Thoracic Rotation Assessment

At Complete Game Physical Therapy, we frequently work with baseball and softball players who have experienced shoulder and elbow injuries.  When we evaluate these athletes, we don’t simply look at the area of injury. It is important to consider the whole body for deficits or asymmetries that may have contributed to the injury or may leave an athlete at increased risk for future injury.  In overhead athletes that come to us with arm trouble, for example, we consistently find restrictions in thoracic spine mobility. Today’s blog is dedicated to one method we use to assess thoracic spine rotation mobility and a treatment we would use for thoracic restrictions.

As you watch these videos, please note that 1) individual evaluations are crucial in identifying an athlete’s specific restrictions.  General exercises provided to a team or exercises found on the internet will not properly address each individual's deficits. 2.) The process we use at Complete Game Physical Therapy is to evaluate, perform treatment and then re-evaluate.  This protocol is essential to ensure that a treatment is having the intended effect.  For example, in the video you will see that there is a slight increase in Ryan’s rotation after a brief treatment.  At Complete Game, we would continue to follow up with additional treatment and re-evaluation to continue to improve his rotation.

For more information, contact Greg at 978-710-7204 or gcrossman@completegamept.com.