The Athlete’s Lumbar Spine: Evaluation and Treatment

Course Description:

The lumbar spine has long been reported as a significant problem in sports.  According to recent statistics, 89.5% of baseball athletes, 76.6% of soccer athletes, and 75% of gymnasts (to name just a few sports!) all report some type of low back pain. Injuries include soft tissue strains, facet syndrome, spondylolysis, end plate fractures, ring apophysis, and more. Why?? Aren’t our athletes well-conditioned?
Robert McCabe, DPT helps to educate about the reasons for the low back pain epidemic and how therapy can rehabilitate athletes and change the narrative. Join Dr. McCabe as he covers:

• Sport culture
• Inadequate (and proper) progressive loading
• Proper return to sport testing
• In-depth athlete lumbar spine evaluations
• Rehabilitation: Phases/Goals/Components/Principles

Methods of Instruction:

Online audio/video course

Course Instructor:

Robert McCabe, DPT, OCS, CSCS, XPS, EXOS Performance Specialist

Target Audience:

Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapist Assistants and Athletic Trainers.

Educational Level:

Intermediate

Prerequisites:

None

Course Goals and Objectives:

At the completion of this course, participants should be able to:

1. Recognize the prevalence of Low Back Pain (LBP) in Sports, the most common injuries, the reasons for the LBP epidemic, and the return to play outcomes.
2. Recognize the spinal anatomy in common LBP diagnoses, the function of this anatomy, and how it affects rehabilitation.
3. Differentiate between muscles in the Superficial Back Line vs. the Back Functional Line, and subsequent muscle imbalances.
4. Differentiate between treatment models: Hodges, Pain Science/Biopsychosocial, Treatment-based Classification, Selective Functional Movement Assessment, and Movement-Based Approach.
5. Recognize referred sources of pain, central/peripheral sensitization, and trigger point vs. fibrosis.
6. Identify the use of flags in medical screening and recognize the flag hierarchy.
7. Identify all the elements in a thorough athlete LBP evaluation including all special tests and recognize the evaluation order of tests.
8. Differentiate between the Phases of Rehabilitation and appropriate therapeutic activities/exercise protocol and guidelines for each phase.
9. Identify the uses of manual therapy in LBP diagnoses.
10. Identify the return to play guidelines for athlete LBP diagnoses and the protocol for return to play.

Criteria for Obtaining Continuing Education Credits:

A score of 70% or greater on the post-test