Athletic Training Program Hosts 20th Annual Sports Medicine Symposium

The College of Education and Health Professions' athletic training program recently hosted the 20th Annual Razorback Sports Medicine Symposium. The theme of this year's symposium was "An Interprofessional Approach to Overhead Athlete Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation."

Athletic trainers, physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, physicians, students and other healthcare professionals attended this year's symposium, which focused on prevention strategies and rehabilitation interventions for sport-related upper extremity injuries. 

Luzita Vela, teaching associate professor and program director for the Master of Athletic Training program, said the focus on overhead injury prevention and rehabilitation came from a noticeable rise in youth participation in overhead sports like baseball and softball. 

"With the rise of youth sport specialization, particularly in overhead sports, we are seeing an increase in injuries among young athletes," she said. "We incorporated more sport science content this year to help clinicians better understand the changing landscape of athletic performance and training."

Vela noted that this year's symposium marked a milestone anniversary.

"We were thrilled to welcome back two alumni, Adam Nebel and Ryne Eubanks, as featured speakers this year," Vela said. "Their participation felt especially meaningful as we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the symposium this year."

Nebel is a motion performance sports scientist within the Texas Rangers baseball organization and earned his Master of Athletic Training degree from the U of A. During this year's symposium, Nebel presented on the Biomechanics of Overhead Movement Patterns and the Role of Sports Science in Baseball. 

Eubanks is the head athletic trainer for the Detroit Tigers and also earned his Master of Athletic Training degree from the U of A. Eubanks delivered the keynote address at this year's symposium and presented on his work to improve injury outcomes for baseball athletes. 

This year's symposium also featured presentations from Daniel Kline, Athletic Therapeutic Institute's physical therapy upper extremity fellowship director, and Chelsea Martin, a clinician scientist with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The pair presented on two topics: overhead athlete rehabilitation perspectives and overhead athlete injury prevention and maintenance. 

The symposium presentations concluded with two presentations from Daniel Evans, the director of rehabilitation and center coordinator for clinical education at TMI Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Surgery in Texas. Evans presented on the prevention and rehabilitation of elbow injuries in the overhead athlete, as well as return-to-play considerations and testing for the overhead athlete. 

In addition to presentations, the symposium featured a research poster session that allowed attendees to share their research on athletic training. Many athletic training students participated in the poster session and received feedback on their research from leading experts in the field. This kind of collaboration between students and professionals, Vela said, is essential to strengthening clinical practice and providing better healthcare outcomes.

"One of our primary goals is to create a space that supports interprofessional education and collaboration. This year, we saw that goal come to life as students, clinicians and experts from various disciplines came together to learn from, with and about one another," she said. "Providing these opportunities for shared dialogue and collaboration strengthens our clinical practice and ultimately leads to better healthcare outcomes for the patients and clients we serve."

By hosting the symposium at the U of A, the Master of Athletic Training program offers continuing education for athletic training professionals across Northwest Arkansas. Vela said one of the symposium's goals is to continue improving care for those in Northwest Arkansas through educational opportunities.

"Our goal is to offer high-quality continuing education at a low cost for clinicians across multiple disciplines, including athletic training, physical therapy and medicine," she said. "By doing so, we help support the professional growth of healthcare providers throughout Northwest Arkansas and contribute to improved care for the community."

The 20th Annual Razorback Sports Medicine Symposium was supported by the College of Education and Health Professions' WE CARE Strategic Plan; UAMS Health Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine; and the U of A Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation.