ACL Reconstruction Rehab Exercises | Phase 1
An ACL injury is a tear or stretch of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), one of the main stabilizers of the knee. Approximately half of all ACL injuries occur in people between the ages of 15 and 25, and they most often occur during sports.
However, it's important to note that nearly 70% of all sports-related ACL injuries occur in non-contact or minimally contact situations. Many of these non-contact injuries occur when a person lands after a jump or decelerates quickly during a change of direction, such as when "shifting" left or right while running.
What to do?
There are two options for treating this problem: surgical and conservative treatment. However, there are also specific considerations when choosing one or the other, which you should discuss with your doctor.
You may choose surgery if:
🔵 You have been diagnosed with a complete or partial ACL tear, and your knee is unstable enough to impact your quality of life. 🔵 You are an active athlete with a fairly active lifestyle (football, basketball, active winter recreation), or
🔵 Your job requires knee strength and stability (e.g., construction work), and you are unable to fully utilize your knee's functionality as you did before the injury.
🔵 You are prepared to undergo a long and rigorous rehabilitation program.
🔵 You have a cartilage or meniscus injury, or other ligaments or tendons in your knee.
🔵 If you have undergone conservative treatment for your ACL, but your knee is still unstable.
You may want to avoid surgery if:
🔵 You have a small ACL tear (a tear that can heal with rest and rehabilitation).
🔵 You are not very active, and your job does not require a stable knee.
🔵 Are you willing to give up activities that require knee stability or change your activities to less intense ones that don't require high knee stability, such as cycling?
🔵 Are you willing to undergo conservative treatment to help stabilize your knee and strengthen your leg muscles to reduce the risk of re-injury, and are willing to live with mild knee instability.
🔵 Are you unmotivated to undertake the long and rigorous rehabilitation program required after surgery?
🔵 You have other health problems that make surgery too risky.
Most patients fall between these two sets of criteria, so treatment should always be assessed and tailored individually.
When does rehabilitation begin after an ACL injury?
Immediately after the injury. Even if you choose surgical ACL reconstruction, your rehabilitation begins before surgery. It is believed that the absence of swelling and the achievement of optimal muscle strength and range of motion before surgery facilitates rehabilitation afterward.
Use these exercises and recommendations both before surgery and from 0-2 weeks after.
The goal of these exercises is to restore neuromuscular control over the quadriceps, strengthen the hamstrings, and maintain range of motion in the knee and ankle on the injured leg.
🔴Please note!!
✔️ You can progress from one stage to the next only based on your doctor's recommendation.
✔️ Do not progress too quickly, even if you feel well.
✔️ Regular visits to a physical therapist will provide feedback and help ensure you are performing the exercises correctly.
✔️ This program does not require any special equipment, and most exercises can be performed with minimal equipment.
✔️ It is important to perform all exercises on both legs to prevent imbalances between them.
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