ACL Force Plate Testing

Force Plates are specialized platforms that utilize state of the art technology to objectively measure a variety of metrics and Nevada Physical Therapy utilizes the Vald Jump Deck platform to capture thousands of data points per second when testing athletes’ jump performance. While we summarize some of the research below as it relates to the strain on the ACL during common jump tasks, this information is only one piece of the jump development model. While we believe it is important for a clinican to understand the unique demands on the ACL as it relates to rebuilding an athlete’s ability to jump (and run and cut and change of direction, etc), the more objective data we can gather the better informed we can be with our coaching. Strength still reigns supreme here as research shows many athletes have still not restored appropriate strength goals even when cleared for retrun to sport. Graham et al. demonstrated a significant decrease in knee joint contribution with jumping tasks at time of RTS when compared to both the athlete’s uninvolved limb as well as controls (2023).

The old standards of measuring horizontal hop distance as a metric for knee function has been replaced by vertical jump testing (Kotsifaki et al. 2023) and specifically we are looking to restore a variety of metrics within an athlete as we begin moving back towards athletic participation. This includes eccentric velocity, single leg vertical jump height, reactive sport index (jump height: ground contact time), peak landing forces and a variety of force asymmetries. You can see an example of what this might look like from one of our athletes who recently tested on the force plates at 7 months post-op below and while there are common trends, every athlete is different. Our ability to customize a program, measure its effectiveness, and adjust quickly separates our clinic from the pack.

There are three main phases in the jump cycle of interest to us: the eccentric (lowering of the body to preload the jump), the concentric phase (the acceleration from zero velocity through leaving the ground) and the landing phase. When it comes to getting Northern Nevada’s athletes back to playing, our objective strength testing protocol and technology such as force plates, allow us to facilitate and implement an unparalleled rehab experience. We include all return to sport testing for current patients (as well as those who are apart of our subscription model) but we also offer stand alone testing for those athletes who may have completed rehab at a different location but do not feel satisfied with their knee and are looking for more detailed testing (and potential coaching). You can read more about our services offered here.