Lake Health Group is taking part in a national sports injury trial to get athletes back moving, reduce pain and to prevent early arthritis.

This comes on the eve of grassroots football and netball seasons starting with sports injury experts bracing themselves for an influx of issues as players get back in action after such a prolonged time on the sidelines during the pandemic.

Lake Health Group senior physiotherapist Michael Pierce has maintained throughout lockdowns the importance of appropriate muscle loading when people tried new forms of exercise or looked to step up their exercise in isolation.

He said care to get back in the game was just as important.

"People coming back to sport will have deconditioning," Mr Pierce said. "Getting back is high risk for a whole host of things and we've gone a full footy season with no contact."

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An ACL injury puts athletes at four to six times more likely to retire early from sport and experience persistent pain or arthritis compared to non-injured people, according to La Trobe University Sport and Exercise Medical Research centre, which is leading the study.

Those with an ACL injury were also twice as likely to require a knee joint replacement later in life and one-and-a-half times more likely to develop chronic cardiovascular disease.

Lake Health Group will work with athletes who are nine months to three years out from undergoing knee reconstruction surgery as part of the research.

Participants will undergo a free knee assessment and MRI and work with a physiotherapist on a set strengthening program for four months before group classes and check-ups.

"A lot of adults who have an ACL injury have poor outcomes and a lot don't get back normal function," Mr Pierce said.

"For us, it's pleasing to be involved because we're very interested in evidence-based research. It also ties in nicely on our objective as an allied health provider that regional areas deserve the best care too. Being up-to-date on our professional development reflects on this."

The SUPER-knee study follows Lake Health Group's role in a hip injury study, led by senior physiotherapist and La Trobe research fellow Joanne Kemp.

This knee study is funded by National Health and Medical Research Council to work with sports physiotherapists for 2021-22.

Interested participants can contact Lake Health Group for referral to the study, or email aclstudy@latrobe.edu.au.

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