THE PAINFUL SHOULDER – Complex ≠ Complicated
With Adam Meakins
The shoulder is one of the most complex joints in the body, and that is exactly why assessment and treatment so often become unnecessarily complicated. Countless tests, conflicting diagnoses, a constant stream of new treatment methods: anyone working with painful shoulders knows the uncertainty this creates. The two-day workshop "The Painful Shoulder – Complex ≠ Complicated" tackles this head-on.
Adam Meakins, internationally known as "The Sports Physio", stands for a clear, honest and evidence-based approach to the shoulder. His core principle: complex does not mean complicated. Doing the simple things really well is effective, evidence-based and exactly what your patients and athletes need. At the same time, he shows which of the many overcomplicated and confusing assessment and treatment methods are simply not necessary.
This workshop promises no miracle cures and no quick fixes. Instead, you get a structured, patient-centred and practical approach you can apply from day one with everyone who has a painful shoulder, whether in physiotherapy, rehabilitation or high-performance sport.
The workshop is designed for all orthopaedic and musculoskeletal professionals, regardless of title or experience: physiotherapists, sports scientists, strength & conditioning coaches, physicians and everyone who supports people with shoulder problems.
If you want clarity instead of method overload and the confidence to make well-founded decisions with shoulder patients, "The Painful Shoulder" is your next step.
What you will learn
- Simplify the shoulder: Learn to reduce the assessment, management and treatment of the most common shoulder problems to what really matters, without compromising quality.
- Assess and classify with confidence: Discover how to best examine painful shoulders and reach a meaningful clinical diagnosis.
- Expose the myths: Recognise the most common misconceptions around shoulder anatomy, biomechanics, assessment and pathology, and understand why they persist.
- Measure capacity effectively: Evaluate movement, strength, endurance, power, proprioception and the kinetic chain of the shoulder in a structured, practical way.
- Consider the cervical spine: Understand the link between the neck and shoulder pain and how to integrate it into your assessment.
- Treat clinical presentations differently: Develop clear strategies for the stiff, the weak and the unstable shoulder.
- Manage pain: Learn practical approaches to managing pain throughout the rehab process.
- Rehab at every level: Practise shoulder rehab exercises at all levels and learn to progress or regress intensity as needed, all the way back to full performance.
What's included
- Two intensive in-person days with Adam Meakins
- A clear thread from core principles through anatomy and biomechanics to the assessment and treatment of the most common shoulder presentations
- Two practical sessions on pain management and return to performance
- A consistent focus on practice: all content can be applied immediately in therapy and training
- Direct exchange with one of the best-known sports physiotherapists internationally
- An honest, evidence-based and patient-centred approach instead of a variety of methods without added value
After the workshop you will be able to
- Assess and treat the most common shoulder problems in a structured, confident way, without unnecessary complexity
- Evaluate painful shoulders thoroughly and classify them clinically
- Critically question common myths about anatomy, biomechanics and testing, and explain them clearly to your patients
- Specifically test movement, strength, endurance, power, proprioception and the kinetic chain of the shoulder
- Treat stiff, weak and unstable shoulders with a differentiated approach
- Coach rehab exercises at every level and progress or regress them purposefully
- Guide patients and athletes from pain management all the way back to full performance
Course schedule
Day 1
- 09:00 – 09:30: Simplifying Painful Shoulders
- 09:30 – 10:30: Principles of Assessment & Treatment
- 10:30 – 11:00: Coffee
- 11:00 – 12:30: Shoulder Anatomy and Biomechanics
- 12:30 – 13:30: Lunch
- 13:30 – 15:00: The Cervical Spine and Painful Shoulder
- 15:00 – 15:30: Coffee
- 15:30 – 17:00: Stiff Shoulder Assessment and Treatment
Day 2
- 09:00 – 10:30: Weak Shoulder Assessment and Treatment
- 10:30 – 11:00: Coffee
- 11:00 – 12:30: Practical Session 1: Managing Pain
- 12:30 – 13:30: Lunch
- 13:30 – 14:30: Unstable Shoulder Assessment and Treatment
- 14:30 – 16:00: Practical Session 2: Returning to Performance
- 16:00 – 16:30: Summary and Close