The Ask Mike Reinold Show

We’ve all seen it: the acute ACL patient who drags their leg into the clinic, unable to squeeze their quad to save their life. We call it Arthrogenic Muscle Inhibition (AMI), and for years, we’ve treated it as a stubborn, long-term enemy. But a fascinating new study from the American Journal of Sports Medicine suggests we might be overcomplicating it. Researchers analyzed 300 acute ACL patients and found that while AMI is incredibly common (affecting over half of patients), it’s also surprisi...

We all have our favorite "go-to" exercises for patellar tendinopathy. For years, the single-leg decline squat has been the gold standard, often introduced early in rehabilitation to target the tendon. But what if I told you that this specific exercise actually places more load on the patellar tendon than running or double-leg jumping? A massive new study just analyzed 35 common rehabilitation exercises—from step-ups to plyometrics—and ranked them based on actual biomechanical load. The result...

The use of ChatGPT and other AI models has exploded in recent years, and you're starting to see this in most professions, including the medical profession. We've been using AI quite a bit at Champion for a variety of things and wanted to share our experiences. We go over some of the use cases as well as different models that we've tried with varying success We do think you should be using AI. It's an opportunity for growth. We dig into how AI actually helps us treat, teach, and stay current w...

Mike Boyle had a great discussion on Instagram several weeks ago about adults lifting to failure and using low rep schemes. It sparked a lot of arguments among people about which approach is best and whether there's always an answer to this question. We discuss whether adults should lift to failure on low-rep schemes in this week's episode. We'll go over what we do at Champion, how we mostly agree with this, and why we may work low reps for a very certain population for a specific reaso...

Surgeons are adding more lateral extra-articular procedures to ACL reconstructions, especially in young cutting and pivoting athletes. On paper, it sounds great—tighten up the anterolateral side, improve stability, protect the graft. But what does that actually mean for clinical outcomes and for how we manage rehab? A new Level 1 systematic review and meta-analysis just pulled together the randomized trials comparing isolated ACL reconstruction to ACL reconstruction plus a lateral extra-artic...

Wow, I can't believe it's been 10 years! It truly is an honor to be able to host a live episode celebrating the 10-year anniversary of our podcast. Thank you so much for listening all these years! In this episode, we'll answer live questions from an audience of listeners, reflect on some of our favorite moments of the podcast, and give out some prizes and special discounts to all the listeners! Special thanks to our amazing friends from Ancore, SmartCuffs, Suji, SportGrips, and mTrigger for d...

Quadriceps shutdown after ACL reconstruction is one of the biggest barriers we see in the clinic. Even with modern surgical techniques and “aggressive” rehab, too many athletes struggle to get their quad strength back, and that deficit shows up later in gait, loading, and confidence on the field. A new systematic review and meta-analysis just took a fresh look at neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) as an adjunct to ACL rehab. Does adding NMES actually move the needle on quad strength?...

There is substantial variability in rehabilitation protocols following PCL and meniscus repair surgery. There is often a conservative period where we minimize or avoid hamstring activity. Biomechanical studies show that hamstring activity can increase posterior translation of the tibiofemoral joint and potentially put stress on a healing meniscus repair. In this episode, we discuss the science behind this and how we integrate hamstring exercises into our rehabilitation protocols for these pat...

Baseball injuries continue to rise at an alarming rate. Over the years, we have seen the development of more advanced training velocity programs and pitchers that are focused on enhancing their performance during the offseason. This has led to a variety of development programs being performed over the offseason, which takes away from downtime and allows the body to heal after a long competitive season. In this episode, we talk about some of the science behind why you should take time off from...

Blood flow restriction training is gaining popularity, and new research continues to show benefits and potential new uses. We review a brand-new randomized trial examining a brief BFR session before exercise in patients with knee pain. The question: Can a quick change before you even start your main work meaningfully alter pain during the session that follows? The results nudged us to rethink how we open visits for athletes with anterior knee pain. Want the exact setup—and when it’s worth try...