272 | Using AI in ACL Rehab: What It Can Actually Do For You (And Where It Starts to Break Down) - Part 1 Artwork

The ACL Athlete Podcast

The ACL Athlete Podcast brings you everything you need to know about ACL injuries. This podcast creates discussion around the ACL injury itself, research, rehab, performance, return to sport, mindset, you name it. I'm your host, Dr. Ravi Patel, Performance Physical Therapist, Coach, and 2x ACL athlete. I invite you to join me as we explore insights, expertise, personal stories, and experiences - from the athlete to the healthcare professional to the coach, so that we, together, can raise the standard of care and revolutionize the field of ACL injuries and rehab.

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The ACL Athlete Podcast

272 | Using AI in ACL Rehab: What It Can Actually Do For You (And Where It Starts to Break Down) - Part 1

April 16, 2026

0:00 | 46:31

In this episode, we open a two-part series on one of the most important and underaddressed conversations in ACL rehab right now: how ACL athletes, parents, and clinicians are using artificial intelligence (AI) and where it helps versus where it quietly works against the recovery. We walk through why AI trained on generic, protocol-driven internet content gives athletes the average of a system that is already failing them, and then we break down the first two tiers of our framework. Tier one covers where AI genuinely earns its place, understanding your MRI report, preparing for a surgical consultation, decoding clinical language after appointments, learning about the psychological side of recovery, and navigating a confusing healthcare system. Tier two is where we get honest about the risks, the confidence gap that makes AI sound certain when it is not, and the confirmation bias loop that lets athletes find the permissive answer they were looking for without anyone ever actually examining their knee. Part two is coming next week with the hard lines, the three-question framework you can use forever, and exactly how we use AI at The ACL Athlete.

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