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.
Episodes
228 episodes
228 | The One ACL Exercise Everyone’s Told to Do—That I Rarely Prescribe
In this episode, we break down a specific exercise—often a staple in early ACL rehab—isn’t the universal must-do exercise it’s made out to be. Speaking directly to both ACL athletes and clinicians, I'm sharing a candid conversation with an athl...
•
29:35
227 | Why The Best Surgeon Can’t Save You From Bad ACL Rehab
In this episode, we discuss a common theme that I often see with ACLers when it comes to choosing their ACL team. We dive into how this search looks, the best and worst case scenarios, a helpful rating system, and accessing elite level care.
•
26:47
226 | The #1 Mistake After ACL Surgery That Keeps Swelling Around
In this episode, we tackle the #1 mistake I often see that makes swelling stick around. We dive into the downsides of swelling, diagnosing the problem, ACLers who feel they're "following the plan", case examples, and a very helpful 4-step frame...
•
35:01
225 | Vacation or Setback? Navigating Travel During ACL Rehab
In this episode, we dive into navigating travel during ACL rehab. Inevitably, travel will happen for many folks over the course of 9-12+ months of a rehab process. So how do you handle it? This episode covers the conversations we have with our ...
•
17:32
224 | The Real Price of Waiting: Opportunity Cost in ACL Rehab
In this episode, we discuss opportunity cost in ACL rehab. Every decision we make has an opportunity cost. Each week, I have people reach out with problems, questions, and concerns regarding their cases. I want to break down the realities of th...
•
37:32
223 | Rehab Realities vs. The Reel: The Social Media Illusion of ACL Recovery
In this episode, we discuss the realities behind a true ACL rehab journey vs. what you might see on social media. Understanding the purpose of these platforms and the inherent nature of social media can help us understand how to better filter w...
•
14:11
222 | Your Built-In Benchmark: Why the Uninvolved Side Can Be Your ACL Rehab Guide
In this episode, we discuss a commonly overlooked benchmark in ACL rehab - your uninvolved side. While this leg has to take on the load early on, it can be a helpful proxy for a number of things in the ACL rehab process. What's important is tha...
•
20:29
221 | How to Build Your ACL Athlete Dashboard - Measure What Matters
In this episode, we dive into the building your ACL athlete dashboard - a big part of pulling from the quote: "what gets measured gets managed". We go hard on this one talking about the dangers of the wrong things, focusing on very simple 3 ste...
•
50:40
220 | The One Question Every ACL Athlete Must Ask Their PT
In this episode, we share the number one question to vet and see if your physical therapist/rehab provider is legit for you and your ACL rehab. We break down why this is so important, how it can tell you a lot, the typical process ACLers go thr...
•
38:57
219 | I'm Having Surgery: Pulling Back the Curtain - Part 2
In part 2 of this 2-part podcast episode series, I discuss an upcoming surgery I'm having. I pull back the curtain on my own journey getting here, being super open and transparent about my whole process, the challenges I've faced, and how I cam...
•
59:16
218 | I'm Having Surgery: Pulling Back the Curtain - Part 1
In this episode, I discuss an upcoming surgery I'm having. I pull back the curtain on my own journey getting here, being super open and transparent about my whole process, the challenges I've faced, and how I came to this decision. I'm putting ...
•
35:20
217 | 8 Ways to Finally Get Rid of Swelling After ACL Surgery - Part 2
In part 2 of this 2-part podcast episode series, we continue the conversation on our 8 proven strategies to help with swelling management in ACL rehab. This is after managing so many swollen knees over the years and ACLers including myself. It ...
•
32:06
216 | 8 Ways to Finally Get Rid of Swelling After ACL Surgery - Part 1
In part 1 of this 2-part podcast episode series, we dive into all things swelling management. We discuss the background on swelling and the why, how it influences the recovery and our quads, and then we start tapping into the 8 proven strategie...
•
31:32
215 | The 0-100% Assessment: A Simple Tool for Addressing Gaps + Confidence in ACL Rehab
In this episode, we dive into the 0-100% assessment I use with all of my ACLers. It's a very simple tool to get context with where ACLers are as we zoom out. This then fuels the next questions which has SO much value in helping us adapt the gam...
•
17:36
214 | When Should You Schedule ACL Surgery?
In this episode, we provide guidance on when you should schedule your ACL surgery. While it might seem super straight forward to just jump in the next open spot and get it over with, there might be a better path to give you your best chance. We...
•
19:41
213 | Keeping Your "Floor" High: Maintaining Fitness During ACL Rehab
In this episode, we discuss how to keep your floor high after ACL injury and surgery. We often find that ACLers go from one extreme, moving and being active, to the other, resting and not doing anything. There's an opportunity here. And we talk...
•
20:26
212 | Can You Prevent A Cyclops Lesion in ACL Rehab?
In this episode, we answer whether you can prevent a cyclops lesion from happening in ACL rehab. We give some background on a cyclops lesion, theories behind it, factors we see contributing to one forming, answering the question, and creating a...
•
21:12
211 | Breaking Down the 3-Step Return to Performance Continuum After ACL Injury
In this episode, we cover the 3-step return to performance continuum in detail. We explore the most important question to answer for our ACLers, the RTP continuum, 4 guiding principles that anchor this process, determining if an athlete is read...
•
18:41
210 | Four Whole Years + Four Lessons Learned
In this episode, we celebrate 4 years of The ACL Athlete Podcast. We talk about the journey over the past 4 years and what we've accomplished together as a community. The incredible messages, the reach, and 4 lessons I've taken away from this e...
•
27:11
209 | Torn ACL? How to Process Your ACL Injury
In this episode, we cover how to initially process your ACL injury after its happened. As someone who's torn his ACL twice, it can be a lot to take in. This episode pulls back the curtain on how that experience felt from ACL #1 to ACL #2 and a ...
•
16:37
208 | Should You Get A Second Opinion For ACL Surgery?
In this episode, we answer the question on whether you should get a second opinion for your ACL surgery. We discuss some assumptions that are made during this process, putting yourself into a few different scenarios for comparison, making a cho...
•
21:12
207 | 10 Key Strategies For Better Sleep After ACL Surgery
In this episode, we dive into 10 key strategies that will help you sleep better immediately after ACL surgery. We dive into what things to avoid, what to look for, ways to manage the symptoms, positioning, protecting the site, setting up your e...
•
26:27
206 | The .300 Mindset: Embracing Progress Over Perfection in ACL Rehab
In this episode, we dive into the .300 mindset. One that I think many of you will resonate with. We over strive for perfection as humans or these all-or-nothing mentalities. This mindset helps us reset our expectations, especially in such a lon...
•
8:44
205 | Never Zero: Building Momentum in ACL Rehab
In this episode, we cover the Never Zero mindset and how it's key in this ACL rehab process. We dive into how Newton's first law and this mindset connect, how momentum - even just a little - matters a lot, the nonlinearity of ACL rehab, and som...
•
11:56
204 | Gains Over Gaps: Shifting Your Mindset in ACL Rehab
In this episode, we dive into this topic about the gap and the gain. I really love this concept and it's a big one in ACL rehab. It's easy to look at what's ahead. Here, we share an ACLer breaking down, redirecting towards the gain vs. gap mind...
•
19:29