The Sports Physical Therapy Podcast · Mike Reinold

Neurological Consequences on ACL Injuries with Terry Grindstaff - Episode 39

·46 min·3 clips

Quadriceps loss after ACL is described as driven neurologically, not just by weakness.

Mike Reinald opens the episode by introducing Terry Grindstaff and his work at Creighton University. Terry’s background blends research, education, and direct work with student-athletes. That combination keeps the conversation clinical without making it feel dry. The main topic is the neuromuscular fallout that can follow lower-extremity injuries. A lot of the discussion centers on quadriceps inhibition. The episode frames that inhibition as being driven by pain pathways, swelling, and altered sensory input, not just simple weakness. That matters because rehab has to address more than strength work alone. Sensory TENS comes up as one practical tool. The point is not to force a motor contraction. The goal is to provide sensory input around the knee that can help blunt some of the early inhibitory signals. Compression also enters the conversation as part of that early strategy. Mike and Terry talk through the value of getting stimulus around the knee in a way that is firm but still comfortable. One helpful thread is the emphasis on duration. The episode suggests that wearing sensory TENS for longer portions of the day may be more useful than a short clinic session. That makes the approach feel more realistic for home use. The hosts also tie the idea back to patient compliance and day-to-day implementation. Rather than treating modalities as a cure-all, the conversation places them alongside early therapeutic exercise. Mike is openly appreciative of the approach and says it is something he underuses. That gives the episode a useful peer-to-peer feel. The dialogue keeps returning to what practitioners should do when a patient still cannot fully control the quad. It stays practical and clinic-facing throughout. The episode does not try to cover every lower-extremity issue at once. Instead, it stays with a narrow clinical problem and works through it carefully. That focus makes it easy to follow for listeners who want applied sports rehab thinking. By the end, the episode turns a research-heavy topic into a few concrete ideas clinicians can try in the real world.

As heard by us

A practical rehab conversation that turns neuromuscular theory into usable clinical choices.

Terry Grindstaff and Mike Reinald keep the focus on the neuromuscular side of lower extremity rehab, with quadriceps inhibition after injury at the center of the discussion.

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Why you'd press play

You want lower-extremity rehab ideas that connect neuromuscular inhibition, pain, and simple clinic tools.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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