Tag: McNeil

Return to Play Rate after UCL Reconstruction: Tommy John Surgery

The ulnar collateral ligament is the most important soft tissue stabilizer during the overhead throw of a baseball pitcher. UCL reconstruction occurs when there is a complete UCL tears due to injury and this is a surgery to repair the torn UCL, it is also known as Tommy John Surgery. This project focused on determining if an athlete should receive Tommy John Surgery. Many different research articles were examined to determine the findings. There is a high return to play rate, but at the cost of performance levels decreasing. The decision to return to play depends on what the athlete wants and if they are okay with their performance declining for the remainder of their career. 

EXSC 425, Biomechanics of Musculoskeletal Injury

Heike McNeil

S100

1130 AM – Noon

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Prevention of Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome

Medial tibial Stress Syndrome is a common injury that occurs upon repetitive loading of stress near the posteromedial border of the tibia. Several athletes experience this injury but there is no guaranteed method of treatment. It is well established that there are several ways of treating the injury but the research is inconclusive to which method is the most prevalent. This study aims to determine whether the prevention option of strengthening the muscles around the tibia can lead to reduced pain of the medial tibial stress syndrome. Various studies have shown that strengthening can reduce the pain and cushion the load from the overuse and repetitive load of the muscles around the shin splint site. Studies that observed the overused muscles stated similar findings; muscles of the ankle inverter, evertors, and soleus were being overused and in order to cushion the load, it needed to be strengthened. As there is evidence to support that this method does serve a purpose, there is still uncertainty to which individual certain muscles need to be strengthened to insure the security of the pain. Nevertheless, strengthening should occur if an individual is experiencing medial tibial stress syndrome and other potential treatment options can be considered as well.

EXSC 320, Exercise Physiology and Neuromuscular Conditioning

Heike McNeil

S100

11 – 11:30 AM

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Hamstring tendon graft vs. Bone Patella Tendon graft for ACL reconstruction

ACL Repair: Patellar Tendon graft or Hamstring Tendon graft? The dominant answer for this question is that it is ultimately up to patient characteristics and surgeon preference when looking to repair a torn ACL surgically. Previous research compares both the Patellar Tendon graft to the Hamstring Tendon graft which are the two most common autografts one could get in ACL reconstruction surgery, although no literature has made a definitive conclusion that one is more favorable than the other. I used my personal experience having had one of each graft in either leg and three very specific case studies to make a claim that one graft may in actuality be more favorable than the other. Contrary to what is most regularly assumed in literature, when specifically analyzing knee laxity, pivot shift and rupture rate, Patellar tendon may be slightly better. My findings indicated that there is no one graft that is largely better than the other, but that research and my personal experience indicates that Patellar tendon grafts could lead to better outcomes overall.

EXSC 425, Biomechanics of Musculoskeletal Injuries 

Heike McNeil

Noon – 12:30 PM

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Injury Risk on Artificial Turf vs Gras in Soccer Players

The topic of injury risk on artificial grass in comparison to normal grass is important to soccer players as many players perceive that artificial grass leads to a higher chance of injury, greater joint and muscle soreness, and a longer recovery time. An ACL tear is the most common season-ending injury in soccer players and is therefore used as an example to show the difference between artificial grass and normal grass. There is evidence that playing on artificial grass can increase the risk of sustaining an ACL injury. Multiple studies compared the injuries sustained on artificial and normal grass in elite or college-level soccer players from the US or Europe. Those studies found different results, while more studies said that there is no difference seen in injury risk between the newest generation of artificial grass and normal grass.   

EXSC 425, Biomechanics of Musculoskeletal Injuries 

Heike McNeil

S100

12:30 – 1 PM

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Ankle Taping vs Ankle Bracing in the Athletic Community 

Introduction: The lateral ankle sprain (LAS) is one of the most common injures of the lower extremity with nearly 2 million people affected annually by LAS in the United States alone. Research needs to be done in order to determine whether ankle taping or ankle bracing is better for an individual who has sustained a LAS injury. 

Hypothesis: Before any research was conducted, it was hypothesized that ankle taping would be more beneficial to the athlete after sustaining a lateral ankle sprain. On the other hand, the assumption that the soft ankle brace would be more advantageous to the active individual when used as a prophylactic measure was also hypothesized. 

Methods: Systematic review of the lateral ankle sprain with a focus on ankle bracing and ankle taping. 

Results: Braces may have a detrimental effect on lower extremity’s ability to attenuate vertical ground reaction forces during a landing exercise (2). Individuals with chronic ankle instability displayed motor control instability bilaterally (7). Low hip abductor strength increased the risk of future injury within athletes (10). The application of the semi-rigid brace led to reductions in inversion angles during injury relevant movements (3). Collegiate athletes with previous history of ankle sprains have a greater predisposition to LAS (8). Tape and lace-up braces provided equal range of motion and stability (12). 

Conclusion: Range of motion within the ankle joint is limited through both ankles taping and ankle bracing tactics. Personal preference of the athlete should be held in high regard when choosing between methods of ankle stabilization.

EXSC 425, Biomechanics of Musculoskeletal Injuries 

Heike McNeil

S100

1 – 1:30 PM

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Prevention of Shoulder Injuries Among Track & Field Throwers

The glenohumeral joint, also known as the shoulder, is one of the most important factors in a javelin throw. The shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in the body and also one of the most unstable. Because of the shoulder instability, shoulder injuries are one of the most common in the javelin athlete. This project is going to be looking for different exercises or physical training an athlete can do to minimize their risk for shoulder injury. Numerous research articles were reviewed to determine the best possible way to prevent these types of injuries. Strengthening the rotator cuff muscles and monitoring external and internal rotation range of motion are the main findings of this research.

EXSC 425, Biomechanics of Musculoskeletal Injury

Heike McNeil

S100

1:30 – 2:00 PM

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