A common question regarding ACL reconstructions is, “does the patellar tendon gap heal after the central third is harvested for an ACL graft? This is a great question because as you can see in the photos below one of the patellar tendons appears normal when the quad is on tension, while the other has an obvious gap. Continue reading “What Happens to the Patellar Tendon Gap After ACL Harvest?…and other common ACL questions.”
As summer comes to a close and the fall sports season begins, many kids will begin or resume participation on organized sports teams and in school PE class. This means an increase in growing kids experiencing heel pain, a very common condition known as Sever’s Disease or Sever’s Injury. Continue reading “Pediatric Heel Pain”
Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is one of the most common knee disorders among the active population. It is characterized by peripatellar pain during activity, descending stairs or with prolonged sitting. All of these tasks sound like a typical day for an adolescent student-athlete. The patellofemoral joint consists of the patella and its approximation within the distal femoral groove.
Continue reading “Youth Athlete Patellofemoral Pain: Home Exercise Routine”
Adolescent and young adult ACL reconstructions are a common diagnosis among my caseload. I often get the opportunity to consult and or provide pre-operative physical therapy in many of these cases. Nearly all of my ACL patients participate in athletics, so it’s imperative to return them to a high functional level. Complete rehabilitation requires 9-12 months of focused therapy and dedicated hard work by the patient, but it’s also important to get off to a good start. Continue reading “Considerations for Adolescent ACL Reconstructions”
Injuries to the shoulder and elbow are common amongst baseball players and the topic of many studies in peer reviewed journals. Previous studies have determined that joint forces at maximum external rotation (MER) and anterior joint instability are 
prime factors that lead to injury.(1, 2) Continue reading “Baseball: Reducing Injury Risk in Pitching Mechanics”
With all the research available regarding ACL surgeries, evidence for return to sport guidelines remain undefined. Many athletes are cleared for return to sport 6-9 months post-op regardless of physical objective performance data. In fact I’ve had athletes who rehabbed elsewhere come in for a one time visit to have me evaluate them for return to sport. Continue reading “ACL Return to Sport Testing”
Tearing your ACL is typically a traumatic event, most of my ACL patients report knowing they did something serious to their knee. This will usually land you in the office of an orthopedic specialist within a week of the incident. Once there is confirmation and diagnosis of an ACL tear it can often take up to 2 months to schedule a surgical date, it may be due to personal schedules, surgeon schedule, or researching graft choices. Continue reading “ACL: What to do between diagnosis & surgery”
This is a guest post from Kevin Wentz, PT, CSCS. Kevin is the Founder and Co-Owner of Catz Physical Therapy Institute and Sports Performance Center in Pasadena, CA. He has been a leader in the sports medicine field since 1994 and has rehabbed the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, David Beckham, and Adrian Beltre. I have had the good fortune of working with him at Catz since 2007.
Elbow Injuries in Young Baseball Pitchers
by Kevin Wentz Continue reading “Little Leaguer’s Elbow”
Running is a big deal here in Pasadena, we have numerous running & tri clubs nearby, and a niche running store that specializes in finding the right shoe for your foot, running style and terrain choice. The Arroyo Seco provides some nature and uneven trail surfaces while the Rose Bowl gives you a nice 5K loop that is traveled daily by runners, walkers and cyclists. Annually, Pasadena hosts its own Marathon and being only a few miles north of Downtown, the LA Marathon is a common training goal for many runners to work towards. When working with an endurance athlete, it’s important to remember that it’s always good to work towards strength. Strength helps everything. However, the opposite is true with power athletes, you don’t want power-lifters, weight-lifters, 
sprinters or in my opinion, baseball pitchers going on long endurance runs, but everybody benefits from getting stronger. Often times it will take some convincing to get your endurance specialist to buy into getting stronger because many runners believe building strength will add bulk. Here are just a few fairly recent studies to support strength for improved endurance performance. I will add to this list as I come across pertinent studies and articles.
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports 2013 Aug
Optimizing strength training for running and cycling endurance performance: A review.
B R Rønnestad, I Mujika
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 2014 Mar
Mixed maximal and explosive strength training in recreational endurance runners.
Ritva S Taipale, Jussi Mikkola, Tiina Salo, Laura Hokka, Ville Vesterinen, William J Kraemer, Ari Nummela, Keijo Häkkinen
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 2008 Jun
Maximal strength training improves running economy in distance runners.
Oyvind Støren, Jan Helgerud, Eva Maria Støa, Jan Hoff
This is a guest post from Kevin Wentz, PT, CSCS. Kevin is the Founder and Co-Owner of Catz Physical Therapy Institute and Sports Performance Center in Pasadena, CA. He has been a leader in the sports medicine field since 1994 and has rehabbed the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, David Beckham, and Adrian Beltre. I have had the good fortune of working with him at Catz since 2007.
Physical Therapy Management of Running Injuries
by Kevin Wentz Continue reading “Running Injury Management”
Chris Butler Sports PT 