Nick Riewoldt is recognised as one of the most exciting players in the AFL. Read St Kilda football clubs news release on how minimax was used to aid in his rehab from a hamstring injury:
CATAPULT TECHNOLOGY ASSISTS SAINTS CAPTAIN’S REHABILITATION
The fundamental component of a successful return from injury is a well designed program. But within that program the ability to monitor and manage workload is just as important.
In the modern age of sports technology, finding tools that can assist in this process adds to the understanding of how a player is responding to that program.
Down at St Kilda Football Club during the rehabilitation of Nick Riewoldt’s hamstring injury Catapult Innovations, a sport technology company based in Melbourne, provided technology that enabled the conditioning staff at the Saints to closely monitor Nick’s running progression.
Catapult is well known for their GPS technology, and within this technology is the ability to track speed, distance, heart rate and workload in live time.
David Misson, St Kilda’s Elite Performance Manager, explained how Catapult’s technology was used during Riewoldt’s rehabilitation process; “The process involved Nick wearing a small GPS unit on his back, which signalled to a receiver stationed on the ground and connected to a computer. This enabled conditioning staff to closely monitor Nick’s running velocity during every phase of his rehabilitation process, ensuring that each step was not excessively loading the repaired hamstring.”
Misson further explained; “Once Nick had moved away from the initial running rehabilitation and into football specific rehabilitation, the Catapult wireless system remained by allowing traditional measures of distance, number and intensity of efforts to be tracked in live time. This ensured that any cumulative fatigue that may affect the integrity of the hamstring could be negated. This last point is also critical, not only from the injured hamstrings perspective, but also for managing the load of his remaining musculature.”
“Basically, Nick was completing another pre-season and we needed to make sure that his body as a whole responded well, not just the hamstring. The Catapult system was a key component of the success in returning Nick to competition standard, and we would like to thank the Catapult team for their support”, concluded Misson.