South Coast Seminars

Heads up to anyone enrolled or planning to enroll, we will unfortunately not be supporting any courses in 2026. This includes continuing education credit. Please plan accordingly! Hope to be back in 2027.

We are excited to announce another cohort starting in just a few weeks. is back to lead The Female Athlete again.

·All lectures will be available in August then we'll start weekly live sessions in September to put the didactics into practice. All online!
·$425 for 1.2 CEUs of accredited and high quality education
·More info and registration in the link in bio

DM with questions

💪 Eccentric training: a not so new way to think about strength after joint injury 🦵

•Joint injury is known to disrupt muscle function due to alterations in afferent neural activity from pain/swelling/loss of mechanoceptors yielding an increase in CNS demand. Additionally, there are alterations in descending pathways leading to a loss of post-synaptic stimulus and ultimately decline in muscle quality, think: atrophy, weakness and fibrosis. These have neurophysiological origins and therefore benefit from a neurophysiologic intervention.

•Sarcomere rupture? In situ experiments are often done on single muscle fibers removed from bone, rely heavily on mathematical models that exclude titin, are done linearly and on anesthetized creatures or done to excess with the express purpose of inducing muscle damage. Helpful to understand muscle function, but not the entire picture.

•Clinically relevant doses are not damaging and promote growth. Controlled, lengthening movements not max stress. A single bout of eccentric exercise is superior in triggering pathways for muscle growth compared to concentric training.

•Concentric contractions rely on inhibited pathways to produce contractions, systems that are not operating efficiently after injury. Eccentric contractions bypass inhibited pathways. Peripherally, you can generate more force with less neural input because of passive structures. At the neural level bypass the peripheral factors limiting concentric action, ie supraspinal control, and in fact improves cortical excitability. Other features include decrease in spinal inhibition, increase in firing rate of alpha-motoneurons. They also enhance feed-forward control via the cerebellum. Lastly, cross-education of the healthy limb also has been shown beneficial.

•Progressive overload is a primary mediator of hypertrophy. Eccentrics increase mechanical stress on the muscle, utilizing titin for increases in stiffness with elongation. There is also a different neural recruitment strategy employed meaning increased stiffness per motor unit. Effective to activate mechanoresponsive pathways leading to increased protein synthesis & muscle growth.

•Clinical Application: Forget extreme protocol, focus on using clinically translational doses, with intact muscle-tendon units, and avoid overtraining. A good starting point is 15 minutes of total exercise time in 5 minute bouts, with 2 minutes of rest between bouts.

Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev., Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 109–116, 2023.

💪 Eccentric training: a not so new way to think about strength after joint injury 🦵

•Joint injury is known to disrupt muscle function due to alterations in afferent neural activity from pain/swelling/loss of mechanoceptors yielding an increase in CNS demand. Additionally, there are alterations in descending pathways leading to a loss of post-synaptic stimulus and ultimately decline in muscle quality, think: atrophy, weakness and fibrosis. These have neurophysiological origins and therefore benefit from a neurophysiologic intervention.

•Sarcomere rupture? In situ experiments are often done on single muscle fibers removed from bone, rely heavily on mathematical models that exclude titin, are done linearly and on anesthetized creatures or done to excess with the express purpose of inducing muscle damage. Helpful to understand muscle function, but not the entire picture.

•Clinically relevant doses are not damaging and promote growth. Controlled, lengthening movements not max stress. A single bout of eccentric exercise is superior in triggering pathways for muscle growth compared to concentric training.

•Concentrics rely on inhibited pathways, systems that are not operating efficiently after injury. Eccentrics bypass inhibited pathways. You can generate more force with less neural input because of passive structures, bypass the peripheral factors limiting concentric action, ie supraspinal control, and improve cortical excitability. Other features include decrease in spinal inhibition, increase in firing rate of alpha-motoneurons.

•Progressive overload is a primary mediator of hypertrophy. Eccentrics increase mechanical stress on the muscle, utilizing titin for increases in stiffness with elongation. There is also a different neural recruitment strategy employed meaning increased stiffness per motor unit. Effective to activate mechanoresponsive pathways leading to increased protein synthesis & muscle growth.

•Forget extreme protocol, focus on using clinically translational doses, with intact muscle-tendon units, and avoid overtraining. Try 15 minutes total in 5 minute bouts, with 2 minutes of rest.

Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev., Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 109–116, 2023.

More insights for anyone working with postpartum athletes🏃‍♀️🎽👟

Every postpartum experience is different, and your return-to-running plan should be individualized. This study details Delphi results along with additional recommendations.

•Gradual progression is essential. Don't push too hard, too soon. It's better to be conservative than to increase activity too quickly and risk injury.

•Start with a walk-run protocol. This allows gradual build up of running time and to assess the athlete's body is responding. Pain or pelvic floor issues mean it's time to go back to walking.

•Don't skip strength training! Include exercises that target your core, glutes, and legs. These muscles are crucial for a safe return to running.

•Cross training can help prep to run by optimizing cardio respiratory and muscular fitness.

•Tune into biopsychosocial factors like sleep, energy levels, and mental health greatly influence recovery.

•When manipulating training variables only change one at a time and monitor for tolerance.

•A time-based approach, such as running for 30 seconds and walking for 1-2 minutes, might be a better starting point than focusing on distance.

•Pelvic floor health is paramount. Address symptoms and seek help if needed. Pelvic floor muscle training can be beneficial for many postpartum women. Seek guidance from professionals who have experience in working with postpartum runners.

•Remember that this advice comes from a consensus study of experts, so while not based on the gold standard of randomized controlled trials, it's still very important to consider when planning a return to running.

Key takeaways: individualized exercise prescription is recommended, increases in activity should be gradual, walk-run protocols are a smart way to start and muscle strengthening should be targeted.

Deering RE, Donnelly GM, Brockwell E, et al. Br J Sports Med 2024;58:183–195.

New research for anyone working with postpartum athletes

Many postpartum women are eager to get back to running, but it's important to do it according to the best available evidence. Returning to running after childbirth is not a one-size-fits-all process and requires an individualized and careful approach. This publication details the results of a Delphi study along with recommendations.

• A runner is anyone who identifies as a runner regardless of mileage or experience

• Before returning to running, consider these key areas of assessment: pelvic floor strength/endurance/coordination, pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence, lumbopelvic and lower extremity strength, inter-recti distance, balance and gait analysis. 

• While no evidence exists on load/impact testing in this population there was consensus on several progressive indicators including: walking for 30 min, single leg balance, single leg squats, jogging on the spot, forward bounds, hopping

• Consensus was reached highlighting the importance of biopsychosocial assessment: sleep issues, pre-existing conditions, lactation concerns, hydration, fatigue and mental health. 

• Support items supportive bras, intravaginal devices, and compression garments might help, but they aren't a replacement for building strength and function 

• There's no magic number for when you can return to running, but athletes should wait at least 3 weeks. Every body is different. A gradual return is key.

• The runner should play an active role in planning the return to running. Considerations should be given to medical, social, and training histories along with their goals. 

• General rehabbers should be quick to rely on specialists when an athlete presents with more complex issues .

Key takeaways: returning to running after childbirth is complex. Anyone who runs is a runner and returning to running can be nuanced. Runners need to have requisite strength, tolerance to load, patience and a plan. Any clinician working with this population should be ready to make assessments or refer. Read this open access article and let us know what you think!

Br J Sports Med. 2024 Mar 13;58(6):299-312. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2023-107489.

New research for anyone working with throwing athletes ⚾️

A recent study published in The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine investigated the relationship between humeral retrotorsion (HRT) and glenohumeral rotation in injured baseball players.

Here's what the authors found:

• Injured players have disparities between objectively measured differences in glenohumeral external rotation (GER) and internal rotation (GIR) compared to HRT-corrected deficits.

• When you correct for HRT, a glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD) is not always present, and a glenohumeral external rotation deficit (GERD) is more common.

• This means that focusing solely on increasing GIR may be misguided. Interventions should focus on addressing GER deficits when present.

• Objective ROM should be interpreted within the context of relative HRT to determine true rotational deficits.

Why is this important?

• Humeral torsion is a twisting of the humerus that changes with throwing, and it impacts shoulder range of motion

• Traditional ROM assessments might not tell the whole story.

• Understanding HRT-corrected motion can help guide more effective treatment and injury prevention strategies.

• The authors offer an example: a player with a 15 degree difference in HRT who has a 5 degree GER difference may actually have a 10 degree external rotation deficit (GERD) rather than an internal rotation deficit (GIRD).

For Clinicians: The study authors describe how to assess HRT using ultrasound and how to calculate HRT-corrected motion. Bullock et al 2021 offers an a clinical option for those without access to MSKUS.

Key takeaway: Don't just look at the numbers. Consider how bony adaptations (HRT) affect shoulder ROM in baseball players. This research suggests a need to shift how we screen for and treat ROM loss in this population

We've been working hard to finalize the agenda for the upcoming Joint Instability Symposium and we're getting close! Have a look at our topics and stellar speaker list.

This will be a unique weekend with panel discussions covering surgical, rehab and research perspectives of joint instabilities. There will also be two surgical demonstrations and three top tier rehab labs.

May 9-10, 2025. Save the date! Head to our site to sign up for reminders. Link in bio

Last call for registration for 's Aug 10 course. We have a few spots left. Join and claim PT, AT and NSCA credit. Link in bio for more info.

We are very excited to facilitate a course for spring 2025. This will be a 6 week, all online, cohort course with asynchronous and synchronous lecture and lab sessions. It will run from March 1st through April 12th 2025. Class size will be limited due to the interactive nature of this course. It will be a fun informative look at all things runner + rehab with a special focus on Dr Christopher's specialty, the female athlete.

More information will be coming shortly but you can register your interest at the link in our bio. Filling out this info helps us plan accordingly and will get you priority registration once that goes live.

Please DM or email with questions.

Sacramento! August 10th is the day! Join for PT and AT accredited education. Earn CEUs, learn cool stuff, have fun. An easy decision. The day will be supported by so you'll get to try our cool tech first hand.

Join the leader in the field for a day of force plates and hand held dynamometry. Great for beginners just getting into the tech and experts looking to dig deeper into the data. And the facilities at are top notch.

Time is getting short to take advantage of the early bird discount, register by June 10th for savings.

DM with any questions or head to the link in our bio for more info on this course and registration.

💻Can't make it to Columbus, no worries! You can join virtually from anywhere. Registration is open now! Secure your spot for just $89.

Accredited for AT via BOC and Ohio PTs you can learn from some of the best educators around. Top educators covering the most up-to-date lower limb research topics. Watch at your pace and get access for 3 months. Follow the link in our bio to register.

Our friends at Owens Recovery Science , VALD Health and Fleet Feet Columbus are helping make this possible.