First time author Jess Cunningham talks about her book: 'POP: When sport brings us to our knees'

Australia-based sports and exercise physiotherapist Jess Cunningham says her book titled ‘POP: When sport brings us to our knees’ has had an ‘amazing’ response. The 224-page book, which was published in August, is based on the interviews Jess conducted with 13 Australian athletes whose careers have been interrupted by anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

Speaking exclusively to PhysioUpdate, Jess said: ‘So far the reception to POP has received around the world has been amazing – from ACL-injured athletes and patients, to health professional and the media alike.’

Australia is said to have the highest ACL reconstruction rate in the world – but nobody knows quite why this is the case – and Jess sees her book as being more of a ‘conversation opener’ than offering answers to this conundrum.

How did you get the idea for the book?

‘I started POP as a “side project” as a new mum. The seed for POP was planted from the ACL injury experiences of two Australian winter athletes I'd had the privilege of working with: slopestyle skiers Anna Segal and Russ Henshaw,' Jess says.

‘As their physiotherapist in the lead up to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, their injury journeys challenged me professionally and personally like no other ACL injuries I had experienced.

‘Anna and Russ both successfully competed at Sochi with just one intact ACL between them. Not four – just one! Their stories raise interesting talking points that I had often shared with the ACL clients and athletes I have worked with since around many topics relating to ACL management – graft types, timeframes, surgery versus conservative management and so on.’ 

With one-year-old twins (Leo and Lucas) and a three-year-old daughter (Maeva) to care for at home, Jess – perhaps not surprisingly – says her current full-time job is ‘being a mum’. ‘I live on the beautiful south coast of New South Wales (about an hour south of Sydney) and my days consist of chasing around after the boys at the beach. They have just started running in opposite directions – and fast!’

‘Previously I had worked extensively in winter sports travelling with Australian, New Zealand and US national teams/athletes, as well as working with the Australian Sailing Team and the GWS Giants Australian Football League team. 

I started POP as a 'side project' as a new mum. The seed for POP was planted from the ACL injury experiences of two Australian winter athletes I'd had the privilege of working with: slopestyle skiers Anna Segal and Russ Henshaw

Multi-tasking day and night

Jess is clearly one of life's successful multi-taskers. ‘I wanted to create something of value for our profession, but it needed to be that I could complete at strange hours of the day and night while my daughter Maeva slept,’ Jess explains.

‘Rather than commencing formal research that would most likely be read by just clinicians and academics, I thought a book like this would appeal to a wider audience and perhaps fall into the hands of health professionals, as well as ACL injured athletes and clients around the globe. From the feedback I have been receiving so far, it has been doing exactly that!

Why should physios read the book?

‘POP is not a “how to rehab an ACL” manual,' says Jess. 'By sharing the insightful and inspiring ACL injury journeys of 13 Australian athletes it aims to offer motivation and advice to anyone working through their own ACL injury.

‘It is designed to be a useful resource and conversation starter for not only ACL patients, but also surgeons and therapists (and anyone involved in ACL injury management) to ensure optimal decisions are made with regard to patient-specific ACL treatments.

‘The aim is also to increase awareness around evidence-based lower limb injury prevention programmes to hopefully help reduce the risk of ACL injuries (and re-ruptures) from occurring in the first place.

And what’s next?

‘Believe it or not POP was my “practice run” at writing a book,' Jess admits. 'I actually have a second book in mind that I think the world might benefit from! So, watch this space ... I might just need a bit of time to catch up on some sleep though!'

What are people saying about the book?

'The moment an athlete is struck down with an ACL injury, the fear of the unknown strikes. What does the future hold for them? Where to from here? A thousand questions that create anxiety and can overwhelm even the toughest of athletes. The power of this book is its ability to silence the internal questions that can plague an athlete's mind.

'With advice from some of the best in the industry, along with the real-life stories of athletes that have been in the same position, and have overcome the very same challenges that await a newly injured athlete. There is nothing more powerful than reading the journey of another as you embark on the same journey.' Lachlan Wilmot, Co-owner and director, Athletes Authority

To order a copy of the book, visit: https://www.jesscunningham.com.au/ It is also available worldwide from all major booksellers. 

ISBN-10: ‎0645491306  ISBN-13: ‎978-0645491302