Blog

When Can I Jump After ACL Surgery?

Jumping after ACL surgery is a major milestone and at Mend Colorado, we know how important it is for you to return safely and confidently to your favorite activities. Serving Boulder, Lafayette, and the greater Colorado community, our team uses the latest research and a truly personalized approach to guide your recovery every step of...

A Better Approach To ACL Rehab: Progressing By Function, Not The Calendar

By: Lucas Glomb, PT, DPT, OCS High-quality ACL rehabilitation should be criterion-based, not time-based. Most people recovering from ACL surgery are told they’ll return to sport in 6–9 months. While healing timelines matter, time alone does not determine readiness. Two people at the same point on the calendar can have completely different strength, movement quality,...

Can An ACL Tear Heal Without Surgery?

ACL injuries are one of the most common sports injuries seen in our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics.  Previous research on this injury has questioned the utilization of surgery for every patient with an ACL tear due to many returning to full function with Physical Therapy alone.  Authors and researchers have questioned...

Which ACL Graft Should I Choose After ACL Injury?

ACL injuries are one of the most common sports injuries with estimates ranging from 100-200K tears per year. Female athletes are at significantly greater risk for ACL tears and have a 6-8 x greater risk of injury compared to their male peers in the same sport. After an ACL injury, each athlete should meet with...

Basketball has one of the highest injury rates in sports with articles reporting up to 7-10 injuries per 1000 athlete exposures (Dick et al. J Athl Train. 2007).   As expected, the majority of these injuries occur in the lower extremity, in particular within the knee and ankle.  Authors report both overuse (tendinopathy) and traumatic (sprain,...

We have written previously about the high rates of subsequent knee injuries after an athlete returns to sport and activity after ACL surgery.  Interestingly, the most common site of injury is on the opposite knee indicating athlete’s are using a compensatory balance and coordination strategy during play.  Current research is working on developing physical therapy...

Post operative immobilization is often utilized after ACL surgery in an attempt to support the knee joint.  The reasoning behind the bracing includes reducing abnormal forces across the knee, patient comfort, and reducing the risk of injury to the recently repaired tissues.  Research has currently not found a strong benefit of early post operative bracing for...