top of page

ONE STOP ATHLETIC THERAPY

Elevating Human Performance

AT 1.jpg
Post: Welcome
Search

Showing Your Scars: From Pain To Passion



We are Kiersten and Melissa, the creators behind Island ACL Conditioning. As Strength and Conditioning Coaches at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence (PISE), we created and are currently running an ACL Injury Risk Reduction Programs for youth female athletes. This program teaches skills in creating a proper warm-up, strength training, jumping and running mechanics. Additionally, we have spent some time running seminars in the community for youth athletes, their coaches, and their parents on what an ACL injury is and how we can mitigate the risks of sustaining an ACL injury. You can follow us on instagram @islandacl


 

Our Story


It all started with our personal ACL recovery journeys. Kiersten tore her first ACL in 2008 and her second ACL in 2019 in a provincial soccer game. She had ACL reconstruction surgery in June of 2020 and has been on the rehab grind since.


Melissa tore her ACL in 2015. After numerous false negative MRIs and Orthopaedic Surgeons' visits, it was confirmed in 2018 that she had indeed torn her ACL. Mel underwent ACL reconstruction surgery in May of 2018 but had several complications that led to a PRP (Platelet-rich Plasma) injection in 2019 and a second surgery in December of 2019. Since then, she has not been able to return to sport due to continued complications from both surgeries.


As such, both of us know this injury far too well and has lead us to Island ACL Conditioning!


If you were to have told us that we would attempt to start a business built on the foundation of what tore us both down, challenged us at every turn and took sports away from us, we would probably have laughed at you. See because ACL injuries, well, they suck if we are being honest! The rehab is gruelling, the mountain highs and the valley lows are emotionally draining. Yet going though this challenging experience it is what brought us here, created this passion to help others lessen their risk of going through this experience.


Also, we believe that having this personal experience and true understanding of what it is like to go through an injury/recovery like this has provided us with additional skills as an Athletic Therapist and future Athletic Therapist.


So how did we get to Island ACL Conditioning?


Well, it began with a conversation about how many people, such as female athletes go through this gruelling injury and how 2/3 of those (non-contact) injuries could be prevented. How society is so accepting of the fact that it is just a part of physical activity/sport, and it’s just the way it is. When in reality it is so simple to mitigate our risks.


The realization that there is a huge gap missing in our physical activity and sport communities and we can do something to fill that, was a driving force for us. That is when the idea was born, and then as with every crazy idea, we got to work and created a flow chart. We wrote out all the ways we wanted to help others, how we hoped to produce change, and what that change looked like to us. From there we took the most achievable ideas and ran with them!


It’s unbelievable to look back at how things started, what they are now, and where they are headed. We truly have turned our pain into passion! Knowing what we know now, the process is so challenging, but so worth it. The gratitude we feel for what we have learned about ourselves and how to help others which money can’t buy!

Kiersten McLeod CAT(C), CSEP-CEP, CSCS

Melissa Pankratz CATA(certificate candidate), BHK, CSCS


 

What does our ACL Injury Risk Reduction Program Offer?


This is a 6-week introduction program for female youth athletes (12-18yrs) to learn about and participate in injury reduction training. Athletes will participate in a 1.25 hour long training session and will be sent home with a home program.

  • Education will include: general knee anatomy, understanding the ACL and its function, ACL injury statistics and causes.

  • Practical program will focus on proper warm-up techniques, strength training, jumping and landing mechanics, and running agility.


Example of what we teach: “Landing from a jump is a major component we touch upon during our youth programs. One way that we teach proper form in landing technique is to start with “snap downs”. Snap downs, when performed correctly, require the individual to execute a triple extension of the hips, knees and ankles. Furthermore, the exercise is dynamic and at a lower level, mimics the natural deceleration one must make upon landing from a jump. As such, you can teach good bodily positioning, power and joint acceptance of a more forceful load at a lower level. This exercise is great for coaching landing position where trunk, hips, knees and feet are concerned without the pressure of landing from a height. Excelling at this skill provides an individual with the tools to perform any jumping or running exercise with better bodily awareness and precision.”






143 views0 comments
Post: Blog2 Post
bottom of page