François Fourchet
François Fourchet is a French sports physiotherapist, osteopath, and researcher with extensive international experience in sports medicine. Until 2025, he served as Head of the Physiotherapy and Ergotherapy Department at the Hôpital de La Tour in Meyrin, near Geneva, where he led a team of more than seventy professionals.
François has been practicing as a physiotherapist since 1994 and has specialized in sports physiotherapy since 1998. He worked for nine years as a Senior Physiotherapist at the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence in Doha, Qatar. Throughout his career, he has worked with numerous international and Olympic athletes.
In 2012, he earned his PhD from the Université de Reims with a dissertation titled “Prevention of foot-ankle complex injuries in young athletes – Contribution to identifying injury risk factors”. His research focuses on foot and ankle injuries, electromyostimulation, flexibility, and running biomechanics. He has co-supervised multiple doctoral students and has published over 130 scientific articles.
Since 2017, François has been teaching nationally and internationally, educating physiotherapists, (sports) physicians, and coaches. He is also affiliated as a research associate at the Interuniversity Laboratory of Motor Biology (LIBM).
He serves as a member of the Editorial Board of Isokinetics and Exercise Science (since 2015) and as a reviewer for several international scientific journals, including Gait & Posture (since 2012), BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, Journal of Sports Sciences, Physical Therapy in Sport (all since 2013), and Journal of Athletic Training (since 2014).
Furthermore, he is Chair of the Association 4Ankle (since 2023) and has been a member of the Executive Committee of the International Ankle Consortium (IAC) since 2012.
François is internationally recognized for his expertise in:
Intrinsic foot muscle strengthening
Rehabilitation after ankle sprains
Electromyostimulation
Analysis of running biomechanics and fatigue
Articles by François
The 10th International Ankle Symposium in Strasbourg brought together more than fifty leading international experts to share innovative insights into the understanding, treatment, and rehabilitation of foot and ankle injuries, as well as strategies for return to sport and performance optimization. This article highlights the key takeaways from the symposium and translates them into practical applications aimed at enhancing clinical skills in foot and ankle rehabilitation.
Publications by François Fourchet
Here are some recent publications by François. For a complete list of his work, you can visit his ResearchGate profile or browse his PubMed publications.
- Lopes R, Freiha K, Carmont MR, Valentin E, Alvino K, Mousa M, Rauline G, Fourchet F, Picot B, Hardy A. Validation of a Composite Outcome Score for Assessing Return to Sports After Achilles Tendon Repair. Am J Sports Med. 2025 Apr 22:3635465251333142. doi: 10.1177/03635465251333142. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40263952.
Hardy A, Freiha K, Moussa MK, Valentin E, Rauline G, Alvino K, Fourchet F, Picot B, Lopes R. Use of Ankle-GO to Assess and Predict Return to Sport After Lateral Ankle Reconstruction for Chronic Ankle Instability. Orthop J Sports Med. 2025 Mar 21;13(3):23259671251322903. doi: 10.1177/23259671251322903. PMID: 40124190; PMCID: PMC11930476.
Picot B, Fourchet F, Laydevant W, Louis C, Rauline G, Meyer A, Podlog L, Lopes R, Hardy A. Ankle supports enhance only psychological aspects of the Ankle-GO score in patients with chronic ankle instability. J Athl Train. 2025 Feb 7. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-0584.24. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39916658.
Tourillon R, Delahunt E, Fourchet F, Picot B, M’Baye M. Ankle Scientific Knowledge and Physiotherapy Practice: A Thematic Analysis of Clinical Behaviors of French-Speaking Physiotherapists. J Athl Train. 2025 Feb 1;60(2):134-142. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-0575.23. PMID: 38477122; PMCID: PMC11866796.
Servant G, Bothorel H, Pernoud A, Mayes S, Fourchet F, Christofilopoulos P. Six-month rehabilitation following surgical hip dislocation for femoroacetabular impingement restores the preoperative strength of most hip muscles, except for external rotators. J Hip Preserv Surg. 2024 Dec 19;12(1):46-53. doi: 10.1093/jhps/hnae042. PMID: 40331074; PMCID: PMC12051858.
Santy FM, Pernoud A, Barrué-Belou S, Fourchet F, Bothorel H, Samozino P. Reliability of isokinetic dynamometer for isometric assessment of ankle plantar flexor strength. Phys Ther Sport. 2025 Jan;71:36-42. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2024.11.001. Epub 2024 Nov 9. PMID: 39626379.
Picot B, Fourchet F, Rauline G, Freiha K, Wikstrom E, Lopes R, Hardy A. Ankle-GO score is associated with the probability of becoming coper after lateral ankle sprain: a 1-year prospective cohort study. Br J Sports Med. 2024 Oct 17;58(19):1115-1122. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2024-108361. PMID: 39122369; PMCID: PMC11503120.
