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Back on the Ice: Safely Returning After ACL Surgery

Back on the Ice: Safely Returning After ACL Surgery

Update: 2025-11-14
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This episode offers a clinical roadmap for returning to hockey after ACL reconstruction. We break down an on-ice progression model tailored to hockey's unique demands, covering biomechanical stress, neuromuscular load, and psychological readiness.
Coming back from an ACL injury in hockey requires more than just rehab—it takes a structured on-ice progression. In this episode, we explore how to safely transition players from off-ice recovery to game-ready conditioning using evidence-based stages.
Main source: Clinical Commentary: On-Ice Return-to-Hockey Progression After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Jacob J. Capin, William Behrns, Karen Thatcher, Amelia Arundale, Angela Hutchinson Smith, Lynn Snyder-Mackler
J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2018 May 1.Published in final edited form as: J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2017 May; 47(5): 324–333. Published online 2017 Mar 29. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2017.7245
PMCID: PMC5480966

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Back on the Ice: Safely Returning After ACL Surgery

Back on the Ice: Safely Returning After ACL Surgery

The Science of Hockey