Case Study: A 36-year-old female presents with a primary com…

Case Study: A 36-year-old female presents with a primary complaint of right-sided neck and shoulder pain. Her symptoms worsened over the weekend following a fall during a pick-up basketball game. She denies numbness or tingling but notes that her neck and shoulder pain seem interconnected. She finds relief when her affected arm and shoulder are supported above her head (see photo). The treating physical therapist uses an outcome measure to track progress with this patient over time. He decides to make a goal using the Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) of the outcome measure for 8 weeks. What outcome measure is most likely to be utilized and what is the MDC that would demonstrate a true positive change over time?

An athlete injured his right acromioclavicular (AC) joint du…

An athlete injured his right acromioclavicular (AC) joint during a football game. The evaluating physical therapist notes the following below near the acromion and decides to continue with the evaluation and treatment plan. What type of AC joint injury can the PT likely conclude?

A 23-year-old patient is referred to physical therapy with a…

A 23-year-old patient is referred to physical therapy with a primary complaint of left-sided neck pain, shoulder blade pain, and dorsal forearm pain. The physical therapist identifies aggravating factors including sitting for more than 30 minutes, looking downward for over 15 minutes, and coughing or sneezing, which exacerbates pain in all three areas. The patient reports that these three regions of pain feel interconnected. What is the most likely explanation for the pain in the left shoulder blade region?

A patient sustains a Bankart shoulder labral injury after a…

A patient sustains a Bankart shoulder labral injury after a traumatic fall onto an outstretched arm. The physical therapist performs the Apprehension and Jobe’s Relocation Tests, which are positive. Based on the convex-on-concave rule, why would these tests be positive in a patient with a Bankart injury?

Case Study: A 68-year-old female presents to a physical ther…

Case Study: A 68-year-old female presents to a physical therapy clinic with localized left-sided neck pain and stiffness, without any symptoms radiating into her upper extremities. She reports generalized mobility limitations, difficulty looking up to reach dishes from a cupboard, and morning stiffness that takes several hours to subside. Which pathoanatomical diagnosis is most likely in this patient?