Return to Training Hierarchy
Thoughts from: Dr. Michael Reinhardt, DPT, OCS: Performance Physical Therapist, Resilient Performance & PT & R2P Academy Instructor
Returning to training following an injury or period of de-conditioning often boils down to understanding the relevant movement and force demands for the individual.
The above return to training hierarchy can be a useful guide to ensure that prerequisite movement, force, and rate of force demands are restored prior to a full return to training and competitive demands.
The body will always follow the path of least resistance when performing any movement task. If the necessary force generating capacities are not established at a particular muscle or joint, the body will self-correct in a manner that still accomplishes a given task.
For example, if the quad is weak, the path of least resistance when performing a step up, squat, or acceleration will be to adopt more of a hip-dominant strategy to perform the task/exercise at hand.
Such offloading of weak or painful tissues is often at the detriment of movement efficiency and altered movement strategies.
While this is often useful in the short-term, it can become the limiting factor when assessing higher intensity and maximal performance demands.
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