26/05/2026
One of the main mechanisms of an ACL injury is planting the foot to decelerate, cut, change direction, or rapidly reaccelerate.
That’s why the single leg drop jump is such an important test in the later stages of ACL rehab.
This movement challenges the athlete’s ability to:
* absorb force
* control force
* reproduce force rapidly
* stabilise through the hip, knee and ankle
* tolerate high-speed single leg loading
all within a fraction of a second.
In sport, you don’t get time to think before you move. Your body has to react instantly.
The single leg drop jump gives us insight into whether the athlete is truly ready for those demands again.
Using the VALD force plates allows us to go beyond just “it looks good.”
We can objectively assess:
* asymmetries between limbs
* force production
* landing strategy
* braking forces
* reactive strength
* loading tolerance
This helps us identify whether the athlete is simply able to complete rehab exercises… or whether they’re actually prepared for the forces involved in returning to sport.
Because being pain free is not the same as being ready.
Rehab should progress beyond bands and basic strengthening.
At some stage, the athlete must prove they can tolerate the same type of forces that commonly contribute to ACL injuries in the first place.