Why you need “Feel” as a Physical Therapist

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I haven’t written a post in a while but wanted get back into the swing of things. In this post, I wanted to talk about having ‘Feel’ as a PT.

When I say feel, I’m talking about being able to read people and adjust the situation based on their response to things. So, what does that mean? Not really sure… but wanted to give a few examples that I have heard recently that I think happen pretty commonly in our profession.

Exercise Progression (or lack of)

This one happens a bunch in our profession and I was guilty of this early on in my career. It’s much easier to have someone come in 2-3 times per week and give them the same exercises, right? But to do this for multiple weeks, if not months, is a travesty!

Listen, I don’t think we need to progress someone’s program every session. Adding a new exercise each visit can be a bit much. know we want to make people feel as if they are moving forward in their rehab but there are other ways we can progress people besides giving them 17 different exercises that keeps them in PT for 2+ hours.

Again, I was guilty!

There are so many variables that we can manipulate for each session, it’s silly! Think about each move that someone does and break it down.

Exercise Variables to Manipulate

We can play with:

  • Tempo
  • Single leg versus double leg
  • Reps/sets scheme
  • Upper body or lower body
  • Time under tension
  • External resistance (bands, chains)
  • Rest periods between exercises
  • Perceived RPE (stole that one from Kiefer!)
  • Volume

So as you can see, even if you don’t have heavy weights as we do here at Champion PT and Performance, then you can still get creative with progressions.

The training facility at Champion PT and Performance in Waltham, MA
The training facility at Champion PT and Performance in Waltham, MA

Personally, my clients have the same program for 4 weeks and then we write them a new program. That means that they can focus on the aforementioned variables as needed even though they are doing the same exercises for 4 weeks.

The client likes it because they get really good at that movement plus they can see their progression in their weights, which is a huge mental gain!

Besides the obvious weight progressions, there’s a ton that can be manipulated but I don’t see or hear it enough from the patients that come through here. I rarely hear a client tell me that their previous PT experiences involved any type of variable manipulation but maybe that’s why they find us in the 1st place. Who knows…

My advice, let the patient feel as if they are moving forward in their exercise prescription because they are a smarter consumer than you would think. As PT’s we must do better with this stuff and the above bullet points are a good starting point for you.

Running on Empty

On another note, I recently started treating someone for a knee injury she sustained while skiing. Fortunately, she didn’t require surgery but the fracture needed time to heal. I don’t want to reveal too many details of the case for privacy reasons but just know she could’ve easily done more damage to her knee from the mechanism of injury.

She was given a brace and a prescription for PT to begin immediately for ROM and strengthening. She was limited in weight bearing for a period of time (I don’t remember the exact amount) so she had those effects that she had to deal with too.

At the beginning of the 6th week after the injury, her doc said she was fine to begin running even though no new x-rays were done on her knee. Guess they were just going off of time and that she was a healthy female without any co-morbidities.

Back at PT, she was told to start a running program that she thought was a bit early but she was excited to progress to more aggressive exercises.

According to her, she had been doing straight leg raises, clams, bridging and other low-level exercises for the whole duration of the rehab…see above rant!

Upon beginning her running program, she felt immediate pain and had to stop. She said she felt bad because the PT was surprised that the pain was still present but she wanted to work through it a bit. Despite trying to push through it, she still felt pain and had to stop again. She felt a big sense of failure because the pain persisted and she just couldn’t get over this hump.

Think Mode

Let’s think about this scenario for a second. Six weeks after a joint fracture, little strength training after a decent period of immobilization and the patient was expected to run?

As it turns out, the patient was frustrated enough with the scenario that she sought a second opinion and found us. I’ll never put down another PT’s plan of care but it was obvious that the plan was rushed and the patient’s opinions and communications were not fully observed.

She was frustrated and felt defeated but why? Why would someone be expected to run 6 weeks after a fracture without loading the joint and going through a progressive program?

I’m not sure but I wanted to use this case as a teaching moment for other clinicians, especially the younger crowd that may struggle with rehab progressions.

Listen Up!

Listen to the client and have a good understanding of basic soft tissue healing. I told the client that she needed a good 6-8 weeks of strength training before even talking about running. She was relieved that I wanted to take it slow and we now have a very happy client who has completely bought into my system.

Again, listen to your clients. They’ll tell you what’s wrong with themselves if you listen closely!

My Dad’s Knee Replacement

Switching gears, my Dad has his knee replaced a few weeks ago. Despite having treated a gazillion knee patients in my career, my Dad has yet to step foot in our facility. I’ve given him advice from a distance and have tried to keep an eye on things as they came up.

I’m not a home health PT and respect their jobs. I was surprised that no one ever tried to bend his knee during the home visits he had for nearly 6 weeks. Fortunately, he had about 80-90 degrees of flexion but the home health PT kept telling him he didn’t need more than 90 degrees of motion.

You try to get up from a chair with only 90 degrees of knee flexion! I’ll bet it’s much more difficult than 110+ degrees of motion. For the record, I shoot for 120 degrees of knee flexion ROM for all.

After home health, my Dad started outpatient PT and he sounded confident and happy. Yet again, no one felt the need to bend his knee (he did get some patella mob’s) and just showed him basic exercises like straight leg raises and squats.

Obviously an important component to PT but I still think getting more ROM is critical. I’ve talked about how I like to bend the knee after surgery at my YouTube channel that you can access here. As you can see, I prefer the seated position at the edge of the table for its comfort and isolation of the knee joint without hip compensation.

However, no one is bending his knee and he was feeling stiff. He did get a new PT for one of his sessions and they did bend his knee but only 2 times…and each time they cranked on it to the point he had to tell them to stop because of the pain.

Not how I would’ve initiated ROM!

Bad Ass Arya wouldn’t have been so aggressive either!

He’s now 3 days after the PT session and frustrated. He told me he can’t do anything around the house anymore and has considered taking pain medication to help get over the hump. This is the ‘feel’ that I’m talking about.

Why on Earth would any PT think this technique would be beneficial? I’ve heard this way too often in the past and am frustrated by it.

If that were you 🤔

My advice…as always, put yourself in their position and consider the risk/reward. Is this the best we can do and will the patient absolutely benefit from this?

In my Dad’s situation(s) I say he has received mediocre care so far. Fortunately, I have guided his home program and have tried to keep him positive and realistic.

He’s frustrated and vows to never consider his other knee even if he can’t walk. I hope he changes his mind once he gets stronger and more functional.

My lesson in this post- listen to the client and do what’s in their best interest. Have some FEEL and progress people more appropriately.

We can do better!

The Week in Research Review, etc 12-24-18

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The Week in Research Review, etc 12-24-18 only had two posts to social media this week but hopefully two very helpful posts for your practice.

The back pain post was a repost from a previous time but I thought it was very important to share it again. I also put a new post from my YouTube channel where I discussed patellar mobility assessment for instability. Check the post out at the link here or below to see the full version.

Physical Therapy First to Treat Low Back Pain

[ICYMI} Physical Therapy as the First Point of Care to Treat Low Back Pain: An Instrumental Variables Approach to Estimate Impact on Opioid Prescription, Health Care Utilization, and Costs. Frogner et al Health Serv. Res. 2018

The Week in Research Review, etc 12-24-18This study compared the differences in opioid prescription, health care utilization, and costs among patients with low back pain (LBP) who saw a physical therapist as the first point of care, at any time during the episode, or not at all.

Patients aged 18-64 years with a new primary diagnosis of LBP, living in the northwest United States, were observed over a 1-year period.

Patients who saw a PT first had:

  • a lower probability of having an opioid prescription (89.4 percent),
  • any advanced imaging services (27.9 percent),
  • and an Emergency Department visit (14.7 percent), yet 19.3 percent higher probability of hospitalization.

Interestingly enough, 80% of the patients in the sample had no PT at all. Furthermore, 8.7% saw a PT first and 11.5% saw a PT later (avg 38 days). The most common provider seen 1st was a chiropractor.

Assessing for Patella Instability

Assessing Patella Mobility

💥Assessing for Patella Hypermobility💥

This Instagram snippet shows how I assess a patient with suspected patella hypermobility who may have sustained a subluxation, dislocation or instability episode.

To see the full video at my YouTube Channel, click the link here!

Basically, we’re looking at how mobile the patella is when the knee is locked at full extension compared to when the knee is flexed to about 25 degrees.

Normally, the patella should become relatively stable when the knee is flexed to 25 degrees because it engages the trochlea groove.

In patients with underlying patella hyper-mobility, the amount of mobility with the knee slightly flexed will be similar to when the knee is in full extension (and not locked into the trochlea groove).

This is often the case when the patient’s trochlea groove is too shallow to offer bony stability.

The test should help the clinician gain a better understanding of the patient’s anatomical make-up and prognosis for the long term.

Check out the full video at my YouTube Channel.

The Week in Research Review, etc 12-17-18

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Not a lot this week…sorry folks. Focusing a bit more on other projects. The Week in Research Review, etc 12-10-18 included only 3 posts but they definitely made some waves. Especially my latest Instagram post on burn-out in the PT field. Check it out and chime in…it’s never too late to like a post and comment on SoMe.

When is it Safe to Drive after Orthopaedic Surgery?

💥OPEN ACCESS! 💥⠀

This study looked to comb the research to see the available data regarding when patients are safe to resume driving after common orthopedic surgeries and injuries affecting the ability to drive.


This is always the age old question as a PT or ATC (amongst the other disciplines) and this study may help to shed light and give a bit more concrete evidence.

Often times, our answer is ‘it depends’ and that is definitely true. Or we pass the ball to the doctor who did the surgery and try to buy time by waiting until that 1st post-op visit.

Or we just say you can’t drive because you’re still on pain meds…and that is definitely true! All of these factors may play a role but it seems as if the literature can help guide our answers a little better so I invite you to take a look to this OPEN ACCESS paper and keep it in your patient database.

It may help to guide a future patient’s independence after an injury.

Posterior Shoulder Stretching after a Surgery

The efficacy of stretching exercises to reduce posterior shoulder tightness acutely in the postoperative population: a single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Salamh et al Physiother Theory Pract. 2018.


This paper looked at acutely post-op shoulder patients (no repairs, just debridements) and followed their ROM horizontal adduction and internal rotation after the surgery.


Group 1 was assigned the supine sleeper stretch and shoulder pendulum exercises. Group 2 was assigned the standing horizontal adduction (cross-body) stretch and shoulder pendulum exercises. Group 3 (control group) was assigned and performed shoulder pendulum exercises only and asked to perform 10 clockwise or counter-clockwise pendulum exercises twice a day.

The study noted that ‘the horizontal adduction stretch is more effective 
at reducing acute posterior shoulder tightness in the postoperative shoulder population when compared to the supine sleeper stretch and no stretch at all.

Not surprised but wanted to share the information and maybe help someone use this for their clinical practice.
Not sure why they chose supine sleeper stretch versus sidelying sleeper stretch but most likely because of pain tolerance.

Traditionally, the sleeper stretch is performed in supine. It’s modified by having the patient rollback to potentially put the shoulder in a more comfortable position. We wrote a paper about this in JOSPT 2013 with @wilk_kevin and @toddrhooks

I’m still more of a fan of the horizontal adduction stretch and use it clinically every day for my shoulder patients.

Burn Out in Physical Therapy

Just said yesterday that I don’t post my tweets to IG but get like this one should be posted here too.

Not going to say much more than I already have.. maybe a future blog post or something.

Curious to hear the comments below too. Throw it all at me and I’ll try to write something up in the future.

The Week in Research Review, etc 12-10-18

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This week we’re still playing with formats and learning these Instagram changes. With that, in the week in research review 12-10-18, we discussed many topics that I wanted to share!

Surgery vs Physical Therapy for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation of Manual Physical Therapy Versus Surgery for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Evidence From a Randomized Clinical Trial Fernández-de-las-Peñas et al JOSPT 2018.

This Level 1b study looked to evaluate cost-effectiveness differences of manual physical therapy versus surgery in women with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Performed in Spain, 120 women with a clinical and electromyographic diagnosis of CTS were randomized through concealed allocation to either manual physical therapy or surgery.

They concluded that manual PT including desensitization maneuvers of the central nervous system has found to be equally effective but less costly, i.e., more cost-effective than surgery for women with CTS.

From a cost-benefit perspective, the proposed manual PT intervention of CTS can be considered.

Interesting results but 2 obvious limitations to this study:
1️⃣No control group. What if the symptoms could spontaneously improve over time
2️⃣ They only looked at 1-year improvement and not short-term improvements. I would’ve liked to have seen 3 months and 6 months results as well to see the acute effects.

Not sure what to make of this study but it does seem as if a population of Spanish women may respond to Rx of CTS without surgical intervention.

This could be a huge cost/time saver for society!

Return to Sport Criteria and Reinjury Rates

The Association Between Passing Return-to-Sport Criteria and Second ACL Injury Risk: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis  Losciale et al JOSPT 2018.

Not going to lie, this study caught my attention because the results match my confirmation bias.⠀

I’ve been saying for years that hop tests, even combined with other tests, just don’t cut it.⠀

I wrote a blog post about this too for @mikereinold. This study, although with its limitations, did show that passing RTS criteria did not show a statistically significant association with risk of a second ACL injury. 

This review also determined that 12% of those who failed RTS testing suffered a graft injury, compared to 5.9% of patients who passed. 

It seems as if quadriceps strength measured via isokinetic testing or isometric testing may be an important factor to consider for RTS decision making.


Also, hamstring-quadriceps strength ratio symmetry should also be considered.

So with this review demonstrating that current objective criteria-based RTS decisions did not show an association with the risk of a second ACLI, how does this affect your practice?

Physical Therapy vs Knee Scope for Meniscus Tears

💥PT vs Scope for Meniscus Tear 💥
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Effect of Early Surgery vs Physical Therapy on Knee Function Among Patients With Non-obstructive Meniscal Tears: The ESCAPE Randomized Clinical Trial. van de Graaf VA et al JAMA Oct. 2018

Among patients with non-obstructive meniscal tears, PT was equal to arthroscopy for improving patient-reported knee function over a 24-month follow-up period. 

They went on to say that “Based on these results, PT may be considered an alternative to surgery for patients with non-obstructive meniscal tears.”

So basically, if there’s no bucket handle tear present that may be blocking joint range of motion, then it is highly encouraged that the patient #GetPT1st and not do surgery.

Without going out on a limb, I’d say this is a much more cheaper treatment option as well and would save society many costs associated with the surgery and lost time from work.

I do note a couple limitations: the surgical group did not get PT after surgery if they did ‘as expected’ but they could get PT to help improve their symptoms.

The PT group did pretty basic exercises although leg press, lunges, and balance type exercises were included.

Have you read this paper? It was a multi-center, randomized controlled trial performed in 9 hospitals in the Netherlands.

So, are we encouraged or surprised? Let me know by commenting below…thanks!

Shoulder Health Accessory Exercises

by @kieferlammi

Want strong and healthy shoulders!?

Shoulder strength is about more than pushing big lifts like strict pressing, push pressing, etc.

If you want a robust, healthy, well moving shoulder you should be including lower level drills that more specifically address scapular and RTC strength and control. –

I will always be a fan of traditional exercises like side like ERs, Prone Ys, Ts, etc.

Lately, I’ve thrown in more band work because it’s easy for me to do for higher volumes on a frequent basis and I enjoy the constant tension that the band provides. 

Give these two exercises a try:

✅ Band Front Raise Pull-Apart

✅ Band Overhead Y Raise

I find that these two do a great job of targeting my mid back and posterior shoulder without much compensation through a big range of motion.

Give them a try either in a warm-up for 1-3 sets of 10-15 reps or at the end of a training session for 2-4 sets of 10-25 reps depending on the difficulty of your band and your capacity. 

Should we Brace after an ACL Surgery?

  
 
 
 
 
 
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 [NEW BLOG POST]⠀ 💥Knee Bracing Immediately After an ACL Reconstruction 💥⠀ In this post, I review some recent Twitter, Facebook and Instagram discussions about the usage of a hinged knee brace after an ACL surgery.⠀ .⠀ You'd be surprised what I found in the literature and the differences that exist throughout the US and the world.⠀ .⠀ Go to my website <LINK in my BIO> and read/share with your friends/colleagues.⠀ .⠀ It was a bit eye-opening and I'm curious to hear what others have to say.⠀ .⠀ I still like to recommend a brace for my clients because it seems to give them an added security after a pretty painful surgery.⠀ .⠀ I typically keep them braced 4-6 weeks, depending on their quadriceps activity and if they can do an active straight leg raise without a lag.⠀ .⠀ Many others don't even bother bracing at anytime post-op, which was surprising.⠀ .⠀ What do you think? Read the blog post and let me know. Let's try to educate and come to a better consensus...thanks!⠀ .⠀ #kneerehab #knee #kneepain #kneesurgery #acl #aclsurgery #ROM #physio #physiotherapist #crossfit #exercise #deadlift #physiotherapy #physicaltherapy #physicaltherapist #athletictraining #athletictrainer #ATC #PT #teamchampion #dptstudent #lenmacpt #instagram
 
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You can also get to the blog post by clicking this link

Let me know what you think about this new blog post or any of my social media posts…thanks!

Knee Bracing Immediately After an ACL Reconstruction

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I recently came across a Facebook post that discussed bracing immediately after an ACL reconstruction and I was intrigued. I read some of the comments and chimed in with my observations and opinions.

In turn, a multi-platform discussion revealed many new details. I wanted to briefly share some of the research and the discussions that came up.

I was very impressed with the discussions by the way. They were very professional, grounded and level-minded.

No one got too emotional (typical of social media) and they really helped to educate and see both sides of the discussion.

What does the Research Say about Bracing after an ACL?

Again, I’m talking about post-op day 1 or as we like to say POD1 as clinicians.

Many people posted a 2007 systematic review that showed ‘no evidence that pain, range of motion, graft stability, or protection from subsequent injury were affected by brace use, thus supporting our hypothesis.’

Another study that kept showing up was a 2012 study in AJSM that said ‘Bracing following ACL reconstruction remains neither necessary nor beneficial and adds to the cost of the procedure.’

Wow! Two pretty high level studies that completely went against my 15+ years of experience.

More studies!

Another study in the Scandinavia Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports looked at brace versus no brace after an autologous patella tendon graft reconstruction. 

There were no differences either pre‐operatively or 5 years post‐operatively  between the groups in terms of the knee score (Lysholm), activity level (Tegner), degree of laxity or isokinetic peak muscle torque.

Keep in mind there are a ton of studies out there. This study in the Journal of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons suggests ‘that functional bracing may have some benefit with regard to in vivo knee kinematics and may offer increased protection of the implanted graft after ACL reconstruction without sacrificing function, range of motion, or proprioception.’

I have NEVER seen a post-operative ACL patient without a brace immediately after surgery.

Instagram Story Poll will Decide It!

So, what’s the next obvious thing to do? Take it to instagram and see what they have to say?

So I did a poll in my story and the results favored immediately bracing after surgery which goes completely against the literature.

Poll Results- 63% say they use a brace after an ACL surgery
Instagram Poll Results for ACL Bracing

Pretty interesting and I’d say overwhelmingly confirmed my biases!

Twitter Discussion

I’m a big Twitter guy so it was only natural to hit up my peeps there to see what they had to say.

I started the Twitter discussion here and an awesome conversation continued between PT’s and MD’s that was so beneficial.

Regional Differences with Bracing

Midwest

It definitely seems that geography plays a huge role! Midwest PT’s and MD’s in St Louis, Minnesota (near Mayo) and Indianapolis (near Dr. Shelborne) were all opinionated. They advocated for NO BRACE.

West Coast

The no-brace crowd extended to the west coast a bit too but we took a curious stop in Colorado. One person said their doctors all brace their patients and limit weight-bearing to 25% for a period of time.

It surprised me to read this! I can maybe understand limiting WB after an ACL-meniscus repair but not for an isolated ACL reconstruction. 

Europe

Of note, it seems as if no one in Europe uses a brace immediately after an ACL surgery. Are we that far behind or naive to the literature?

Guess that topic will be for a different day!

For now, I wanted to share this discussion with people and hope to learn a bit more by it.

I know the docs ultimately have the final say. It really was interesting to see the regional differences.

For example, Sylvia Czuppon, a respected professor and researcher from Wash U. in St. Louis, had a 180-degree response from me!

She has basically only seen post-op patients without a brace.

Pretty funny, but it basically sums up our current medical practices.

This should be a lesson for all, especially the students and new grads.

Closing Thoughts

Keep an open mind, learn from the research and do what’s best for your patient!

I worked 11+ years in Birmingham, Alabama with some of the top sports medicine docs in the world. We always braced after an ACL reconstruction.

Same thing here in Boston where I get patients from Children’s Hospital, Mass. General Hospital and other top-notch hospitals.

Every single patient that I have ever seen has won a brace after surgery

With that, it was very interesting to see the results and the literature. It was equally interesting to see the responses.

People were stunned when they heard the other side of the story.

ACL rehabilitation is not easy…trust me. I’ve written bout this before right here. Check it out before you move on!

What do you see in your practice? Do your docs brace immediately after an ACL?

Let’s talk it out in try to come to a consensus. Again, education is the key and we can always do better.

The Week in Research Review, etc 12-3-18

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Hey everyone,  The Week in Research Review, etc for this week has a new look, compliments of Instagram’s new algorithm. Hope the new format doesn’t throw you too big of a curveball (maybe you’ll like it better), so here goes…

 

ACL Injury Rates Higher on Synthetic Turf than Natural Grass in the NFL

Preventing low back pain by @joegambinodpt

Female Soccer Players have a 5x Increased Risk of a Second ACL injury

Anatomy of the Proximal Humerus

ACL Injury Rates Higher on Synthetic Turf than Natural Grass in the NFL

 

View this post on Instagram

 

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Preventing low back pain by @joegambinodpt

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Lenny Macrina MSPT, SCS, CSCS (@lenmacpt) on

Female Soccer Players have a 5x Increased Risk of a Second ACL injury

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Lenny Macrina MSPT, SCS, CSCS (@lenmacpt) on

Anatomy of the Proximal Humerus

 

View this post on Instagram

 

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The Week in Research Review, etc 11-26-18

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This week, I discussed the progression of someone after a knee surgery. I tried to highlight the key stages and some techniques that I like to use to advance the patient’s mobility and comfort. Take a look at The Week in Research Review, etc 11-26-18 and share with your friends. Hope it helps you improve your patient care tomorrow and beyond!

 

ACL Reconstruction in a Pediatric and Adolescent Population

1st Day of #PT after an ACL Surgery

Patella Mobilization after Knee Surgery

Knee Flexion PROM after Surgery- Seated or Supine?

Stretching the Quads after Knee Surgery

Assessing for a Cyclops Lesion after an ACL

Assessing for Fat Pad Irritation of the Knee

 

 

ACL Reconstruction in a Pediatric and Adolescent Population

17 Year Follow-up After Meniscal Repair With Concomitant ACL Reconstruction in a Pediatric and Adolescent Population. Tagliero et al AJSM 2018

Results: 28% failed meniscal repair and required repeat surgery at the time of final follow-up. They also showed that outcomes and failures rates were comparable across tear complexity.

Guess that means that no matter the tear type, there was no difference in outcomes or retear rates. Although the repair techniques are now outdated and no longer used.

Their study also showed a 30% failure rate for meniscal tear repaired in the medial compartment at index surgery and 7% in the lateral compartment.

Interesting long-term outcomes that may help to guide your rehab and client advancement (and prognosis). Keep these in mind when you treat a future adolescent or pediatric ACL patient.

 

 

💥1st Day of #PT after an ACL Surgery 💥

If you have never treated a post-op ACL, then this video should interest you!

This is what the knee looks like that 1st day after surgery and can often set the stage for what’s to come over the next 6-12 months.

Often, the patient is both very curious and ultra-grossed out by the 1st unveiling. It can be stressful for them to see their knee in this condition so you really have to confidently reassure them that it is very normal.

The blood-soaked gauze is mainly saline that was used to irrigate the knee during the reconstruction. Some still leaks out of the incisions the 1st few days and can often be confused with true blood.

Understand that this is quite normal and happens to most every ACL patient’s knee that I’ve seen…nothing to worry about!

From here, I’d work on patella mobility (see the post later today) and then work on flexion ROM at the end of the table.

Again, it’s very important to get the knee moving after surgery. This will help with pain, swelling and gain confidence that the rehab process is moving forward.

 

Patella Mobilization after Knee Surgery

Get the patella moving early with #patella mobilizations immediately after surgery. One major reason (amongst many others) why we need to get our clients into #PT early.

I am certainly a very loud advocate for early PT and getting the patella moving can help to prevent excessive scarring, which can affect ROM and quadriceps force output.

Glove up and get that patella moving in all directions… medial, lateral, superior, inferior!

 

 

🤔Knee Flexion PROM after Surgery- Seated or Supine? 🤔

I’ve treated many patients after an ACL I can honestly say that this may be a huge influence on the early ROM outcomes that you may see.

I’ve tried to bend the knee in both supine or seated, as the video shows, and there’s no doubt that most people tolerate the seated version so much better after a knee surgery. In particular, a big surgery like an ACL, TKA or MPFL reconstruction.

It just seems to be more comfortable and with less stress on the anterior knee because of the position of the tibia (at least I think so!).

My theory, it seems as if the supine position may cause a slight posterior sag which may cause more pain and guarding than when they’re seated at the edge of the table.

I use a similar concept later on in the rehab process when I’m initiating my prone quad stretching. You can see a definitive improvement when I wedge my hand in the popliteal fossa and create a slight anterior translation on the tibia.

Most people say that the anterior knee pain that they were feeling (and not a quad stretch) was replaced by a stretch feeling only and no more anterior knee pain.

Try it out with your ACL patients and see what position they like best…I’ll bet I can covert you over if you still bend your knee patients in supine!

 

💥Stretching the Quads after Knee Surgery 💥

Continuing my sequence of videos after a knee surgery, I discussed my technique for progressing knee flexion PROM once they hit 120 degrees or so of flexion.

At this point, they’ve probably maxed out how much ROM they can achieve at the edge of the table. They’re ready to get that end range of motion and even some quadriceps flexibility.

In prone, most people will often feel a pain or pressure in the front of their knee when you try to bend it.

To overcome this, I like to wedge my hand into the back of the knee and give an anteriorly directed force through the gastrocnemius (calf) soft tissue and into the tibia.

This seems to create just enough movement of the tibia on the femur to take the pressure off the front of the knee. This may redirect the forces more onto the quadriceps muscle.

You’ll need to play with the amount and direction of force but most often they’ll begin to feel a better quad stretch.

Try this technique out on your next knee surgery client and see if it helps them. I usually initiate this ~4 weeks after an ACL but timeframes will vary person to person.⠀

 

💥Assessing for a Cyclops Lesion after an ACL 💥

In this video snippet from my YouTube Channel, I discuss how to assess for a Cyclops lesion in a knee. In particular, after knee surgery.

A patient with a potential cyclops lesion, they often present with loss of normal knee extension compared to the other side. They’ll often have anterior knee pain and poor patella mobility. Sometimes a tight feeling in their hamstrings and calves, too.

No matter how they try to regain their extension ROM, the knee just never feels right. Often times, surgical intervention is needed to remove that scar tissue.

Immediate rehab should continue to work on knee extension ROM using low load long duration stretching and aggressive patella mob’s.

No one’s to blame if this occurs. We don’t know exactly why it occurs in some people but we believe a remnant of the ACL stump may be a source of the frustrating issue.

 

💥Assessing for Fat Pad Irritation of the Knee 💥

Anterior knee pain is very common in the outpatient #PhysicalTherapy setting.

One of my go-to tests to assess for fat pad irritation is simply trying to capture the fatty tissue in the anterior aspect of the knee joint during active and/or passive ROM.

In this snippet from my YouTube channel, you can see that I pinch the fat pads on either side of the patella tendon as @corrine_evelyn is actively extending her knee. I’ll also do it in a relaxed state to assess passive irritability.

I 1st learned this test from @wilk_kevin and it continues to be a mainstay in my knee examination algorithm.

As for a treatment, it usually comes down to a volume issue and/or strength issue or both.

I’ll usually have to address the volume of the activity by relatively easing off of the activity while simultaneously adding in exercises to address an underlying weakness.

Remember the Dye et al study in AJSM 1998 when he talked about the fat pads being super painful during his arthroscopic surgery without anesthesia. Makes sense why they can be so painful if the knee stresses fall upon this tissue.

We talk about this study, fat pad irritability and much much more in our online knee seminar course.

If you want to learn more about how I treat ACL’s or the knee in general, then you can check out our all online knee seminar at www.onlinekneeseminar.com and let me know what you think.

We cover the anatomy, rehab prescription, ACL, meniscal injuries knee replacements and patellofemoral issues. Furthermore, the course covers both the non-operative and post-operative treatment.t

This is an awesome course if you’re interested in learning more about rehabilitating the knee joint. And if you’re a PT, there’s a good chance you can get CEU’s as well.

The Week in Research Review, etc 11-19-18

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Great ‘Week in Research Review, etc 11-19-18’ that I hope you find helpful to your practice.

I’ve always touted the importance of the subjective portion of the exam so I wanted to share a slide from a recent talk I gave to a group in Canandaigua, NY. Obviously, the squat is a fundamental movement and I wanted to give some basic positions that I use to help assess. So excited that I’ve launched a brand new Medbridge course that helps the rehab specialist better eval and treat the baseball pitcher. On my YouTube channel, I discussed my thoughts on setting the scapula with various upper and lower body exercises. And finally, my co-worker Kiefer Lammi discusses the landmine with exercise.

 

Importance of the Subjective Exam

Assessing the Squat

My New Baseball Medbridge Course

Set the Scapula with Shoulder Exercises?

6 Ways to use the Landmine by @kieferlammi

 

💥Subjective the most important aspect of the Evaluation💥

This slide, taken from this past weekend’s course in Canandaigua, NY is always a favorite of mine.

I try to keep a slide like this in all of my lectures because I have found that this portion of the examination can give the rehab specialist a huge look into what is going on with the person in front of them.

Don’t get me wrong, I still consider the biomechanical aspect of what may be causing their symptoms.

It often comes down to a tissue capacity issue but it’s up to me to determine the appropriate course of treatment.

These questions will help build confidence in your client and guide the early stages of rehab.

Do you have any specific questions that you like to ask your clients during their 1st few sessions? Remember, these questions are just not for the evaluation. You should be asking these questions periodically to gauge progress and help guide the next phases of rehab, too!

 

🔅Assessing the Squat 🔅

Squatting is a fundamental movement that all of us have to do on a daily basis.

Utilizing several different positions can help the rehab specialist better assess the squat and develop a treatment plan that enables their client the ability to improve their squat pattern.

In the above videos, I have utilized 3 different squat patterns and will outline them by the degree of difficulty.

✅The Overhead Squat- by far the most challenging version which challenges the shoulders, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, pelvis, knee and ankles.

A movement limitation at any of these joints will most likely cause the squat pattern to break down. Using overhead resistance would further challenge the system and potentially cause the squat to further breakdown.

✅Arms Crossed Chest Squat- alters the challenge by taking most of the shoulder and thoracic spine out of the equation and isolates the motions to the lumbar spine, hips, knees and ankles.

I often use this position as my fundamental motion because most people don’t have to squat with any weights over their head. This position, in my opinion, should be the most informational and utilized.

✅Counter-weight Squat

This position changes the center of mass by moving some of the weight distribution more anteriorly (front) and making the squat motion slightly easier. I use this position as a regression, for some, which allows them to squat with less stress and potential difficulty.

There are many other variations to the squat that you can make but I wanted to highlight a few of the major changes that you cause successfully. Assessing the squat is essential and can give the rehab specialist a nice picture of the function of multiple joints during a common movement.

 

My BRAND NEW course on Medbridge’s platform

…that helps the sports and ortho rehab specialist (PT, OT, ATC) better understand the anatomy and biomechanics involved in the baseball pitching motion.

Advanced Rehab for the Baseball Pitcher to Improve ROM & Strength@medbridge_education

The goal of this course was to allow the clinician to be able to evaluate and treat the baseball pitcher using evidence-based guidelines that I use on a daily basis.

Numerous research studies discuss the adaptive changes that occur with the pitching motion followed by numerous videos to help guide the treatment process.

If you’re already a Medbridge subscriber, then you have immediate access today.

If you’re not a Medbridge member, then you can use my promo code “Lenny2018” to save up to 40% off a yearly membership.

This gets you unlimited CEU’s for 1 year and potential access to their online HEP and a lot more!

Students can also get 1 year of unlimited courses (no CEU’s) by using promo code LennySTUDENT2018 and pay only $100.

Check out my other shoulder courses as well by using the Medbridge platform…along with many other great speakers!

Hope you enjoy and good luck!

 

💥Should you Set the Scapula with your Shoulder Exercise?💥

In this video excerpt from my YouTube channel, I wanted to discuss my opinion on setting the scapula during common exercises.

I think there’s an obvious role for setting the scapula during a heavier lower body lift like a deadlift.

But for a classic upper body exercise like the Full Can (Scaption Raises) or prone T (horizontal abduction), prone Y (Prone full can), etc then I definitely want the scapula to freely move along the rib cage.

I did a quick literature search and didn’t see anything obvious that helped to guide my thoughts so most of this is anecdotal. Check out the video and comment below.

Do you coach your clients to set their scapulae before a rotator cuff workout? If so, why? If not, do you think we should reconsider?

 

6 WAYS TO USE THE LANDMINE!⁣

Great post from our own @kieferlammi at @championptp on various ways to use the landmine in your client’s workout routine.

If you don’t have one, then I’d highly recommend you try to obtain one because they are highly versatile and can be used in many stages of rehab. See Kiefer’s original post below 👏🏼

_____________

6 WAYS TO USE THE LANDMINE!⁣

The landmine attachment is a super versatile tool for loading that is traditionally known for being used for angled pressing variations. While that’s probably my most programmed use for it, it also provides benefit to a ton of other movements by placing the load and direction of force at a bit of an angle, which can help to promote a particular path of movement, like sitting back more in a squat or lunge. Here are 6 of my favorite ways to use the landmine:⁣

1️⃣1-Leg RDL⁣

2️⃣Split Stance Row⁣

3️⃣Reverse Lunge⁣

4️⃣Deadlift⁣

5️⃣Squat⁣

6️⃣Russian Twist⁣⠀

Save 25% off our OnLine Knee Seminar Course…all this week!

Expires Sunday, November 25th at midnight ET

If you want to learn more about how I treat ACL’s or the knee in general, then you can check out our all online knee seminar at www.onlinekneeseminar.com and let me know what you think.

We cover the anatomy, rehab prescription, ACL, meniscal injuries knee replacements and patellofemoral issues. Furthermore, the course covers both the non-operative and post-operative treatment.t

This is an awesome course if you’re interested in learning more about rehabilitating the knee joint. And if you’re a PT, there’s a good chance you can get CEU’s as well.

The Week in Research Review, etc 11-12-18

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This week in research review for 11-12-18 we focused a bit more on assessment and also dabbled in some basic treatment strategies for the back and shoulder. Check out the topics below and like them or comment on Instagram to keep the conversation going…thanks all!

 

  • A quick fix for a sore low back?
  • Knee Fat Pad Testing and Diagnosis
  • How to Assess the Elbow for a Tommy John (UCL) Sprain
  • Lumbopelvic control on shoulder and elbow kinetics in elite baseball pitchers
  • Full Can or Empty Can? – by @mikereinold

 

Looking for a quick fix for a sore low back?

I’m speaking from personal experiences when I post a few of the common exercises that have helped me tremendously in the past.

I’m not saying that this is all you have to do but I do think that new onset of low back soreness, you know that tightness that you feel on either side of your spine, can be somewhat alleviated with some foam rolling and active range of motion.

I would definitely include more focal strengthening of the core like deadbugs and bird dogs, squats, deadlifts (when they’re ready), etc.

But for the purpose of this post, I think some foam rolling and motion to the area can take the edge off of someone’s soreness and get them feeling a little better. That’s my goal for many and hopefully those small gins can add up to big gains in the long run!

Do you utilize these techniques as well? If you don’t, then I suggest that you try! They’ve helped me numerous times and continue to help me when my soreness gets a bit out of control.

Tag a friend who may want to check out this post…thanks!

Thanks @corrine_evelyn for the demos!

 

Knee Fat Pad Testing and Diagnosis

Here’s an excerpt from a previous blog post where I talked about anterior knee pain fat pad irritation. Link in bio!

Keep in mind, my differential diagnosis is all over the place at times. With knee pain you need to consider:

Meniscus (see my previous blog post)⠀

ITB

Osteochondral lesion

Patella tendonitis

Pes anserine bursitis

MPFL sprain

Hamstring strain

Plica syndrome

MCL/LCL

Tumor

Infrapatellar fat pad irritation can be functionally debilitating. I believe it presents itself pretty often in the clinic, more than most PT’s realize.

Use this test to see if it truly is a fat pad issue.

 

How to Assess the Elbow for a Tommy John (UCL) Sprain

In this excerpt from my YouTube channel, I discuss the tests that I use to help identify an elbow sprain, typically seen in the baseball players that I treat.

In the full video, I discuss:

✅Joint Palpation

✅Seated Milking Sign

✅Prone Valgus Test (maybe a new one for you!)

✅Supine end range External Rotation with Valgus Extension Overload (VEO)

I also wrote a blog post about this topic so hopefully you’ll go to my site and read a bit more about this.

If you treat baseball players of all ages, then you should know how to diagnose a UCL sprain.

 

The influence of lumbopelvic control on shoulder and elbow kinetics in elite baseball pitchers

Laudner et al JSES 2018.

This study looked at 43 asymptomatic, #NCAA Division I and professional minor league baseball pitchers. They measured the bilateral amount of anterior-posterior lumbopelvic tilt during a single-leg stance trunk stability test.

The Level Belt Pro (Perfect Practice, Columbus, OH, USA) was used to assess anterior-posterior lumbopelvic control. The LevelBelt Pro consists of an iPod–based digital level secured to a belt using hook-and-loop fasteners.

This test has been used and studied previously by Chaudhari et al (JSCR 2011) and he showed that pitchers with less lumbopelvic control produced more walks and hits per inning than those with more control.

Also, pitchers with less lumbopelvic control have been shown to have an increased likelihood of spending more days on the disabled list than those with more control (Chaudhari et al AJSM 2014).

“The results of our study show that as lumbopelvic control of the drive leg decreases, shoulder horizontal abduction torque and elbow valgus torque increase.”

Have you tried this simple test? I will say that having the ability to detect millimeters of motion is clinically difficult.

It is good to see such a simple test utilized clinically can help aid in determining the need for more core/hip exercises for our pitchers. In all, I think it’s a safe bet to incorporate these exercises in all pitchers’ programs.

 

Full Can or Empty Can?

– by @mikereinold 

Great Post by @mikereinold on which motion is BEST to isolate the supraspinatus during arm elevation. I know you can’t isolate the supraspinatus but numerous studies have (Kelly et al 1996, Reinold et al 2004) shown that the full can (or thumb up position) is better than the empty can position.

Check it out below! 👇🏼

Full Can or Empty Can? – by @mikereinold⠀⠀
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🧠 WANT TO LEARN MORE FROM ME? Head to my website MikeReinold.com, link in bio.⠀⠀
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I’m still surprised after all these years that I still see the empty can exercise kicking around. I analyzed these two movements many years ago in an article in JOSPT and showed that the full can exercise (thumbs up 👍) had similar EMG of the supraspinatus with lower levels of deltoid EMG, while the empty can (thumbs down 👎) had higher levels of deltoid EMG.

Why does this matter?

Well, think about it. If you are performing this exercise you probably are trying to strengthen the rotator cuff. And if you are weak and performing an exercise with more deltoid, the ratio of cuff to deltoid will be lower and you’ll have more potential for superior humeral head migration.

Plus, let’s be honest, the empty can just hurts… It’s also a provocative test, and I don’t like to use provocative tests as exercises. 😂😂😂⠀

 

The Week in Research Review, etc 11-5-18

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The Week in Research Review, etc 11-5-18 was filled with more informative and eye-opening posts! Lots of visually stimulating posts to help clarify what exactly is going on in the hip joint with PROM. Another post that shows the suction effect from an intact hip labrum… amongst other great posts.  Just some great stuff..hope you enjoy!

 

  1. Manual Forearm Resistance Drills
  2. ACL Graft Healing Times to Maturation
  3. Hip Capsule Stress with PROM External Rotation
  4. Muscle Activation Affected by Hip Thrust Variation
  5. Hip Thrust Form by Bret Contreras
  6. Hip Joint Suction Affected by labral Status

 

 

Manual Resistance Forearm Exercises

In this post, I wanted to show you guys some of the manual resistance drills we use @championptp on our shoulder and elbow clients, especially our baseball players. We love to use these drills because we can control so many variables with each athlete and tailor it for their specific needs.

We can control the speed and tempo, the direction of forces (eccentric, concentric), and the magnitude of the forces. Plus it’s a great way to interact with our clients. It’s also a great way to feel how well they’re progressing in their programs instead of just giving them dumbbells.

I have found these manual resistance drills to be very helpful with my overhead athletes and hope you give them a try on your clients soon! Let me know what you think or tag a friend below who may like to use these drills too.

In my course that I teach around the US, I try to include these concepts so you can practice and be able to utilize these drills for your clients…thanks!

 

ACL Graft Harvesting and Healing times

In this post, I wanted to show some research studies on graft healing times and why we need to respect tissue biology.

The systematic review from AJSM 2011 looked at ‘The ‘‘Ligamentization’’ Process in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.’

They essentially looked at 4 different biopsy studies on BPTB and Hamstring autograft reconstructions. They concluded that maturation of the graft, as determined by mainly vascularity and cellularity, was not complete until 12 months at the earliest. The healing time even extended to 24+ months as well.

The ligamentization endpoint is defined as the time point from which no further changes are witnessed in the remodeled grafts. The surgical procedure is quite involved, as you can see in the video that I took from @drlylecain on #YouTube.

As I’m rehabbing my clients, my decision making and post-op progressions often take into account:

✔️Healing biology

✔️Graft harvesting

✔️Graft Type

✔️Bone bruise presence (often!)

✔️Other concomitant issues (meniscus, articular cartilage).

So, respect the tissue and allow natural healing to occur before you add more exercises or are concerned that they’re not making the gains you’d expect.⠀

 

 

Hip Capsular Closure: A Biomechanical Analysis of Failure Torque

Chahla et al AJSM 2016

Interesting look at tissue failure, albeit in a cadaver graft, that should help to guide the physical therapist or ATC early in the rehab process after a hip scope.

The purpose of this study was to determine the failure torques of 1-, 2-, and 3-suture constructs for hip capsular closure to resist external rotation and extension.

The 3-suture construct withstood a significantly higher torque (91.7 Nm) than the 1-suture construct (67.4 Nm) but no significant difference was found between the 2- and 3- suture construct.

The hip external rotation degree in which the capsule failed was:

✅1-suture construct: 34 degrees

✅2-suture construct: 44.3 degrees

✅3-sutures: 30.3 degrees (yes, smaller than 2-suture construct)

I think as a #PT, we need to keep this study in mind and respect the healing tissues after a hip scope.

Love when we can get this information and put it into practice, similar to RTC repairs, ACL, etc.

Obviously, this was on a cadaver where there’s no guarding, pain or muscle contraction. We still need to know that there MAY be enough tension on the capsule to create potential issues (like tissue failure).

If you treat patients after hip scopes, then I recommend you read this cadaveric study.

 

 

Barbell Hip Thrust Variations Affect Muscle Activation

COLLAZO GARCIA et al JSCR 2018

This study looked at the EMG activity of various lower body muscles while performing the hip thrust in various positions.

Their results showed that by varying the foot position into more external rotation, you can recruit the glute max and medius more than by the traditional hip thrust.⠀ …”the activity of the gluteus maximus increases significantly reaching up to 90% MVIC with only 40% of 1RM” with this hip ER variation.

Also, ‘when the distance between the feet is increased, the activity of knee flexors increases. Therefore, this is a very recommendable option to increase hamstring: quadriceps co-activation ratio.’

I like this study because it helps guide our rehab if we’re targeting a specific muscle group a bit more because of an injury or surgery.

It’s one of my go exercises for anyone with a lower body injury, especially after an ACL reconstruction. But I do use this exercise for most of my clients rehabbing from any injury, including the upper body.

It’s a great way to recruit the gluteus maximus and medius, which we know are hugely? (is that a word?) important to help produce and dissipate forces during athletic movements.

The exercise was widely researched by @bretcontreras1 and should be a staple in your rehab programs.

Check it out and add this to your go-to exercise list…thanks!

 

Hip Thrust Form

[REPOST] and a great one from @bretcontreras1 talking hip thrust form, which is perfectly coinciding with my post earlier today on variations to the hip thrust and how they affect muscle activation. Check out his original post below…highly recommended!

Teaching optimal hip thrust form is complicated. While the occasional lifter prefers and functions better staying fairly neutral in the head, neck, and spine, the vast majority of lifters do best maintaining a forward head position, which leads to ribs down and a posterior pelvic tilt.

It’s not just the forward eye gaze; the whole head has to maintain its forward position. You’re not hinging around the bench; the body mass above the bench stays relatively put, while the body mass below the bench is where the movement occurs.

The astute science geeks out there will rightfully point out that posterior pelvic tilt is associated with some lumbar flexion, and that lumbar flexion under load can be problematic. However, lumbar flexion is only dangerous when the discs are simultaneously subjected to compressive forces. With this style of hip thrust, the glutes are driving hip extension and posterior pelvic tilt, and erector spinae activation is greatly diminished. Core activation is what creates the bulk of the compressive forces, so with the erectors more “silenced,” the discs aren’t as compressed. This makes the exercise very safe. In fact, it’s safer than the “neutral” technique because as you rep to failure or go a bit too heavy, you will inevitably arch the chest and hyperextend the spine, which can lead to lower back pain. ⁣

We have 200 members at Glute Lab hip thrusting day in and day out, and there have been zero injuries to date. Considering how heavy we go, this is astounding.⠀
⁣⠀
#gluteguy #glutelab #thethrustisamust⠀

 

Hip Joint Suction and Stability

[REPOST] From @chicagosportsdoc and a very cool look at the suction within the hip joint that contributes to its stability. As the video progresses, they have simulated a labral tear that shows how easily the joint can dislocate. Once the labrum is repaired, the suction effect is recreated, and joint stability is re-established.

That’s 2 posts this week on the hip…if you want to see some awesome posts, then follow him. He just got on Instagram but his visual posts really aid in learning the mechanics of the various joints…see below!

An impressive demonstration of the powerful hip suction seal. When the hip labrum is injured, the seal is disrupted which can potentially produce microinstability. A labral reconstruction can restore the suction seal #labrum #sportsmedicine #hip #anatomy#orthopedicsurgery #medicine