July 28, 2023
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- University expert certificate in Spinal Physiotherapy
University expert certificate in Spinal Physiotherapy
Enrolment open

- ModalityIn-person
- LanguagesSpanish
- Credits29
- DateOctober 2026
- Ending DateJune 2027
- Places26
- Faculty
Blanquerna School of Health Sciences
Presentation
Do you want to specialize in the management of spinal pathologies? The University Expert Certificate in Spinal Physiotherapy from Blanquerna-URL, in collaboration with the Spine Unit of the Catalan Institute of Traumatology and Sports Medicine (ICATME), offers you a unique, rigorous program fully oriented toward clinical practice.
This specialization will allow you to gain deep knowledge in clinical reasoning, manual therapy, and therapeutic exercise —the gold standard recommended by leading international guidelines— and become a reference professional in the treatment of spinal dysfunctions.
Through an integrated, interdisciplinary, and evidence-based learning approach, you will gain first-hand insight into how these pathologies are addressed, drawing on the shared experience of highly experienced physiotherapists and specialist physicians in this field. A program designed to respond to one of the main causes of pain and disability worldwide.
Who is it for?
The program is aimed at qualified physiotherapists who wish to specialize in the treatment and prevention of spinal dysfunctions.
It is especially recommended for professionals seeking rigorous, practical, and up-to-date training that aligns with the needs of today’s healthcare sector, both in public and private settings.
Program Objectives
To provide specialized, up-to-date, and highly applicable training that enables physiotherapists to effectively address spinal pathologies from an integrated, interdisciplinary, and evidence-based perspective, while also developing the ability to understand the comprehensive management of these patients and efficiently integrate physiotherapy practice.
Why study this program at Blanquerna
1. SPECIALIZATION IN SPINAL PATHOLOGY
A unique program focused exclusively on spinal dysfunctions, one of the most prevalent causes of pain and disability. This specialization will allow you to deepen your knowledge in a field with significant clinical and social impact, with a fully applied approach.
2. CLINICAL RIGOR AND EXCELLENCE
Jointly led by Blanquerna and the ICATME Spine Unit, a reference center in spinal surgery and rehabilitation. The program combines university scientific rigor with the experience of a high-level multidisciplinary team.
3. THE GOLD STANDARD IN SPINAL PHYSIOTHERAPY
Based on three fundamental pillars —clinical reasoning, manual therapy, and therapeutic exercise— the program provides training aligned with international clinical practice guidelines and focused on developing the physiotherapist’s clinical thinking.
Un programa únic, centrat exclusivament en les disfuncions del raquis, una de les causes de dolor i discapacitat més prevalents. Aquesta especialització et permetrà aprofundir en un camp amb un gran impacte clínic i social, amb un enfocament totalment aplicat.
Impulsat conjuntament per Blanquerna i la Unitat de Columna de l’ICATME, centre de referència en cirurgia i rehabilitació del raquis. El programa combina el rigor científic universitari amb l’experiència d’un equip multidisciplinari d’alt nivell.
Basat en els tres pilars fonamentals —raonament clínic, teràpia manual i exercici terapèutic—, el programa ofereix una formació alineada amb les guies internacionals de pràctica clínica i centrada en el desenvolupament del pensament clínic del fisioterapeuta.
News

July 12, 2023
Interview to Helena López, alumni from the bachelor's degree in Physiotherapy, in La Revista de Blanquerna
July 7, 2023
Congratulations to all of our master's and postgraduate graduates from the School of Health Sciences!

July 5, 2023
Dr. Arturo Goicoechea, godfather of the Graduation Ceremony of master's and postgraduate degrees of the School of Health Sciences
Academic information

Curriculum
MODULE 1: Applied Clinical Reasoning in the Spine (9 ECTS)
- Foundations of Clinical Reasoning and Pain Neurophysiology (3 ECTS)
Decision-making processes, clinical reasoning models, integration of scientific evidence, and pain mechanisms. - Functional Assessment and Differential Diagnosis in Spinal Pathology (3 ECTS)
Clinical evaluation, functional tests, classifications, red flags, and referral criteria. - Multidisciplinary Approach and Medical Interventions (3 ECTS)
Coordination with other professionals, imaging diagnosis, and standard medical and surgical treatments.
MODULE 2: Manual Therapy Applied to the Spine (10 ECTS)
- Foundations and Application of Mobilization and Manipulation Techniques (4 ECTS)
Physiological and biomechanical bases, and techniques applied to the cervical, thoracic, lumbar spine, and pelvis. - Manual Treatment of Myofascial and Neural Dysfunctions (3 ECTS)
Trigger points, dry needling, myofascial release, and neural mobilization. - Clinical Integration of Manual Therapy in Clinical Reasoning (3 ECTS)
Technique selection based on clinical presentation, patient adaptation, and follow-up of the therapeutic process.
MODULE 3: Therapeutic Exercise Applied to the Spine (10 ECTS)
- Exercise Prescription and Motor Control in Spinal Pathology (4 ECTS)
Foundations of prescription, dosage criteria, and stabilizing muscle training. - Functional Training and Recurrence Prevention (3 ECTS)
Maintenance programs, strength, endurance, proprioception, and postural education. - Post-Surgical Rehabilitation and Exercise in Complex Clinical Contexts (3 ECTS)
Post-surgical protocols, functional readaptation, and exercise adaptations for complex patients.
Fees for the 2026-2027 academic year
Descomptes disponibles per a estudis de màster i postgrau
*Els descomptes són aplicables en màsters universitaris, màsters de formació permanent i títols propis, i no són acumulables: només es pot aplicar 1 dels descomptes.
15% - Descompte Alumni-Blanquerna
Alumni-Blanquerna de qualsevol pla d’estudis associat a una matrícula de pagament prèvia. Només s’ofereix una vegada per a cada tipus de títol diferent on l’alumni es vulgui matricular.
15% - Descompte a empreses col·laboradores
Empreses amb les quals existeix un conveni de pràctiques externes.
10% - Descompte a col·legis professionals
Amb tots els col·legis professionals amb qui existeixi conveni de col·laboració vigent. S’ha d’acreditar el fet d’estar col·legiat.


A direct link to your future career
Our work doesn't finish the moment you graduate. The Alumni department will support you to enable us to achieve an employment rate of 90% of students in the first year after graduation
Faculty
The program is taught by a faculty composed of physiotherapists, physicians, and other specialists of recognized prestige in the field of the spine. They all combine extensive clinical experience with a solid academic background, ensuring rigorous, applied, and high-quality training.
The teaching team includes: Gerard Álvarez Bustins, Francisco José Martín Orive, Xavier Vericat Matamoros, Guillem Josep Torres, Marc Lari Viaplana, Alessandro Vittori, Ana García de Frutos, and David Cancer Castillo.
Application process
To access the master degree and/or university specialization diplomas, you must hold an official Spanish university degree, or a degree from another country in the European Higher Education Area. These studies are also open to students with a degree issued by an education system outside the European Higher Education Area, who do not need to have it approved, provided that the level of training is equivalent to that of an official Spanish degree and that, in the country of origin, the degree gives access to graduate studies. However, admission does not in any case imply the convalidation of the degree or any other type of recognition beyond allowing the student to access master and graduate studies at the University.
Furthermore, these courses are open to people who do not have a degree but who, due to their professional or personal background, are considered qualified to take them. In these cases, the degree they will obtain will be a university extension.
The application process consists of two parts:
Pre-enrollment
Enrollment
Pre-enrollment
Students can pre-enroll online (by accessing Pre-enrollment | Blanquerna or the pre-enrollment option for each course). It can also be done in person at the School.
During the process, the candidate must submit the requested documentation:
- ID card, passport or NIE residence card.
- Certified photocopy of the qualification that gives the student access to the course or documentary proof that the relevant document has been requested.
- Copy of the official academic transcript with grades for the courses taken and the average mark of the qualification justifying admission.
- Students with studies qualifying them for access completed outside Spain: certificate issued by the relevant body (university, embassy, consulate) confirming that the studies qualify the student to undertake master degree or graduate studies in the country of issue. Students who come from a foreign university must provide details of the grading system used at their university, as well as the aforementioned documentation, which must comply with the requirements for translation and legalization established in current regulations.
- Payment of €50 in terms of pre-registration fee. The amount of the application will only be returned in case of cancellation of the course by the center. The amount will be returned during the course in which pre-registration has been made, upon presentation of the corresponding receipt. Payment is by credit or debit card using a secure and confidential process.
Once pre-enrollment is complete, the documentation will be assessed, and the student will be informed of the result and how to enroll, if applicable.
Enrollment
Enrollment is the final step in the procedure to access the master degree or graduate studies. Each student will be informed in the letter of admission of his/her enrollment date. When enrollment is complete, with payment of the corresponding fee, the student will have definitively secured a place. If the student leaves the course, the enrollment fee will not be refunded in any case. The School reserves the right to cancel any courses for which the required minimum number of enrolled students has not been reached. In this case, the amount paid for enrollment will be refunded in full.
Documentation to be provided:
- Certified photocopy of the degree certificate or certified photocopy of the university studies completed.
- Official academic certification (list of subjects studied with their grade).
- Current account number for direct debit in case of payment by installments.
When students enroll, they will have two business days to pay the total cost of enrollment, by bank transfer, credit card or barcode. Studies can be paid in full or in installments, without any interest, by bank transfer.
If payment by installment is selected, students will have two business days following completion of enrollment to pay 33.3% of the total cost of the enrolled credits, using their chosen form of payment; this payment cannot be made by direct debit. The remaining 66.4% is split into two monthly installments, in January and March, payable by direct debit using the bank account number provided upon enrollment.
School alumni are given a 15% discount on the enrollment fee (non-cumulative discount). Distinctions obtained in the fourth academic year of the bachelor degree are not eligible for a discount in own master degrees and graduate studies. Prices are updated each academic year. Once enrollment is complete, the amount paid will not be refunded under any circumstances.
When a student enrolls, a contract for the provision of teaching services is formalized between the student and the Blanquerna Foundation, which is legally binding from the time of payment. Payment includes the corresponding insurance and, for students under the age of twenty-eight, compulsory academic insurance. If a student declines to take up a place, he/she will lose in full any amount he/she has paid.
The student accepts the rules for the use of computer services established by the Blanquerna Foundation. The student's personal data will be included in an automated file under the responsibility of the Blanquerna Foundation, so that this contract can be maintained and fulfilled. Students should note that their data may also be used to inform them about the future activities of the Foundation, or for the institution to send them publications.
In accordance with the provisions of Organic Law 15/1999 on the protection of personal data, students have the right to access their data to update, rectify or cancel them, or object to their use, by sending a letter, indicating which right they want to exercise.
This section is a summary of the general conditions for enrollment. It is only for guidance and therefore has no contractual value. In the event of any discrepancy, the provisions of the general conditions for enrollment specified in the receipt generated at the time of enrollment will prevail; this receipt formalizes the contract between the student and the Blanquerna Foundation; students can consult it on the intranet whenever they wish.
Foreign students
The School reserves the right to ask candidates with qualifications outside the EES for a letter from their university, embassy or consulate to certify that their studies enable them to pursue a master degree or graduate studies.
Students are responsible for having all the official documentation necessary for their stay in Spain while studying at the School. Applicants can ask for a pre-acceptance document attached to the pre-enrollment receipt to initiate applications for visas or scholarships or carry out any other administrative procedure. Under no circumstances does this document guarantee a place if all the access and admission requirements are not met. Once applicants have been accepted and enrollment is complete, they can request a letter of admission from the Academic Secretary, if required, by paying the corresponding fees.
Contact us
For more information, please contact the prospective students department.
[email protected]
Scholarships and grants Blanquerna
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