Upper Extremity Considerations for the Adolescent Athlete
Presented by Alexa Martinez
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Ensuring excellent care for the adolescent athlete presenting with upper extremity injuries can be a daunting task for the general physical therapist. Returning an adolescent athlete to sport is an intricate process that physical therapists can help guide their patients through. This course will guide the physical therapist through several evidence-based assessments and instruct in multiple treatment strategies specific to the impairments addressed. This course will also describe various return-to-play criteria for use when treating upper extremity diagnoses in the adolescent patient. The general practitioner often does not see a sufficient number of pediatric patients to establish a thorough examination and treatment process or return-to-play considerations. This course aims to bridge the gap and provide a general orthopedic physical therapist with the tools necessary to rehabilitate the adolescent athlete from an upper extremity injury.
Meet your instructor
Alexa Martinez
Alexa Martinez is a physical therapist at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, Florida. She is a board-certified clinical specialist in sports physical therapy and a certified strength and conditioning specialist. She earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Miami in 2017 and completed a sports…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Anatomy and Injury
This chapter will cover pertinent anatomy and common mechanisms of upper extremity injury for the adolescent athlete. Having a comprehensive understanding of the musculoskeletal anatomy, including areas of growth centers and musculature attachment, can help guide clinicians in the rehabilitation of the adolescent athlete.
2. Examination
This chapter will cover specific examination tools to help guide the clinician’s evaluation process for the adolescent athlete with an upper extremity injury. The examination tools include special testing for the shoulder and elbow, flexibility measurements, considerations for strength testing, and evidence-based return-to-sport testing.
3. Treatment
This chapter will cover specific treatment considerations for use when treating the adolescent athlete for an upper extremity injury. Treatment interventions will include manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and neuromuscular reeducation strategies to implement to efficiently return the patient to sport.
4. Return to Play
This chapter will cover different criteria for returning the adolescent athlete rehabilitating from an upper extremity injury to sport. The chapter will cover evidence-based functional testing and return-to-play rates from current literature.
