What are ForceDecks? 

VALD ForceDecks are force plates that lay flat on the floor and measure the force that goes through them. They do this by measuring the pressure that you exert by standing or jumping on them. For example: when you’re standing on the ForceDecks, they tell us whether you put more pressure through one side of your body than the other, and how much force it is. This becomes particularly interesting when we’re looking at sport-specific movements, such as squats and jumps. 

What can we measure with ForceDecks? 

(Almost) Everything happening during a particular movement. We can quantify your balance and stability, your power development during different movement phases and the efficiency of your movements. 

When is ForceDeck Testing useful during my recovery journey? 

We can use ForceDeck testing at almost every stage of rehab. The data can give us valuable insight into your deficits and where we want to set our next focus to reach your goals. Common areas we use Force Decks include: 

1. 1. Injury prevention: Detecting loading patterns that increase your risk of injury
   2. Assessing the severity of an injury and your rehab progress: Looking at those performance parameters gives us a better idea of the prognosis of your injury, and allows us to see whether you’re on track with recovery. 
   3. Collecting baseline data before a surgery or in pre-season: This data tells us what your ‘normal’ performance is and can help with goal setting for your recovery phase or to monitor your performance throughout the season. 
   4. Return to sports: Comparing your data to normative data of particular tests informs us whether it is safe for you to return to sports. 
   5. Determining the next step to reach your goal: Looking at all performance parameters of your testing, we can see which areas have already had sufficient work done, and which ones to focus next. 

Ready to see how ForceDeck Power Testing could benefit you? 

Book a Discovery Call with Marie here and discuss how ForceDeck Power Testing can help you elevate your recovery to the next level. Already seeing one of our practitioners? Don’t hesitate to ask them how ForceDeck Testing could be integrated into your journey. 

By Marie Batzl