Articles

Ankle sprains are the most common sports injury, and the most under-rehabilitated. Most athletes return to play when the pain fades. That's the problem. Up to 40% of people who sprain their ankle develop chronic instability. Pain resolving ≠ ankle recovered. Full ligament healing can take up to a year, even when you feel fine. At Forte Physical Therapy in Halifax, we inform our rehab and clearance using objective, performance-based testing.   Our RTS Testing Battery: Isometric Calf Strength Test Measures force production through the ankle before dynamic loading begins Target: ≥90% Limb Symmetry [...]

Ankle sprains make up 10-30% of all sports injuries, yet most people don't rehab them properly. I know, because I was one of them. My Story I was playing rugby in high school when I went into a tackle. My bodyweight plus a 200-pound opponent folded directly onto my ankle. I heard a massive snap, then immediate, severe pain. My ankle blew up like a balloon. X-rays ruled out a fracture. I was put on crutches and sent to physio. This is where I wish things went differently. What My Rehab Looked Like I [...]

Is Your Knee Actually Ready to Run? Why 3 Months Isn't the Whole Answer So your surgeon or physio told you: "You can start running at 3 months." Great news  but here's what that really means: three months is the earliest your knee should be introduced to running, not a guarantee that it's ready. Think of it like a minimum age requirement, not a green light. At around 12 weeks, the new graft that replaced your ACL is still in a vulnerable stage of healing. The tissue is maturing and adapting and sending it [...]

You need to know what is causing your knee pain, or else you could be making it worse. Knee pain is one of the most common reasons people come see us at Forte Physical Therapy in Halifax, and also one of the most mismanaged.  A generic exercise routine off YouTube isn't just unhelpful if applied to the wrong problem. It can actually slow down your recovery or cause further damage. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to knee rehabilitation. Two people with knee pain may need completely opposite treatments. Here's how we think through it. [...]

Tearing your ACL is one of the most significant injuries an athlete can face. Surgery is only the beginning; what happens during rehab determines whether you get back to sport safely and return to your best. At FORTE, we follow a rigorous, evidence-based approach to return-to-sport testing. We don't guess when you're ready. We test, we measure, and we make sure. Here are the 5 criteria we assess for a safe return to sport.   No. 1: Timeline, A Minimum of 9 Months Post-Surgery Your new ACL graft needs time to heal, mature, and [...]