Our most popular physical therapy article of 2024

PT with athlete jumping on forcedecks

Here’s a little gift—our most popular article of 2024, just for you!

“My Doctor Said I’m Cleared to Play!”

My patient was thrilled. After months of physical therapy, recovering from knee surgery, she finally received the green light to return to playing soccer.

Unfortunately, I had to bring her back to reality.

The surgeon had done an excellent job—the surgery went smoothly, the knee healed perfectly, and there was no swelling or pain. But while his job was complete, mine was far from over.

Despite making significant progress in physical therapy, the muscles around her repaired knee were still about 30% weaker than those on the other side. Our force plate technology (learn more about that here) revealed that her ability to absorb shock on the repaired side was compromised, and her reaction time was slower.

As much as I wanted to give her the news she was hoping for, allowing her to return to play immediately would have put her at high risk of re-injury.

This scenario is common and understandable. It’s easy to think that physical therapy is over when the doctor says, “you’re cleared.” But in reality, it’s just the beginning.

“Cleared” means the doctor’s role is complete, and now it’s up to us to ensure that you return to play, training, or your active lifestyle as safely as possible.

So, how do we determine when you’re ready to get back in the game? Here are a few key factors we continuously assess throughout the rehab process:

  • Range of Motion: Should be equal to the other side.
  • Strength Testing: The previously injured side should be within 10% of the uninjured side, but ideally, it should be equal. We utilize our technology to make it objective and take away any guesswork.
  • Functional Testing: Specific to your sport or activity.
    • Hop or Jump Testing: Measures your ability to absorb impact and produce force on one side compared to the other. Should be within 10% of the uninjured side, but ideally equivalent. This also gauges how reactive or “bouncy” one side is compared to the other—the closer to equal, the better!
    • Running Analysis: Learn more about that here!
    • Throwing Assessment: For baseball players and other throwing athletes

The last thing anyone wants is a re-injury or a new injury because the body wasn’t 100% ready to return. A thorough return-to-play assessment is essential for anyone looking to resume their sport, activity, or active lifestyle as safely, quickly, and effectively as possible.

Contact us with any questions that you have about how you can ensure that you or your athlete is ready to get back in the game!

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