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                                    Knee Rehabilitation on Skates1538hamstring and calf muscles) leads to less shock absorbance by decreased use of knee flexion. In quadriceps dominance athletes preferentially use the quadriceps instead of posterior kinetic chain to control the limb and therefore enhance ligament dominance. Moreover, overtightening of the quadriceps muscle leads to more anterior forces on the proximal tibia. This leads to more stress on the ACL which functions as a restraint to anterior translation of the tibia.15A rehabilitation protocol focusing on the posterior kinetic chain might enhance performance after ACL reconstruction and lead to earlier return to sports.Trunk dominance or core dysfunction is defined as the inability to precisely control the trunk in the three dimensional space. During all activities the ground reaction force is aimed at the centre of mass, which is located in the trunk segment of the body. In case of an unstable trunk, the trunk is often moved laterally during single leg stance. This leads to a lateral shift of the ground reaction force through the knee and thus producing a valgus alignment. A valgus position of the knee is known to produce a higher stress level on the ACL and therefore making it more susceptible for injury.15 Core stability training may decrease lateralization of the trunk and in doing so, protect the ACL. All these factors are described more often in female athletes than in males.The skating position (both in inline and in ice speed skating) requires a high amount of trunk balance and prolonged squatting. A prolonged squatting position requires the presence of an adequate posterior kinetic chain. The forward stride in skating combines hip extension, abduction and external rotation, knee extension and foot plantar flexion. From this theoretical overlap between ACL rehabilitation and the skating motion we developed the idea to combine the two and incorporate speed skating in the rehabilitation after ACLR. Because of the possibility of major balance disturbances and even falling during skate training, adequate preparation before starting the skate training was deemed essential. Therefore certain objective criteria Mark Zee.indd 153 03-01-2024 08:56
                                
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