Hamstring injuries are common and can occur in any sport with any athlete. The three muscles of the hamstring are put through rapid lengthening and shortening contractions making them susceptible to strains or minor tears. Due to the common occurrence of these injuries, it is important to target proper strength and conditioning regimes to decrease...
Skiing remains one of the most popular outdoor winter sports in Colorado. It is estimated over 6.8 million skiers participated in the sport over the recent winter season. There are inherent risks of death and injury in both skiing and snowboarding, but thankfully due to technological updates and innovations overall injuries have fallen by half...
Pre-participation movement screens have gained popularity among sports teams and health professionals over the past decade. Their aim is to determine the likelihood of an individual sustaining a future injury by testing them through a battery of movements. Clinicians may utilize a composite of individual tests to identify risk for a specific injury (ex. ACL...
Risk reduction programs in sports have been shown effectively reduce sports injury. In particular, the research on knee injuries, including ACL, in soccer have shown dramatic reductions in injury rates. These programs, often designed and implemented by Physical Therapists, include exercises designed to improve an athlete’s strength, balance, coordination, and agility. Research shows these programs...
In our previous posts on ACL injury we have highlighted girls are 6-8 more likely to sustain an ACL injury compared to boys in the same sport. Multiple research studies have attempted to reduce this risk by implementing sport specific strength, agility, and balance programs. On average, these programs have a significant impact on injury...
Sprinting either in track or sport requires rapid, high force muscle contractions across the lower body. If the forces utilized during the acceleration phase of running are greater than the capacity of the muscle to absorb these forces injuries can occur. Hamstring strains in this population of runners are common due to the rapid shortening...
It is estimated up to 10 million Americans participate in either indoor or outdoor climbing activities. Research documents 4 to 5 injuries per 1000 hours of climbing participation and each climber can expect 1 to 2 injuries over a climbing career (Backe et al. 2009). These injuries can be either traumatic or overuse in nature. The...
Photo Credit: ssorkc.com 1. You have published a few articles on the utilization of strength and conditioning principles with Physical Therapy patients. In my opinion, these valuable principles are under utilized in our profession. In your experience, how can practicing clinicians improve their patient outcomes using these principles? Well I think one of the...
Photo Credit: Ramser1Photo.com 1. How did you initially get involved in triathlon as a competitor? I was a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin, and I had been uninvolved in competitive team sports for the first time in my whole life. I was doing some running, a bit of weight lifting and generally...
Photo Credit: charlieweingroff.com In our prior posts we have described the injury risks associated with athletic activities. There will always be an inherent risk with athletic participation but current research is identifying Physical Therapy tests which can help predict future injury. These test batteries involve movement assessments of functional positions such as squatting, jumping, and...