Join host Phil Plisky, PT, DSc, ATC, CSCS, and sports rehabilitation expert Teresa Schuemann, PT, DPT, ATC, board-certified clinical specialist in sports physical therapy, as they sit down to dissect why some of your perfectly dialed rehabilitation plans still fail to produce results. In this collaborative conversation, you will discover how to look beyond the immediate musculoskeletal injury and evaluate the athlete’s entire body environment, uncovering the physiological impacts of energy availability, sleep hygiene, and systemic recovery. By shifting your focus toward actionable, low-hanging fruit and comprehensive screenings, you will learn how to unlock stuck rehab trajectories, prevent reinjury, and safely guide your athletes to return to sport better than they were before. Learning Outcomes Analyze the evidence around optimizing energy availability, sleep hygiene, and nutrition to manage recalcitrant musculoskeletal injuries like stress fractures and muscle strainsApply evidence-based, practical strategies to actionably address the “low-hanging fruit” of athletic recovery—including sleep extension, nutritional timing, and screening for the athlete triad and REDs—throughout the sports medicine management of an athleteSolve patient case scenarios involving suboptimal fueling and lifestyle factors that stall rehabilitation and return to sport Timestamps (00:00:00) Welcome(00:00:05) Introduction to overuse injuries(00:04:00) The importance of approaching all patients like athletes(00:07:22) Creating the right environment for healing(00:12:12) Understanding orthopedic injuries(00:14:42) The role of movement assessment(00:17:29) Exploring relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S)(00:27:05) Strength training and plyometrics in rehabilitation(00:30:37) Fueling and recovery: understanding athlete needs(00:33:58) Case studies: real-life applications in sports rehabilitation(00:40:24) Key takeaways for sports rehabilitation professionals(00:44:49) Final thoughts and advice Rehab and Performance Lab is brought to you by Medbridge. If you’d like to earn continuing education credit for listening to this episode and access bonus takeaway handouts, log in to your Medbridge account and navigate to the course where you’ll find accreditation details. If applicable, complete the post-course assessment and survey to be eligible for credit. The takeaway handout on Medbridge gives you the key points mentioned in this episode, along with additional resources you can implement into your practice right away. To hear more episodes of Rehab and Performance Lab, visit https://www.medbridge.com/rehab-and-performance-lab If you’d like to subscribe to Medbridge, visit https://www.medbridge.com/pricing/
