The E3 Rehab Podcast

Chris Hughen sat down with Luke Heath to discuss all things ACL. We dive into the initial examination after a knee injury, the first exam following an ACL Reconstruction, daily and weekly check-ins, testing, key phases of rehab, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/lFGccLIrqnA   Episode Resources: Aspetar ACL Protocol Aspetar ACL Clinical Practice Guideline Aspetar Clinical Knee...

Chris Hughen down with Marc Surdyka to discuss low back pain. We dive into the most common types of low back pain, how much the diagnosis and imaging really matter, the truth around posture and core strength, effective management strategies, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/j5UUbgdoKGQ   Episode Resources: YouTube Video: Lower Back Pain Rehab Article: Lower Back Pain Rehab B...

Chris Hughen sat down with Rayce Houser and Joey Scambia to discuss athletic low back pain. We dive into the different types of spondys, a thorough exam and differential diagnosis process for athletes presenting with low back pain, stages of rehab, common mistakes when rehabbing a spondy, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/2I3tz9pm5F4   Episode Resources: Rehab Renaissance Web...

Chris Hughen sat down with Kathryn Fahy to discuss large to massive rotator cuff tears. We dive into degenerative vs traumatic tears, operative versus non-operative management, what patients want to improve their care, a call to action for healthcare practitioners, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/mR8vhn5MHW0   Episode Resources: Fahy, 2025 Kathryn's Twitter --- Follow Us: Y...

Chris Hughen sat down with Airelle Giordano to discuss all things meniscus rehab. We dive into operative versus non-operative meniscal rehab, degenerative versus traumatic tears, rehab considerations for meniscectomies, meniscal repairs, and reconstructions, and much more.   Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/EfVrJpCGsVU   Episode Resources: Meniscus Paper: Part 1 Meniscus Paper: Part 2 Aire...

Chris Hughen sat down with Steph Mundt to discuss her journey working her way out of osteoporosis. Steph talks about how she managed her way from osteoporosis to osteopenia, and eventually into a normal bone mineral density range, along with the changes she made in her training, nutrition, and life to accomplish this. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/hjk9bl40188   Episode Resources: Steph'...

Chris Hughen sat down with Chris Lefever to discuss red flag rehab narratives. We dive into common rehab-related misconceptions, how narratives impact treatment and performance, when and how to address deeply ingrained beliefs, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/VXvh-7gOo-k   Episode Resources: Chris' Instagram --- Follow Us: YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/e3rehab   Instagr...

Chris Hughen sat down with Eric Helms to discuss how to build muscle during the rehab process. We dive into the variables influencing muscle growth, Eric's own meniscus rehab, a mock youth athlete case study, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/4ei67ek7CcY   Episode Resources: MASS Research Review Iron Culture Podcast Eric's Instagram Eric's ResearchGate --- Follow Us: YouTube:...

Chris Hughen sat down with Q Willey to discuss change of direction. We dive into the requisite strength and tissue qualities, the differences between sitting and folding, the CMAS framework, a tiered approach to plyometrics and change of direction, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/DoFTTRuXO_U   Episode Resources: The Science of Multi-Directional Speed The Cutting Movement As...

Chris Hughen sat down with Kevin Alschuler to discuss uncertainty, coping, and resilience from the perspective of a rehab psychologist. We dive into how patients and clinicians can navigate the challenges of uncertainty, adaptive vs maladaptive coping strategies, normalizing mental health support, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/4C3KXbxngeo   Episode Resources: Kevin's Webs...

Chris Hughen sat down with Paul Salamh to discuss Frozen Shoulder. We dive into the diagnosis and prognosis of frozen shoulder, management options, setting realistic expectations, addressing common misconceptions, and much more.  Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/E27HKfUZKFw   Episode Resources: Salamh, 2025 Previous Episode w/ Paul --- Follow Us: YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/e3rehab  ...

Chris Hughen sat down with Marc Surdyka to discuss the realities of clinical care. We dive into the emotional and physical drains of working in healthcare, staying up-to-date on research, navigating difficult conversations, realizing the spectrum of patient outcomes, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/ltKfv0Z7BOo   Episode Resources: Chris' Instagram Marc's Instagram --- Follo...

Chris Hughen sat down with Rodrigo Scattone Silva to discuss all things achilles tendon pain. We dive into the complexities of diagnosing and managing achilles-related pain, the importance of a thorough assessment, treatment options, and much more.  Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/iDwJiTv7eJg   Episode Resources: Traweger, 2025 Scott, 2015 Rodrigo's Twitter Rodrigo's Instagram --- Follow...

Chris Hughen sat down with Stacie Barber to discuss her journey through her husband's stroke recovery. Stacie shares the difficulties throughout Logan's rehab, the value of different healthcare professionals, the intensity of neuro rehab, balancing family demands while continuing to manage her own business, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/6QpNDT1OYKM   Episode Resources: St...

Chris Hughen sat down with Marc Surdyka to discuss all things knee valgus. We dive into the common misconceptions of knee valgus, its implications in squatting, running, and sporting contexts, practical recommendations, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/sRgCgrgHvR8   Episode Resources: YouTue Video: Knee Valgus Blog: Knee Valgus Roald Bahr Video --- Follow Us: YouTube:  https...

Chris Hughen sat down with Alyssa Olenick to debunk common misconceptions around exercise and nutrition for women. We dive into 4 main areas including: resistance training, eating for body comp and performance, training during the menstrual cycle, and exercise during menopause. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/u09C8mHUE4k   Episode Resources: Alyssa's Website Alyssa's Instagram Alyssa's Yo...

Chris Hughen sat down with Jon Hodges to discuss his current journey of rehabbing his own ACL tear and meniscal root tears. We discuss Jon's extensive knee injury involving an ACL and MCL rupture, medial and lateral meniscal root tears, non-displaced tibial plateau fracture, and lateral femoral condyle fracture. Jon dives into the current research on meniscal root tears, immediate post-op prioriti...

Chris Hughen sat down with Roula Kotsifaki to discuss ACL Return to Sport Timelines. We dive into her newly published paper titled, "Is 9 months the sweet spot for male athletes to return to sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction?" Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/_jKeML-8qGs   Episode Resources: Kotsifaki, 2025 Previous Episode w/ Roula Roula's Twitter --- Follow Us: YouTub...

Chris Hughen sat down with Casper Nim to discuss all things Spinal Manipulation. We dive into what spinal manipulations definitely aren't doing, improving manual therapy education, navigating treatment options, the narratives behind an intervention, and much more.  Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/yyPm_2IrOow   Episode Resources: Casper's ResearchGate Nim, 2025 Nim, 2021 --- Follow Us: You...

Chris Hughen sat down with Enda King to discuss Athletic Hip and Groin Pain. We dive into the initial assessment and differential diagnosis process, creating effective learning environments, challenges during hip and groin rehab, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/LoTNBLA6Ywc   Episode Resources: Enda's Website Enda's Instagram Enda's Twitter --- Follow Us: YouTube:  https://w...

Chris Hughen sat down with Beau Tyrrell to discuss all things Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome, commonly referred to as Shin Splints. Beau dives into the importance of ruling out a bone stress injury, recovery timelines, management strategies, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/qE-GNFlMd3E   Episode Resources: Beau's Instagram Winters, 2017 Winters, 2018 Milgrom, 2020 --- Follow...

Chris Hughen sat down with Chad Cook to discuss all things shared and specific mechanisms. We dive into a variety of topics including: non-specific effects, natural history, clinician bias, patient variability in treatment response, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/hcasjnLLEE0   Episode Resources: Shared and Specific Mechanisms for MSK Conditions Paper Shared and Specific Me...

Chris Hughen sat down with Marc Surdyka to discuss all things tendon rehab. We dive into the evolution of tendon pain terminology, the role of inflammation, loading protocols, clinical applications, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/mF5CtFnVtO4   Episode Resources: Video: How to Rehab Tendon Injuries and Pain Article: How to Rehab Tendon Injuries and Pain --- Follow Us: YouTu...

Chris Hughen sat down with Erik Meira to discuss all things early stage ACL rehabilitation. We dive into a variety of topics including: swelling and calming the knee down, restoring range of motion, cyclops lesions, gait training, waking up the quads, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/eTFFS38be3k   Episode Resources: Prior Episodes with Erik: #31 , #77 , #116 Erik's Website:...

Chris Hughen sat down with Marc Surdyka and Nathan Henderson to discuss whether or not rehab should be pain free. We dive into when and how much pain is acceptable during rehab, conditions and contexts when it is appropriate to minimize (or even completely avoid) pain, and much more. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/e7aayZcA2Kw   Episode Resources: Article: Should Rehab Be Pain-Free? Artic...