The Overhead Athlete: A Comprehensive Treatment Approach
Course Description
Overhead athletes of all ages are capable of accelerating their upper extremity to speeds that routinely exceed 7000 degrees/second. The role of and interaction between the joints, tissues, and segments involved in this process is very complex, but often results in injuries to the shoulder and elbow.
This course will examine common areas of dysfunction in the overhead athlete in the context of an understandable biomechanical framework that addresses the entire kinetic chain. Treatment approaches will emerge from an enhanced understanding of this framework and will be discussed in terms manual techniques and appropriate treatment progression. Clarification and reinforcement of course objectives will be provided through 50% lecture/discussion, visual aids (pictures/video), case examples, demonstration, and lab.
Overhead Athlete Schedule
Course Objectives
At the completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Recognize 3 biomechanical characteristics that contribute to increased injury risk in the arm of the overhead athlete
- Given a mechanical fault in the performance of the overhead sports movement, provide 2 biomechanical contributors to the mechanical fault
- Recognize 3 sociocultural factors that contribute to the development of chronic/overuse injuries in the overhead athlete
- Identify 3 postural characteristics common in the presentation of the overhead athlete
- Given a specific joint/tissue dysfunction, provide 2 biomechanical contributors and 2 biomechanical consequences for the respective sport
- Define the role of 3 different core muscles in the transfer of energy from the lower extremity to the upper extremity
- Define the role of 3 different scapular muscles in the transfer of energy from the trunk to the arm
- Correctly identify and perform mobilization/release of 3 scapular muscles
- Correctly identify and perform mobilization/release of 3 trunk and/or hip muscles
- Properly execute a functional strength assessment of upper extremity, lower extremity and trunk
- Identify a dysfunctional movement pattern during functional movement assessment
- Develop 2 motor retraining exercises that addresses dysfunctional movements identified during your movement/manual assessment
- Develop 2 dynamic exercises that would reinforce motor retraining
Course Instructors
Patrick Hoban
PT, MS, ATC, FF-CIMT
Patrick has been a Physical Therapist and Athletic Trainer since 1994. He graduated from Grand Valley State University and started Great Lakes Seminars in 1996. He is the co-owner and Clinical Director for Great Lakes Seminars and is also the president of Probility Physical Therapy. Probility is a company which has 13 clinics in the Southeast, MI area. He has created the manual therapy courses for Great Lakes Seminars and has trained the instructors to ensure high quality courses and effective, consistent delivery. He has also taught manual therapy courses around the country for 20 years, has taught in PT and PTA programs since 1994, was the head athletic trainer at a high school for 5 years and he has performed both independent medical exams and peer reviews for Physical Therapy. He has an eclectic background in biomechanics, anatomy, and manual therapy.
Course Outline
Saturday
Continental Breakfast
Lecture: Introduction, normal and abnormal biomechanics of the throwing motion, common dysfunctions in overhead athletes, regional interdependence, mobilizations, MFR
Lecture: non-throwing overhead sport considerations, treatment progression, functional assessment of the trunk, hips, and scapula, anatomy review
Lunch (on your own)
Lab: MFR and mobilizations for the trunk and hips
Lab: Motor retraining exercises for the trunk and hips
Lab: MFR and mobilizations for the cervical/thoracic spine
Lab: Review of Evidence-Based Literature
Adjourn
Sunday
Continental Breakfast
Review and discussion of considerations for youth sports
Lab: MFR and mobilizations for the upper quarter
Lab: Motor retraining exercises for the upper quarter
Lab: Functional assessment of the scapula
Lunch (on your own)
Lab: Dynamic exercises for the upper extremity and scapula
Lab: Dynamic exercises for the trunk and hips
Lab: Functional assessment of the trunk and hips
Lab: Case Study and Speed mobilization review
Lab: Review of Evidence-Based Literature
Adjourn