American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
For Immediate Release May 08, 2017

Performance Physiologist Outlines the Importance of the Kinetic Chain in the Overhead Athlete

San Diego, CA – May 8, 2017 – Mark Kovacs, PhD, Associate Professor in the sport health science department at Life University, will present “The Role of The Kinetic Chain in Injury Prevention in the Overhead Athlete” at the 26th Annual Meeting of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine on Tuesday, May 9, in San Diego, CA.

Dr. Mark Kovacs, who also serves as CEO of the Kovacs Institute in Kennesaw, GA, will discuss how the entire body is involved in the performance of overhead activities.

“The summation of forces from the lower body, through the core and into the upper body is not a simple concept,” Dr. Kovacs said. “The impact of lower body and core mechanics needs to be linked with the impact that this has on upper body changes in biomechanics during overhead motions when an athlete is non-fatigued, as well when highly fatigued."

Dr. Kovacs will also break down the tennis serve motion into individual movements to help clinicians better understand the mechanisms at work. This thorough analysis will assist physicians when evaluating and treating typical issues seen in these athletes. Additionally, he will highlight evidence-based recommendations for avoiding injuries in young pitchers.

With more than 1,800 sports medicine physicians attending from throughout the United States and around the world, the Annual Meeting explores current decisions, controversies as well as best practices related to Medicine in Motion that defines the clinical practice of sports medicine.

About the AMSSM Annual Meeting: The conference features lectures and research addressing the most challenging topics in sports medicine today including overhead athlete care, military medicine, sports performance training, youth sports, professional athlete care, leg pain, mental health in athletes, current sports medicine topics and much more.

About the AMSSM: AMSSM is a multi-disciplinary organization of more than 3,300 sports medicine physicians dedicated to education, research, advocacy and the care of athletes of all ages. The majority of AMSSM members are primary care physicians with fellowship training and added qualification in sports medicine who then combine their practice of sports medicine with their primary specialty. AMSSM includes members who specialize solely in non-surgical sports medicine and serve as team physicians at the youth level, NCAA, NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS and NHL, as well as with Olympic teams. By nature of their training and experience, sports medicine physicians are ideally suited to provide comprehensive medical care for athletes, sports teams or active individuals who are simply looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. www.amssm.org