The Effectiveness of Vertical Jump Protocol to Determine Return to Play Guidelines, Post ACL Reconstruction
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Authors
Fredrickson, Taylor
Issue Date
2019-05
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Description/Abstract
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have gained much attention in the athletic world with their increase in incidence within the past decades. Due to surgery being the most successful form of treatment the question is often; when will the athlete be able to return to play? This particular research dives deeper into the return to play scenario to assure that athletes return to play safely and also decrease their risk of reinjury. This study evaluates 2 college level football players who underwent ACL reconstruction and were on their way to returning to participation in their sports. They performed static jumps on force plates that allowed us to track both their jumping and landing forces on each leg. They performed jumps with a 0kg bar and a 20kg bar at 50%, 75%, and 100% max effort for a total of 3 jumping sessions. The results from each athlete demonstrate that one of the athletes was within range to return to play, while the second athlete was not, possibly due to major discrepancies between their injured and uninjured legs. These results can help clinicians and coaches to better understand when their athletes are ready to return to play and also when there chance of reinjury is decreased.