Youth athletes push their upper extremities to the limit whether they are throwing a ball across the field, serving a volleyball, swinging a tennis racket or swimming as fast as possible.  Adolescent shoulder injuries are common across overhead sports, requiring a rehabilitation approach that accounts for growth, skeletal immaturity, and sport-specific demands.

This course provides a comprehensive, sport-informed framework for managing the adolescent upper extremity from early rehabilitation through return to play (RTP).  Participants will explore key growth-related considerations, changes in tissue capacity, motor control development, training age, and how these factors influence injury presentation and rehabilitation progression. The session will provide evidence-based programming and load management strategies for the shoulder, emphasizing progressive loading, movement quality, and integration of the kinetic chain.

Sport-specific demands will be addressed across common overhead populations, including throwing athletes (baseball/softball), hitting athletes (volleyball/tennis), and swimmers. Interactive lab breakouts will allow participants to apply concepts in real time, including upper extremity plyometric progressions, kinetic chain integration, and RTP testing.  This course is designed for physical therapists and athletic trainers seeking practical strategies to deliver developmentally appropriate, sport-specific rehabilitation and support safe return to sport in adolescent athletes.