Shoulder Rehabilitation: Course 1

Description

This 2-day course is designed for physiotherapists who want to sharpen their clinical reasoning, update their knowledge, and expand their practical skills in shoulder rehabilitation.

Led by Ann Cools, PT, PhD, the course explores current evidence and clinical approaches to some of the most common and challenging shoulder presentations, including rotator cuff-related disorders, traumatic and atraumatic instability, shoulder stiffness, scapular involvement, and sport-specific shoulder pain. Recent research is translated directly into clinical practice, with a strong focus on what is changing, what remains debated, and how the evidence can be applied to real patients. Participants will examine different approaches to assessment, discuss their strengths and limitations, and develop a more structured, evidence-informed approach to clinical decision-making.

The rehabilitation component combines clinical reasoning with hands-on practice. Through interactive workshops, participants will explore exercise selection, progression, therapeutic indications and additional rehabilitation strategies, with the opportunity to practise and experience the techniques discussed throughout the course.The programme is highly practical and interactive, consisting of approximately 30% theoretical teaching, 20% critical discussion and 50% practical workshops.

Suitable for both newer and experienced physiotherapists with a particular interest in shoulder rehabilitation, this course offers an opportunity to refresh existing knowledge, challenge established thinking and leave with practical strategies that can be applied immediately in clinical practice. 

Course Outline

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Update their understanding of common shoulder conditions, including rotator cuff tendinopathy and tears, traumatic and atraumatic instability, acquired shoulder instability, scapular dyskinesis, the sporting shoulder, and throwing-related shoulder pain.
  • Apply structured clinical reasoning to the functional assessment and examination of the shoulder girdle.
  • Use evidence-informed clinical reasoning to guide treatment decisions for common shoulder presentations.
  • Design and progress an individualised rehabilitation programme for patients with shoulder pain, from early-stage rehabilitation through to higher-level function and sport.
  • Perform and confidently apply the practical assessment techniques, exercises and rehabilitation strategies taught during the course.
  • Critically evaluate different approaches to shoulder assessment and rehabilitation through discussion with the course tutor and fellow participants.
  • Integrate current scientific evidence into clinical practice, using recent research to inform examination, treatment selection and rehabilitation progression.
  • Reflect on treatment response and adapt rehabilitation accordingly, using reassessment and clinical reasoning to optimise patient outcomes.

Course Schedule

DAY 1:

9-10.30 am : THEORY PART 1:
  • Critical discussion with respect to the traditional labelling of shoulder pain into “impingement”, moving towards a more function-based classification, update scientific literature and critical papers.
  • Update with respect to rotator cuff dysfunction, including tendinopathy, degenerative RC tears, and muscular imbalance
  • Shoulder instability: differential diagnosis and approach for the 3 most common types of instability: traumatic dislocation, overload functional instability in the overhead athlete, atraumatic, multidirectional instability based on generalized hyperlaxity.
10.30-11.00 am : Break
 
11-12.30 am/pm: THEORY PART 2
  • Biceps related pathology: disorders of the long head of the biceps and SLAP lesions.
  • Glenohumeral ROM deficits in the overhead athlete and its relation to overuse shoulder pain.
  • The role of the scapula in shoulder pain, biomechanical and clinical perspectives.
  • The theoretical session ends with a critical interactive discussion on the possible causes of shoulder pain, including central sensitization, kinetic chain disorders and psychosocial factors.
12.30-13.30 pm: Lunch Break
 
13.30-15.00 pm: CLINICAL EXAMINATION PART 1
  • Clinical reasoning in the assessment of the patient, using science-based clinical reasoning algorithms.
  • Symptom provocation and reduction tests, traditional orthopedic tests, including critical discussion with respect to the interpretation. Case-based interpretation of clinical examination during interactive practical session.
15-15.30: Break
 
15.30-17.00 pm: CLINICAL EXAMINATION PART 2
  • Continued. At the end of this session, participants are able to share their personal experience and expertise in a peer-learning moment.
 

DAY 2:

9-10.30 am: REHABILITATION PART 1: ROTATOR CUFF
  • Scientific background for the conservative treatment of rotator cuff tendinopathy and muscular imbalances, scientific rationale for exercise choice, practical session.
10.30-11.00 am: Break
 
11-12.30 am/pm: REHABILITATION PART 2: SHOULDER INSTABILITY
  • Specific exercises for shoulder instability, exercises for local neuromuscular control, closed chain exercises in progression (algorithm + practice), differential approach based on instability-type, scientific rationale for kinetic chain exercises, sport specific approach including throwing exercises, exercises for swimmers, practical session.
12.30-13.30 pm: Lunch Break
 
13.30-15.00 pm: REHABILITATION PART 3: MOBILISATION TECHNIQUES
  • Angular stretching and non-angular joint mobilization techniques, home stretching program, mobilization with movement techniques for the shoulder with posterior shoulder stiffness.
  • Principles of mobilization techniques applied to frozen shoulder contracture. Practical session.
15-15.30 pm: Break
 
15.30-17.00 pm : REHABILITATION PART 4: SCAPULAR REHABILITATION
  • Clinical reasoning algorithm for scapular rehab, specific exercise selection for muscular imbalance and progression, scientific rationale for exercise selection, soft tissue techniques for pectoralis minor treatment

Prerequisites

COURSE PREPARATION:
1.Tthe participant has to update his/her knowledge on basic anatomy and kinesiology of the
shoulder girdle, and on the kinematics of the throwing shoulder (phases of throwing, joint
positions and possible threats to injury, muscle activity patterns). Additionally, the participant
needs to have basic knowledge on the most common shoulder disorders, namely rotator cuff
tendinopathy, degenerative tears, instability, biceps pathology, SLAP lesions, frozen shoulder,
scapular disorders.
2. It is advised that the forwarded literature (scientific papers) is read prior to the start of the
course. The papers will be used during the course in a clinically relevant application, while
critically interpreted.
3. The participant should critically reflect on his/her own clinical reasoning for shoulder
examination and rehabilitation.

Tutor

ANN COOLS  PT, PhD

Ann is a physiotherapist, working as a Professor at the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at he Ghent University, Belgium. Her topic of research and teaching expertise, is shoulder rehabilitation in
general, and sport specific approach and scapular involvement in particular. Besides her academic work, she runs a shoulder clinic in a private practice. 
 
Ann finished her PhD in 2003, debating scapular involvement in
sports related shoulder pain in the overhead athlete, and she has published numerous papers in peer-reviewed international journals, wrote contributions and chapters in several international recognized books, and gives courses on a national and international level.
 
Ann was head of the Physical Therapy Education at the Ghent
University 2008-2016, and was founding member and president of the European Society of Shoulder and Elbow Rehabilitation (EUSSER) 2008-2012. Since 2016, she is also affiliated as senior researcher to the Department of  Physiotherapy of the Bispebjerg Hospital and the Department of Sports Medicine, University of Copenhagen,
Denmark. She is currently a member of the Board of the International Congress of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists, organizing the 3-annual world congress for shoulder and elbow therapists, and is founding board member of the Flemish Shoulder Network.

Venue Details

London College of Osteopathic Medicine 

8–10 Boston Place, Merylbone

London NW1 6QH