About Vien Vu Performance Lab
The Vien Vu Performance Lab contains articles about sports medicine topics that may help you overcome tough cases or obstacles. Here I hope you will learn about emerging technology in healthcare, and how to objectively measure your patients to make sure they are safe for discharge.
I also share career development in the realm of sports physical therapy. I have had great mentors in my life, and it would be selfish of me to hog their lessons. Some common themes you might notice is the amount of failure and complexity that occurs in sports rehab, healthcare careers, and life. Therefore, every time you visit this website I hope you improve your knowledge and/or anxiety by at least 1% based off of my experiences and mistakes. You will also come across some educational resources that make your life and job easier (I hope)!
Why is this referred to as a lab? Although I do conduct formal research, here I will write about mini-experiments I conduct to answer questions about rehab, technology, and performance. This is an outlet for me to share my informal findings that might help others.
My lab is powered by multiple technologies including force plates, dynamometers, camera systems, and accelerometers from Kinvent, Enode, OpenCap, and Statsports.
Professional Biography
I began my career in human performance in 2010 working as a strength and conditioning coach in the private sector where I worked primarily in group settings with high school and collegiate athletes. I eventually switched to personal training from 2014 – 2018 while completing my doctorate degree in physical therapy; I still do some personal training today. After completing a sports residency and D1 sports fellowship, I now work solely in the D1 college setting where I get to treat clinically and dabble in sports science. I am also a paid consultant with SimpliFaster where I get to evaluate emerging technologies, and give my perspective from a rehab standpoint. I feel it’s also important to conduct research in addition to clinical care, and my research focus is anterior cruciate ligament injury, racial disparities in healthcare, and social determinants of health. I am also an invited speaker at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (UNC) and Ohio University where I teach a return to sports lecture each year for the sports physical therapy elective, and I am an associated faculty member at Tufts University Hybrid DPT program where I assist in their in-person therapeutic exercise lab. Through this work, I have been fortunate to have been appointed multiple leadership positions for my national professional organizations, and have been invited to speak at state, regional, and national conferences.
My Education:
Wake Forest University Athletics 2019-2020, Winston-Salem, NC; (Director: Niles Fleet): Division 1 Sports Physical Therapy Fellowship
Gundersen Health Systems 2018-2019, La Crosse, WI; (Director: Scott Straker): Sports Physical Therapy Residency
University of the Pacific 2015-2017, Stockton, CA: Doctor of Physical Therapy
San Jose State University 2009-2014: B.S. Kinesiology
My Certifications:
Board Certified Sports Clinical Specialist (SCS): I am aware of best practice for emergency response at athletic events, triage of athletic injuries, acute wound care, rehab of overuse and traumatic sports injuries, and understanding of indications for common surgical interventions in athletic injuries.
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS): I am aware of basic strength and conditioning principles such as periodization, programming, group organization/flow, safety, and neuromuscular and cardiovascular responses to exercise in healthy individuals.
Certified Performance and Sports Scientist (CPSS): I am aware of ways to collect, analyze, and present data/technology to answer important questions presented by athletes and stakeholders pertaining to maximizing performance.
United States of America – Weightlifting Level 1 (USAW-1): I understand key phases, indications, technique, and programming of Olympic lifts, and am able to teach them to athletes in a structured and effective way. My certification has expired in 2020, however I am still effective in my delivery of it’s content.
Articles and resources for enhanced sports medicine rehab and career development 