Injuries Caused by "Other Side" Weaknesses

Weird blog title....I know.

I wanted to write this one on how one side of your body that is either recovering from an injury, has tight muscles, or has weak muscles.....if you have this, how it could increase your injury risk on the "non-affected" side. I was reminded of this when I read this article on NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin suffering a torn left ACL while playing pickup basketball....only 5 weeks from a right knee arthroscopy. Story here

DISCLAIMER: I am not privy to any details concerning Mr. Hamlin's injury or physical condition. I am merely guessing based on my experience, and what I write below may not apply to his specific situation.

If I had to guess, it seems logical to follow this train of thought: right knee still recovering, feeling better but maybe not 100% in strength, or maybe not trusting it fully, which may have put extra stress on the left knee, and then when he planted, his left ACL gave way.

Again, this may not have been the case with Mr. Hamlin. But I have seen countless athletes who have tried to come back too soon, without fully trusting the recovering & involved knee/leg/ankle/arm, etc., and they wind up hurting the other one. Why is that?

1. Muscles not strong enough: you may have done exercises to strengthen it, but not true functional strengthening exercises.

2. Poor neuromuscular control: not enough training the ways the muscles & nerves work together...leading to a lack of trust, which doesn't allow the limb to be used normally.

There are many other reasons, but I think this sums it up.

For an athlete, any recovery from injury has to involve a rehabilitation program that incorporates the transition from simple exercises to true return-to-play exercises: exercises designed to mimic the athlete's demands of their sport. We at Arkansas Sports Performance Center & Athletic Republic incorporate that into training programs called "Bridge Therapy" programs.....a combination of rehab & training. Athletes return to play at even a higher level than before injury.

I encourage anyone dealing with an injury to MAKE SURE you are ready to fully return to play....that you can TRUST the injured part again without thinking about it. If not, you may be setting yourself up for future injury!

BJ Maack, ATC, CSCS