Force Plates and QuickBoard, Side by Side # Force plates measure the force. QuickBoard measures the reaction. > Force plates measure what the body produces. QuickBoard measures how the brain performs under load. Many PT clinics and sports medicine programs use both. QuickBoard is a cognitive-motor training system. It measures reaction and decision speed, not force output. Many PT clinics, sports medicine programs, and athletic training rooms use both as part of a complete return-to-sport protocol. See the Clinical Workflow in 15 Minutes Download Free RTS Guide Strength vs. Cognitive Load ## They answer different clinical questions. Neither replaces the other. Each one tests something the other cannot. Force Plates Answer ### Is this athlete strong and symmetric? - Ground reaction force - Limb symmetry index - Power output and jump height - Eccentric and concentric force Force, measured directly, under pre-planned single-task conditions. QuickBoard Answers ### Can this athlete react and decide under cognitive load? - Reaction time to visual stimuli - Decision speed under cognitive load - Bilateral symmetry during reactive movement - Accuracy under dual-task conditions The conditions injuries actually happen in. QuickBoard also reports jump height, air time, and reactive strength index, plus estimated impulse, average force, and peak power calculated from body weight and flight time rather than measured. QuickBoard captures reaction and decision speed under cognitive load, the readiness a force plate cannot see. The drill shown is a modified Stroop task. The athlete reacts only when a letter, the first letter of a color name, matches the dot color. That adds a decision layer to every rep. Neither replaces the other. They measure different categories of readiness. What the Research Shows ## Passing the physical battery does not close the reinjury gap. This is not a critique of strength and hop testing. It is what the published return-to-sport research reports about athletes who cleared those tests. Wiggins et al. · American Journal of Sports Medicine · 2016 ### Roughly 1 in 4 Young athletes who return to sport after ACL reconstruction reinjure at roughly one in four. Paterno et al. · Journal of Athletic Training · 2022 ### Passing did not lower the risk Athletes who passed all six return-to-sport criteria reinjured at rates no lower than athletes who failed them. Wellsandt et al. · Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy · 2017 ### 90% of a weaker leg A 90% symmetry score can be 90% of an already weakened leg. In this study of ACL patients, 57% cleared the 90% bar. Only 29% were back to their pre-injury capacity. A 90% symmetry score can hide a real deficit. This ACL patient shows a 20.4% left-leg gap under reactive testing. A clean symmetry score can still hide a reactive deficit. Published Research ## Hop symmetry and reactive readiness are not the same thing. Chmielewski et al. (IJSPT 2024) ### Advanced Neuromuscular Training Differentially Changes Performance on Visuomotor Reaction Tests and Single-leg Hop Tests in Patients with ACL Reconstruction Independent research from TRIA Orthopedic Center used QuickBoard as the reaction test. After a five-week return-to-sport program, ACL patients improved more on hop tests than on reaction tests. Hop and reaction results did not move together. The authors conclude patients may still lean on extra mental effort to move, and they call for more dual-task challenges in rehab. This is why many clinics add QuickBoard to their existing RTS protocol rather than swap tools out. See the full research library → Division I Research ## Reaction time was the signal. Jump testing was not. Martin (2012), University of Louisville ### Division I Soccer Pilot: Reaction Time Moved With Self-Reported Stress. In a University of Louisville master's thesis pilot, researchers tested 17 Division I women's soccer players weekly across a full competitive season, with no control group. Slower reaction times went along with more self-reported stress symptoms. Vertical jump and peak power, measured on a flight-time contact mat, did not change significantly over the season. The author calls it a pilot that shows early promise for reaction time as a fatigue check. See the full research library → For PT Clinics ## Three billable CPT codes for revenue expansion. A clinic already running performance testing has the clinical basis to bill QuickBoard sessions. The Agility Rating auto-generates the CPT 97750 documentation as a PDF after every assessment. CPT 97750 ### Physical Performance Test The Agility Rating assessment. The auto-generated PDF includes the Description and Purpose text required for billing. Billed in 15-minute increments. CPT 97530 ### Therapeutic Activities Functional protocol sessions on the sensor board. Go/No-Go, Discrimination, Stroop, and reactive stepping protocols qualify. CPT 97112 ### Neuromuscular Re-education Neuro rehab and dual-task protocols. Pre-populated billing descriptions generated automatically after every session. The Agility Rating Report: a composite cognitive-motor score with CPT 97750 documentation, generated after every assessment. The CPT 97750 Description and Purpose, pre-filled for billing documentation. See How CPT Billing Works Clinician Voice ## From a clinician who quantifies RTS readiness. The Quick Board is a game-changer for us. By tracking baseline data, we know if an athlete is trending in the right direction AND if they need more attention in certain areas. We use this for concussion, knee, ankle, hip, core, and shoulder rehab. One of the best pieces of technology to assist in quantifying return to play readiness. Dr. Andrea Davis PT, MS, DPT Neurocognitive and Neuromuscular Rehabilitation ## The cognitive-motor layer your existing protocol is missing. QuickBoard is recommended technology for neurocognitive and neuromuscular rehabilitation. It ships with pre-built protocols mapped to the four stages of ACL rehabilitation: acute, sub-acute, functional, and return-to-sport. A strength and hop-test battery measures what the body produces. QuickBoard adds the neurocognitive layer: reactive decision-making under cognitive load. It delivers that layer with automated protocol running, bilateral symmetry tracking, and PDF reports after every session. This is not about replacing any instrument in the battery. It is about closing the gap they leave in the RTS decision. The Standard RTS Battery ### Strength, symmetry, and hop tests Physical readiness. Force output under pre-planned conditions. Bilateral strength ratios. Hop distance. QuickBoard Adds ### Reactive readiness under cognitive load Reaction time to visual stimuli. Decision speed. Bilateral symmetry during reactive stepping. Dual-task performance. Automated scoring and PDF reports. The Agility Rating radar chart: a per-category view of reaction, decision, and bilateral movement that strength and hop tests do not capture. See It In Action ## See QuickBoard in action. QuickBoard pairs a sensor board with an iPad app for reactive cognitive-motor training and assessment. FAQ ## Common comparison questions. ### Do I need to replace my force plates to use QuickBoard? + No. Force plates and QuickBoard answer different clinical questions. Force plates measure ground reaction force, limb symmetry index, and power output. QuickBoard measures reaction time, decision speed, and bilateral symmetry under cognitive load. These are different categories of measurement. Many clinics run both in the same RTS protocol. ### What does QuickBoard add to an existing RTS protocol? + QuickBoard adds the cognitive-motor layer that standard physical testing does not cover. Chmielewski et al. (IJSPT 2024), independent research from TRIA Orthopedic Center, used QuickBoard as the reaction test. After return-to-sport training, ACL patients gained less on the reaction tests than on hop tests. QuickBoard tests and trains that reactive layer. For PT clinics, it also supports three CPT codes (97750, 97530, 97112) and auto-generates billing documentation as a PDF after every session. ## Keep reading - What force plate and strength testing miss in ACL return-to-sport - How QuickBoard works next to reaction lights. For programs that already own a light system. - Every QuickBoard comparison on one page - ACL return-to-sport protocols for PT clinics - HD Sensor Board and HD Pro specs and pricing 15-Minute Virtual Demo ## See the Clinical Workflow in 15 Minutes We walk your team through the RTS protocol, show real patient reports, and answer questions about how QuickBoard fits alongside your existing testing setup. Request a Demo Download the Free Return-to-Sport Guide Explore the published research → Source: https://thequickboard.com/already-have-force-plates