Sport Testing

When having the athlete perform ballistic and plyometric/return to sport movements no one is objectively watching them move. To be honest many physical therapists aren’t critically examining how the athlete is moving prior to progressing them onto ballistic movements. Most people think time is a correct measure as to when the athlete can return to these activities. Nothing could be more wrong.

Within two years of returning to sport one in five athletes will re-tear their operative or contra-lateral ACL because they were not properly prepared to perform sports related movements correctly. At best other programs get the athlete back to where they were prior to their injury. Over 70% of athletes suffering a lower extremity injury become injured in a non-contact way. This leads us to believe that their prior level of ability and strength was not good enough to prevent injury in the first place.

All sports have an inherent risk of injury. East Coast MPI’s approach works to minimize that risk and improve the performance of Athlete.

East Coast MPI utilizes multiple levels of technology to determine strength, motor recruitment and movement patterns. We have the gold standard of return to sport testing equipment and knowledge.

We assess the athletes’ strength using an isometric dynameter and comparing that data to age related norms. Appropriate muscle recruitment is measured with surface EMG. The athletes’ ability to perform athletic movements properly is assessed with our Simi movement capture.  Our Simi Movement Capture system is paired with AMTI force plates to measure how the athlete’s foot impact and placement affect the corresponding ground reaction forces coming back up from the ground. Depending on the position of the athlete’s trunk, hip or knee these forces can have harmful impact on the athlete’s knee and hip during an athletic movement. East Coast MPI is the only facility in the tri-state area with this combination of technology and training to help identify pathological/compensatory movements.

 East Coast MPI offers the most comprehensive return to sport test available, assessing the athlete throughout 6 different athletic movements.   We believe this is the only way to objectively work to truly reduce the risk of re injury.

Return to sport training will improve the athletes’ ability to perform.