Edel Fanning - Return to Performance Testing

Episode 154: Ben Ashworth chats to Dr Edel Fanning, BSc, MSc, PhD. Edel is a chartered physiotherapist and leads the upper limb rehabilitation service at the Sports Surgery Clinic, Dublin. Prior to working in Dublin, she worked as a Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in the UK National Health Service. She has a keen interest in shoulder biomechanics, the sporting shoulder and injury prevention and has worked with elite athletes from a wide range of sporting disciplines. She completed her PhD at the University College Cork investigating the use of return to play criteria post glenohumeral joint stabilisation. Her work explores the role of 3D biomechanics and the use of novel upper limb functional tests in assisting return to play decision making post shoulder reconstruction in contact athletes. 

Topics Discussed 

• The Role of Isokinetic Testing in Shoulder Rehabilitation
• Objective Markers for Return to Play in Shoulder Rehabilitation
• Go-To Exercises for Shoulder Rehabilitation
• The Role of Psychological Readiness and Confidence

Key Points

• Assessing strength throughout the range of motion is important, particularly in the internal rotators.
• Isokinetic testing, strength and power assessments, joint position sense, and psychological readiness are valuable tools in shoulder rehabilitation.
• Individualized assessment and treatment are crucial in shoulder rehabilitation.
• Benchmarks for peak torque in external and internal rotation can help guide rehabilitation progress. Objective testing, such as force plate testing and the Adele push-up, is crucial in shoulder rehabilitation to assess asymmetries and measure progress.
• Impulse force and jump height are important indicators of performance and can help guide the rehabilitation process.
• Returning athletes to sport within a specific timeframe can be challenging, and a multidimensional approach is necessary to address all aspects of recovery.
• Psychological readiness and confidence play a significant role in the rehabilitation process and can be influenced by objective testing results.
• Go-to exercises for shoulder rehabilitation include explosive jammers, drop and land exercises, band-assisted push-ups, and med ball work.
• Future plans in the field of shoulder rehabilitation involve further research, collaboration, and finding the right balance between academia and patient care.

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