How Do We Know When It Is Time to Return to Sport - Part IV

HS VB Player Demonstrating Poor Movement

Over the last series, we have been talking about how do we know when it is time to return an athlete to sport.  As an industry, Sports Medicine, there is no consensus on what this should look like.  Get 10 of the top orthopedic surgeons in a room to discuss and you will have 10 very different opinions on.

As a parent and a physical therapist, this is something I am compelled to do something about.  When an injury occurs, there is a deep ache we get seeing our child suffer and wonder if there is something we could have done.  Now, there is the ability to help reduce injury risk while helping them improve athletic performance!  There is something we can do to help athletes return to play safer.  

Annually, there are over 300,000 Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries in youth athletics in the US (AAOSM Annual Conference 2016).  This devastating sports injury has an annual health care cost of over $5B plus long term impact to the children who suffer them.  One in four youths who tear their ACL will suffer another during their athletic career (Wiggin et al – Am J Sport Med 2016) and 20% will reinjure their ACL in 2 years (Holm et al Am J Sport Med 2012).  In addition to being at risk for re-injury, once an injury has occurred, their future performance is negatively impacted (Read et al Am J Sports Med 2017, Harris et al Sport Health 2013).

But what if you could identify those at risk?  Research indicates alterations in the way the athlete moves (biomechanics) puts them at higher risk for these injuries.  According to sports medicine experts (Wilk J Orth Sport Phy Ther 2015), we:

·       Need a better way to screen risk for ACL injuries

·       Need a better way to objectively measure progress

·       Need a better way to objectify return to play 

Testing Division I Athletes Using ViPerform AMI

Identifying and correcting altered biomechanics has been shown to have a direct impact on ACL injuries and athletic performance.  The current standard of practice in assessing movement is a paper pencil test that relies on the visual interpretation of the assessor.  These assessments are not well supported in the literature for injury prediction or objectively measuring an athlete’s ability to return to play (Bardenett et al Int J Sport Phy Ther 2015, Bushman et al Am J Sport Med 16).  So, how do we objectively and reliably measure the altered biomechanics that put athletes at risk of injury or decreased performance?  The team at Select Medical uses the latest in wearable 3D sensor technology to identify these risk factors and have developed an exclusive program to address deficits noted.  ViPerform AMI™ is an assessment offered by Select Medical that integrates the latest movement science with 3D wearable sensor technology.

The DorsaVi ViPerform AMI™ combines movement science with accuracy of the DorsaVi system (an FDA approved) wearable sensor device.  After performing this 15 minute assessment, each player will be provided with an assessment using lab quality data which will provided a comprehensive report showing:

·       Overall movement

·       Demographic risk factors

·       Loss of balance

·       Limb symmetry index

·       Magnitude and speed of valgus in single limb performance

ViPerform AMI Report - Providing Lab Quality Data

Using this lab quality data allows the clinician to make much more informed decisions on clinical interventions and season training protocols to reduce injury risk and improve athletic performance.   

Using this information and Select Medical’s ACL Play It Safe Program, they have demonstrated >58% reduction in all lower extremity injuries and significant improvements in athletic performance in Division I athletes.  Science and technology helping to keep athletes safe, in the game and performing at a higher level!  #MoveRightPerformBetterLastLonger.  For a Select Clinic near you offer this program, visit their website at https://www.selectphysicaltherapy.com/  For more information on the ACL Play It Safe Program, download the free app on Android or IOS under "ACL Play It Safe".  

Dr. Nessler is a practicing physical therapist with over 20 years sports medicine clinical experience and a nationally recognized expert in the area of athletic movement assessment.  He is the developer of an athletic biomechanical analysis, is an author of a college textbook on this subject  and has performed >5000 athletic movement assessments.  He serves as the National Director of Sports Medicine Innovation for Select Medical, is Chairman of Medical Services for the International Obstacle Racing Federation and associate editor of the International Journal of Athletic Therapy and Training.   He is also a competitive athlete in Jiu Jitsu.