In the realm of physical therapy, a structured approach is of paramount importance. Without a roadmap, the journey from injury to recovery is difficult.

After mentoring and talking with hundreds of physical therapists, I came to realize that most therapists are just throwing darts and seeing what sticks.

Most therapists understand the general goals but are not executing on a plan that creates consistent results.

Enter the HIDEF PT Framework: a seven-phase methodology that serves as our North Star, guiding each step of the rehabilitation process.

We made it spell HIDEFPT so it would be easy to remember, but the names don't matter. The process is what matters if you want to get consistent results with every patient.

Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee are very prevalent in sports, with an estimated 300,000 ACL reconstructions performed annually in just the United States (Greenberg 2018). The most common question every athlete asks after an injury is, “When can I play again?” Every injury and situation is unique. At the end of the day, the answer is “It depends.” 

In 2012, Adrian Peterson became the poster child for return to sport after an ACL injury. He defied all odds, running through the NFL on his way to earning league MVP just nine months after sustaining his injury. As a professional athlete, he could dedicate all of his time and resources towards rehabilitation and recovery.

Clearing athletes to return to sport after injury can be challenging. What tests should be used? How much testing is enough? What is the passing criteria?

Hop tests are often considered an important part of return-to-sport testing after knee injury. The tests can be performed nearly anywhere using minimal equipment, and they allow comparison between the injured and uninjured limb. But, should we be using hop tests?

Here are the pros and cons of hop testing.

Listen up, physical therapists—you’re probably screwing yourself with outdated stuff you learned in PT school. You’re running a clinic, not a time capsule. So why are you still clinging to dogmatic BS like it’s 1995? Let’s break down what “dogma” even means in physical therapy, spotlight the worst offenders, and get you on a path to actually help your patients—plus make your clinic the talk of the town.