top of page

Specialized Services

Return to Sport Testing

Following injury or surgery it is important to utilize a functional movement screen to determine readiness to return to sport and decrease risk of injury. Time from surgery/injury is not sufficient to determine readiness. 

  • Testing includes the following:​​​

    • Isokinetic strength testing

    • Functional strength testing 

    • Power and speed testing

    • Flexibility testing

    • Video analysis of neuromuscular control and movement quality

Neurocognitive Training

The ecological demands of sport challenge athletes’ neurocognitive processing abilities (e.g., unanticipated reactions, working memory, visuospatial processing.). By training athletes’ neuromuscular control under various neurocognitive conditions, we can reduce injury risk and improve motor control adaptation for sport.

This is accomplished in three phases:

  1. Athletes learn the basic neuromuscular skill with limited neurocognitive challenge (cognitive phase)

  2. The neurocognitive challenge is increased as athletes demonstrate more consistent neuromuscular control (associative phase)

  3.  As athletes demonstrate automatic neuromuscular control (i.e., fluid and consistent movements) with minimal attentional demands, we increase the neurocognitive complexity (autonomous phase).

​​

The goal of  incorporating neurocognitive challenges into rehabilitation programs is to  limit athletes from utilizing cognitive processing to compensate for inadequate neuromuscular control of dynamic movements, thereby decreasing risk of injury.

Blood Flow Restriction Training

​

  • Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training utilizes a strap or pneumatic cuff to partially restrict arterial blood inflow, while occluding venous outflow until the cuff pressure is released. Training loads are lower (20-30% 1 RM; 15-30 repetitions per set) which offers us the ability to mitigate weakness and atrophy after musculoskeletal injury or surgery without overloading healing tissues. 

​

  • A variety of physiological mechanisms are thought to cause the increased muscular size and strength seen with BFR training, although the exact mechanisms remain unknown. The general consensus suggests muscular changes occur through the indirect effect of metabolite accumulation and the hypoxic environment which causes greater muscle activation, fatigue, and anabolic signaling when compared to the same intensity of exercise done without BFR.

​​

  • What conditions can be helped with BFR?

    • Strengthening after surgery​

      • ACL surgery​

      • Joint replacement surgery

    • Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis â€‹

    • Lateral epicondylitis

    • Achilles tendinopathy

    • Hamstring and other muscle strains

​​​

  • We use SmartCuffs to determine the most effective and safe pressure for you. 

​

​

​

Cupping

​

  • Cupping is performed by applying cups to selected points or areas and creating a suction pressure. Cupping therapy is part of numerous ancient healing systems, such as Chinese, Unani, traditional Korean, Tibetan, and Oriental medicine. It is very gentle and can be used in isolation or in combination with soft tissue manipulation or active movement. 

​

  • The main proposed mechanism of action is the effect of subatmospheric pressure suction that promotes peripheral blood circulation. Reported effects of cupping therapy include promotion of the skin’s blood flow, changing of the skin’s biomechanical properties, increasing pain thresholds, reducing inflammation, and modulation of the cellular immune system.

 

bottom of page