Stage 4 - Sport Specific
Time Period: 12 Weeks to Six Months
Aim
- To improve patient confidence
- To prepare for a return to sport.
Goals
- Introduce more sport specific activities
- Incorporate agility and reaction time into proprioceptive work
- Enhance total leg strength
- Improve patient confidence.
- A possible problem during this stage is patellofemoral irritability.
Treatment Guideline
- Continue general strength work including half squats with resistance, leg presses, leg curls, wall squats, and step work on progressively higher steps, stepper and rowing machine.
- Commence jogging in a straight line and on a flat surface from week 16.
- Hopping and jumping activities, with a focus on a good landing technique, should be incorporated into proprioceptive work. Can incorporate lateral movements.
- At around 20 weeks, ball skill, sideways running and skipping rope may be included into agility work.
- Proprioception and confidence may be enhanced by low impact and step aerobic classes.
- Pool work may include the use of flippers.
After 20 weeks commence those sporting activities that are specific for the individual. For example, a tennis player might work on lateral step lunges and forwards and backwards running drills. A skier might use a slide board, lateral box stepping and jumping and zigzag hopping. A volleyball or basketball player might engage in vertical jumps.
