A Lecture Reviewed

I always enjoy listening to Mike Reinold speak. His enthusiasm for his profession is matched by his in depth understanding of his subject – in this case: Evaluation and Treatment of the Shoulder in Athletes Participating in Overhead Sports. He and Dr. Thomas Gill of Mass General (also the Medical Director of the Boston Red Sox) presented this lecture at the APTA conference in Boston this year.

Some of the key points Mike stressed included the importance of the role serratus anterior plays in providing dynamic scapula stability, even when the rotator cuff is strong. Some of his preferred serratus strengthening exercises include:

Dynamic hug
Theraband diagonals to ‘eye level’
Modified wall slides, weight bearing through forearms while maintaining scapula protraction
Side lying rows
Standing w’s

Once the strength of the scapula stabilizers as well as the rotor cuff muscles has been established, Mike suggests progressing to dynamic strengthening activities incorporating plyometrics and perturbations of the upper limb.

Both speakers emphasized the importance of employing a team approach when rehabilitating a SLAP repair, especially with regards to the communication between the surgeon and the treating therapist. Factors for consideration include the type and location of the SLAP tear, the mechanism of injury, the number of suture anchors placed during the surgery and any concomitant procedures (for example rotator cuff tears)

JOSPT published an article by Mike Reinold in 2009 titled: Current Concept for Glenohumeral and Scapula Thoracic Complex (insert link) which goes into more detail on some of these topics. He also writes a great blog on mikereinold.com.