Sports Physical Therapy Residency Curriculum

You'll evaluate and treat a limited load of patients with a variety of musculoskeletal pathologies found in sports physical therapy. This includes management of patients with pathology of the knee, shoulder, foot, ankle and spine. Biomechanical analysis of the following is also common: gait, throwing, golf and cycling. We provide time for one-to-one clinical instruction between you and a mentor. Clinical practice under the supervision of the mentor allows you to develop psychomotor skills and clinical reasoning processes to evaluate and treat sports-related injuries. 

You'll participate in educational activities to develop an evidence-based rationale that’s required for prevention, evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries in an active athletic population. An advanced curriculum, Clinical Rounds, is presented through a series of didactic and laboratory sessions that cover the expanse of knowledge outlined in the Description of Residency Practice (DRP). Other activities include participation in in-services, journal clubs and conferences. Instructors also present didactic lectures to share knowledge and understanding of the basic sciences related to management of athletic injuries and improvement in human performance. Additionally, you may provide in-services for staff at the host institution. The residency program also has clinical affiliations with the University of South Dakota departments of Physical Therapy and Athletics to provide additional clinical experiences. 

You’ll function as an academic staff/lab assistant in the musculoskeletal curriculum in the UW-La Crosse Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. You'll attend all class sessions and assist in lab instruction for evaluation procedures to the upper/lower extremities and sports-specific topics. You'll work with the course instructor, Paul Reuteman, DPT, OCS, ATC, to identify and present 2-3 lectures to the students. 

As part of your residency, you’ll design, conduct and complete a clinical research project related to sports physical therapy and present it Gundersen Sports Medicine. This opportunity will allow you to find answers for sports physical therapy clinicians and patients while expanding your skills in medical literature.  

You’ll work with injured athletes on the field covering local athletic events, under the guidance of a certified sports physical therapist or certified athletic trainer. These experiences will help you develop skills to prevent, recognize, evaluate and treat acute sports injuries. 

We encourage you to observe physicians during office hours to gain an appreciation for the diagnosis and medical management of common sports-related injuries. You can also observe surgeries to understand current surgical techniques to manage sports-related injuries. 

To demonstrate your knowledge and skills, you’ll complete a series of written and practical examinations with the residency director and/or residency faculty. Additionally, you’ll complete midterm and final assessments using the Sports Physical Therapy Clinical Resident Tool and Post-Graduate Physical Therapy Professional Behaviors Assessment Tool with the program directors.