McEntee Physio & Performance Centre

McEntee Physio & Performance Centre Bringing you the best in Chartered Physiotherapy and Performance Conditioning Chartered Physiotherapists

12/06/2026

🎯Knee Extension: Quad Strength

📊Often for people with limited resistance equipment, or with a particularly irritable knee, this is a nice alternative for both to start loading the quadricep and getting things working around the knee. (this was a staple during lockdown when none of us had gym access)

📍A deficit in quad strength is often seen pre or post total knee replacement, with knee osteoarthritis, or after an ACL recon.

👉We can also consider more resistance on the band, a kettlebell on the foot, hold for longer, and increased number of reps as a way to progress this exercise, depending on what the main focus is at a given stage (hypertrophy, strength, strength endurance etc)

10/06/2026

🎯Split Squat - Hip Flexor Length

📍This split squat is a great exercise to lengthen the muscles at the front of the hip and thigh.

👉It actively lengthens the hip flexor and quad muscles making it a nice alternative to passive stretches such as the "couch stretch".

⚡It's important to:
-Keep both knees at 90 degrees
-Maintain an upright upper body position
-Maintain a posterior tilt (keep your hips tucked underneath you)

08/06/2026

Standing hip hitch

🎯The standing hip hitch exercise is a great exercise used to challenge lateral hip strength, pelvic control and walking or running gait mechanics.

👉It’s important to:
-stand tall
-ribcage stacked on top of pelvis
-elevate the hip of the free leg
-avoid rotating or side bending

📈This can be progressed by using the following:
-Strength - Barbell single leg step up to A-frame position
-Gait mechanics - Hip lock variations / March variations

05/06/2026

🎯Loading the Patellar Tendon

👉The patellar tendon is a common source of anterior knee pain particularly after ACLR when the patellar tendon is used as the graft.

🔑This single leg wall squat is a nice way to develop tolerance to load in the patellar tendon.

📊The difficulty of this exercises can be altered by:
- Increasing depth
- Shin angle- knee further over toes increases tendon load
- Increasing the duration of the hold
- Adding load with a plate

03/06/2026

🎯Training the hip flexors through their full range of movement helps build strength in every position, not just in mid range/length.
In this case, we are loading the hip flexors in inner range (a shortened position)

👉This exercise also challenges the abdominals, hips and pelvis by mastering control and strength during movement.

📈This exercise can be made more challenging/easier by adjusting load and joint angles. To peel it back another level, just bring the knee to your chest and hold that position actively with your hip muscles

01/06/2026

🎯Inverted row

📊The inverted row is a horizontal pull - upper body movement. This exercise helps to train our upper back (rhomboids, traps, lats), challenges the trunk in an anti-extension position and can help with scapular mechanics

👉It’s important to:
-stay strong through the trunk - plank-like position
-initiate the movement from shoulder blades
-pull to the sternum
-keep the elbows close (30-45 degrees)
-control the lowering phase

📈You can progress the difficulty of this movement by adding load (weight resting on your chest) or by elevating your feet to make it a more horizontal movement. You can also pivot into barbell pulling variations to change the stimulus and there is good transfer over from this exercise.

29/05/2026

🎯Thoracic Rotations:

👉Effective for addressing stiffness across the mid and lower spine for that irritable back.

✅Benefits include:
- Increases thoracic & lumbar rotational mobility
- Mobilises posterior hip and gluteal soft tissues
- Reduces paraspinal muscle guarding to allow the spine to move
- Reduce perceived mid & low back stiffness and pain sensitivity via low-load spinal movement
- Encourages controlled rotation through the thoracic spine and pelvis without axial loading

27/05/2026

Hamstring Strength🔎

✅his hamstring curl variation using a heavy resistance band is a nice alternative for those who don’t have access to a seated hamstring curl machine.

❓Seated hamstring curls load the hamstring muscles in a more lengthened position compared to a lying version due to the hip being flexed.

Strengthening the hamstrings through the full range of motion is key post injury to address deficits and reduce the risk of recurrence 🔑

25/05/2026

🔥The bear crawl exercise is one of my go-to exercises to challenge motor-control at the shoulder in a closed chain position. It helps to challenge the rotator cuff muscles and the muscles around the shoulder blade to control the humeral head during movement.

Its a nice way to improve proprioception, neuromuscular control, and confidence.📈

📊Increasing / decreasing base of support as well as adding resistance / difference surfaces can upscale or downscale this exercises as appropriate for the individual

22/05/2026

Luke - A running injury insight

From managing my own injury (medial shin overload) we have identified that lacking sufficient mid foot control is contributing to overloading the distal tibia (lower shin), also referred to as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS)🎯

❓Reduced capacity through this region can be a precursor for MTSS and needs to be addressed. During running activities its important to be able to control, produce and absorb force sufficiently through the foot.

In this case, we are using the slant board / wedge to create an environment where the medial ankle & midfoot has to work harder to control movement🔥

Address

Mullaghboy Industrial Estate
Navan
C15TD7Y

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 9pm
Tuesday 7am - 9pm
Wednesday 7am - 9pm
Thursday 7am - 9pm
Friday 9am - 7:30pm
Saturday 8am - 12pm

Telephone

+353469062265

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when McEntee Physio & Performance Centre posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to McEntee Physio & Performance Centre:

Shortcuts

Share