Vald Dynamo and Force Plate Assessment with Beyond Physio
At Beyond Physio and Fitness, our role is to ensure that we not only get you back to doing what you love, but restore and improve your performance, whilst reducing the risk of recurrence of your injury.
For example, ACL rehabilitation is a 9 months+ journey that goes on way beyond the point of when knee pain subsides. We work hard to restore the movement, strength, balance and proprioception of the leg. We then concentrate on returning to running, speed work and agility over a period of time and use a specific battery of tests to measure whether you’re ready to return to Sport.
(Kotsifaki R, Korakakis V, King E, et alAspetar clinical practice guideline on rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction British Journal of Sports Medicine 2023;57:500-514.)
(Draovitch P, Patel S, Marrone W, Grundstein MJ, Grant R, Virgile A, Myslinski T, Bedi A, Bradley JP, Williams RJ 3rd, Kelly B, Jones K. The Return-to-Sport Clearance Continuum Is a Novel Approach Toward Return to Sport and Performance for the Professional Athlete. Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil. 2022 Jan 28;4(1):e93-e101. doi: 10.1016/j.asmr.2021.10.026. PMID: 35141541; PMCID: PMC8811516.)
Historically, we have had to do a lot of ‘eyeballing’ assessments, by looking at hop measurements subjectively for the symmetry between the left and right leg. Strength measures were completed by either repeated movements to failure or 6RM testing in a gym if you were lucky. However, this allowed for compensatory movement patterns, and increased risk of re-injury. Weber M, Müller M, Mathieu-Kälin M, Caminada S, Häberli M, Baur H. Evaluation of hop test movement quality to enhance return to sport testing. A cross-sectional study. Front Sports Act Living. 2024 Mar 4;6:1305817. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1305817. PMID: 38500546; PMCID: PMC10944867.
Thankfully, developments in technology means we can now collect accurate data on your strength, power and movement mechanics! At Beyond, we’re committed to providing Gold Standard care, and have got our hands on the latest technology by VALD, a company used globally by High Performance Sport.
You may have already had the chance to meet the Dynamo, which is a hand-held device used to measure the strength output of various muscles. The Dynamo has been key in reducing the guess-work from our assessment; we now know if a muscle is truly weak by comparing your values to normative data. We also use it to monitor your progress, and make sure that your rehab programme is right for you!
The Force Decks are a recent addition to the team and are a fantastic tool for assessing jump height and landing mechanics - essential for return to running and return to sporting activities post-injury. We can ensure weight and power is coming from each leg symmetrically, measure how quickly this force can be produced and how heavy landing can be. This is key for better understanding what type of plyometric rehabilitation you may need. Like the dynamo, results can be tracked to monitor progress and see you working towards your goals!
If you are interested in this type of testing for a more in depth look at strength and power, call us or book online with one of our physios today and ask about the Dynamo or Force Plates!
