Professional Practice
Melissa has been with the School of Kinesiology at LSU since the Fall 2004. She teaches courses in biomechanics, cadaver anatomy and athletic training. She also serves as the Assistant Program Director and Clinical Instructor Educator for the CAATE Accredited athletic training education program. She is a Certified Athletic Trainer who has practiced in a variety of settings, including high school and collegiate athletics, physical therapy clinics, and the United States Military Academy (West Point). Melissa is a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. In 2011 she became a Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES). She is currently active in several research projects related to functional anatomy and shoulder impingement. In 2011 she was awarded the Backbone Award from the Southeastern Athletic Trainers’ Association, related to professional service “in the trenches that is there day to day”. In 2007 she was selected for the Tiger Athletic Foundation Undergraduate Teaching Award.
Selected Grants/Funded Projects
Co-Investigator: Enhancing instruction in musculoskeletal mechanics and rehabilitation. $89,250.00. Submitted to BOR, October 2006. Fully Funded.
Co-Investigator: Delivery of Streaming Video for Athletic Training Students and Certified Athletic Trainers, January 2005-December 2006
Collaborate with 5 Accredited Athletic Training undergraduate curriculum programs in Louisiana on the development of video based instruction for athletic training students and professionals. Fully Funded.
Thompson MD, Landin D, Page PA. Dynamic Acromiohumeral Interval Changes in Baseball Players During Scaption Exercises. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. 2011;20(2)251-8.
Landin D, Thompson MD. The shoulder extension function of the triceps brachii. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2010;21(1):161-5. doi:10.1016/j.jelekin.2010.09.005
Thompson MD, Carson RL. Four steps for discovering the beliefs behind your clinical education practices. Athletic Therapy Today. 2008;13(5):6-9.
Landin D, Myers J, Thompson M, Castle R, Porter J. The role of the biceps brachii in shoulder elevation. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2008;18(2):270-275.
Landin DL, Thompson MD, Castle RC, Nicola M, Marruci J, Bankston B. Lisfranc Fracture/Dislocation in a Collegiate Football Player: A Case Report. Journal of Athletic Training cited in NATA News. 2008; October:43-47.
Mayhew JL, Hill SP, Thompson MD, Johnson EC, Wheeler L. Using absolute and relative muscle endurance to estimate maximal strength in young athletes. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. 2007;2:304-314.
Hargrave (Thompson) MD, Carcia CR, Shultz SJ, Gansneder BM. Subtalar pronation does not affect impact forces and absorption during a single leg landing. Journal of Athletic Training. 2003;38(1):18-23.
Shultz SJ, Carcia CR, Hargrave (Thompson) MD, Docherty CL. Sex differences in muscle activation patterns and peak vertical force during a single leg landing. Journal of Athletic Training. 2002;37(2):S19.
Hargrave (Thompson) MD, Conners E, Palmer S. Eccentric fatigue of quadriceps and hamstring muscle performance during anaerobic work at various isokinetic speeds. IAHPERD Journal. 2001;34(1):35-36.
Selected Presentations
Thompson MD, Landin D, Page P. Dynamic Acromiohumeral Interval Changes in Trained and Untrained Females with Differences in External Rotation Strength. Oral Presentation at NATA. June 2011, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Landin D, Thompson MD. The Effect of Knee and Ankle Angles on the Plantarflexion Torque of the Gastrocnemius. Poster Presentation at NATA. June 2011, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Page P, Landin D, Thompson M. 2011. A comparison of isotonic and elastic exercise on trapezius muscle balance in overhead athletes.
Poster presentation at APTA. New Orleans, Feb 2011.
Thompson MD, Landin D, Page P. Scapular Upward Rotation and Acromiohumeral Interval Changes in Collegiate Baseball Players During a Weighted and Un-Weighted Scaption Exercise. Poster presentation at NATA. June 2010, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Thompson MD. Using Wiki Fictional Patients. Presented at SEATA Educator’s Conference. Feb 2010, Atlanta, Georgia.
Landin D, Thompson MD. Contribution of the deltoid to early stages of shoulder abduction. Paper presented at ACSM, May 2009, Seattle, Washington.
Landin D, Thompson MD. Clarifying bi-articular muscle actions and the clinical implications of the findings. Presented at HAPS 2008 Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana.