Just Keep Swimming: A Comprehensive Approach to Shoulder Pain in Collegiate Swimmers
Abstract:
One of the challenges in sports is quantifying and managing athlete load in season. The swimming season tends to be exhaustive both in training volume and season length. These factors present challenges to the medical staff when athletes suffer in-season shoulder injuries including impingement, multidirectional instability, and labral tears. Implementing preseason objective testing may identify athletes at risk for developing these injuries and allow for preventative programs. The purpose of this presentation is to analyze injury screening, create an evidence based plan of care, and demonstrate specific examples of collaboration among clinicians to address common shoulder pathologies in swimmers.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss in season shoulder rehabilitation progressions for common injuries in swimming including multidirectional instability, rotator cuff tendinopathy and labral tears with a specific emphasis on swimming athletes.
- Demonstrate taping techniques and manual mobilizations for pain reduction as an adjunct to therapy for swimmers and overhead athletes with shoulder pathology.
- Investigate load management in overhead and determine how total swim and practice volume plays into the plan of care for athletes with shoulder pain.
- Analyze preseason and in season objective shoulder testing and utilize it to inform current rehabilitation progressions or develop injury prevention programs for athletes who may be at risk for developing shoulder pain.
- Explore collaboration and role delineation between athletic training and physical therapy in care of athletes and how to provide the most efficacious care of athletes as a team.
Level:
Advanced
Domain(s):
Domain 1: Risk Reduction Wellness and Health Literacy
Domain 2: Assessment Evaluation and Diagnosis
Domain 4: Therapeutic Intervention
Domain 5: Health Care Administration and Professional Responsibility
Orthopedic Domain(s):
Domain 1: Medical Knowledge
Domain 2: Procedural Knowledge
Domain 3: Professional Practice
Keywords:
prevention; rehabilitation; testing
CEUs:
1.0 Category A
In order to earn your CEUs, you must watch the session video in its entirety, complete the assessment, and receive a certificate of completion. Your statement of credit, reflecting the total CEUs earned for on-demand sessions, will be uploaded to your NATA EducATe transcript in early November. The maximum CEUs to be awarded are: up to 20 CEUs for On-Demand Only Registrants; and up to 5 CEUs for In-Person Attendees (A statement of credit for 15 in-person CEUs will be issued separately.) CEUs will only be awarded for sessions that have a certificate of completion.
Course Expiration:
All sessions of the NATA 76th Symposia On-Demand must be completed by October 31, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. CDT.
For full details, refer to the expiration policy on our FAQ page.
Estefania Zavala, DAT, LAT, ATC
Estefania “Stef” Zavala, DAT, LAT, ATC is an associate athletic trainer at Northwestern University. She provides treatment and rehabilitation to the Women’s Soccer team. Stef previously worked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and provided patient care to the Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving programs.
Stef has taken a special interest in the management of chronic shoulder injuries. She assisted in developing a swim and dive specific injury screening battery and has utilized it in informing practice for working with a water sport. She completed her Bachelor’s in Athletic Training from Lewis University in 2019 and Doctorate of Athletic Training from University of Idaho in 2021. Stef is also involved in the NATA Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee (EDAC) and serves as the District 11 Representative.
Bailey Lanser, PT
Bailey Lanser, DPT, SCS, LAT is the clinical sports physical therapist for The University of Wisconsin-Madison Badger Athletics. She provides rehabilitation services to athletes across all collegiate sports with a variety of injuries, but has a special interest in care of the overhead athlete. She assists with data analysis of upper extremity post-operative testing in the Badger Athletic Performance Lab and helps integrate those results into clinical care.
Dr. Lanser completed her sports residency at the Cleveland Clinic. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and National Athletic Trainers association and serves as the Education chair for the College and Pro Sports special interest group of the AASPT. She is passionate about finding ways to enhance collaboration between health care providers in order to achieve efficacious care for all athletes.