HI Canuck Physio.
I would agree with you in general. However the facts are still the facts...they still haven't solved the rotation riddle in the knee. It is this movement that is thought to cause the OA even in ACL reco'd knees.
As for the proprioception, what we are retraining is awareness and cues, especially visual, to anticipate changes in direction. We are also teaching co-contraction because when you take the eyes out of the equation, you begin to increase the amount of muscle activity to complete a balancing task. By putting all these strategies in place, you can certainly help.
But my concern is that the ocean has currents and once the surf breaks near you, those currents can be unpredictable. Add a 4 year old to the equation and you have a nice recipe for a sore knee.
This is a genuine question because i might be wrong in my assumption...what muscles control knee rotation through range (i know about popliteus but that is only in/near extension ROM)?
THanks