Expert Insights on Performance & Recovery
Inside the OR: What Two ACL Reconstructions Taught Us
We spend months with ACL patients after surgery. We rarely get to see the 90 minutes that set the rehab in motion.
This past week we had the opportunity to scrub in and participate in surgery with Dr. Mitchel Robinson, a local orthopedic surgeon from Panorama Orthopedics in Golden, and his team. During our day in the OR, we were able to observe 2 different ACL-reconstructions and discuss not only the surgery itself but the considerations that went into them.
How to Prevent an ACL Tear While Skiing: What the Research Actually Shows
Every ski season, we hear some version of the same story: "I don't know what happened, I wasn't even going that fast." And that's usually true, because the most common way recreational skiers tear their ACL has almost nothing to do with speed, jumps, or getting caught in a yard sale.
Here's what the research actually shows, and what to do about it.
Returning to Sport & High-Level Performance After Surgery
Every return-to-sport timeline depends on the individual and their goals, the specific procedure, surgeon protocol, and how the body responds to rehab. There's no universal framework that fits every knee, back, shoulder, hip, or ankle, but there are a few specific, trackable considerations that hold true for each region.
Here are our top considerations in post-surgical care of our patients to facilitate a successful recovery from early rehabilitation to high-level performance.
Blood Flow Restriction Therapy: The Rehab Tool That Keeps Denver Athletes Strong While Injured
If you’ve been in our clinic, you may have noticed a few patients working out with what looks like a blood pressure cuff strapped to their arm or leg. It’s not a medical mystery, or some crazy new phenomenon, it’s blood flow restriction (BFR) therapy. It’s one of the many tools we leverage in helping people build back strength during their recovery.
Some label it world changing. Others call it diabolical.
Its true form is somewhere in between.
The Graft Guide: Navigating ACL Graft Options for Denver Athletes
Whether you went down on the ski slopes, tweaked your knee on the soccer field, or pushed too hard during a trail run in the foothills, an ACL tear is one of the most common, and most dreaded, injuries for Denver athletes. The good news? ACL reconstructions have come a long way, and with the right graft choice and rehab plan, most athletes return to full sport.
Bend Your Knee in Your ACL Reconstruction Rehab
ACL reconstructions and any ligament injury for that matter can be a difficult journey. When you lay it out on paper, there seems to be a never ending list of physical deficits to address in order to get back to doing what you love. One cannot under appreciate the significance of finding the right provider and physical therapist to simplify this process and provide the proper guidance in your rehab.
While there are a number of checkpoints and physical characteristics that we try to develop along the way, there’s one phrase that never seems to disappear, even by the end.