Theses/Dissertations from 2022
Use of Social Support to Decrease Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Collegiate Athletes with Time-Loss Injuries, Kaylee A. Hermansen and Jessie Juenemann
The mental aspects of an injury are what typically go unseen. Injuries often cause psychological distress among injured athletes such as depression and anxiety. Social support can assist in combating mental health distress associated with a...
Evaluating the Clinical Utility of the Active Compression Test Compared to the Dynamic Labral Shear Test in Predicting SLAP Lesions in Female Overhead Athletes, Jenna Myers and Chloe A. Pruitt
Background: Superior Labral Anterior-Posterior (SLAP) lesions are a common shoulder injury in overhead athletes that can be difficult to evaluate clinically. With increasing participation in athletics, useful diagnostic tests are needed for...
Theses/Dissertations from 2021
Use of Blood Flow Restriction to Treat and Rehabilitate Patients Ages 18 to 40 Year Old from Postoperative Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Alec Green Almquist
Background: Blood flow restriction (BFR) is being shown to have many positive applications for the medical, and strength and conditioning fields. Recently, researchers and physical therapists have been applying these same concepts to patien...
Use of Feedback Mechanisms Versus Exercise Alone for Treatment of Patients With Scapular Dyskinesis, Jill Contreras
Background: Scapular dyskinesis is more prevalent in overhead athletes and can also lead to eventual shoulder injuries or shoulder dysfunction. Therefore, a rehabilitation program to manage or treat scapular dyskinesis is important. The eff...
Does Implementing Neck Strengthening Exercises Reduce the Risk of Concussion?, Brandon M. Desrosiers
Background: There is currently no standard process or preventative method to reduce the risk of concussions. Researchers have claimed that new helmet technology, q-collar necklace, and mouthguards can reduce concussions, but the evidence is...
Use of Supplemental Iron for the Enhancement of Physical Performance in Competitive Non-Anemic Female Athletes, Annalese M. Lamke
Background: Iron has been a commonly prescribed supplement for female athletes to take, but there is little evidence to support if iron supplementation can help improve non-anemic female, athlete’s performance. There is still a lack of unit...
Balance Training Improves Dynamic Control in ACL Deficient Athletes or Anterior Cruciate Reconstruction, Illexus Martin
Background: The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the most commonly injured ligament in the knee. The ACL serves as a stabilizer against anterior translation of the tibia on the femur and is among the most commonly studied injuries in ort...
Use of Platelet-rich Plasma Injections for Treatment in Patients Diagnosed With Achilles Tendinopathy, Nicole M. Pearson
Background: Achilles tendinopathies are common among individuals who are active, usually participating in a sport with a high volume of repetitive motion. Historically, these injuries have been treated with conservative home exercises. If t...
Efficacy of Kinesio Taping combined with eccentric exercise in decreasing pain in motion for overhead athletes with rotator cuff tendonitis, Ester Vang
Rotator cuff tendonitis is an injury that can occur in overhead athletes with overuse and eccentric training has shown to help relieve any pain with rotator cuff tendonitis. Kinesio taping (KT) is becoming increasingly popular in the athlet...
Theses/Dissertations from 2020
Use of Subthreshold Aerobic Activity Versus Rest Alone for Treatment in Patients Diagnosed with a Concussion, Kesenya R. Havlicek
Background: Treatment of concussions has historically included rest until asymptomatic, but the latest concussion consensus statement questioned the effectiveness of this treatment. Ambiguity continues to prevail amongst sports medicine pra...
Effectiveness of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Quadriceps Strength After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Matthew Larsen
Background/Purpose: With anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries becoming increasingly common in individuals of all ages, it’s important to understand how to best treat the patient after surgery. The purpose of this study is to criticall...
The Efficacy of Non-surgical Interventions in the Treatment and Prevention of Ankle Sprains and Instability: A Review of the Literature, Kyle Z. Pelzer
Background: Ankle sprains are a common injury among the high school-aged athletic population. With recurrent ankle sprains leading to chronic ankle instability (CAI), additional research is needed to determine the efficacy of non-surgical i...
Does Active Recovery Provide Faster Reduction in Symptoms and a Faster Return to Play for Colege Athletes Compared to Conservative Rest After a Concussion?, Tyller Matthew Robert
Purpose: Sports-related concussions are one of the most hotly debated topics in sports medicine today. Research surrounding concussion has experienced significant growth especially in the areas of incidence, assessment, and recovery. Previo...
Comparison of Corticosteroid Injections and Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections in Improving Symptoms of Osteoarthritis of the Knee, Kassi Vold
Background: With the growing prevalence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in the United States and the rising costs of associated surgery, there has been an increase in the amount of research dedicated to alternative treatments. These treatment o...
Does Imagery Help Psychological Rehabilitation, Xeing Randy Yang
Background: In rehabilitation, athletic trainers should address the psychological aspect of rehabilitation as it is just as important as the physical aspect. Psychological responses an athlete can experience include anxiety, depression, fru...