Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAt-Home RehabGetting StartedRecovery ExercisesNext in ACL Surgery GuideACL Surgery: Overview
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
At-Home Rehab
Getting Started
Recovery Exercises
Next in ACL Surgery Guide
If you’ve had ananterior cruciate ligament (ACL)injury, your healthcare provider may recommend rehabilitation exercises to help improve your knee health.
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Severe tears or ruptures will often require surgery. You may need extensive rehabilitation to fully restore your mobility.
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 muscles include thequadricepsmuscles (“quads”) in the front of your leg and thehamstrings(“hams”) in the back part of your thigh. Strengthening these muscles will help you gradually extend your range of motion so your knee doesn’t “freeze.”
These exercises can be done at home, ideally with the input of your doctor orphysical therapist. They can help prepare you forACL surgery, or complement your structured rehabilitation program.
1:35Click Play to Learn All About ACL Rehab Exercises
1:35
Click Play to Learn All About ACL Rehab Exercises
Safest ACL Rehab Exercises to Start
The following exercises should begin within one to three days post-operation, and continued for two to four weeks.
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.
Prone Hip Extension
This exercise is similar to prone knee flexion, except it does not involve bending the knee.
Sitting Towel Calf Stretch
For this exercise, all you will need is a towel and somewhere to sit.
Ankle Pumps
When first starting, forget the adage “no pain, no gain.” You will probably feel discomfort when exercising the quads and hams, but stop if a movement causes outright pain. Pushing too hard can make your injury worse and may result in lengthier recovery time.
ACL Exercises When Swelling Subsides
Around four to six weeks post-operation, you will know you are ready to begin the next phase of rehabilitation exercises when:
If you don’t meet these criteria, you may not be ready to move on to the following exercises. 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.
Standing on One Leg
Standing on one legis a great way to test and build your strength and balance.
This exercise may not be easy at first. With time and patience, though, it should become easier.
Partial Lunges
Unlike a full lunge, in which your back knee lowers to the ground, partial lunges only involve bending your front knee slightly.
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.
ACL Tear Rehab: Duration of Recovery
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 can 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.
After the swelling subsides, you can try exercises that are done while standing on both legs.
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Duncan KJ, Chopp-Hurley JN, Maly MR.A systematic review to evaluate exercise for anterior cruciate ligament injuries: does this approach reduce the incidence of knee osteoarthritis?Open Access Rheumatol. 2016;8:1-16. doi:10.2147/OARRR.S81673Begalle RL, Distefano LJ, Blackburn T, Padua DA.Quadriceps and hamstrings coactivation during common therapeutic exercises.J Athl Train. 2012;47(4):396-405. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-47.4.01Flagg K, Karavatas S, Thompson S, Bennett C.Current criteria for return to play after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: an evidence-based literature review.ATM. 2019 Oct;7(7):1-6.CHOC.Exercises after ACL surgery.University of Wisconsin Sports Medicine.Rehabilitation guide.Additional ReadingWilk K.Anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention and rehabilitation: Let’s get it right.J Ortho Sports Phys Ther.2015; 45(10):728-30. doi:10.2519/jospt.2015.0109
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Duncan KJ, Chopp-Hurley JN, Maly MR.A systematic review to evaluate exercise for anterior cruciate ligament injuries: does this approach reduce the incidence of knee osteoarthritis?Open Access Rheumatol. 2016;8:1-16. doi:10.2147/OARRR.S81673Begalle RL, Distefano LJ, Blackburn T, Padua DA.Quadriceps and hamstrings coactivation during common therapeutic exercises.J Athl Train. 2012;47(4):396-405. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-47.4.01Flagg K, Karavatas S, Thompson S, Bennett C.Current criteria for return to play after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: an evidence-based literature review.ATM. 2019 Oct;7(7):1-6.CHOC.Exercises after ACL surgery.University of Wisconsin Sports Medicine.Rehabilitation guide.Additional ReadingWilk K.Anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention and rehabilitation: Let’s get it right.J Ortho Sports Phys Ther.2015; 45(10):728-30. doi:10.2519/jospt.2015.0109
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Duncan KJ, Chopp-Hurley JN, Maly MR.A systematic review to evaluate exercise for anterior cruciate ligament injuries: does this approach reduce the incidence of knee osteoarthritis?Open Access Rheumatol. 2016;8:1-16. doi:10.2147/OARRR.S81673Begalle RL, Distefano LJ, Blackburn T, Padua DA.Quadriceps and hamstrings coactivation during common therapeutic exercises.J Athl Train. 2012;47(4):396-405. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-47.4.01Flagg K, Karavatas S, Thompson S, Bennett C.Current criteria for return to play after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: an evidence-based literature review.ATM. 2019 Oct;7(7):1-6.CHOC.Exercises after ACL surgery.University of Wisconsin Sports Medicine.Rehabilitation guide.
Duncan KJ, Chopp-Hurley JN, Maly MR.A systematic review to evaluate exercise for anterior cruciate ligament injuries: does this approach reduce the incidence of knee osteoarthritis?Open Access Rheumatol. 2016;8:1-16. doi:10.2147/OARRR.S81673
Begalle RL, Distefano LJ, Blackburn T, Padua DA.Quadriceps and hamstrings coactivation during common therapeutic exercises.J Athl Train. 2012;47(4):396-405. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-47.4.01
Flagg K, Karavatas S, Thompson S, Bennett C.Current criteria for return to play after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: an evidence-based literature review.ATM. 2019 Oct;7(7):1-6.
CHOC.Exercises after ACL surgery.
University of Wisconsin Sports Medicine.Rehabilitation guide.
Wilk K.Anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention and rehabilitation: Let’s get it right.J Ortho Sports Phys Ther.2015; 45(10):728-30. doi:10.2519/jospt.2015.0109
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