Need a physical therapist to help with your ACL reconstruction recovery? Call our team at (718) 229-4878.
An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is every athlete’s worst nightmare, with many believing that this knee injury can ruin careers. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the more common injuries that affect athletes.
The NCAA’s Injury Surveillance Program reported an estimated 78 ACL ruptures per 100,000 people per year. However, the same report also states that up to 86% of athletes return to their sport and usual activity level after eight to 18 months after reconstruction, showing that modern treatments can get athletes back into the game and performing at a high level within a reasonable time frame.
While knee surgery can repair the tear, physical therapy is essential for restoring the knee’s range of motion and strength. Whether you are a professional athlete or a dedicated weekend warrior, a consistent plan from a professional physical therapy practice in Bayside, NY, can assist your recovery from this devastating injury.
Setting Goals
Physical therapy plays an invaluable role in ACL reconstruction recovery. Many surgeons rely on physical therapists to make the initial diagnosis and develop a treatment plan. This early intervention involves the physical therapist assessing your stability, range of motion, strength, and whether or not surgery is necessary.
While most PTs try to avoid surgery wherever possible, some ACL ruptures are too severe to repair through physical therapy alone.
Whether you need surgery or not, the next step is to set realistic goals for your injury and recovery. Our treatment plans focus on achieving these goals, which include:
- Reducing pain and swelling
- Increasing knee stability
- Re-establishing range of motion
- Restoring balance
- Strengthening muscles surrounding the knee
A large part of our treatment plan includes avoiding re-injury. Studies show that almost 40% of professional athletes suffer a second ACL injury after ACL reconstruction, largely due to athletes and coaches ignoring goals and metrics like increased muscle strength and quality of movement.
Putting strain on the ACL too soon can dramatically increase the chance of a second rupture, particularly in high-risk sports such as soccer and football. The higher the quality of physiotherapy and post-injury care, the lower the re-injury rate.
Similarly, 86% of athletes who follow their recommended ACL reconstitution recovery plan can expect to return to their pre-injury level, as opposed to 50% of minimally compliant athletes. At Bayside Physical Therapy, Chiropractic and Acupuncture, we firmly believe in working closely with our patients to achieve the best possible results.
The Four Phases of Recovery
While everyone responds differently to treatment, the basic outline of the rehabilitation process for an ACL tear remains the same. This general outline provides a roadmap of your progress after surgery and ensures you stay on track with your recovery.
Phase One: Healing
The first phase involves protecting the knee while it heals after recovery and setting the foundation for phase two. You will probably need crutches and a knee brace during this phase, which typically lasts a week or two after surgery. We also recommend ice and acupuncture to control the swelling, reduce knee pain, promote healing, and maintain comfort while you stay off your feet.
This key phase is essential to restoring your range of motion using gentle exercises and neuromuscular stimulation to enhance quad contraction control.
Phase Two: Walking
The main focus of this phase is to get you off crutches and walking on your own. We begin this phase when you can easily contract your quads and have minimal swelling around the knee. We still maintain some of the practices from phase one, including wearing a knee brace and icing the area to control swelling.
Phase two consists of strengthening your hips and hamstring muscles, improving quad control, and developing awareness of your knee’s motion and movement. This phase generally takes two to three weeks, at which point you’ll be walking almost normally and starting to use light weights during your exercises.
Phase Three: Jogging
Phase three builds on the muscle strengthening and proprioception established in phase two. In addition to your existing exercises, you’ll also do squats and lunges to build up your quads and glutes while also gently restoring motion to your knee.
We’ll gradually increase the resistance on many of your exercises while adding hopping and gentle plyometrics when suitable. The phase ends when we’re certain your knee is stable and your ACL is fully healed. You can start light jogging and will no longer need extensive icing or NMES (neuromuscular electrical stimulation), as you’ll have fully regained control of your quads.
Phase Four: Almost Back to Normal
Many athletes find phase four to be the hardest. You will feel completely healed, but it’s vital to keep within your limits. High-level sports that involve lots of sudden starts and stops or cutting maneuvers can put too much strain on your newly-healed ACL and knee joint, increasing your risk of re-injury.
Your PT will continue to monitor your progress closely. You’ll continue the same exercises as in phase three, with added resistance where appropriate. The final test of knee stability is the single leg hop test, which determines if your ACL is strong enough to resist stressful exercises. Once your physical therapist gives you the green light, you can get back to your normal routine and back on track with your athletic career.
Find the Right Physical Therapist for Your ACL Reconstruction Recovery
An ACL tear is a devastating injury that results in months of pain and recovery. That’s why it’s so important to have a physical therapist that you can trust and who is willing to work with you to achieve your goals.
Our commitment to our clients means that our doctors accept most insurance plans, including workers’ compensation, no-fault, and personal injury protection, to ensure we can help everyone who needs us. For more information about ACL reconstruction recovery, call Bayside Physical Therapy, Chiropractic, and Acupuncture at (718) 229-4878 or book online today!
From workers’ comp physical therapy after a workplace injury, auto accident trauma, to sports-related treatments, our holistic approach means you get a personalized treatment plan that fits your needs.