My ACL return to sport systematic review is PUBLISHED

🎉🚨🎉🚨VERY PROUD MOMENT 🎉🚨🎉🚨

ACL rehabilitation has been a specialist interest of mine for the last decade, and I’ve worked as an accredited knee specialist / ACL specialist physio for the last six years - so it means a great deal to land my first publication on the topic.

Open access here: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/14/5/211

My systematic review looks at the pass rates of return to sports test batteries in people post-ACL reconctruction. Shockingly, just 33% pass. This drops to 26% when the study involving Aspetar athletes is removed from the data analysis!

For a long time I’ve argued that surgical decisions are skewed by misguided media coverage and ill-informed preconceptions.

The reality of an ACL reconstruction? Only 1 in 3 people are physically ready to pass a battery of simple hop and strength tests at the point they’re cleared to return to sport.

Bottom line - Incomplete rehab.

Incomplete rehab can stem from a number of factors, such as:

1. Gaps in clinician knowledge around strength and conditioning, or long-term rehab principles

2. Poor adherence to the programme

3. Programmes that were poorly designed to begin with

4. Underdosed exercise

5. Drop-out before the work is done

6. Psychological barriers to engagement

7. A lack of objective testing

Remember: surgery is not the default. Every clinician who’s a genuine expert in this field knows that. When you make your decision, understand that surgery is a reset button, and the average person has a 55% chance of returning to sport, because the average person never completes their rehab.

An impressive knee surgeon once told me 'we all think we’re above average'... I think it's time to follow through on that though. So, if you want an above average recovery please get in contact.

www.thekneephysio.co.uk/bookings

Yours sincerely,

Dominic Richmond