Strength testing returns numbers. Movement quality is still a visual guess.
CoreMotion is built on a simple gap in the research: rehab decisions still lean on the eye, not the data.
7%
of clinicians rate their return-to-sport testing as excellent
Most know their current protocols fall short.
80%
of lower-limb injuries are non-contact
How an athlete moves is the missing link.
The research
Force and Power Testing During ACL Reconstruction Rehabilitation: A World-Wide Survey of Current Practices
157
different testing combinations among 1,154 clinicians across 78 countries — no shared standard for "recovered."
95.8% use multiple devices (avg 3.6); only 21.9% test on time alone, while 46.4% use criteria-based testing.
Testing practices vary wildly clinic to clinic, with no shared standard for what "recovered" means. The gap CoreMotion exists to close.
Read paper (PDF)
doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02374-4
Clinical and biomechanical outcomes of rehabilitation targeting intersegmental control in athletic groin pain
73%
returned to play pain-free (mean 9.9 weeks) after rehab targeting trunk and intersegmental control.
205 patients; HAGOS outcomes improved (effect size 0.6–1.7) and trunk side-flexion during a 110° cut dropped (ES 0.79).
A 205-patient cohort showing that rehab targeting trunk and intersegmental control changes movement and improves outcomes. Core control is trainable and measurable.
Read paper (PDF)
doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-097089
Adding a weight to constrain the trunk increases knee joint kinetics during sidestep cutting in female athletes
+23–27%
more energy absorbed at the knee when the trunk is constrained during a pre-planned sidestep cut (p < 0.001).
21 trained female athletes; trunk loaded with ~5–7.5% body mass held at chest height.
Direct biomechanical evidence that where the trunk goes, knee load follows. Trunk position is a lever on ACL injury risk, and worth measuring.
Read paper (PDF)
doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38368-z
Returning to Performance After ACL Injury in Competitive Alpine Skiing: A Scoping Review and Evidence- and Expert-Informed Practice Recommendations
35
studies synthesized into a sport-specific, criteria-based, multi-domain return-to-performance framework.
Screened from 622 records across four databases; proposes stepwise progression back onto snow.
Return to performance, not just return to play, demands objective, sport-specific movement criteria. Exactly the decisions CoreMotion is designed to support.
Read paper (PDF)
doi.org/10.1111/sms.70246
Enhancing fear of re-injury classification after ACL reconstruction by integrating biomechanical and EMG data using multimodal machine learning
86%
accuracy classifying fear of re-injury from fused movement and muscle data.
72 participants (median 13 months post-op); 83% from kinematics/kinetics, 85% from EMG; trunk tilt, pelvic obliquity and knee rotation among top predictors.
Movement and muscle-activation data can surface psychological readiness that questionnaires miss. Objective signals carry information the eye and self-report do not.
Read paper (PDF)
doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2026.113346
Papers are provided for reference and remain the copyright of their respective publishers. Links open the full PDF.
ACL research & rehab resources
Trusted, freely available places to go deeper on ACL injury, biomechanics, and return-to-sport decision making.
Education
The Science PT — Erik Meira
Evidence-based writing and courses on applying science to rehab, including knee and ACL management.
thesciencept.com
Clinical protocol
Melbourne ACL Rehabilitation Guide 2.0
Free criteria-based rehab protocol by Randall Cooper and Mick Hughes, widely used by clinicians.
team-acl.com
Patient guide
Stanford Health Care: ACL Injury
Plain-language overview of ACL injury, diagnosis, and treatment options for patients.
stanfordhealthcare.org