This session brings together leading experts to explore strategies for managing shoulder instability in high-impact sports such as rugby. Topics span the full pathway, from surgical decision-making to on-field management, rehabilitation, and return-to-sport planning.
Highlights include:
Surgical Decision Making - Current perspectives and innovations guiding the surgical management of shoulder instability.
Return to Rugby Post-Stabilisation: Are We Doing Well Enough? - A critical look at the science and art of return-to-sport decisions, addressing objectivity, psychological readiness, and future directions.
Components of Rehabilitation for the Contact Athlete - Insights from Aspetar’s athlete-centred approach, emphasising assessment-driven and performance-focused rehabilitation.
In-Season Management of the Unstable Rugby Shoulder - An Architectural Perspective - How muscle architecture informs exercise prescription and conservative management to optimise in-season return to play.
Dr Edel Fanning PhD Msc Bsc, is a Shoulder Specialist Physiotherapist and the founder of Sports Shoulder Performance Rehab, with over 15 years of experience treating shoulder injuries. She has worked with elite athletes across multiple sports, including rugby, football, GAA, UFC, boxing, gymnastics, and tennis.
Previously, Edel was the Lead Upper Limb Physiotherapist at the renowned Sports Surgery Clinic in Dublin and worked as a Shoulder Specialist Physiotherapist with the NHS in the UK. Edel holds a PhD from University College Cork, where her research focuses on the role of 3D biomechanics and performance testing in guiding return-to-sport decisions, particularly for athletes in contact and collision sports.
An international keynote speaker and educator, Dr Fanning frequently presents at leading conferences. She is also a committee member of both the European Society of Shoulder and Elbow Rehabilitation and the Irish Elbow and Shoulder Rehab Society.
