Data Driven Rehabilitation
Force Plate
At W6 Physiotherapy, we use advanced Force Plate technology by Gait & Motion to provide objective assessment of strength, balance and movement control.
Force plates measure the amount of force you produce through the ground during movements such as standing, squatting, hopping or jumping. This allows us to identify asymmetries and weaknesses that are not always visible during a standard clinical assessment.
Why Is Force Plate Testing Important?
After injury or surgery, it is common for one side of the body to compensate for the other. Even when pain has settled, strength and control deficits may still be present.
Without objective testing, these differences can go unnoticed and may increase the risk of reinjury.
Force plate assessment helps us:
- Compare left and right limb strength
- Measure power output and rate of force development
- Assess balance and stability
- Analyse landing and movement mechanics
- Track progress over time
This provides clear data to guide your rehabilitation safely and effectively.
Who Can Benefit?
Force plate testing is particularly useful for:
- ACL reconstruction rehabilitation
- Post-operative knee, hip or ankle recovery
- Tendon rehabilitation
- Return-to-sport testing
- Running and gait assessment
- Performance optimisation
Whether you are returning to competitive sport or simply want confidence in your recovery, objective data allows us to make informed decisions about progression.
What to Expect
During your session, we will begin with a clinical discussion about your injury history and goals.
You will then perform a series of controlled movements appropriate to your stage of rehabilitation. These may include balance tasks, squats, single-leg exercises or jump assessments.
We will explain your results clearly and use the data to structure your rehabilitation plan or determine readiness for return to sport.
Where required, reports can also be shared with consultants or insurers.
Goal driven therapy
We complete comprehensive assessments and collect information on injury onset, cause, and area of symptoms, as well as your general health and level of activity. This information helps us create a clear clinical picture of you and your injury.
We also discuss and note your goals, which may include a pain-free walk with your dog or running a marathon.
Once we have assessed you, we can agree on how we can help achieve your goals and set a realistic time frame.
This helps to avoid premature activity progression and re-injury, and it also allows you to plan and have confidence in your care.
We do not guess!
As part of Musculoskeletal assessment, we complete dynamometry testing.
What is a Handheld Dynamometer (HHD)?
HHD is an electronic device used to measure muscle strength. It requires one to exert a maximum isometric force against the device, which is usually held stationary by a therapist or stabilized with a belt or strap.
This assessment method allows for accurately evaluating strength and detecting deficits that could contribute to pain or injury.
Historically, manual muscle testing was used to assess strength, but this method has been proven to be considerably less reliable than HHD.
Should we detect a strength deficit following an assessment, it may be one of the therapy goals. Strength change can be monitored during subsequent therapy sessions.
