Shoulder injury prevention in overhead sports : Independent learning material for musculoskeletal physiotherapy studies
Pettersson, Elina (2020)
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020112424164
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020112424164
Tiivistelmä
An overhead throwing motion is the fastest motion in sports, creating high rotational and compressive forces in the shoulder. Due to the high loads, repetitive movement and athlete-specific factors, overhead sports have a high prevalence of shoulder injuries. Injury prevention through conditioning helps alleviate the health and career effects and the cost of injury to both the individual and the sport. For successful preventive intervention, a physiotherapist needs to understand the sport-specific biomechanics and have knowledge on the injury risks and their detection.
The aim of the thesis was to increase the knowledge base of physiotherapy students on typical shoulder injuries, injury risks, and to present tools for injury prevention in overhead sports. Following the practice-based methodology, the findings of the current literature were used to develop an independent electronic study material for musculoskeletal physiotherapy studies in Satakunta University of Applied Sciences. The study material presented the current research on biomechanics, functional requirements, and injury risks of the shoulder in unilateral overhead sports. It also provided evidence-based guidelines for physiotherapeutic assessment and conditioning tools specifically aimed for the shoulder injury prevention in high-performing overhead athletes. The piloting of the study material was conducted via a workshop for physiotherapy students.
Injury prevention in overhead sports lacks good quality, long-term research on large participant groups. This places limitations to the reliability of the thesis. Acknowledging these limitations in several factors of injury risk factors, the study material created in this thesis is based on the most agreed-on proposals in the current literature.
The thesis aimed to provide usable information for the future working life in sports physiotherapy. The focus of the study material was on high-level athletes in unilateral overhead sports, but the knowledge can be adapted for other overhead sports with sport-specific considerations. Also, the underlying principles of the thesis can be useful in the physiotherapy of growing athletes and other clients with repeated overhead work or activities.
The aim of the thesis was to increase the knowledge base of physiotherapy students on typical shoulder injuries, injury risks, and to present tools for injury prevention in overhead sports. Following the practice-based methodology, the findings of the current literature were used to develop an independent electronic study material for musculoskeletal physiotherapy studies in Satakunta University of Applied Sciences. The study material presented the current research on biomechanics, functional requirements, and injury risks of the shoulder in unilateral overhead sports. It also provided evidence-based guidelines for physiotherapeutic assessment and conditioning tools specifically aimed for the shoulder injury prevention in high-performing overhead athletes. The piloting of the study material was conducted via a workshop for physiotherapy students.
Injury prevention in overhead sports lacks good quality, long-term research on large participant groups. This places limitations to the reliability of the thesis. Acknowledging these limitations in several factors of injury risk factors, the study material created in this thesis is based on the most agreed-on proposals in the current literature.
The thesis aimed to provide usable information for the future working life in sports physiotherapy. The focus of the study material was on high-level athletes in unilateral overhead sports, but the knowledge can be adapted for other overhead sports with sport-specific considerations. Also, the underlying principles of the thesis can be useful in the physiotherapy of growing athletes and other clients with repeated overhead work or activities.