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Martha’s Vineyard Hospital Physical Therapy team puts student-athletes through the motions 

OAK BLUFFS, MA – The summer strength and conditioning sessions are going strong at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.

In this first-of-its-kind collaboration, physical therapists from Martha’s Vineyard Hospital have teamed up with the high school’s athletics department to provide student-athletes professional training as they prepare for their upcoming seasons.

The program, which is being offered to students for free, aims to improve athletes’ resiliency to injury, improve their performance in their sport, and help them learn how to strength-train safely with expert movement analysis from physical therapists trained in sports and orthopedics.

Marcela “Marcy” Pouliot, PT, Valerie Lavigne, PT and Natasha Snowden, PT, DPT, are the most senior full-time physical therapists at the hospital who specialize in treating orthopedic injuries in the outpatient clinic. Combined, the trio has more than 54 years of experience in physical therapy.

“They all have a strong interest in the health of our young athletes as they were all highly competitive athletes growing up playing soccer, field hockey, hockey, softball, track and cross country,” said Ian Campbell, PT, DPT, Director of Rehab, who is board-certified in orthopedic physical therapy, specializing in sports and orthopedics, football and baseball. He’s been at MVH for four years.

“They have treated many athletes over the years and have always wished they could intervene with the athletes sooner to try and reduce the risk of the injuries they see in the clinic.”

The MVH team collaborated to create a comprehensive workout program for MVRHS student-athletes that addresses areas of the body where they most often see injuries. Ian said they see a lot of ACL tears with high school athletes, and they end up losing at least one year of participation in their sport.

“We want to try and do everything we can to try and stop that from happening,” said Campbell.

The program will continue through August 30 with two sessions a week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings in the MVRHS weight room.