Return to Sport for Athletes with Shoulder Injuries

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.