Campus Location
Abilene Campus (Residential)
Date of Award
12-2024
Document Type
OTD Capstone
Department
Occupational Therapy
Degree
OTD
Faculty Advisor
Donna Walls
Site Mentor
Matt Lytle
Capstone Coordinator
Leslye Molamphy
Specialization
Program Development
Focus
Hand and Upper Extremity
Abstract
Shoulder sports injuries can be complex, making returning to sports difficult. There has been a transition in sports medicine to utilize a more encompassing and holistic approach to addressing injury. Return to sport is typically addressed by physical therapy and athletic training. However, occupational therapy can provide a more holistic approach encompassing physical and psychosocial aspects when rehabilitating an athlete, potentially leading to more successful therapeutic outcomes. This capstone embodied occupational therapists’ role in rehabilitating the shoulder and returning to sport by creating a higher-tech HEP that provides a more holistic rehabilitation approach. Throughout the 14-week process, videos were made of an advanced throwers ten and throwing plyometric program, and staff surveyed to identify the most utilized throwing protocol. This progression of strengthening and sports-specific movements in the program, paired with educational handouts addressing psychosocial factors within return to sport, allows for a more comprehensive approach to rehabilitating throwing athletes. This capstone advocates for the role occupational therapy can play in the rehabilitation of throwing athletes and return to sport.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.