ankle and foot. Shorts are strongly recommended.
Please wear or bring closed, comfortable footwear for portions of the course that do not involve practical casting.
Further preparation and clothing information will be sent to confirmed participants.
Is catering included?
Participants should bring or purchase their own lunch.
There are full kitchen facilities to store and heat up food.
Strathpine Shopping Centre is nearby which has food options.
Is parking available?
There is onsite parking onsite as well as next to Strathpine Train Station
Is the course formally accredited?
The course is not currently accredited or endorsed by a professional body. Participants may record the relevant learning hours as professional development, subject to their profession’s and registration body’s requirements.
Can my employer pay for my registration?
Yes. An invoice can be issued to your employer or organisation. You will be asked to provide the relevant billing and accounts information during registration.
Your place is not confirmed until payment has been received or an alternative payment arrangement has been agreed in writing.
Can I reserve a place before paying?
Once your registration has been accepted, an invoice will be issued and your place will ordinarily be held for seven days.
If payment or an agreed purchase order has not been received by the due date, the place may be offered to another participant.
Can I transfer my registration to a colleague?
You may request to transfer your registration to another suitable participant. Transfers must be approved in advance, and the replacement participant must meet the course requirements and complete all compulsory pre-course learning.
What happens if I can no longer attend?
Please notify Rex as soon as possible. Any refund or transfer will be managed according to the cancellation and transfer policy below.
Cancellation and transfer policy
This course has a strict participant cap, and substantial materials and preparation are arranged in advance.
- Cancellations received more than eight weeks before the course will receive a refund, less a $100 administration fee.
- Cancellations received between four and eight weeks before the course will receive a 50% refund.
- Cancellations received less than four weeks before the course are non-refundable.
- A registration may be transferred to another suitable participant with prior written approval.
- The replacement participant must provide the required registration information and complete the compulsory pre-course learning.
- If the course is cancelled by the organiser, participants will receive a full refund of the course registration fee.
- The organiser is not responsible for travel, accommodation or other expenses incurred by participants.
- Nothing in this policy excludes any rights or remedies available under Australian Consumer Law.
Secure your place
Places are strictly limited to nine participants to ensure sufficient casting practice and individual feedback.
Submitting the registration form does not automatically secure your place. Your registration will be reviewed, and successful applicants will receive an invoice and payment instructions.
Your place is confirmed once payment has been received or an approved payment arrangement has been made.
Course investment: $1,395 including GST
For questions about course suitability, accessibility or employer invoicing, contact:
Rex
The Disability Physio
Email: rex@thedisabilityphysio.com.au
Instagram: @rexthedisabilityphysio
Phone: 0410 626 878