CASE STUDY: You’re working with a throwing athlete who’s recently had rotator cuff surgery and a total of 12 PT sessions. Your referral pad suggests gradual strengthening and stretching over 3 months.

Sport Science- Exercise Therapy Case Study

Range of movement (ROM) describes the degree of movement that a joint has. Joints in the human body possess varying ROM. The shoulder joint possess 180 degrees of abduction and flexion movements and 90-degree external rotation. The hip joint has an abduction and adduction of up to 45 degrees and an extension of 115 degrees. Range of motion exercises preserve flexibility and mobility of the joints in which it is conducted. These exercises prevent stiffness in these joints. The exercises have also been shown to slow the progression of any underlying pathology in the joint. ROM can be affected by pathologies that affect the joints, bone fractures, and joint dislocation.

ROM exercises applicable to an individual who has had rotator cuff surgery include shoulder abduction exercises, horizontal abduction exercises, external rotation exercises, and internal rotation exercises. Shoulder abduction exercises are conducted when the individual is in the side-lying position. The target shoulder should be the one facing upwards. The starting position is when the arms are rested on their hips. The individual is then made to raise their hands towards the ceiling and through pain before lowering them back. The arm should be raised to the most tolerable position before returning to the starting position (Hlady). These maneuvers should be repeated at least eight times. Do you need help for completing your assignment ? We offer assignment help with high professionalism.

The horizontal abduction exercise is also done when the client is lying on their side, with the target shoulder facing upwards. They are then made to flex their arms outwards before beginning the up-down maneuver. They are expected to move their arms through pain. This exercise should also be repeated at least eight times. The external shoulder rotation involves rotating the shoulder while keeping the elbows bent and tucked into the body. This exercise maneuver is the most recommended for persons who have had rotator cuff surgery. Repeating this movement at least eight times may prove beneficial in regaining rotator cuff strength and improving the neuromuscular control of this group of muscles. Shoulder internal rotations are also important in this regard. This exercise involves rotating the shoulder while keeping the elbow at 90 degrees and tucked into the body.

Modified strength exercises can be done in the presence of a limited range of motion and the absence of equipment. These exercises include baby-ups, sofa squats, and fingertip-to-knee sit-ups. These exercises are key in building muscular strength. Notably, baby-ups are modified push-ups that improve the muscular strength of the muscles of the shoulder, chest, and triceps. A perfect routine for the individual will utilize baby-ups and active shoulder rotations. In addition, sofa squat is a modified squat exercise. This exercise improves the muscular strength of the gluteal muscles, hamstrings, and quadriceps muscles. This exercise is an essential exercise for lower body muscles. Additionally, fingertips-to-knee sit-ups are modified sit-up exercises. These exercises improve the muscular strength of the core muscles of the abdomen. Baby ups find utility in enhancing the range of motion for the shoulders and their muscular strength.

Furthermore, baby ups have been utilized in muscle rehabilitation in persons who have yet to regain the full muscle strength required for normal sit-ups. Alternating shoulder rotations and baby-ups can enable this client to regain full rotator cuff strength. At least eight repetitions should be done per exercise to attain optimal results. These exercises have considerable use in strengthening rotator cuff muscles. The synergistic use of these exercises produces superior results.

An integrated routine that could be useful for this individual will span three months. This plan will encompass both modified exercises and range of motion exercises. These exercises will be tailored to meet these individual needs. As presented in the case study, the specific need of this particular individual is to enhance the muscle strength of the rotator cuff muscles. The initial step will be to select the most appropriate range of motion exercises and strength-based modified exercises (Popchak et al.). The selected exercises are external and internal shoulder rotations and modified push-ups.

Accordingly, these exercises will be alternated throughout the three months. The exercises will be initiated gradually and then intensified over time. Both exercises will be done simultaneously during each training session. In each session, modified push-ups will be conducted first before proceeding to the rotation exercises. The duration of each training session will vary and be dependent on the toler