Shoulder injuries account for a large number of injuries in sports especially ones that involve repetitive arm movements. Whether it's Football, Rugby, Basketball, Baseball, Tennis, Golf, MMA, Muay Thai, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, we need to keep our bodies ready and prepare for the event of injuries.
Here is a sneak peak at what rehab looks like for our professional and recreational athletes!
1. PERFORMANCE PT ASSESSMENT
At The Technique Physical Therapy we help Athletes find out where the weak links in their system are to bulletproof their bodies!
It is important that you do not guess what exercises may help. At The Technique PT we analyze different shoulder and neck movements, feel for abnormalities, test your strength, look at full body movement patterns relevant to your sport and perform special tests to rule out more serious issues. This gives you an idea of what your recovery may look like and maps a plan.
If this step is skipped then you are probably shooting shots in the dark!
2. STRENGTH & STABILITY TRAINING
Above: Resisted shoulder horizontal abduction with perturbations
We use different training methods to improve strength and proprioception to help reactive joint stability around the shoulder girdle based on what phase of recovery you are in and what loads you are capable of handling.
It is important to tie in sport specific movement patterns as well!
3. MOBILITY TRAINING
Above: Thoracic Spine Mobility
For any injury, we must look above and below a joint to find limitations in movement. For example, a shoulder injury may reveal spine limitations.
We give our athletes a full body mobility routine based on our assessment that will address any weak links along our kinetic chain.
4. SKILLED MANUAL THERAPY TECHNIQUES
Above: Manual Therapy to Rhomboids, posterior Rotator Cuff and Joint mobilizations to thoracic spine.
Manual Techniques including soft tissue massage, cupping / myofascial decompression, joint mobilizations, and PNF can help facilitate recovery and reduce pain or teach a proper movement pattern.
Although this alone will not heal a major injury, it is a skill we use as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that may a missing piece to the puzzle!
BONUS CLIP: 90/90 EXTERNAL ROTATION WITH PRESS UP
Above: (90 / 90 External rotation with overhead press)
This exercise is one of our favorite return to sport phase movements / injury prevention exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff. We recommend 3 sets of 15 repetitions as part of a comprehensive program.
Book your free consultation at The Technique Physical Therapy to see what program will get you performing at your best!
(510) 705-1814
IG: @thetechniquePT