A recent study, co-authored by our Senior Advisor of Performance in Sports Science, Dr. Bryan Heiderscheit, challenges common assumptions about ACL injury recovery.
Published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, the study examined muscle atrophy in NCAA division I football players, approximately 28 months after undergoing primary, unilateral, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.
Even two years after ACL reconstruction, elite athletes continues to show significant muscle defects—not just where you expect.
The study found that not all muscles in the same group are equally affected.
These finding suggests that traditional rehabilitation programs may not be addressing the affected muscles. Read the full study here.
“Our findings highlight the ongoing challenge of quadriceps dysfunction following ACL reconstruction, even among athletes receiving high-level medical care,” Bryan C. Heiderscheit, PT, PhD, FAPTA, Frederick Gaenslen Professor in Orthopedics, vice chair of research in the department of orthopedics and rehabilitation and director of Badger Athletic Performance and UW Health Runners’ Clinic at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Healio. “We also identified deficits in the gastrocnemius muscle, though not in the soleus, suggesting that ACL reconstruction may influence other muscle groups involved in tibial anterior translation.”
“These insights reinforce the need for rehabilitation strategies that prioritize quadriceps recovery while also addressing the role of other muscle groups, such as the gastrocnemius,” Heiderscheit said. “Additionally, the use of machine-learning algorithms facilitated large-scale muscle volume analysis, demonstrating its potential as a valuable tool for studying muscle adaptations across various orthopedic and sports-related injuries.”
By integrating objective, AI-powered muscle analytics, we help to:
This study reinforces what we already know: measuring individual muscles matters—and we're making it easier than ever to do just that.
If you’re ready to unlock athlete benchmarking for your team, get in touch with us today: info@springbokanalytics.com.