Every Step Counts: How Your Running Gait Impacts Injury & Recovery
Written by: Maciek Krolikowski, Performance Physiotherapist Running has been an excellent choice for staying healthy and active, and there is an abundance of research showing that running is a very safe, and effective way to exercise. Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure to have worked with hundreds of runners looking to prevent and treat […]
Post-Surgical Muscle Inhibition and NMES in ACL Rehabilitation
Post-surgical muscle inhibition, also known as arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI), is a common protective reflex that inhibits the firing of muscles around an injured area. This often happens post-surgery, such as after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). One of the primary goals of early post-surgical rehab for ACLR is overcoming AMI. As an adjunct to […]
Flywheel Training for ACL Rehabilitation and Performance
In the evolving world of sports rehabilitation and performance training, flywheel training has gained recognition for its ability to enhance strength, power, and muscle adaptation. Flywheel, or inertia training, relies on rotational inertia rather than gravity to provide resistance—essentially spinning a weighted disc. If you’ve never seen or heard of it before, it might be […]
Screening efficacy and considerations for exercise-based interventions.
As a Physiotherapist, I frequently treat athletes with shoulder injuries and believe that injury prevention is often overlooked. Shoulder pain and injuries occur across a diverse range of sports such as: volleyball, handball, football, hockey, baseball, rugby, tennis, and many more1,3. The incidence of shoulder injuries in overhead sports varies between 0.2/1000 to 1.8/1000 hours. […]
Are Hop Tests Enough? Rethinking Return-to-Sport Assessments After ACL Reconstruction
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are a common setback for athletes, particularly in dynamic sports like soccer. Alarmingly, 88% of ACL injuries occur without direct contact, typically during high-demand movements like single-leg deceleration, cutting, jumping, or pivoting. After ACL reconstruction (ACLR), the return-to-sport (RTS) phase is a critical milestone, but traditional testing protocols may overlook […]
Understanding ACL Injuries: Causes, Recovery, and Treatment Options
What is an ACL Injury? Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are common among athletes, typically occurring during pivoting, planting, or cutting movements. Patients often report hearing a “pop” at the time of injury, followed by immediate swelling, pain, and knee instability, which often halts athletic activity. Swelling generally peaks within 72 hours due to the […]
Preventing Hamstring Injuries: Key Factors and Exercises
Hamstring injuries can be a major setback, especially for athletes involved in high-speed running (HSR) sports like soccer, football, or track. Understanding the risk factors for hamstring injuries (HSI) and implementing an evidence-based prevention program can help you stay in the game and reduce the risk of injury recurrence. Let’s dive into the main factors […]
Prehab to Comeback: The Crucial First Steps in ACL Injury Recovery
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are a hot topic in sport and at the top of every athlete’s and therapist’s mind. In the literature, they are highly researched and debated and the work in this area of rehab has set a foundation for much of the return to sport criteria for other injuries. ACL injuries […]
Feeling Dizzy? Your Neck Might Be the Culprit—Here’s What To NEED TO KNOW!
Cervicogenic dizziness, a type of dizziness that originates from issues in the neck, can be a challenging condition to diagnose and treat. It affects 15-35% of people over their lifetime and is often linked to neck trauma, such as whiplash. Here, we’ll explore the detailed causes, diagnostic criteria, and treatment options for cervicogenic dizziness, drawing […]
Blood Flow Restriction Therapy – Post Surgery + Tendon Injury
The process of blood flow restriction (BFR) is to occlude venous outflow and restrict arterial inflow, creating an anaerobic environment that promotes cell signalling, protein synthesis, and myogenic proliferation. This allows for load and training to have similar effects as high-load training (Wengle, 2023). It’s been documented that post-anterior cruciate ligament repair surgery (ACLR), 20-30% […]
3 Pillars of Achilles Tendon Rupture Early-Stage Management
Introduction: The Achilles tendon is the strongest and thickest tendon in the body. Tendons are connective tissues that consist of multiple bundles of dense parallel collagen fibers, that connect our muscles to our bones. The function of tendons is to transmit force from our muscles to the bones to produce joint movement. Tendons are designed […]
Understanding Lisfranc Injuries: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Rehabilitation
Lisfranc injuries, although rare, are significant due to their potential for severe consequences if not properly diagnosed and treated. Named after French surgeon Jacques Lisfranc, who described them in the 1800s, these injuries affect the midfoot region, specifically the tarsometatarsal (TMT) joints and associated ligaments. What is a Lisfranc Injury? A Lisfranc injury involves the […]
The Top 5 Things You Need to Know If You Have Medial Anke Pain – Is this Tibialis Posterior Tendinopathy?
1) Understanding Tendinopathy: Concepts and Principles Tibialis posterior tendinopathy (TPT) is a condition that can cause significant pain and dysfunction in the medial ankle. Understanding the key aspects of this condition is essential for effective diagnosis and treatment. Understanding tendinopathy involves recognizing its stages: reactive tendinopathy, tendon dysrepair, and degenerative tendinopathy. Reactive tendinopathy is the […]
Understanding the IT Band and Managing IT Band Pain
What is the IT Band? The iliotibial (IT) band is a tough, fibrous band of tissue that runs from the outside of your hip down to your knee. This fibrous tissue has both elastic and stabilizing features, explaining why we have an IT band at all. Its primary functions are: IT Band Anatomy1 A stiffer […]
Unveiling Tendinopathy Management: 10 Essential Insights for Athletes
Tendinopathy, a common affliction among athletes, poses unique challenges in management, particularly in balancing performance demands and injury recovery. While much advice circulates on managing tendinopathy, there’s a trove of information often left unsaid. Let’s delve into the nuanced strategies and lesser-known aspects of tendinopathy management for athletes: 2. Rehabilitation Stages: Rehabilitation typically progresses through […]