How Long Does ACL Recovery Take?
Approximately over 250,000 people tear their ACL every year, with the most at-risk population being young female athletes.1 Despite being a common injury, every ACL reconstruction rehabilitation is different. Protocols depend on graft type, concomitant injuries like meniscus or MCL, and surgeon preference. For this reason, ACL protocols need to be a combination of both criteria-based and time-based. From a criteria-based perspective, physical therapists need to make sure athletes can get back to squatting, jumping, landing, cutting, and all other sport-related tasks with good mechanics to set them up for success as they return to sports. From a time-based perspective, physical therapists need to consider tissue healing time and appropriate tissue loading. Each athlete achieves their objective criteria at different times. It can take anywhere from 6 months to 24 months post op for athletes to get back to full participation, with a majority of athletes returning to sport between the 9- and 12-month mark.
Is My Neck Pain Normal?
Experiencing neck pain can be very worrisome, especially the first time. A lot of thoughts may be running through your head. What happened? Is this serious? Is this normal? You may be surprised to know that your neck pain is likely very normal. Studies have found that between 10-20% of the population is experiencing neck pain at any given time, and 54% have experienced neck pain within the last six months. Prevalence is generally higher in women than in men and peaks around 45 years of age.
PT Travel Hacks for Pain-free Vacation
Traveling should be fun and not a precursor to injury. Use these tips to help make your next trip as pain-free as possible.
When to See an Expert for Ankle Pain
Ankle pain is a common reason many people see their physical therapist. It is often after a bad sprain or for a strained muscle. It can also occur following a more severe injury like a fracture or after surgery like an Achilles repair. These reasons for coming to physical therapy are fairly obvious. The injury typically happens suddenly, with a lot of swelling and pain.
Maximize your Running Performance with a Video Gait & Running Analysis
According to the 2020 Sports & Fitness Industry Association report, approximately 50 million Americans participate in some variation of running or jogging. That’s 15 percent of the United States population. With the recent pandemic and gyms being temporarily closed, even more, people took up running to get in their daily exercise. Whether a weekend warrior runner or a competitive athlete, a video running analysis can benefit you.
3 Exercises to Perform After An Ankle Sprain
Ankle sprains are an extremely common lower extremity injury in both athletic and general populations. Ankle sprains account for up to 40% of lower extremity sports injuries1 and are one of the most common injuries to be seen in the emergency room2. Most ankle sprains occur when the ankle “rolls” inward, resulting in pain, swelling, loss of motion, and bruising around the ankle.
4 Kettlebell Strengthening Exercises
Kettlebells are some of the most efficient training modalities available. You only need one kettlebell to perform the exercises, which can be done anywhere you take the kettlebell. The exercises are also very easy to set up and transition from one to another, making it an effective cardiovascular activity. There are many options of exercises to choose from, some exercises being more challenging or easier than others and can be scaled to your fitness level. Below I will highlight four exercises that hit just about every muscle in the body, and a full workout can be done in just 20 minutes. These basic exercises should be done for 2-3 months before increasing the technical difficulty of more advanced exercises. A simple routine would be to perform each of these exercises three times per week, doing three sets of each exercise for 15 repetitions.
The Basics: Sprains, Strains, and Fractures…What’s The Difference?
“I sprained my hamstring!” “I didn’t break it. I fractured it.” “He had a bad ankle strain.” Physical therapists, occupational therapists, and most medical professionals cringe when we hear this at parties, in the media, or our clinic. The tactful among us do their best to resist the urge to correct, but let’s face it, we are only human.
