An ACL injury is often due to overstretching or tearing thisligamentin the middle of the knee.
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Severe tears or ruptures will oftenrequire surgery.
You may need extensive rehabilitation to fully restore your mobility.
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This article provides instructions for performing exercises that will aid in your recovery from an ACL injury.
Remember to check with your healthcare provider before starting any exercise program.
At-Home Rehabilitation for ACL Injuries
These at-home exercises can help you recover from an ACL injury.
Doing these exercises can help you regain strength and movement without causing further injury to the ACL.
It is important to avoid exercise that compresses or puts weight on your knee.
Instead, the focus should be on strengthening the muscles surrounding the knee.
These exercises can be done at home, ideally with the input of your doctor orphysical therapist.
They can helpprepare you for ACL surgery, or complement your structured rehabilitation program.
As you move through these exercises, pay close attention to the sensations in your knee.
If an exercise is causing pain, stop doing it.
Exercises that do not cause pain can be performed one to four times per day.
Heel Slides
This exercise extends the knee without bearing any weight.
Isometric Quad Contractions
This exercise is also done while seated.
Prone Knee Flexion
This exercise is performed while lying on your stomach.
Ankle Pumps
This exercise begins by lying flat on your back with your legs outstretched.
When first starting, forget the adage “no pain, no gain.”
Pushing too hard can make your injury worse and may result in lengthier recovery time.
If you are unsure, call your physical therapist.
The following exercises can be done one to four times per day, pain-permitting.
Passive Knee Extensions
This exercise requires two chairs of equal height.
Place the chairs facing each other.
The distance between them should be slightly shorter than the length of your leg.
Heel Raises
This exercise is done while standing.
Half Squats
This exercise is done standing while holding a sturdy table with both hands.
Knee Flexion
This exercise requires either aTheraBandor a length of an exercise band.
This exercise may not be easy at first.
With time and patience, though, it should become easier.
At no point in your rehabilitation process should you feel pain.
If you are, stop the exercise and adjust your movements so that they are not painful.
Summary
An ACL injury happens when you overstretch or tear the ACL ligament in the knee.
You may need surgery or extensive rehabilitation to recover from this injury.
Exercises you could do at home can help you while you wait for surgery or work on your rehabilitation.
Start with the safest exercises and avoid compressing or putting weight on your injured knee.
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CHOC.Exercises after ACL surgery.
University of Wisconsin Sports Medicine.Rehabilitation guide.
