Sports Medicine Center is leading the way to protect our young athletes.

Serious knee injuries are sidelining athletes at an alarming rate with over 100,000 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries occurring in the United States each year. Most of these injuries are non-contact injuries occurring in sports such as soccer, basketball and volleyball that involve pivoting, cutting or jumping.

The ACL controls the pivoting and forward motion of the knee joint, along with the hamstrings muscles. If these muscles are not adequately prepared, jumping/twisting motions may create shear forces, which can tear the ACL. An ACL injury may sideline an athlete for 6 - 12 months.

After a decade of research, the Sportsmetrics program was developed as prevention program for athletes to address these serious knee injuries.
"We have seen a growing number of athletes come in to our clinic with knee injuries." Says Chuck Smith, Physical Therapist and owner of Sports Medicine Center, "We are concerned and want to bring a program to our athletes to prevent these serious, season-ending injuries." Northern Michigan Sports Medicine Center became a certified Sportsmetrics™ training facility in April of 2003.

What is Sportsmetrics™?

Sportsmetrics™ is a plyometric jump-training and strengthening program, specifically designed for athletes. This six-week rehabilitation program is designed to refine neuromuscular control of the lower limbs. Through a specialized progression of phyometric and strengthening drills, participants learn proper jumping and landing techniques, achieve a greater hamstring to quadriceps muscular strength balance and produce a quicker firing rate of the hamstring muscles. These results have produced a 22% reduction in landing force, a 59% decrease in side to side twisting of the knee joint during impact, and a 10% increase in vertical jump.

Why is Sportsmetrics™ training so unique?

Sportsmetrics™ is NOT just another plyometric training program. This rehabilitation program is designed and structured to progress the athlete from technique development to performance enhancement with each session building on the previous bout of training. Every instructor has a degree in the exercise field and is a Certified Sportsmetrics™ Trainer. Participants are supervised throughout every session from the warm up to the concluding stretches.

How to get started:

First, if you are experiencing difficulty with your knee or have knee pain, consult your physician for a screening and a prescription for Sportsmetrics™.

Second, schedule an initial physical therapy visit to begin your
Sportsmetrics™ training. The first visit will measure several important factors such as an athlete's strength, coordination and body alignment. Evaluations take approximately 45 minutes and are performed at NMSMC in Harbor Springs and Petoskey.

Third, begin your Sportsmetrics™ program, which is proven to help athletes:

• Significantly reduce the risk of serious knee injury
• Jump higher
• Improve leg strength, especially the hamstrings to quadriceps strength ratio

Northern Michigan Sports Medicine Center is a Certified Clinical Site forCincinatti Sports Medicine Research and Educational Foundation.