CRAFTA 1.2 Craniofacial Pain Syndromes

The CRAFTA® Clinical Series in Temporomandibular & Orofacial Dysfunction and Pain now consists of three flexible hybrid courses that can be taken in any order:

• CRAFTA 1.1 Orofacial and Temporomandibular Management
• CRAFTA 1.2 Craniofacial Pain Syndromes
• CRAFTA 1.3 Cranial Neuropathies Management 

Each course blends self-paced online learning with focused in-person training, allowing participants to build a strong theoretical foundation before applying their skills in the clinic.

Each live course is delivered as an intensive two-day hands-on experience, designed to help clinicians: 

• Strengthen clinical reasoning for head, neck, and jaw disorders

• Develop advanced assessment and treatment techniques for TMD and orofacial pain

• Practice evidence-informed manual therapy skills in a supervised environment

• Learn through real clinical case discussions and collaborative problem-solving

CRAFTA® courses combine scientific knowledge, clinical expertise, and a dynamic learning environment, creating a unique opportunity to deepen your understanding of the craniofacial and upper quadrant system in theory and in practice.

Participants also benefit from a unique interdisciplinary learning environment, working alongside dentists, chiropractors, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists. This collaborative setting helps students better understand the multidisciplinary management of complex craniofacial conditions commonly seen in practice.

Whether you want to expand your expertise in TMD management, enhance outcomes for patients with head, neck, and facial pain, or strengthen collaboration with dental and medical colleagues, the redesigned CRAFTA® Level 1 Clinical Series provides practical tools you can apply immediately in your clinic.

CRAFTA 1.2 Craniofacial Pain Syndromes

An Integrated Approach to Tinnitus, Sinus-Like Symptoms, and Concussion

The CRAFTA 1.2 course is designed for clinicians who want to move beyond symptom-based treatment and strengthen their clinical reasoning in patients with head, face, jaw, and neck pain. The course bridges current science with hands-on clinical applications, equipping you with practical assessment and treatment strategies you can integrate immediately into clinical practice.

You will refine your understanding of craniofacial anatomy and understand how the evolution and developmental formation of the skull and associated organs directly influence adult structures, biomechanics, and pain presentations. By integrating developmental biology with contemporary pain sciences, you will gain a clearer framework for interpreting complex patient presentations.

Throughout the course, you will:

• Deepen your understanding of the anatomical and neurofunctional connections between the craniofacial region, cervical spine, and nervous system
• Analyze how developmental processes shape structural relationships and functional capacity
• Strengthen your ability to differentiate musculoskeletal, neurogenic, and mixed pain mechanisms in the craniofacial system
• Enhance your clinical reasoning for patients with TMJ disorders, cervicogenic headache, facial pain, and related dysfunctions

The CRAFTA 1.2 course consists of two parts:

1. An online course component
2. A live, hands-on component

Approximately four weeks before the hands-on course component, students will gain access to the online section, which will comprise multiple video presentations introducing key theoretical and clinical concepts, allowing them to familiarize themselves with essential background knowledge and terminology in advance. By doing so, the face-to-face sessions will focus more effectively on clinical reasoning, hands-on practice, and case-based integrations.

The two-day hands-on part of the course provides practical, evidence-based tools for assessing and treating the craniofacial system. Throughout the module, we will link theory directly to practice by integrating detailed palpation, movement analysis, and treatment strategies for common dysfunctions of the facial and cranial regions. Three frequently encountered conditions, (pseudo-)sinusitis, tinnitus, and concussions, serve as key clinical examples for applying the CRAFTA® concept in everyday practice.

Key skills: clinical reasoning, palpation & manual assessment of the maxillofacial region, and management of conditions such as tinnitus, (pseudo) sinusitis, and concussion.

Bundle Discount

Save 15% when you register for all three modules of the CRAFTA® Clinical Series in Temporomandibular & Orofacial Dysfunction and Pain at the same time

Group Discount

15% off for groups of three or more students registering for the same course.

Special Discounts

10% off for new graduates, active military/veterans, residents, and full-time university faculty.

At the completion of the CRAFTA 1.2 course, students will be able to

• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of craniofacial tissue assessment models and integrate these models into clinical reasoning.
• Apply safe and precise palpation and manual assessment skills for relevant neurocranial structures (e.g., occipital, sphenoid, temporal/petrous, parietal, and frontal regions).
• Explain key concepts of cranial development (ontogenesis) and its relevance for maxillofacial function, dysfunction, and pain presentations.
• Perform examination and treatment principles using specific neurocranial techniques and reflect on precautions, prognosis, and management objectives.
• Demonstrate practical assessment and manual techniques for viscerocranial regions (orbit, zygomatic, and maxilla), including general and specific approaches.
• Recognize and clinically reason through additional specific syndromes, including somatosensory tinnitus, (pseudo-)sinusitis, and concussion, and integrate these into hypothesis categories.
• Plan and justify treatment and long-term management strategies (minimum of four) for maxillofacial dysfunction and pain, including patient education and self-management.
• Use structured subjective examination and hypothesis generation to prioritise physical tests and select appropriate manual techniques.
• Critically reflect on evidence models, treatment principles, and safety considerations to support ethical and effective clinical decision-making.

Online

Videos

1. Introduction to the Craniofacial Region and its Functional Relations | 90 minutes

2. Functional Anatomy | 45 minutes

3. Facial Skeleton, Viscerocranium - General Growth and Qualities | 75 minutes

4. Manual Treatment of Signs and Symptoms of the Cranium | 45 minutes

Total time of videos: 4 hours and 15 minutes

Required Reading

1. Frost, H. M. (1998). From Wolff's law to the mechanostat: a new “face” of physiology. Journal of Orthopaedic Science, 3(5), 282-286 | 60 minutes

2. Schueler, M., Messlinger, K., Dux, M., Neuhuber, W. L., & De Col, R. (2013). Extracranial projections of meningeal afferents and their impact on meningeal nociception and headache. PAIN, 154(9), 1622-1631 | 75 minutes

3. Schueler, M., Neuhuber, W. L., De Col, R., & Messlinger, K. (2014). Innervation of rat and human dura mater and pericranial tissues in the parieto‐temporal region by meningeal afferents. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 54(6), 996-1009 | 75 minutes

4. Hanskamp, M., Armijo-Olivo, S., & von Piekartz, H. (2019). Is there a difference in response to manual cranial bone tissue assessment techniques between participants with cervical and/or temporomandibular complaints versus a control group?. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 23(2), 334-343 | 60 minutes

Total reading time: 4 hours and 30 minutes

Total time of the online course component: 8 hours and 45 minutes

Live Course

Actual times may vary with each program at the discretion of the instructors.

Day 1

07:30 - 08:00 Registration

08:00 – 09:00 Introduction + Questions - Videos 1 & 2

09:00 - 10:30 Qualities of the cranium as a movement unit: Neurocranium passive movements (Part 1): Two standard techniques; quality of passive movements

10:30 – 10:45 Questions & Answers

10:45 - 12:30 Passive movements neurocranium (Part 2): Three standard techniques + variations

12:30 – 01:30 Lunch

01:30 – 03:00 Specific techniques neurocranium (Part 1): Sphenoid, temporal, and petrosal regions

03:00 – 03:15 Questions & Answers

03:15 – 04:00 Specific techniques neurocranium (Part 2): Parietal and frontal regions

04:00 – 04:15 Questions & Answers

04:15 – 05:45 Clinical reasoning & treatment principles: Management principles, precautions, and pathologies

05:45 - 06:00 Wrap-up and key take-home points

Day 2

08:00 – 09:00 Introduction + Questions - Videos 3 & 4

09:00 - 10:30 Examination & treatment (general techniques): Viscerocranium: orbit, zygoma, and maxilla

10:30 - 10:45 Questions & Answers

10:45 - 12:00 Specific techniques (viscerocranium/maxillofacial): Orbit, zygoma, and maxilla

12:00 - 01:00 Lunch

01:00 - 03:45 Applications: syndromes & clinical patterns: Sinusitis/pseudo-sinusitis, tinnitus and non-specific otalgia, and concussion

03:45 - 04:00 Questions + Closing: Summary, final questions, and course evaluation

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Physical therapists, occupational therapists, chiropractors, dentists, and speech-language pathologists interested in orofacial pain and function.

1. Frost, H. M. (1998). From Wolff's law to the mechanostat: a new “face” of physiology. Journal of Orthopaedic Science, 3(5), 282-286

2. Schueler, M., Messlinger, K., Dux, M., Neuhuber, W. L., & De Col, R. (2013). Extracranial projections of meningeal afferents and their impact on meningeal nociception and headache. PAIN, 154(9), 1622-1631

3. Schueler, M., Neuhuber, W. L., De Col, R., & Messlinger, K. (2014). Innervation of rat and human dura mater and pericranial tissues in the parieto‐temporal region by meningeal afferents. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 54(6), 996-1009

4. Hanskamp, M., Armijo-Olivo, S., & von Piekartz, H. (2019). Is there a difference in response to manual cranial bone tissue assessment techniques between participants with cervical and/or temporomandibular complaints versus a control group?. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 23(2), 334-343

CRAFTA 1.1 Orofacial and TemporomandibularManagement

CRAFTA 1.3 Cranial Neuropathies Management

Manual Therapy and Therapeutic Exercise in Headache: An EBM Approach

Pending