Right now, there is a very concerning trend in sports. Injury rates almost across the board are increasing at unprecedented levels. Knee injuries, in particular, are taking thousands of athletes out of play and jeopardizing their careers.
According to the British journal of sports medicine and UCLA Health, knee injuries account for 41 % of all sports injuries. Anterior cruciate ligament injuries, specifically, have been increasing at endemic levels. From 2007 to 2022, the average ACL injury rate grew 25.9%.
Tiger, Roger Federer, and Kobe, the three athletes we’ve studied thus far on the podcast have all had knee surgeries at some point in their career. Today, I brought in Zak Woodward to talk all about knee health. Zak is a performance coach who has built a career out of helping athletes recover from knee surgery as quickly as possible. His athletes have seen unprecedentedly low re injury rates.
In today’s episode, I talk with Zak about why knee injuries are increasing, how athletes can lower risk of knee injury, and his philosophy on how athletes can come back stronger after surgery.
Links Mentioned :
Training With Zak - https://zwoodwardafc.typeform.com/to/AQ7Z2aE6
Zak's Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/3MwrEHBJSS5K8vqSy1M3Al?si=b24ddd68970c45bb
Zak's IG - https://www.instagram.com/zakwoodwardatp/
Floss Bands - https://amzn.to/3XoFNbA
Athlete Stack - https://designsforsport.com/collections/retail/products/athlete-stack?_pos=1&_fid=34df57d86&_ss=c&selling_plan=3393683700
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Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:00 - Why are Knee Injuries Increasing?
00:04:54 - Are there Common Deficiencies?
00:06:08 - Flexibility vs Strength
00:08:51 - Diagnostics For Knee Risk
00:12:13 - Relationship between knee and other injuries
00:14:39 - Muscle Balance
00:17:03 - Injury mitigation best practices
00:22:55 - What can coaches do?
00:27:08 - Skill acquisition and physical readiness
00:29:25 - Skill acquisition & Strength Coaching
00:34:39 - Zak Origin Story
00:38:55 - Conventional Wisdom vs ATG
00:43:49 - Time Vs Progress Criteria
00:46:28 - Variance in Healing Ability
00:51:16 - What Mindset Should Athletes Have After Injury
00:53:35 - What is the role of pain in recovery?
00:59:27 - What is the role of the athlete in recovery?
01:02:41 - How do you get past the mental block of competing?
01:09:44 - ACL Tear Scenario
01:16:25 - Are there phases of recovery?
01:21:08 - Extra help for recovery
01:25:40 - Bonus Content:: Deep Squat
Research Cited:
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/44/Suppl_1/i1.1
https://projectplay.org/news/2023/11/22/analysis-serious-knee-injury-among-teen-athletes-grows-26
https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/acl-tears-in-young-athletes-at-epidemic-levels#:~:text=Tears%20and%20injuries%20of%20the,will%20sustain%20an%20ACL%20tear.
https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/sports-and-recreational-injuries/#:~:text=Sports%20and%20recreational%20injuries%20increase,increased%20another%2012%%20in%202022.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/21/us/sports-injuries-rise-trnd/index.html
