Injured athletes like to recover and return to play as quickly as possible, and we need to balance return to play against impaired strength, performance and risk of reinjury. Initial injury rehabilitation often commences with isometric exercises, progressing into concentric/eccentric style exercises when isometric tests are pain-free. Finally high load eccentric exercises such as the Nordic hamstring are introduced for their positive effects of increased strength, fascicle length and reduced injury risk.

High level and eccentric exercises are often avoided in the early stages of rehab, for fear of aggravating the injury. What if we could commence higher-level and eccentric exercises safely at an earlier stage? Would this impair or accelerate your patients' recovery?

In this podcast with Jack Hickey, currently completing a PhD with the QUT/ACU hamstring injury research group, we explore an accelerated hamstring injury rehabilitation program, and how this can be implemented with your patients. You will discover:

The limitations of traditional rehabilitation
What is the evidence for only using isometric exercises in the early stages of rehab
Why eccentric exercises are commonly thought of as too high a load for initial rehab
More modern rehabilitation programs for hamstring strain injuries, including the Askling (2013), Aspetar (2017) and Mendiguchia (2017) programs
An accelerated rehab program, introducing higher-level and eccentric exercises at an early stage
When you can start your patient's rehabilitation
Which exercises you can use with your hamstring injury patients
How to know when to progress your patient's exercises
How often high-level exercises need to be performed
When your patients can return to running
How to progress your patients through a return to running program
When your patients are suitable for return to sport

Links associated with this episode:

Sliding discs to use in hamstring slider exercises in your clinic - available in Australia. Use the code "clinicaledge" to get 20% off your order (at the above link, not applicable on Amazon)
Amazon (outside Australia)- Sliding discs to use in hamstring slider exercises

Other episodes of interest:

Articles associated with this episode:

072. Accelerated hamstring injury rehabilitation exercise selection and progressions with Jack Hickey

Physio Edge podcast with David Pope

072. Accelerated hamstring injury rehabilitation exercise selection and progressions with Jack Hickey