Returning to sport after an ACL injury is a long and demanding road. The common time frame following surgery is 9-12 months before a person can make a safe return to sport. The main reason for this is the time it takes the anterior cruciate ligament to vascularize (more on this later). However there is several problems within providing a recommendation based solely on a time frame, or even just evaluating the knee itself to see if it is intact. What I am going to show you in this article is that the evaluation criteria for returning to sport which uses a blanket template can be majorly flawed, for it often ignores that each person is different, and their weaknesses or reasons for sustaining the injury in the first place is what must be identified and corrected before returning to sport. Neglecting to address faulty movement patterns or restrictions at other joints is why so many athletes, both professional and amateur will suffer repeated injury and can derail even the best of athletes. If you are an amateur or professional athlete and looking to return to sport after ACL surgery this article is a must read as I show you 5 critical factors you must achieve if you want a safe return to sport and minimize your risk of another rupture.
Is Cycling Good For Getting Rid Of Knee Pain?
Cycling can be a great way to help rebuild strength into your legs if you have knee pain but it must be used in combination with other methods. Cycling is in fact a key part of the early stages of an ACL rehabilitation program after surgery and many elite cyclists like former Australian professional Simon Gerrans who started cycling after a serious knee injury. However, it is not the real solution to your problem and in some cases cycling can even be the reason you have knee pain! In this article, I will discuss the value of using cycling for treating knee pain and how it can be a great tool if used wisely.
Agility Training Is Vital To People of All Ages & This Is Why
When most people think of agility training the first image that pops into their head is some sporting athletes jumping over hurdles and running in speed ladders. While agility is a great training method for sports it is so much more than that and a very under-valued training method that can provide incredible skills to our body. Far too many people avoid using agility exercises for they lack coordination and have never been great at sports. Their fear of looking silly and making a mess of the exercise makes them avoid using this method which is unfortunate for they miss out on the amazing benefits they provide. What you will find out in this article is how valuable this type of training can be to people of all ages and abilities for improving how they move.
How Much Protection Do Knee Sleeves Really Provide To Your Knee?
Knee injuries are so common, and not just for sportspeople, this type of injury and pain is prevalent among young, old, active and inactive people. The most successful treatments are the ones that address the cause of the pain and problem and go about strengthening and stabilizing the joints, muscles and improving overall coordination and movement skill. Knee braces can be very useful if used in conjunction with exercises and movements used to correct the weakness or dysfunction. However, these are relatively useless in helping your knee pain go away, if not used in combination with a corrective exercise program. The same is true for anti-inflammatory medication and even surgery! All of these common forms of treating your pain are not really dealing with the cause of the problem, they are merely just treating the symptoms. In this article, I will look at exactly what braces and sleeves are, how best to use them, and also what you need to do to get rid of your pain for good so you don’t need to wear a sleeve anymore.
How The Decline Board Squat Strengthens The Quadriceps After A Knee Injury
When planning to start the long process and break up the progressive stages of a knee rehabilitation program, an understanding of what can influence movements from a mobility and stability perspective is critical. Many of the best exercises to develop strength into weak areas are not necessarily the best option in the early stages as the body compensates and adapts to the pain and injury. Using various tools and drills to “retrain” the brain and nervous system is very important in being able to restore efficient functional movements of the body. The quadriceps can be a real problem in the beginning as they may have contributed greatly to creating the injury in the first place, and are often left with excessive tightness and weakness. This makes it very difficult to strengthen without creating more pain, and also more dysfunction. In this article, I am going to explain the role of using the Decline Board Squat to overcome this problem. I will show you how to gradually progress to heel plate squats, to eventually floor based squats and pain free movement. The purpose of the decline squat is to improve the overall strength of quadriceps while maintaining muscle balance and optimal movement pattern of squatting.
ACL Injuries In Female Sports – 7 Reasons Why They Are More At Risk Than Males
Injury in sport has always posed a risk that minute any athlete both professional and amateur cross the line to participate. The risk of putting your body on the line in difficult situations and awkward positions and pushing your body to the limits will sometimes come at a cost. And in collision sports like football, rugby, and even basketball the stakes are even higher. But of all the injuries that are sustained in sports, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture or tear would be right up there as the worst. This particular injury is a season-ending injury and even a career-ending injury for some! And with females, the chances of this injury occurring are a staggering 5-8 times higher than males in sports like soccer, basketball and more recently in Australia in Women’s AFL. As opposed to collision injuries that are being in the wrong place at the wrong time, up to 70% of ACL injuries are non-contact injuries, meaning they were caused from a poor cutting move or pivot or landing poorly from a jump. This is not bad luck but something that could have been avoided if a correct training program was employed early enough that addressed the bio-mechanical warnings of this upcoming injury. Unfortunately, this rarely happens as fitness training is preferred over quality of movement. In this article, I am going to share with you the seven reasons females are more at risk with an ACL injury, and more importantly what you can do about it.