Physio Research Quests | By Research Raconteur

How can you prevent patients from getting stress fractures? A 2021 study uses the tactic of training around your bone physiology. A 2021 study by Kardouni and colleagues looked at the bone damage that occurs in new runners over the first 12 weeks after starting a new program. We took a Research Quest to reveal the exact steps of this weekly plan. Let’s dive in.  Reference: Joseph R. Kardouni, PhD;...

What is the link between hypermobility, ACL injuries and doughnuts? Is there a way to tailor rehab specifically for these patients? Hypermobile patients were 14% more likely to get a second ACL injury. Put another way, this is 1 out of every 7 hypermobile ACL patients. They are also 5 and a half times more likely to get a second ACL injury within 12 months of their first one. We went on a Research...

Have you ever heard of micro-stretching? The theory is that most stretching is a complete waste of time. In 2009, Wyon and colleagues conducted a study comparing two stretching protocols over six weeks. We went on a Research Quest to uncover whether this micro form of stretching could get better results. Let’s dive in. Reference: Wyon M, Felton L, Galloway S. A comparison of two stretching modalit...

Does blood flow restriction work for elderly patients? A 2019 systematic review examined 11 studies and found a surprising answer.  We went on a Research Quest to uncover the truth.  Let’s dive in. Reference: Centner C, Wiegel P, Gollhofer A, König D. Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training on Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy in Older Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports...

A 2009 meta-analysis found that improving this one thing can improve patient compliance and program adherence by 162%. That means better patient outcomes, more follow-up sessions booked, and faster growth for your practice. We went on a Research Quest to uncover a three-part framework of how we can apply this research in our practice. Let’s dive in. Reference: Zolnierek KB, Dimatteo MR. Physician...

Is there an isometric protocol that could get your patients 3 times the results of normal rehab? What would this protocol look like, and is there any scientific evidence behind it? Wright and colleagues might have cracked the code in their 2019 study. We went on a Research Quest to find out. Let’s dive in. Reference: Wright AR, Richardson AB, Kikuchi CK, Goldberg DB, Marumoto JM, Kan DM. Effective...

Figuring out what to charge patients can be a struggle. How do you put a price point on the value of your rehabilitation?  Is there research that could help us figure out if we’re priced too low or too high? A 2022 paper from Cornell University describes a phenomenon called Heuristic Price Theory. It all boils down to a nifty mental shortcut our brains use. Instead of walking around all day trying...

Is there any research showing that a simple massage chair could replace manual therapists? Turns out, some researchers in Korea had the same question back in 2020. They decided to compare massage chairs to physio treatment for patients with chronic lower back pain. 56 participants were enrolled to receive either physiotherapy or mechanical massage using the massage chair. We took a Research Quest...

A 2022 study shows only 17% of ACL patients pass their return-to-play testing nine months post-op. One in every four ACL patients gets re-injured, and more than half never return to sport. We went on a Research Quest to discover what on earth is going on in Anterior Cruciate Ligament rehabilitation. Let's dive into helping physiotherapists and physical therapists conquer clinically. References...

We know that limb symmetry is a huge deal in ACL rehabilitation. But how do you get your patient there? You’re not going to reach 95% LSI through hip bridges and elastic bands. We went on a Research Quest to discover an evidence-based plan to bulletproof our rehab.  Let’s dive in. References: Randall Cooper & Mick Hughes: Melbourne ACL Rehabilitation Guide. melbourneaclguide.com/brief Crossley...

The evidence on dry needling is wildly conflicting. It has been labelled as everything from a miracle to a scam . ​ So, how is it possible that one study can show superior results while another shows zero effect? We went on a Research Quest to uncover the truth. Reference: Ware JW, Venere K, Miller SA, Freeman H, Scalzitti DA, Hoogeboom T. A Systematic Appraisal of Conflicts of Interest and Resear...

Want to get your patients from Hamstring to Hamstrong? ​Then you'll love this. ​Researchers systematically reviewed 75 clinical studies on Hamstring rehab. In this Research Quest, we’re going to explore 8 of the key takeaways that they found for getting your patients to return to play as fast as possible.  Reference: Rudisill SS, Kucharik MP, Varady NH, Martin SD. Evidence-Based Management and...

We've got a 4-step system for figuring out what is wrong with your aunt's knee. ​And we’re asking - Can you diagnose knee pain in just four steps? I'm willing to bet this has happened to you. You're at a family dinner, and somebody hears that you work with injuries. ​ Immediately, they ask, " Why does it hurt here? " And you’re like, “ No, Aunt Sharon, I can't give a...

How do you know when your athlete is ready to return to running after ACL reconstruction? If they are ready, what would a proven evidence-based running program look like? In June 2022, Pairot de Fontenay and colleagues tested a novel return to running algorithm on 34 athletes.  Spoiler : It worked like a charm. We dive into a quick summary of the entire return-to-running program, the algorithm and...

What if we could get 90% of ACL patients better without surgery ? ​A 2023 study on the ACL cross-bracing protocol suggests it just might be possible. You might need to “brace yourself”, as we go on a Research Quest and figure out how. With the following cross-bracing protocol, 72 out of 80 patients had evidence of ACL healing on a 3-month MRI . This was from the 2023 study by Stephanie Filbray and...

We chat with Registered Dietician Bernice Venter about the most common mistakes clinicians make when giving genetics feedback from a diet DNA report and a sports DNA report. Plus, we get into what you should do instead to correct these common slip-ups. In this episode, we discuss the reports provided by a DTC genetic testing company based in South Africa called Geneway. This episode was recorded i...

You know what is really hard? Getting strong. ​Whether that is getting yourself or your ACL patients stronger. ​So in order to help you learn a few new evidence-based tips and tactics, we asked a champion powerlifter (who also has his Master's Degree in the subject) to give us some behind-the-scenes and lesser-known strategies that we could immediately implement with our clients and patients t...

What if you could save an hour a day in admin? What would that time be worth? Today, we're chatting with Ian, Jedd and Pieter from Rehabit about how to automate ACL prescriptions and save time. We'll be learning about: ​ How to turn an audit from a nightmare into a breeze. ​ How automation can improve ACL prescriptions. ​ The biggest mistakes you're making when writing ACL reports to r...

Tune in to discover how to develop strength from an endurance perspective, as well as considerations to keep in mind when doing end-phase strengthening with an ACL patient who wants to get back to endurance-based events. Mark has been a clinician for 12 years and is an ultra-marathon athlete as well as a certified Ironman coach and accredited Science2Sport coach. He walks the talk and has complete...

I decided to call in some help from a women's health expert and one of the most knowledgeable clinicians I know. Cherise Serfontein and I went on a Research Quest through the scientific literature. Here are a few highlights that we learned from Cherise: Pelvic floor muscle training can reduce the odds of  urinary incontinence by 52%  during pregnancy and by 39% in the postpartum period. ​Aim t...

Welcome to Research Raconteur. These are evidence-based adventures for sports physiotherapists who want to help more patients and grow their practice. Together, we’re going to go on Research Quests where we’re diving into the latest and greatest on injury rehabilitation, injury assessments and clinical tips. My name is Kyle, and I am the online educator in our tiny but mighty Research Raconteur te...