Knocking It Out of the Park

LSU Health New Orleans Allied Health Students Present Their Capstone Project Research Findings

April 20, 2023

Research conducted by a group of LSU Health New Orleans Doctor of Physical Therapy students found that adequate rest and recovery time likely impact injury risk and athletic performance in collegiate baseball players. Morgan Farrell, Seth Hymel, Megan Labbe, Hannah Moran, Brianna Rauch and Brandon Robichaux studied a group of junior college baseball players, comparing variables such as dominant shoulder range of motion and strength, athletic exposures and upper extremity injuries collected pre-and post-season across three seasons pre- and post-COVID.

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Upper extremity injuries are the most common in baseball, and the mechanism of injury is overuse in more than 19% of collegiate baseball players. The students calculated that the time away from the sport due to the pandemic provided about 10 months of rest versus the approximate two months of a typical season. They found that fewer seasonal changes in shoulder range of motion and strength may be related to a reduced injury risk and suggest that emphasizing sufficient rest and recovery as part of a comprehensive arm care routine may help reduce the risk of upper extremity injuries and increase the performance of baseball players.

Following Dr. Cathy Lazarus’ Keynote Address on The Health Humanities, the students presented their project and findings.

The Effects of Prolonged Rest from the COVID-19 Pandemic on Injury Rates in Collegiate Baseball Players was one of four oral presentations at LSU Health New Orleans’ School of Allied Health Professions Research Day. The oral presentations also included Redefining the Lost Generation: Examining Experiences of First Generation DPT Students, Parent and Other Caregiver Knowledge and Perspectives on Development and Developmental Monitoring and Improving Clinical Reasoning Skills in First Year Occupational Therapy Students through Constraint-induced Movement Therapy.

Forty posters filled the atrium on such projects as Managing Low Back Pain and Fear Avoidance Behaviors with Functional Mobility, Comparison of Prescribed Hearing Aids to Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids, Rock Steady Boxing Program for Elderly Male with Early-Stage Parkinson’s Disease, The Keep Your Feet Occupational Therapy Type II Diabetes Program: A Preliminary Efficacy and Feasibility Study, Rehabilitative Success of Traumatic Brain Injury from a Non-Fatal Gunshot after 4 Weeks in Inpatient Rehabilitation, The Role of Appetite and Age on Depression Scores in Adults, An Investigation of First Myocardial Infarction Amongst Different Races, An Investigation of Folate Levels as a Function of Alcohol Consumption, Mindful Habits: A Revised Mindfulness Intervention Protocol for Adolescent with Obesity, and Efficacy of an Educational Video Intervention at Increasing Caregiver Confidence when Performing Dependent Transfers for Persons with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (AL). Students explained their research and findings to guests and faculty and staff from throughout the Health Sciences Center.

“The Annual Research Day brings together all of the academic disciplines in the School of Allied Health Professions and provides students the opportunity to present their research findings based on their diligent work and efforts over the past academic year,” notes Erin Dugan, Ph.D., LPC-S, LSU Health New Orleans School of Allied Health Professions Interim Dean. “Research Day offers students an opportunity to engage in a professional presentation and prepare them for future professional meetings and research endeavors as they near graduation."